Suchergebnisse

Unemployment is a global concern; therefore many developing countries focus on entrepreneurship development and small business promotion as a possible solution. Entrepreneurs are regarded as drivers of the economy as they not only provide income for themselves but also create job opportunities for other people. The South African Government focuses on job creation as a priority, involving many strategies and policies. However, many marginalised and impoverished people still do not benefit from these policies. The central purpose of this article is to analyse poor people's perceptions of the role of government in creating jobs and assistance in providing entrepreneurial skills training and support. A socio-economic household survey, consisting of approximately 3200 households, was conducted within various areas in the Metsimaholo, Moqhaka, Ngwathe and Mafube Local Municipalities, all located in the rural Northern Free State region in South Africa. Results of the survey show that 68.3% of participants feel that government is not doing enough to create jobs while a total of 49.1% indicated that government could assist in job creation by providing entrepreneurial skills training. A total of 56.2% indicated that they would like to open a small business. Improved government support and initiatives could lead to many poor households generating their own income through entrepreneurial activities. ; http://ifrnd.org/ResearchPapers.aspx?VolumeID=234 ; http://ifrnd.org/journal/index.php/jebs/article/view/613

Unemployment is a global concern; therefore many developing countries focus on entrepreneurship development and small business promotion as a possible solution. Entrepreneurs are regarded as drivers of the economy as they not only provide income for themselves but also create job opportunities for other people. The South African Government focuses on job creation as a priority, involving many strategies and policies. However, many marginalised and impoverished people still do not benefit from these policies. The central purpose of this article is to analyse poor people's perceptions of the role of government in creating jobs and assistance in providing entrepreneurial skills training and support. A socioeconomic household survey, consisting of approximately 3200 households, was conducted within various areas in the Metsimaholo, Moqhaka, Ngwathe and Mafube Local Municipalities, all located in the rural Northern Free State region in South Africa. Results of the survey show that 68.3% of participants feel that government is not doing enough to create jobs while a total of 49.1% indicated that government could assist in job creation by providing entrepreneurial skills training. A total of 56.2% indicated that they would like to open a small business. Improved government support and initiatives could lead to many poor households generating their own income through entrepreneurial activities.

Unemployment is a global concern; therefore many developing countries focus on entrepreneurship development and small business promotion as a possible solution. Entrepreneurs are regarded as drivers of the economy as they not only provide income for themselves but also create job opportunities for other people. The South African Government focuses on job creation as a priority, involving many strategies and policies. However, many marginalised and impoverished people still do not benefit from these policies. The central purpose of this article is to analyse poor people's perceptions of the role of government in creating jobs and assistance in providing entrepreneurial skills training and support. A socio-economic household survey, consisting of approximately 3200 households, was conducted within various areas in the Metsimaholo, Moqhaka, Ngwathe and Mafube Local Municipalities, all located in the rural Northern Free State region in South Africa. Results of the survey show that 68.3% of participants feel that government is not doing enough to create jobs while a total of 49.1% indicated that government could assist in job creation by providing entrepreneurial skills training. A total of 56.2% indicated that they would like to open a small business. Improved government support and initiatives could lead to many poor households generating their own income through entrepreneurial activities. ; http://ifrnd.org/ResearchPapers.aspx?VolumeID=234 ; http://ifrnd.org/journal/index.php/jebs/article/view/613

As global trends are moving more towards social inclusion and green entrepreneurship many countries are changing the way they do business. This has sparked an interest in social entrepreneurship. Although much research has been conducted on this issue, fewer country comparisons are available and these could lead to an improved understanding of the topic. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide a theoretical analysis of social entrepreneurship comparing Poland and South Africa specifically focusing on the history, challenges, policy, and government support initiatives. The study followed a qualitative approach using document analysis by way of an intensive literature study. Findings indicated that social entrepreneurship is a global phenomenon and although it is of imperative importance as a means to improved social conditions, several barriers and challenges are prevalent. As with traditional for-profit businesses, social enterprises' main barrier is access to finance.

Abstract
A democratic government should adhere to firm public administration principles, legal instruments, structures and mechanisms. However, providing these elements is insufficient to guarantee integrated participative service delivery. This article aims to unravel the most important elements required to create a participative governance model that fuses horizontal intra-relationships between public officials and departments and vertical interactions between public and private networks. The research methodology entailed a critical desktop document analysis of books, articles, regulatory policy and strategy documents. Network governance was conceptually and contextually analysed through unobtrusive research methods. It served as a possible analytical model for democratic governance, where citizens take centre stage in participative decision-making. The findings provide both a description and a contextualisation of the themes that emerged from the research. The article highlights that the network governance model could help South Africa move forward from a dated, elitist democracy based on a dependency model, to a participative democracy model, where communities and government work together. The article concludes that South Africa can only realise the National Development Plans (NDPs) 2030 goals (to maximise people's development, strengthen governance networks and enhance state's capacity to provide adequate public services) by drawing on partnerships within a network governance framework.

The local economic (LED) triangle consisting of coordinated partnerships between local businesses, government and communities is key for local regions to achieve acceptable levels of economic growth and development. From the literature and theory it is evident that if one of the partners does not play its part with regard to development and management, the local economy could be affected in a negative way. In light of this, the purpose of this article was to determine and compare the perceptions of local business chambers in rural and urban areas in South Africa on the developmental role of local government. A mixed method approach was used in this study. The findings from the study indicated that the main stumbling blocks, as perceived by the rural and urban business chambers were similar, including labour regulations and relatively high labour costs, service delivery issues and lack of entrepreneurial intent. The main service delivery issues differed for the two groups with unavailable and unstable management listed most problematic by the urban group and lack of finance and funding by the rural group. The research provides insight concerning the actions required if local government is to provide an enabling environment for local businesses to prosper.

