3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item The influence of networking on small medium enterprise performance in Gauteng, South Africa(2019) Mlotshwa, Semukele HellenSMEs are inherently more adventurous than big business. In South Africa, SMEs are very important as they have the potential to address the unemployment and poverty the country is experiencing. It is thus critical to study ways which can enhance the performance of SMEs. This study investigated the influence of networking on SME performance in Gauteng province, South Africa. The study mainly focused on three forms of networking, which are business networking, social networking and managerial networking. Networking has been recognised as a vital element for enhancing competitiveness among SMEs. Data was collected from SME owners in Gauteng province, South Africa, using a self-administered questionnaire and a total response of 304 was attained. In analysing the data, factor analysis was used to reduce several variables and the variables converged into two networking forms, which are business networking - importance and managerial networking - management and a regression analysis was performed on the variables. From the findings of the study, it was established that there are two factors responsible to motivate, influence or initiate networking activities in SMES. The factors were business networking- importance and managerial networkingmanagement which have an influence on business performance. Consequently, no findings were available to make conclusions on social networking as it was not a valid factor. The study recommended that SMEs should network more on business networking to gain access to information, resources and contact sharing as this will improve the performance of their SMEs.