Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management (ETDs)

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Corporate entrepreneurship

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Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    The impact of barriers to Inter-Company Innovation flows and Corporate Entrepreneurship at a Financial Services Organisation in Johannesburg
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Maseko, Buyisile; Matshabaphala, Manamela
    Background: Increasing stability and improving the quality of services are the main challenges facing the financial industry since the 2008 fiscal crisis. In this paper, we explored the barriers within large financial services firms that influence the effectiveness of disruptive and radical innovation. Providing quality services to customers is one of the pillars of financial services companies. It is imperative that they continuously innovate their services in order to sustain their revenue streams in tough macroeconomic times and amid rapid technological growth. Research Purpose: This paper investigated the barriers that impact the inter-company innovation flow in the financial service sector and corporate entrepreneurship. In simple terms, we examined the link between corporate entrepreneurship and financial innovation and how barriers to these flows can impact inter-company innovation. As part of this study, we examined the factors that predict service innovation in the financial services sector such as management support, work discretion, rewards and reinforcement, and organisational boundaries. Setting: A survey questionnaire was conducted with employees within a Financial Services Organisation in South Africa - across various designations. Research Method and Approach: In order to gather responses from all levels of employees within one of the country's leading banks, a case study approach was adopted. To gather quantitative data, an online survey was conducted using scales for corporate entrepreneurship and service innovation. The inferential statistics were based on multiple linear regressions and factor analysis. Main Findings: Several major barriers to innovation and change were identified in the emerging findings, including bureaucracy, poor communication, lack of engagement by employees, management challenges and risk aversion. Based on the study's findings, corporate entrepreneurship predicted certain dimensions of service innovation. There was a significant (p 0.05) correlation between rewards and recognition, management support, and time availability on the basis of service innovation. Service innovation was not significantly influenced by work discretion or organisational boundaries. Using employee perceptions of barriers to innovation and change, this study provides managers and practitioners with insight into how to improve the organizational conditions to support innovation and change. Based on the results of this study, further research can be conducted in this field. Value of Research: The insights gained from this study can help companies improve commercial services and build competitive advantage through corporate entrepreneurship and address inter-company innovation barriers. According to the results, the financial services industry is unable to innovate in response to society's demand for radical change. Identifying the internal barriers to potential disruptions and radical innovations in large financial services firms are the purpose of this study
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    The promotion of Corporate Entrepreneurship in the South African financial services organisations
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Nhlapo, Simon; Alovokpinhou, Sedjro Aaron
    There has been a growing interest in corporate entrepreneurship in the last four decades. Corporate entrepreneurship has therefore become a necessary attribute that organisations that wish to gain competitive advantage and be market leaders should possess. This study assesses the extent to which corporate entrepreneurship is promoted and encouraged in South African financial services organisations. The research study identifies and investigates organisational internal factors, which affect the promotion of corporate entrepreneurship in South African financial services organisations through administering Corporate Entrepreneurship Assessment instrument (CEAI). The research results indicate that work discretion is the only construct that respondents perceived to be encouraged and promoted. This was further confirmed by higher positive responses on items relating to autonomy and freedom. Participants reflected a neutral sentiment regarding the promotion of corporate entrepreneurship irrespective of gender, age, organisational level, tenure, and overall employment tenure. The research results also suggests that management sentiment is low on time availability for the promoting entrepreneurial activities. Therefore, we conclude that the South African financial services industry still has an enormous task to create an environment conducive for corporate entrepreneurship.
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    Corporate Entrepreneurship and Environmental Sustainability in South Africa’s Chemicals Sector
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Ntshani, Itukiseng; Pooe, Kagiso (TK)
    Companies in the South African chemicals industry are under pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their operations while ensuring job preservation andvalue creation for all their stakeholders. Greenhouse gases primarily emanate from burning and processing fossil fuels like crude oil and natural gas. Over 90% of the feedstock for chemical production is obtained from fossil fuels (IEA, 2018), which is not environmentally sustainable. Literature suggests that applying the concept of corporate entrepreneurship can play a vital role in developing solutions to enhance a company’s economic, environmental, and social outcomes (Aparicio et al., 2020). Despite this suggestion, the amount of research done on the application of corporate entrepreneurship to address environmental sustainability challenges is limited, especially in the South African context. This study applies a qualitative research methodology, using a case study research method to investigate if corporate entrepreneurship can address environmental sustainability challenges in South Africa’s chemicals manufacturing sector. Secondary data on companies in South Africa’s chemicals manufacturing value chain was obtained from various digital platforms and triangulated with primary data from interviews to conduct this research. Interview participants included individuals from environmental conservation NGOs and government agencies. The collected data was analyzed in ATLAS.ti through coding and visualization techniques. The results indicate that companies in South Africa’s chemicals manufacturing sector are applying elements of corporate entrepreneurship theory to develop strategies to address environmental sustainability challenges. Individuals from environmental conservation NGOs and government agencies believe corporate entrepreneurship can effectively address environmental sustainability challenges in the chemical manufacturing sector. Most strategies, plans, and projects announced by the companies are yet to be implemented. Therefore, it is yet to be confirmed if these strategies will effectively address the environmental sustainability challenges
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    Corporate entrepreneurship and governance structures in South African listed companies
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Zhanje, Tadiwanashe Gaylord; Msimango-Galawe, JH.
