D. Tech (Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are economic drivers and key in job creation in emerging economies. In the past, the difficulties faced by women have deprived them of opportunities to establish and run successful businesses. Previous research reveals that women’s involvement in businesses creates sustainable economic growth, thereby reducing poverty. Women-owned SMEs in South Africa receive minimal government support, and many women lack the resources required to run a business successfully. Ensuring growth and profitability in women-run enterprises can alleviate the extent to which women have been disadvantaged in South Africa. In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, women have a significant role in creating jobs, which can grow the South African economy. This study aimed to determine the influence of strategy implementation in women-owned SMEs in South Africa, specifically Gauteng Province. The study considered constructs such as strategy implementation, financial performance and SME survival in women-owned SMEs. Against this background, a deductive reasoning based quantitative approach was adopted using a cross-sectional survey design to assess the connection between the constructs under consideration. The final sample consisted of 347 women entrepreneurs and managers and employees of selected SMEs in various regions of Gauteng Province. The data collected were analysed using the Statistical Packages for the Social Scientists (SPSS) version 25.0 software. Statistical analyses techniques applied in the study included descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, person correlations and regression analyses. The results of the study showed that corporate and business strategies exert a significant influence on SME financial performance. However, operational strategy was statistically insignificant. Financial performance, in turn, influenced SME survival. Additionally, all three strategies, namely, corporate, business and operational, significantly influenced SME survival. Thus, the financial performance and ultimate survival of women-owned SMEs in South Africa are both dependent on strategy formulation and implementation. The research is practical in that its results may be used as a reference source for ideas in strategy formulation and implementation in stakeholder committees. The results may then be directed towards alleviating the challenges facing women-owned SMEs in South Africa and stimulate their chances of success. The study, therefore, has implications in generating employment, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of women-owned SMEs. Theoretically, the study contributes by closing the gap in literature within the area of the nexus between strategy implementation, financial performance and SME survival in the context of South Africa.

This study examined the motivation of entrepreneurs in starting a business. More specifically, it aimed to identify whether entrepreneurs have common motives for starting their own business, and to determine whether men and women have different reasons for becoming entrepreneurs. The empirical study was conducted on a sample of 101 entrepreneurs. A motivation scale and open-ended questions were used to measure motivation. The results indicated that men and women have various reasons for starting a business, and are primarily motivated by the need for independence, need for material incentives and the need for achievement. The need to contribute to the community was not an important motive. Comparatively, male entrepreneurs were more motivated by the need to give family security and to make a difference in the business, and female entrepreneurs were motivated more by the need to keep learning and the need for more money to survive. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

