Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management (ETDs)
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Item The moderating effect of gender on the relationship between microfinance and the business growth of SMMEs in Gauteng(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Msomi, Ncebakazi; Msimango-Galawe, JabulileIn a country rife with inequalities and joblessness, Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) have become an alternative means of survival and viable business opportunity for a vast number of South Africans. In order for these SMMEs to operate well, they require capital, which will typically come in the form of microfinance, if at all. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of the use and cost of microfinance loans on the growth of SMMEs. Furthermore, it was to assess how differently microfinance impacts SMME growth for women compared to when utilised by men. A quantitative research approach was followed to collect the data using an online survey questionnaire. A total of 197 questionnaires were completed butthe analysis was ultimately done on 138 of these, with the exclusion of those with missing values. Data was analysed through the use of Partial Least Squares - Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The study found that the costs of microfinance have a significant and negative impact on the growth potential of SMMEs. More specifically, it found that microfinance costs have a more deterring effect on the SMME growth of male owned SMMEs than female owned ones. This study avails a tool and basis for the cost versus benefit analysis that SMMEs must conduct before taking microfinance loans. With women owned SMMEs exhibiting better growth than their male counterparts when using microfinance, an exchange of valuable learnings can occur to improve the country’s SMME success rate. The study proposes innovative systems calibrations and finance product provisions that may benefit both the microfinance institutions and the SMMEs.Item Factors hindering export performance in Botswana: a focus on SMMEs(2020) Molefe, GloriaThe purpose of this study was to quantitatively examine the export barriers hindering export performance by Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in Botswana. The study focused on SMMEs as defined by the Policy on Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises in Botswana. An online survey through Qualtrics platform was administered to collect data from Botswana SMMEs that were identified through consultation of various sources of firm listings on SMMEs. A total of 122 responses were analysed and further tabulated. The findings revealed that knowledge barriers, internal resource barriers and procedural barriers negatively impacted export performance in Botswana. In other words as these barriers increase firms perform poorly in their exports. The findings of this study must be viewed taking into consideration that not all export barriers were exploited. Another limitation was that this was a cross sectional study and time constrained data collection. Export performance was measured using perceived indicators. In the context of future studies, it would be advisable to conduct a qualitative study so that SMMEs can outline what they perceive as barriers than be confined to the research instrument provided. The stage of exporting should be taken into consideration as well. The findings of this study can be used by firms to gauge their positions in term of export readiness and designing strategies on how to eliminate the barriers and improve their performance; they provide policy makers with empirical information hence guidelines on developing focused strategies especially education programs that equip firms with knowledge on potential export markets and opportunities available and researchers can build more theoretical knowledge on the relationship between these export barriers and export performance. The study generally confirms literature but offers original insights from Botswana context.