Thesis (PhD (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 1996. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The development of small to medium enterprises (SME's) has
various advantages for a country's economy, inter alia the
creation of job opportunities. South African SME's are
expected to realise these advantages, as set out in the
national strategy for SME's.
The turbulent national and international environment offers
unique challenges to SME' s, but could also be the cause of
them not meeting expectations. One possible way to secure
dynamic behaviour of SME's in such a turbulent environment is
to stimulate creativity. The question arises whether South
African SME's are creative, and what can be done to promote
their creativity.
This study therefore focuses on two issues, namely creativity
and SME' s. Creativity is discussed on the basis of existing
theories and definitions. The primary aim of the discussion
is to identify elements which can explain creativity in SME's.
The following four elements are discussed:
• characteristics of creative persons;
• creative processes;
• an environment which can support creativity; and
• manifestations of creativity.
The second issue under discussion
framework of D'Amboise and Muldoney
is SME's. An adapted
(1984) was used as basis
to discuss characteristics of 8ME owners, 8ME behaviour
practices, and how 8ME's interact with the task environment.
Conclusions regarding 8ME owners and 8ME behaviour patterns
indicate that an entrepreneurial approach is conducive to
creativity, and that 8ME's that interact dynamically with the
environment tend to be creative.
These conclusions are then integrated. Characteristics of 8ME
owners, 8ME behaviour practices, creative processes, and
manifestations of creativity are discussed. It was not
possible to provide a list of manifestations, and therefore
only an instrument for identification and classification is
provided. Evaluation is subjective, which supports findings
in the literature that objective evaluation is probably not
possible.
The integrated 8ME profile is an adapted conceptual model
which serves as basis for the empirical research. This model
suggests that there could be associations between
characteristics of 8ME owners and 8ME behaviour practices, and
manifestations of creativity.
It was decided on a questionnaire for data collecting, because
it is inter alia less expensive, and less time consuming for
8ME owners to complete. Questionnaires were forwarded to 3310
addresses, and 342 usable questionnaires were returned.
Telephone inquiries confirmed that the low response could not
be attributed to either the study or the questionnaire, but
rather to factors unique to 8ME's, such as owners' limited
time.
After the descriptive statistics were reported, a stepwise
logistic regression for binary dependant variables
(creativity) and multiway analysis for categorical and ordinal
explanatory variables were executed in an explorative way, in
order to identify possible predictors of creativity. These
predictors were then compared with the descriptive statistics
to establish possible deficiencies.
The most important deficiency is that the present profile of
SME owners is not in equilibrium with predictors, and is
therefore regarded as the most important reason why SME's are
not creative. There is greater equilibrium between SME
behaviour factors and predictors, but this is neutralised by
non-creative SME owners.
Internal (SME's) and external interventions which can create
an environment conducive to creativity in SME's, are finally
discussed. This approach can be visualised as an iceberg,
which implies that manifestations of creativity are only
perceptible if the imperceptible phase has a sound basis.
This development approach is not an instant, but rather a long
term process. If, however, deliberate efforts are not made to
promote creativity in SME's, they will not be able to meet
expectations, which could have serious consequences for the
economy. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dit word algemeen aanvaar dat die ontwikkeling van klein- en
mediumgroot ondernemings (KMO's) verskeie voordele vir 'n land
se ekonomie kan inhou, onder andere die skep van
werksgeleenthede. In Suid-Afrika word dit van KMO's verwag om
hierdie voordele te realiseer, soos in die nasionale strategie
vir KMO's uiteengesit.
Die omgewing, wat nasionaal en internasionaal turbulent is,
bied egter unieke uitdagings aan KMO's, maar kan veroorsaak
dat hulle nie aan verwagtinge kan voldoen nie. Een moontlike
manier om dinamiese optredes van KMO's in so 'n omgewing te
verseker, is stimulering van kreatiwiteit. Die vraag ontstaan
of KMO's in Suid-Afrika kreatief is, en op watter aspekte klem
gelê moet word om kreatiwiteit te bevorder.