    Entrepreneurship scholars tend to agree that the governance structures of a company influence its corporate entrepreneurial efforts and activities. Empirical studies have certainly supported this but have limited application to Africa as few studies have been conducted under said context. This study empirically investigated the relationship between corporate governance structures and the corporate entrepreneurial efforts of publicly listed companies in South Africa. The study made use of secondary data sources including CIPC, IRESS and company annual reports. This was done to save time, costs and for ease of access to data. Multiple regression analysis was then used to test the hypotheses. Following an investigation of 119 JSE listed firms, regression results revealed that a larger Board Size is positively associated with corporate entrepreneurship (CE) in South African (SA) registered firms as measured by research and development (R&D) expenditure. These results highlight the importance of a particular governance structure in relation to efforts to create sustainable long-term value and competitive advantages. Additionally, the findings provide key insights to scholars and policymakers where governance issues in an emerging market context serve as a catalyst for corporate entrepreneurial activities.
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    Employee attitudinal and behavioural requirements for entrepreneurial behaviour in South African SMMEs
    (2021) Ramolobeng, Phuti Zacharia
    SMMEs are seen, in the context of South Africa, as essential for growing big companies and, by extension, propel the entire economy of the country. This research study’s main focus was on intrapreneurship in South African SMMEs. It explicated the effect that attitude towards intrapreneurship (ATI) and perceived behavioural control (PBC), have on employee intrapreneurial behaviour. It also sought to explain the role played by a firm’s support, as moderator, on the relationships that exist between ATI and PBC, and intrapreneurial behaviour. This study used a quantitative approach, which allows quantification of constructs with scales so that relationships between constructs as well as the strength of such relationships can be tested to accept or reject hypotheses. The study also followed a cross-sectional methodological approach and used online questionnaires to collect primary data from SMME employees in a survey. The target population for the research study comprised employees of SMMEs in South Africa. Some important implications of intrapreneurial behaviour for SMMEs, emanating from the findings would point founders, managers, and employees of SMMEs in the direction of attitudinal and behavioural requirements for intrapreneurial behaviour.
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    Organisational internal factors and the innovativeness in SMEs in Gauteng, South Africa
    (2021) Mavimbela, Chuene
    This research study investigated the relationship between organisational internal factors and the SMEs’ innovativeness. The theoretical background to the study was adopted and grounded on the theory of corporate entrepreneurship. The study focused on SMEs’ owners and managers with firms operating in Gauteng, South Africa. The organisational internal factors that were investigated are management support, work discretion, rewards and reinforcement, time availability, and organisational boundaries. The study took a quantitative approach, implementing existing instruments and analysed a sample of 272 owner-managers. Multiple linear regression analysis was used as a core statistical technique to analyse the primary data and found a significant and positive relationship between management support to innovative ideas and the SMEs’ innovativeness. The results presented a significant and positive relationship between management support to execute innovative ideas and the SMEs’ innovativeness. The study highlighted a significant and positive relationship between time availability to handle the workload and the SMEs’ innovativeness. The study further highlighted a significant and positive relationship between time availability constraints on the job and the SMEs’ innovativeness. The study also found a positive but not significant relationship between the organisational antecedent of rewards/reinforcement and SMEs’ innovativeness. The study contributes to the research theory of corporate entrepreneurship by recognising the importance and influence of the organisational internal factors in the context of advancing the SMEs’ innovativeness in Gauteng. The study provides government, academic practitioners, and the SMEs owners with insights of organisational internal factors’ policies that can be implemented to facilitate and encourage employees’ innovativeness. The study is relevant to the SMEs’ owners who seek to remain entrepreneurial, competitive and contribute to economic growth.
