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

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Small and medium enterprises

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    Successes and challenges of the ECDC as perceived by SMME's in the OR Tambo District municipality
    (2013-03-22) Mkatshwa, Tulisiwe Buyisiwe Lungisa
    South Africa, like most developing countries, has one of the highest levels of unemployment. Within South Africa’s borders the highest levels of unemployment are found in areas of the Eastern Cape Province, which is one of the poorest provinces. In these areas, Small Medium Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) have grown out of the necessity for employment. For these SMMEs to succeed, good support programmes from development agencies is vital. It is also important that the recipients of the support perceive this support to be meeting their needs. This research surveyed the perceptions of Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) supported SMMEs regarding the support services they received in the OR Tambo District municipality. The findings confirmed that the SMME entrepreneurs surveyed perceive the ECDC’s financial and non-financial support as particularly instrumental in helping them start up their businesses. The biggest perceived challenge is that ECDC does not have enough programmes to help SMMEs to grow beyond start-up stage. Furthermore, the SMME entrepreneurs are dissatisfied with the quality of service they receive from ECDC employees. The lessons of this study are that the SMME entrepreneurs realise the important role that ECDC plays in contributing to their business success. They also believe that ECDC has to evolve constantly with the times by having programmes targeted at start-up businesses, strengthening existing businesses, and growing established businesses to higher levels. The study results suggest that ECDC needs to improve on the quality of their programmes to meet the needs of all types of SMMEs, create more awareness about its programmes, but most importantly, ECDC needs to equip its employees with the skills to support SMMEs of various backgrounds.
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    Preferential procurement and emerging enterprises
    (2013-02-25) Hlakudi, Nkwananchi John
    The policies of the previous dispensation created racial disparities in South Africa and resulted in a need for transformation of public procurement systems to enable historically disadvantaged individuals (HDIs) to access government procurement opportunities. The Preferential Procurement Policy (PP Policy) was adopted to regulate preferential procurement in government in order to accelerate the award of procurement opportunities to companies that are owned by HDIs. The purpose of the research was to investigate the benefits of preferential procurement to HDIs in the light of the perception that the PP Policy is not achieving its objectives. The qualitative methodology was used to collect and analyse the data using the case study design. The research revealed that, although the results of implementing the policy are still below the expected outcomes due to stringent legislative requirements and corruption, many emerging HDI-owned enterprises benefit from preferential procurement opportunities. The study further contends that the achievement of the intended objectives of PP Policy can be improved by reviewing the model of implementation of the policy, improving awareness and accountability of the key stakeholders and providing unconditional support for SMMEs.
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    Venture capital and initial public offerings: the prospects and impediments in African markets
    (2013-02-21) Nage, Lerato
    The aim of this study is to present venture creation as an alternative form of alleviating poverty and contributing positively to the economic growth of every African government. This study draws to the attention of policy-makers, the importance of venture creation in emerging economies. The author goes on further to highlights the challenges with the current models used for financing/funding new ventures, in an emerging African economy. The objective of this paper is to also highlight what needs to be done by policy-makers, to create a thriving economic environment for emerging entrepreneurs. This study seeks to highlight some of the prospects, as well as some of the impediments, experienced by the venture capital industry and start-up enterprises. The environment in which the creation of new ventures operates under in emerging African markets is reviewed, and the exit of those enterprises when they mature and graduate from a small, private company, to a publicly held company - through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) process, is examined. The benefits of exiting these ventures through an IPO, versus the more aptly applied private placement exit method, are also discussed. The impact that the behaviour and psychology of investing have on the investment trends in African economies is also discussed. The author used the qualitative research methodology to achieve the results presented in this paper. The outcomes of the study are outlined in chapter four of this paper. The respondents to the survey indicated the importance of the venture capital sector and the critical role that policy makers should be playing. There were no clear responses around the human behaviour in determining the suitable exit platform. What came out clearly in this study; was that each region in the African economy will use a different exit platform driven mainly by the economic environment. The author goes on further to conclude on the outcomes of the study and suggest further research on the topic on venture capital and initial public offerings. The participants who responded to the survey agreed with the literature reviewed, in particular around the adequate form of financing for starting up new enterprises.
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    Deregulation and foreign direct investment : lessons for heavily regulated countries.
    (2012-10-17) Kitunzi, Mutunzi Ahmed
    Countries with high levels of growth-fostering business deregulation for domestic small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) appear to attract more FDI inflows than countries with low levels of business deregulation. This may be because SMEs in such deregulated countries attract ample cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As), which are a major conduit of FDI inflows. This study therefore investigates the relationship between FDI inflow and business deregulation. The study employs a triangulation of quantitative research methodologies and a panel data of 154 countries to analyze the relationship between FDI and deregulation. Results from the study generally show that there are statistically significant and inversely proportional relationships between inbound FDI and the deregulation of: (i) starting a business, (ii) paying taxes, and (iii) export trading, by a country‘s domestic SMEs. The study also documents positive correlations between cross-border M&As and inbound FDI. Thus, countries are likely to attract more FDI inflows, especially through cross-border M&As, as they deregulate the: starting of businesses, payment of taxes and exportation of products for their domestic SMEs. Therefore, on policy front, it is recommended that in order to enhance FDI inflows, countries ought to deregulate these areas of infringement to efficient running of SMEs; this finding provides a complementary and/or substitute policy to the popular outward-looking incentive programs for attracting FDIs.
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    Strategic entrepreneurship and performance of small and medium enterprises in South Africa.
    (2012-10-16) Mohutsiwa, Moshe
    The aim of this paper is to investigate the link between strategic entrepreneurship and company performance. For the purpose of this study, strategic entrepreneurship is divided into two sections; entrepreneurial orientation and planning flexibility. The entrepreneurial orientation factors used are proactiveness, risk-taking and innovativeness. A survey was conducted on 133 SMEs’ representatives on a purposive and convenience basis. The results of the study indicate that, in the South African context, SMEs need to be proactive, take risks and be innovative to influence their own performance. The study further indicates that flexibility in planning is vital for the improved performance of SMEs. The external environment influences the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation, planning flexibility and a firm’s performance. These results correlate with the existing literature on the entrepreneurial orientation, flexibility in planning and performance of SMEs. The findings of this survey and this research paper should serve to benefit entrepreneurs and SME owners and managers and encourage them to develop entrepreneurial orientation and planning flexibility programmes.
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