Hierdie studie het daarom twee fokuspunte, naamlik
kreatiwiteit en KMO's. Kreatiwiteit is bespreek aan die hand
van bestaande teoriee en definisies. Die primêre doel van die
bespreking was om elemente te identifiseer wat kreatiwiteit in
KMO's kan help verklaar. Die volgende vier elemente is
bespreek:
• eienskappe van 'n kreatiewe persoon;
• kreatiewe prosesse;
• 'n omgewing wat kreatiwiteit kan bevorder;
• manifestasies van kreatiwiteit.
KMO's was as tweede fokuspunt bespreek. 'n Aangepaste
raamwerk van D'Amboise en Muldoney (1984) is as basis gebruik
om eienskappe van KMO-eienaars, KMO-gedragspraktyke, en KMO's
se interaksie met die taakomgewing te bespreek.
Gevolgtrekkings oor KMO-eienaars en KMO-gedragspraktyke het
daarop gedui dat 'n entrepreneuriese benadering bevorderlik is
vir kreatiwiteit, en dat KMO's wat dinamies in interaksie is
met hul taakomgewing is meer geneig tot kreatiwiteit.
Gevolgtrekkings betreffende bogenoemde fokuspunte is daarna in
'n KMO-profiel geintegreer. Eienskappe van KMO-eienaars, KMO-gedragspraktyke,
kreatiewe prosesse, en manifestasies van
kreatiwiteit is bespreek. Ten opsigte van laasgenoemde was
die voorsiening van 'n lys nie moontlik nie, en is slegs 'n
instrument vir identifisering en klassifisering voorsien. Die
beoordeling is subjektief, maar in die literatuur is aangedui
dat objektiewe beoordeling waarskynlik nie moontlik is nie.
Die geintegreerde KMO-profiel is omskep in 'n konseptuele
model wat as basis dien vir 'n empiriese ondersoek. Hierdie
model dui moontlike assosiasies tussen eienskappe van KMO-eienaars
en -gedragspraktyke, en manifestasies van
kreatiwiteit aan.
Daar is besluit om die vraelysmetode te gebruik om data in te
samel, omdat dit onder andere goedkoper sou wees, en
tydsgewys meer prakties vir KMO-eienaars om in te vul.
Vraelyste is na 3310 adresse gestuur, en 342 bruikbare
vraelyste is teruggekry. Tydens die data-insamelingsproses is
deur telefoniese navrae vasgestel dat die lae respons nie aan
die studie of vraelys toeskryfbaar was nie, maar eerder aan
faktore eie aan KMO's, soos KMO-eienaars se beperkte tyd.
Nadat die beskrywende statistieke gerapporteer is, is stapsgewyse
logistiese regressie vir binêre afhanklike
veranderlikes (kreatiwiteit) en meerrigtingtabel-analise vir
kategoriese en ordinale verklarende veranderlikes op 'n
eksploratiewe wyse uitgevoer om moontlike voorspellers van
kreatiwiteit te identifiseer. Hierdie voorspellers is daarna
met die beskrywende statistieke vergelyk om moontlike leemtes
te bepaal.
Die belangrikste leemte is dat die huidige profiel van KMO-eienaars
nie in ewewig is met voorspellers nie, en daarom as
die belangrikste rede beskou word waarom KMO's nie kreatief is
nie. Daar is 'n groter mate van ewewig tussen KMO-gedragsfaktore
en voorspellers, maar dit word deur nie-kreatiewe
KMO-eienaars geneutraliseer.
Intervensies op interne (KMO's) en eksterne gebiede wat 'n
positiewe omgewing kan skep vir kreatiwiteit in KMO's, is
laastens bespreek. Hierdie benadering word as 'n ysberg
gevisualiseer, wat impliseer dat manifestasies van
kreatiwiteit slegs sigbaar is indien 'n gesonde basis in die
onsigbare fase gelê is. Hierdie ontwikkeling kan egter nie
eensklaps geskied nie, maar is eerder langtermyn van aard.
Indien daar egter nie 'n daadwerklike poging aangewend word om
kreatiwiteit in KMO's te bevorder nie, sal hulle nie aan die
verwagtinge kan voldoen nie, wat nadelige gevolge vir die
ekonomie inhou.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/505 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Maas, Gideon Johannes Pieter |
| Contributors | De Coning, T. J., Smit, E. van der M., University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Business Management. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | af_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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