Text in English / The thesis is a grounded analysis that seeks to understand small, micro, and medium enterprises (SMME) in the ICT sector that are particularly driven by women entrepreneurs in the Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela metropolitan municipalities of the Eastern Cape Province. Small businesses in the ICT sector owned and driven by women are still an understudied topic in South Africa, since there is not much literature that covers the topic from either a quantitative, or a qualitative perspective. The Eastern Cape Province is not an exception to the dearth of literature that focuses on SMME women-driven entrepreneurship in the ICT sector. The research interest of this research project emphasises the gap pertaining to the unavailability of gender-disaggregated data that indicates, for example: i) The number of women-owned ICT enterprises; ii) The nature of women-driven entrepreneurial activity in the ICT sector; iii) Evidence of how competitive women-owned ICT enterprises are; iv) Sustainable job creation by these ICT enterprises; iv) Availability of women with ICT skills; and v) Women who are occupying ICT core positions. These factors strengthen the case for employing a grounded approach to explore this substantive area of investigation. The researcher has no doubt that this study is one of the first studies to examine women-driven entrepreneurship of SMMEs in the ICT sector of the Eastern Cape Province, hence the adoption of a Multi-Grounded Theory (MGT) approach. This methodology is anchored in a qualitative approach that explores this phenomenon about which little is known. A moderate constructivist and interpretive approach guided by the voices of women entrepreneurs was employed to provide a meaningful account that added depth and breadth to the description and explanation of the status quo in relation to women-driven entrepreneurship in SMMEs. Emerging data from in-depth interviews conducted with 12 SMME women entrepreneurs and two experts from the ICT industry was matched with the two theories of entrepreneurship and cyberfeminism. These theories provided a theoretical lens through which data could be analysed and interpreted. This empirical and theory driven approach assisted in grounding the substantive theory. The research objectives provided answers to the empirical research questions that sought to gain an in-depth understanding of women entrepreneurs‘ perspective about: i) Conceptualisation of entrepreneurship and ICT technology as a concept; ii) Conceptualisation of the ICT sector; iii) The perceived importance of the ICT sector as an enabler in promoting SMME women-driven entrepreneurship; iv) How SMME women entrepreneurs use ICT as a core product and service; and v) The role played by government and the private sector in promoting SMME women-driven entrepreneurship in the ICT sector of the Eastern Cape Province. The findings uncovered concerns that women entrepreneurs perceived as having an influence on women-driven entrepreneurship. The findings included the manner in which women entrepreneurs responded to these issues. The findings for example, highlighted gender sensitivity issues which were of great concern to women entrepreneurs. Gender discrimination was amongst the key issues identified that lead to women‘s marginalisation inside the ICT sector, this entailing: i) ICT underrepresentation in core ICT environments; ii) Inaccessible tender opportunities; iii) Inaccessible funding; iv) Limited ICT knowledge and skills; and v) Lack of technical support. Considering the fact that SMME women-driven entrepreneurship within the ICT sector is on the radar screen of both government and the private sector‘s developmental agenda, the gap in research and literature presented a case that the study intended to address by developing a substantive theory which could contribute toward the transformative change in SMME women-driven entrepreneurship in the ICT sector of the province. / Communication Science / D.Litt. et Phil. (Communication Science)

This study examined the motivation of entrepreneurs in starting a business. More specifically, it aimed to identify whether entrepreneurs have common motives for starting their own business, and to determine whether men and women have different reasons for becoming entrepreneurs. The empirical study was conducted on a sample of 101 entrepreneurs. A motivation scale and open-ended questions were used to measure motivation. The results indicated that men and women have various reasons for starting a business, and are primarily motivated by the need for independence, need for material incentives and the need for achievement. The need to contribute to the community was not an important motive. Comparatively, male entrepreneurs were more motivated by the need to give family security and to make a difference in the business, and female entrepreneurs were motivated more by the need to keep learning and the need for more money to survive. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

