3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/handle/10539/45

Browse

Has files: YesSubject: search.filters.subject.Social networks

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The influence of networking on small medium enterprise performance in Gauteng, South Africa
    (2019) Mlotshwa, Semukele Hellen
    SMEs 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.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Supervisor social support as a moderator of stress-strain relationships
    (2016-07-20) Bernstein, Colleen
    Could not copy abstract
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Bonds of opportunity or constraint? understanding the impact and use of social networks amongst urban migrants in Johannesburg.
    (2012-08-28) Nystrom, Daniel
    This study looks at the importance of social networks amongst urban migrants in Johannesburg. The aim of the study was to look at how the social networks of international migrants function, and how migrants make use of these networks in an urban setting; examining whether this differs between migrants with established social networks available at their final destination before departure, and migrants without such social networks, and if so, how it differs. The study looks at the importance of social networks throughout the entire migration process, more specifically investigating their impact on the decision-making, journey, arrival and adaptation conditions. The literature review highlights research within the areas of social capital and social networks, research which was used to develop the definition of social networks used in this thesis. The literature review further shows that most research on the subject has emphasised the advantages of having friends or family available at the country of destination. This chapter also establishes a set of important indicators which formed the framework of areas which needed to be included in the analysis of adaptation. In order to analyse the importance of social networks, a mixed methods approach was adopted. This approach allowed the quantitative section to establish particular relationships between variables, while the qualitative section explained these relationships further. The comprehensive quantitative data which was used came from the African Cities Project (ACP) which was a comparative and longitudinal survey conducted in 2008. To further explore the findings from this data, a case study was conducted using in-depth interviews with the most interesting migrant group identified in the ACP data; the Somalis. The decision to select the Somalis as the subject of the qualitative case study was based on the findings of the quantitative analysis, and in particular the fact that the Somali respondents in many ways contradicted much of the previous literature on social networks. The findings of this thesis suggest that the significance of social networks during the migration process has often been exaggerated in the literature. According to the data used in this study, migrants without social networks tend to be more successful in many areas, especially when it comes to adapting to the new country. Having personal networks at the country of destination before departure seems to be less important than the cultural knowledge needed to find and make use of the networks and assistance available.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The role of social networks in migrant access to housing in Lenasia
    (2009-06-18T10:40:07Z) Desai, Anisa
    Migrant social networks have become somewhat of a trademark of global migration. Social networks and their development cannot only be recognized as a by product of migration, instead what has been noted is that social networks have emerged as primary actors in the migration process as seen in the incidence of the Asian migrant population in Lenasia. The use of social networks by migrants allow for migrants to accrue a range of benefits such as access to accommodation, employment, security and participation in social activities. With regard to the research report, the use of social networks by Asian migrants to access accommodation in Lenasia has been the focus of the study. Initial assumptions about this transient community entailed that migrants in Lenasia were generally unable to access accommodation through other formalised mechanisms such as rental companies therefore they relied on social networks. This has however been proven incorrect and what was found was that the migrant population had in fact never considered or utilised the services of a rental company because their social networks had always successfully met their accommodation needs. The occurrence of migrant social networks in Lenasia has initiated further migration into the area, and subsequently led to the development of migrant enclaves operating in isolation from the pre-existing community. The effect the creation of migrant enclaves in Lenasia has had on the area’s development trajectory is explored in the research. In addition the consequences of migrant enclaves and separate social networks between the pre-existing and migrant community are investigated
Copyright Ownership Is Guided By The University's

Intellectual Property policy

Students submitting a Thesis or Dissertation must be aware of current copyright issues. Both for the protection of your original work as well as the protection of another's copyrighted work, you should follow all current copyright law.