Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management (ETDs)
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Item Accelerating socio-economic justice through inclusive economic-and-employment growth(University of the Witswatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Isaacs, Nandipha; Pillay, PundyThis paper posits that the labour market, through paying jobs, is an important lever for moving people out of poverty to address the social and economic consequences of apartheid in South Africa. The paper explores different parameters related to employment growth, namely the relationship between economic growth and employment growth, which types of business (small versus large) contribute most to employment growth, which sectors contribute most to employment growth, the barriers to employment growth experienced by entrepreneurs, and interventions required to ensure employment growth is inclusive. This research applied the ARDL model to understand the relationship between employment growth and economic growth on an aggregate level, at a sector level and a business size level, using StatsSA and SARB data for the period 2009 - 2019. This was supplemented by interviews with entrepreneurs and subject matter advisors who provided additional insights into the dynamics of employment growth. The findings of the report highlight that there is a positive relationship between economic growth and employment growth in South Africa, confirming that economic growth has contributed positively to the labour market, despite high and rising unemployment. Key sectors also show a positive relationship with economic growth. The findings revealed as well that small business employment has a negative relationship with economic growth. This paper also highlights that indicators that are affected by apartheid are still used in recruitment and promotion decisions, pointing to the need for company practices and policies to be re-looked to ensure Black Africans are not locked out of the economy.Item Social capital as a pathway to small and medium-sized enterprises' performance in North-West Province(2020) Ndhlovu, Nhlanhla HarmoniaSocial capital is an intangible asset that influences the performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). SMEs are critical drivers of economic growth in the emerging economy. Small businesses are the key drivers of job creation rather than large companies. However, despite government intervention in developing SMEs, there is still a high failure rate of SMEs in the North-West Province. Therefore, understanding how relational and cognitive social capital relates to the performance of SMEs is crucial. Resources accumulated through social capital can drive the performance of SME. This study is quantitative, and it takes a deductive approach. Primary data was collected with a sample size of 384 in North-West province through a self-administered questionnaire. Data analysis includes validity, reliability, correlation, and regression. Relational social capital emerged as a significant predictor of SME's performance (employment growth and revenue). Cognitive social capital was a negative significant predictor for SME's performance. The finding of social capital is in line with existing literature that suggests that there is a significant positive relationship between social capital and SME's performance. Entrepreneurs who invest in social capital are likely to accumulate financial and non-financial performance. The study recommends that entrepreneurs should develop value chains from networking partners. The study concludes that entrepreneurs who invest in social capital have a high level of performance. Based on the findings, entrepreneurs can accumulate other entrepreneurial capital (human & financial capital) through social capital. The study suggests that future researchers can help assess how to foster value chains from networking partners.