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    Corporate entrepreneurship and innovation performance: the moderating role of endogenous risk management in the South African telecommunications sector
    (2021) Zondo, Hlengiwe Londiwe
    Innovation and risk are indivisible. The mismanagement of risk can carry an enormous penalty. In recent history, the corporate community has observed a number of risk calamities that have resulted in substantial loss. Harmoniously, mounting evidence advocates for effective risk management as an archetypal characteristic of successful firms. At an academic level, literature discusses the importance of an organisational culture in enterprise risk management as a means of improving firm and innovation performance. However, there is scant empirical evidence to support this connection, an evident research gap within the South African context. At industry level, the South African telecommunications sector has experienced adverse consequences due to the mismanagement of risk that ascended from a lack of control-related structures, policies, systems, and knowledge management systems pertaining to innovation performance. Within this ambit, there lies the need to gain insight on the role of endogenous risk management within the corporate entrepreneurship context and its effect on innovation performance in the aforementioned sector. Consequently, the purpose of this research is to investigate how organisational antecedents of corporate entrepreneurship may influence innovation performance while identifying the potential moderating effect of endogenous risk management on this relationship, within the telecommunications sector in South Africa. This study follows a positivist paradigm, founded on a quantitative research approach utilising a cross-sectional viewpoint. Primary data, with a sample size of 187 participants, was collected by means of an online survey that was self-administered. Two stage probability sampling was adopted for this research. The sampling techniques used were stratified sampling, which was used to sample all the identified telecommunication firms in South Africa with primary focus on the significant market shareholders, and simple random sampling which was applied to employees within the telecommunication firms. Data analysis comprised of correlational analysis, backward elimination method, multiple regression and moderation analysis. The antecedents of corporate entrepreneurship; management support, rewards/reinforcement and time availability were found to be significant predictors of innovation performance at a 99 percent confidence level, whilst organisational boundaries were found to be an insignificant predictor of innovation performance. A significant but indirectly proportional relationship was found between work/discretion/autonomy and innovation performance within this study context. It is noteworthy that the regression analysis revealed time availability, management support and rewards/reinforcement, as the most influential predictors of innovation performance, listed in descending order of strength. Firms with appropriate time availed, rewards/reinforcement and management support for employee entrepreneurial activity, are expected to yield prodigious results in innovation performance. Furthermore, the results indicated that endogenous risk management has a moderating effect on the relationship between corporate entrepreneurship and innovation performance. However, this was discovered to be statistically insignificant for each dimension of corporate entrepreneurship in relation to innovation performance. The findings were precisely the reverse of those found in developed economy context research. The findings of this study have substantial implications for industry, academia and policy makers alike. This study succours telecommunication firms in the establishment and maintenance of internal corporate environments that are conducive to innovation. For longevity and competitive advantage purposes, it is within firms’ best interest to invest in human capital as primary agents of knowledge creation, corporate entrepreneurship and innovation activities. Strategic policy formulation targeted at enhancing innovation outcomes and all the opportunities that come with it – could benefit the country at a micro, meso and macro level. The originality of the study lies its nature within this particular emerging market context and the theoretical contribution made through a construct proposed for inclusion in the antecedents of corporate entrepreneurship framework
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    The role of entrepreneurial orientation in enabling corporate entrepreneurship in Namibian companies
    (2020) Ballotti, Dino
    Scholars and business leaders discourse on the importance of “unleashing the entrepreneurial potential” of organisations includes getting rid of controls and restrictions on entrepreneurial behaviour (Pinchot & Pellman, 1999:125). The global business environment is changing exponentially, fast becoming ever more competitive, which dictates that entrepreneurial activity is growing in prominence, allowing for the survival and future competitiveness of corporates. At organisation level, the ability to innovate continually and engage in an ongoing process of entrepreneurial action has become the source of competitive advantage, with the dearth of entrepreneurial intent and orientation being the perfect ingredient for failure (Kuratko, 2009). This study provided quantitative first-hand empirical support for academic and practical claims of the role entrepreneurial orientation (EO) played in supporting corporate entrepreneurship (CE) in an emerging market context. The conceptual model, shaped from the work of Urban and Wood (2015), intended to contribute to the body of knowledge providing both researchers and organisations alike the foundation to examine the relationship between EO and CE. The integrated framework of CE allowed for a broad overview of the relationship with EO. A sample of 500 corporate employees was drawn from various corporate employers in Namibia. The findings were established based on three hypotheses. The first hypothesis was supported, as the study found that the higher the level of EO, in terms of the innovativeness dimension, the greater the level of CE in terms of opportunity recognition. The second hypothesis stated that the higher the level of EO, in terms of the risk-taking dimension, the greater the level of CE in terms of opportunity recognition. The study found a negative and insignificant impact of risk-taking on opportunity recognition; the hypothesis was not supported. The third hypothesis found that the higher the level of EO, in terms of the pro-activeness dimension, the greater the level of CE in terms of opportunity recognition. CE theory endures to advance and improve (Zahra, Randerson, & Fayolle, 2013), and although existing studies have enriched the knowledge of the relationship between EO and CE, a serious research gap was identified. This research investigated the roles played by both constructs in a developing market context, with the intention of providing a more comprehensive picture of how EO affects CE, as the study’s main research question. To sum up, whichever form CE takes; it is fundamental and imperative that creating value is observed as the key driver in the pursuit of ongoing competitive advantage.