The background in which global organisations operate in at present is very
competitive. In an ever faster growing global economy the role of the entrepreneur
within the large organisation becomes more and more important to ensure the
company keeps the competitive edge.
The Linde Group is a world class company with a world class management strategy
and systems to support the strategy. Part of the The Linde Group management
strategy is being a high performing organisation, wanting to give all employees the
opportunity to contribute to improvement by sharing their ideas with the company.
This study was done at African Oxygen Limited, South Africa, a regional business
unit in Africa for The Linde Group. African Oxygen Limited embarked on various
programmes to create opportunities for employees to think in an entrepreneurial way.
Middle managers at African Oxygen Limited play an important role in the innovation
programs implemented at African Oxygen Limited. Against this background, this
study seeks to confirm whether African Oxygen Limited, South Africa has a true
entrepreneurial climate and whether the middle management level involved with
these initiatives share this perception.
Corporate entrepreneurship is characterised by people who are innovative, creative,
spend time and take risks. To support these entrepreneurial activities, the
organisation needs a climate and culture that is beneficial to these activities. An
entrepreneurial orientation within an organisation is marked by dimensions such as
innovativeness, pro–activeness, risk–taking, competitive aggressiveness and
autonomy. The entrepreneurial behaviour among middle level managers is most
critical to the effective implementation of corporate entrepreneurship.
The primary objective of this study was to assess the entrepreneurial climate in
African Oxygen Limited and to make recommendations to foster corporate
entrepreneurship within the organisation. The literature review was instrumental to
gather secondary data on corporate entrepreneurship and to understand its dynamics. In order to gain primary data, quantitative research was carried out. The
study population comprised lower and middle management, who were requested to
complete questionnaires. This was followed by statistical analysis.
The empirical results indicate no practical significance in respondents' perception
based on the gender of the respondents. However, the results do indicate practical
significant differences between the relationship between the groups of middle and
lower management level with respect to entrepreneurial climate and the perceived
organisational success.
An evaluation of the corporate entrepreneurial climate in the organisation was
performed and the average mean for the study calculated. Seven out of 13
constructs evaluated had a mean above the average mean of x = 3.502, the other six
constructs evaluated had a mean ranked lower than the average mean. All of the
constructs still had a mean above three out of five.
All four of the used variables measuring the perceived organisational success, were
reported by respondents to have a mean above three which is the neutral point. The
average mean of the perceived success of the organisation was 3.688. It was clear
that the constructs for perceived organisational success had a fairly strong presence,
but there is still room for improvement.
With reference to the entrepreneurial climate within Afrox the conclusion is that it is
not optimally entrepreneurial and initiatives put into practice that should encourage
entrepreneurial behaviour, are falling short.
The study concludes with practical recommendations on assessment of the
achievement of objectives and suggestions for future research. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/4583 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Motlhasedi, Simon Molatodi |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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