Small businesses in a changing global economy: a case study of the electronics industry of South Africa

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorLevin, Saul
dc.date.accessioned2020-02-26T08:57:19Z
dc.date.available2020-02-26T08:57:19Z
dc.date.issued1997
dc.descriptionA thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Artsen_ZA
dc.description.abstractIn this thesis I argue that with the move to postfordism and the adoption of postfordist production techniques, small businesses have become important components in an economy. I look specifically at Japan and the Third Italy where the small business sector has thrived in order to provide a comparative framework for the South Africa case study. The fieldwork component of the research looks into a specific subsector in the South African economy - that of the electronics industry, with a specific locus on the manufacture of security equipment. This subsector was evaluated in terms of how it relates to the ideal types of Japan and Italy, and whether postfordism is in any way present in this industry. The findings have been mixed. The subsector under consideration is dynamic and is moving into international markets where it is able to compete successfully. There are, however, several aspects that are lacking; most notable is the lack of coherent networks and industrial districts. Institutions that could play a role in assisting firms and facilitating the growth of networks are either still being set up, unable to assist the sector because of lack of knowledge or are focused on larger corporations. However, the growth of small businesses in the electronics industry, particularly the security equipment manufacturing, with very little support indicates that there are tremendous opportunities for this sector in the future.en_ZA
dc.description.librarianAndrew Chakane 2020en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/28949
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.subjectSMALL BUSINESS--SOUTH AFRICA.en_ZA
dc.subjectELECTRONIC INDUSTRIES--SOUTH AFRICA.en_ZA
dc.titleSmall businesses in a changing global economy: a case study of the electronics industry of South Africaen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
Levin Saul._Small businesses in a changing global.pdf
Size:
4.22 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
ETD Collection