Text in English / The thesis is a grounded analysis that seeks to understand small, micro, and medium enterprises (SMME) in the ICT sector that are particularly driven by women entrepreneurs in the Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela metropolitan municipalities of the Eastern Cape Province. Small businesses in the ICT sector owned and driven by women are still an understudied topic in South Africa, since there is not much literature that covers the topic from either a quantitative, or a qualitative perspective. The Eastern Cape Province is not an exception to the dearth of literature that focuses on SMME women-driven entrepreneurship in the ICT sector. The research interest of this research project emphasises the gap pertaining to the unavailability of gender-disaggregated data that indicates, for example: i) The number of women-owned ICT enterprises; ii) The nature of women-driven entrepreneurial activity in the ICT sector; iii) Evidence of how competitive women-owned ICT enterprises are; iv) Sustainable job creation by these ICT enterprises; iv) Availability of women with ICT skills; and v) Women who are occupying ICT core positions. These factors strengthen the case for employing a grounded approach to explore this substantive area of investigation. The researcher has no doubt that this study is one of the first studies to examine women-driven entrepreneurship of SMMEs in the ICT sector of the Eastern Cape Province, hence the adoption of a Multi-Grounded Theory (MGT) approach. This methodology is anchored in a qualitative approach that explores this phenomenon about which little is known. A moderate constructivist and interpretive approach guided by the voices of women entrepreneurs was employed to provide a meaningful account that added depth and breadth to the description and explanation of the status quo in relation to women-driven entrepreneurship in SMMEs. Emerging data from in-depth interviews conducted with 12 SMME women entrepreneurs and two experts from the ICT industry was matched with the two theories of entrepreneurship and cyberfeminism. These theories provided a theoretical lens through which data could be analysed and interpreted. This empirical and theory driven approach assisted in grounding the substantive theory. The research objectives provided answers to the empirical research questions that sought to gain an in-depth understanding of women entrepreneurs‘ perspective about: i) Conceptualisation of entrepreneurship and ICT technology as a concept; ii) Conceptualisation of the ICT sector; iii) The perceived importance of the ICT sector as an enabler in promoting SMME women-driven entrepreneurship; iv) How SMME women entrepreneurs use ICT as a core product and service; and v) The role played by government and the private sector in promoting SMME women-driven entrepreneurship in the ICT sector of the Eastern Cape Province. The findings uncovered concerns that women entrepreneurs perceived as having an influence on women-driven entrepreneurship. The findings included the manner in which women entrepreneurs responded to these issues. The findings for example, highlighted gender sensitivity issues which were of great concern to women entrepreneurs. Gender discrimination was amongst the key issues identified that lead to women‘s marginalisation inside the ICT sector, this entailing: i) ICT underrepresentation in core ICT environments; ii) Inaccessible tender opportunities; iii) Inaccessible funding; iv) Limited ICT knowledge and skills; and v) Lack of technical support. Considering the fact that SMME women-driven entrepreneurship within the ICT sector is on the radar screen of both government and the private sector‘s developmental agenda, the gap in research and literature presented a case that the study intended to address by developing a substantive theory which could contribute toward the transformative change in SMME women-driven entrepreneurship in the ICT sector of the province. / Communication Science / D.Litt. et Phil. (Communication Science)

This study aimed to investigate factors affecting the participation of women-owned MSEs in the manufacturing sector in two selected sub-cities of Addis Ababa, namely, Kolfe Keranio and Nefas Silk Lafto sub-cities and to explore and gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences and participation of women who own MSEs in the manufacturing sector as well as government entities that support these MSEs. The study adopted a qualitative, exploratory research approach. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted to collect data from women who participated in the manufacturing sector, government officials, MSEs experts in the sub-cities and gender office professionals who worked closely with women’s MSEs in the manufacturing sector. Besides, direct observation was used to get firsthand information concerning the nature of women-owned MSEs and their working environments such as limited working space, lack of warehouses, and physical constraints relating to the use of stairs in storeyed buildings, among others. Document review and secondary data were used to triangulate the results from the interviews and obtain quantifiable data that could be used to clarify certain issues in the study. The data were analyzed using thematic data analysis to identify how the theme related to the research objectives. The researcher used a table to visualize the coded themes to determine which was the major problem, support, and characteristics of women-owned MSEs. The study revealed that women have limited education levels and skills. It is thus difficult for women who own MSEs to exploit advantages or opportunities to expand their business. The findings also reported the inability to access finance for MSEs start-ups and expansion. Women generally lacked information regarding various aspects of MSEs during the establishment of their businesses. Women-owned MSEs have received some support, particularly from government agencies. However, the support they are currently receiving is inadequate to enable them to transform their business. Women-owned MSEs still face problems on many fronts including workspace, limited finance, outdated technology, poor marketing strategies were among others that need addressing. To develop women-owned MSEs and empower other women in the field, the government, the public sector, and formal financial institutes should be informed on the value of gender-balanced contribution in the informal sector enterprises. It is recommended that there should be a greater focus on the social and economic empowerment of women, as they constitute a vulnerable social category that is critical in development endeavors. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)