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

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Subject: search.filters.subject.New business enterprises--South Africa

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    The effect of business development services and human capital on the performance of SMMEs in Gauteng
    (2019) Shezi, Veronica
    Business development services (BDS) represent a broad variety of non-financial services offered to small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) to improve their performance. BDS are part of enterprise development which seeks to give support to SMMEs. They can be offered by government or private institutions. Human capital plays a role in addressing the lack of education and skills that the SMMEs are faced with. The study is motivated by the high failure and challenges facing SMMEs in South Africa. These challenges range from lack of education, lack of skills, lack of access to markets, lack of support. The purpose of this research is to determine the empirical effect of business development services (BDS) and human capital (HC) on the performance of SMMEs in Gauteng Province in South Africa. The research design was a quantitative research method and used a survey in the form of an online questionnaire, using a software called Qualtrics to collect the data and used SPSS for data analysis. The main findings in the study revealed that there was no statistically significant relationship between BDS and performance of SMMEs. Human capital was so insignificant for this study due to the sig value greater than 0,05. This regression analysis could not be performed. The implications of the study could help small business owners/managers to know what the challenges facing the sector are and what help is available in mitigating the challenges. The study contributes to the literature of BDS, HC and SMME performance. The entrepreneurs can learn from the study. Government, policy makers and BDS providers can find lessons on how to support SMMEs better to ensure competitiveness
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    Challenges facing real estate development start-ups in the inner city of Johannesburg in accessing finance fro commercial banks: a South African context
    (2018) Qwabe, Leonard
    Access to finance from commercial banks is a major barrier for Small and medium Business Enterprises (SMEs).The problem persists because of the stringent requirements the commercial banks put on the SMEs. The research attempted to determine whether or not Venture Capital or the Trust for Urban Housing Finance (TUHF) can be alternative sources of finance for inner city residential real estate development start-ups instead of commercial banks. The research evaluated some of the key reasons that the commercial banks put forth for rejecting SMEs loan application. The study is descriptive in nature, the data was collected using both an electronic survey and a printed questionnaire measuring the primary data sourced from the respondents, who are practising in the inner city property development space. The results are contrary to the expectation of the researcher and the literature reviewed. In the literature, track-record and collateral plays a major role in start-up inner city residential real estate developers lack of access to finance from commercial banks. The findings, however, show that track-record and collateral have weak relationship with access to finance from commercial banks for the start-up developers. Furthermore, the TUHF as an alternative source of finance had no results because the start-up real estate developers from the TUHF did not participate in large numbers. Venture capital as an alternative source of finance has a weak relationship with access to finance from commercial banks. Hence, venture capital cannot be seen as an alternative source of finance from commercial banks
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    Factors constraining development of small sized construction contractors in Mafikeng
    (2018) Diko, Sifiso Isaac
    In this dissertation, the factors constraining the development of small sized construction contractors in Mafikeng were examined. Although it is submitted that small sized construction contractors play an important role to the economy of developing countries like South Africa, they however face lots of challenges constraining their development. These challenges vary from the unfriendly legislation regulating their establishment to corrupt nature of government officials assigned to facilitate their development. It is imperative mention that, Small construction contractor sector is not well developed in South Africa. As a result, there is not much in terms of literature in this area. Therefore this study is done to add to body of knowledge about small construction contractors. As stated above, the study set to examine the factors constraining the development of small sized construction in Mafikeng. It is revealed that, development of small construction contractors in Mafikeng is constrained by internal factors such as entrepreneurial skills, marketing and technology and external factors such as access to finance, corruption, legal and regulatory framework and the political environment. The study makes use of primary and secondary sources of data. Interviews and questionnaires were also administered to get first-hand knowledge about the challenges faced by those concerned in the sector. As a summary of the study therefore, it is submitted that external and internal factors constrain the development of small construction contractors in Mafikeng.
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    A comparison of alternative financing models for small and medium scale enterprises (SME's) in different phases of development
    (2016) Haankuku, Chabota
    Alternative funding models for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are more often than not reviewed from the perspective of the entrepreneur, in line with the need for funding in each growth phase. This research addresses the problem of funding availability for SMEs by interrogating what funding models are viable from the supply side through the growth phases of a small business in South Africa. The variables employed are loan amount advanced to the small business sector, risk appetite structures and measures, such as size, product, lending rate and sector. Using individual firm data in a cross section regression framework, the results of the study indicate a positive relationship between the size of the firm and the loan amount advanced. Evidence is presented that suggests that macroeconomic factors, such as the interest rate, do not have significant influence on lending. Further, and in confirmation of previous literature, this study indicates that there is a general lack of knowledge on how to fund small businesses in South Africa, and this research contributes to the existing literature by providing insights on the alternative models used by lenders to supply funding to SMEs.
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    Human capital and entrepreneurial success in the context of South African informal economy
    (2017) Ntuli, Tshikani Derrick
    Existing literature indicates a positive relationship between human capital and entrepreneurial capital. This has been a dominant supported view for ages. Among other scholars, Unger, et al. (2011); Davidson and Honig (2003); still uphold the view that human capital influence entrepreneurial success to a certain magnitude. However, contemporary studies argue that although the relationship has been demonstrated for decades, some assumptions to the perception should be questioned as the world evolves over time. Unger (2011); Martin, et al. (2013), and more other scholars identify the modification of the traditional assumptions. In terms of these scholars, uncertainty remains over the magnitude of this relationship and the circumstances under which human capital is more or less strongly associated with entrepreneurial success. Consideration of fragmentation in today's study with regard to conceptualization of human capital, the choice of success indicators, the context of study provide some critical challenges to the traditional perception of consistent relationships. All these aspects provide some open gaps to be filled by research. Oostebreek, et al. (2010) sees a questionable relationship between human capital factors and entrepreneurial success, which in terms of Unger, et al. (2011) give rise for the consideration of a moderator approach to study the effects of human capital on business success in order to efficiently determine whether the stated relationships exist or not. Resourced-Based Theory (RBT) was used as theoretical framework to this study. Three main constructs and five sub-constructs have been used to formulate the conceptual model from which three hypotheses were developed and tested. Empirical studies was conducted among selected informal traders in Limpopo Province – focusing in three districts. 257 unregistered small business owners were potential respondents. A quantitative methodology was employed to collect and analyse data through survey research design. The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) along with AMOS 23, SPSS were used as descriptive statistical tools to test the validity of the hypotheses. Both theoretical and applied implications will assist the knowledge-base of researches. Policymakers will also find the implications useful in industrial policymaking. This study provides recommendations which may assist further research and other related enquiries of academic nature.
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