3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Differentiation strategy, entrepreneurial orientation and competitive edge as antecedence of SMMEs business performance(2019) Veerasamy, Mfundo PraisegodSMMEs are known to be a key driver of employment creation and economic growth on both developing and developed countries. In South Africa, SMMEs failure rate is very high; resulting in low economic growth as SMMEs are key engines for economic growth. Thus, SMMEs are well known to be the backbone of many economies around the world and they contribute greatly to a nation's wealth as they create jobs. Therefore, the sound performance of the SMME sector in a country relates to the performance of the Nation's economic performance. The SMME sector has a significant role to play in developing economies like South Africa; and poverty reduction and employment creation are some of the issues that SMMEs addresses in a country. This study was aimed at examining how product innovation, entrepreneurial orientation, risk-taking and resource leveraging can influence business growth of SMMEs. Research indicated that in South Africa, SMMEs make up to 91% of formalized businesses and provide employment to approximately 60% of the labour force and its total economic output accounts for 34% of the Gross Domestic Product. In South Africa, the failure rate of SMMEs is estimated to be between 70%. There are numerous challenges hindering SMMEs from growing and these include, but not limited to, insufficient management skills and lack of expertise in functional areas like marketing and finance. Subsequently, South Africa faces some unique challenges when it comes to building an entrepreneurial society, as it is a relatively young democratic country. South Africa has an extremely low rate of entrepreneurship compared to the rest of Africa and the world, combined with high rates of failure for a small business. This study took a constructive outlook on the use of entrepreneurial marketing strategies as a driving force for business growth. The implications of the findings were discussed; limitations and future directions were suggested as well.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.Item The role of entrepreneurial orientation in the South African food manufacturing sector(2018) Sole, Mosiuoa MThis study set out to evaluate and assess the relationship between Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO), manufacturing capabilities and organizational performance in the South African Food Manufacturing industry (SAFM). The SAFM industry is a highly concentrated sector that is key to the growth of the South African economy. This study suggests that EO is the mechanism through which manufacturing capabilities are linked to market needs. Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) represents the processes and practices that provide a basis for entrepreneurial decisions and actions in an organisation. The related dimensions of EO are: innovativeness, risk taking, proactivity, competitive aggressiveness, and autonomy. Manufacturing capabilities are measured with reference to the cost, flexibility, quality, and delivery of production goals, while organisational performance is measured in reference to market and financial goals. EO and manufacturing capabilities are well established concepts in entrepreneurship and operations management literature. Both constructs along with their impacts on organizational performance, have historically been studied independently, and little research has been performed to bridge the knowledge gap between operations management and entrepreneurship research. Further knowledge gaps exist around understanding how EO is manifested in concentrated markets as well as, insights on research techniques for highly concentrated industries. The majority of current studies that focus on the South African food manufacturing sector are either technical government strategy reports, or reports that focus on food as a commodity and not on the manufacturing of food. Limited empirical research is characteristic of highly concentrated environments as they are usually closed and secretive environments. Furthermore, there are limited empirical studies that focus on the manufacturing in South Africa let alone the African continent. This study has contributed in addressing these gaps. The conceptual framework in this study has been tested using quantitative research methods (survey) based on a positivist approach. 75 senior, middle and executive managers from the top ten revenue generating companies in the SAFM iii industry were surveyed. Secondary data on industry performance collected from Statistic South Africa online repository. The hypotheses were tested by performing Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA).The reliability and validity of the survey results assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Multiple regression analysis - ordinary least square (OLS) and correlation analysis were used to test the hypothesized relationships. This study has three key findings. Firstly, this study found that the manufacturing capabilities of quality and cost are entry conditions for market participation in the South African food manufacturing industry, and that the capabilities of delivery and flexibility have a negative correlation on financial performance. Secondly, the study found that entrepreneurial orientation as a multidimensional construct had a moderate positive relationship with financial performance in the South African food manufacturing industry. Thirdly, it found that a negative co-relationship correlation exists between manufacturing capabilities and the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation. The findings of this study, suggest that the food manufacturing industry in South Africa lacks competitiveness and that the drivers of performance in the entire industry are subsector specific. When investigating the specific subdivisions of the food manufacturing industry, descriptive analysis offered different insights i.e. firms that perform well in quality and delivery, perform poorly in flexibility and cost. Due to limited data, these relationships were not analysed further. Research on entrepreneurial orientation and manufacturing capabilities in the SAFM, could be improved through studies focusing on particular subdivisions e.g. milk, grain etc., using non-linear regression techniques.Item Antecedents of brand tribalism and its influence on purchase intention in the luxury housing market(2018) Tsiu, Nthabiseng; Mokoena, NthabisengThe purpose of the study was to determine the antecedents of brand tribalism and its influence on purchase intention in the luxury housing market. A research conceptual model was developed to assess the potential relations between luxury brand preference, corporate philanthropy, social identity, brand fetish, brand tribalism and luxury brand purchase intention. The research objectives and proposed hypothesis were also based on the above-mentioned variables. The study adopted the positivist approach whereby it was quantitative in nature. Research data was collected from 267 willing participants from the Gauteng province in various industries. Their selection for the study was based on convenience sampling. In order to analyse the data the structural equation modelling approach was utilised in which SPSS 24 and AMOS 24 were used. Numerous findings were observed from five hypotheses that were developed for the purposes of the study. The proposed hypotheses were found to be supported and significant except for one. The relationships not significant were those of social identity and brand tribalism. This was also the weakest relationship and suggested that to identify socially; one did not need to be part of a brand tribe. Lastly, recommendations for marketing practitioners, housing market government officials and academicians were provided in the study.Item Evaluation of goods & services among white and black consumers(1991) Cambitzi, CreonThe research investigated the evaluation of common goods and services by white and black consumers, and to determine where similarities and dissimilarities between these two segments existed. A review of the literature on consumer behaviour, with specific reference to decision making models, and a series of in depth interviews enabled the expansion of the Zeithaml (1981) set of constructs by a factor of two. A questionnaire was developed and administered to white and black employees of well known local firms in a variety of industries. Hypothesis testing enabled validation of the expanded set of constructs, and the comparison of white and black evaluative differences, while correspondence ;analysis determined the key evaluative dimensions. Important new dimensions discovered included Convenience, Loyalty and Reception. An invaluable method of clustering was found in the /chi squared trees technique. The results indicated that black consumers are significantly less experienced in the use and evaluation of common services compared to their white counterparts. As a result of this inexperience, a much less sophisticated set of key evaluative constructs are relied upon in the decision process. Both segments appear to be /ciware of generally higher risks associated with services, but are less prone to invest effort in information gathering prior to purchase. The white segment purchases services based on their convenience, whilst the black segment faces equal inconvenience for any purchase. The most significant marketing implications drawn were firstly, the need to appreciate consumer perceptual similarities across, and differences within, goods and services categories. Secondly, marketers need very different strategies for the black segment.