Entrepreneurship has been pointed out as a key contributor to sustained economic growth and development as it not only creates employment, but increased spending in markets, knowledge transfers, employment and innovation. However, very few studies exist that empirically measures the relationship between the three variables; economic growth, economic development and entrepreneurship. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine and highlight the importance of entrepreneurship as a contributing factor to economic growth and development. Traditionally, economic growth is measured by the gross domestic product (GDP) of a country. As no formal measurement of economic development exists, an index was created taking into consideration the Human Development Index (HDI), percentage population above the poverty line and employment rate. The entrepreneurship development variable is measured by the Total Early-Stage Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA). The study followed a quantitative research design and made use of secondary time series data with the sample period ranging from 2005 to 2016. The study area comprised five selected member states of the European Union (EU) which included Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, Belgium and Poland. Findings suggest that economic growth, development and entrepreneurship seem to be inexplicably connected. As several other factors may also contribute to the fluctuations of economic growth and development results differed from one country to another. However, the analyses from the Dutch, Hungarian and Polish economies for the period under consideration reveal correspondingly healthy economic and social environments where entrepreneurial climates are flourishing. The analysis from Germany and Belgium, however reveal subdued entrepreneurial development. Based on these findings, it is recommended that the development of SME sectors especially in transition economies be centralised as important focus areas towards improving economic and social growth outlooks. In turn, policy stakeholders should ensure the creation of enabling environments structured around responsive micro and macro decision-making.

Entrepreneurship has been pointed out as a key driver of economic growth and development by academia, policymakers, and government institutions alike. Globally, youth unemployment figures are alarmingly high and entrepreneurship, especially among the youth, plays an important role in generating employment among this cohort. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors affecting the entrepreneurial inclination of employed and unemployed young people between the ages of 18 and 35 years. Measurement on the factors made use of a tested and validated entrepreneurial intention scale. Primary data were collected through the use of questionnaires. The sample was almost evenly split between employed (n=176) and unemployed (n=163) participants. Data were analysed through the use of a principal component analysis (PCA), descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. The findings of the study revealed that participants perceived the lack of the necessary entrepreneurial skills, difficulties in acquiring the necessary funding as well as insufficient support towards starting a business as the most important aspects deterring their entrepreneurial inclination. Chi-square tests further showcased significant differences in the perceptions of the employed and unemployed participants regarding the lack of market opportunities and the associated risk in starting a business. The results as presented in the study provide valuable insights to the areas of concern as well as recommendations towards reducing the obstacles for the youths' entrepreneurial involvement.

Local economic development (LED) is seen as one of the prominent and emerging tools in the facilitation of development of on a local and regional level. On the local level, the partners in LED are government, business and communities. Business chambers are the core representative of local businesses and have to play an important role in the coordination of local economies. The primary objective of this study was to identify best practice management principles for business chambers to facilitate economic development. Three local business chambers from the Vaal Triangle region in South Africa were interviewed to gain an in-depth view on the roles and function of a business chamber. The results emanated in one main overall function namely the facilitation of the development of a local region and four secondary roles flowing from the main function. These roles include coordination and leadership, promotion and marketing, provision of information and business training and support. The result of the research is that economic development in a specific region is dependent on facilitation and coordination by local business chambers. In order to achieve this business chambers must be well managed and have the best interest of the local community as its primary goal.

Entrepreneurship has been pointed out as a key driver of economic growth and development by academia, policymakers, and government institutions alike. Globally, youth unemployment figures are alarmingly high and entrepreneurship, especially among the youth, plays an important role in generating employment among this cohort. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors affecting the entrepreneurial inclination of employed and unemployed young people between the ages of 18 and 35 years. Measurement on the factors made use of a tested and validated entrepreneurial intention scale. Primary data were collected through the use of questionnaires. The sample was almost evenly split between employed (n=176) and unemployed (n=163) participants. Data were analysed through the use of a principal component analysis (PCA), descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. The findings of the study revealed that participants perceived the lack of the necessary entrepreneurial skills, difficulties in acquiring the necessary funding as well as insufficient support towards starting a business as the most important aspects deterring their entrepreneurial inclination. Chi-square tests further showcased significant differences in the perceptions of the employed and unemployed participants regarding the lack of market opportunities and the associated risk in starting a business. The results as presented in the study provide valuable insights to the areas of concern as well as recommendations towards reducing the obstacles for the youths' entrepreneurial involvement.

Globally, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) contribute significantly to economic growth and development. Yet, various stumbling blocks exist that hinder SMEs growth and development. South Africa is no different and with the current level of economic and political instability, local SMEs are struggling to achieve their full potential. The aim of this study is to identify and analyse the stumbling blocks preventing business success in a developing region in South Africa taking into account the local developmental environment and management factors. The study region selected is the Vaal-Triangle region, which is located south of Johannesburg in the Gauteng Province, South Africa. This study followed a quantitative descriptive cross-sectional research design using two scales namely the SME stumbling block scale and the Enabling Developmental Environment Scale (EDES). A non-probability convenience sample of 386 small business owners were included. Data analysis included descriptive frequencies, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Pearson's correlation analysis. Results from the PCA returned five factors. Results indicated the three main stumbling blocks restricting business growth were recession and slow growth conditions, weak and volatile exchange rate and high inflation rates. The correlation results indicated several significant relationships between the various factors. For SME growth, an integrated multiple-sectoral approach is required.

Local economic development (LED) is seen as one of the prominent and emerging tools in the facilitation of development of on a local and regional level. On the local level, the partners in LED are government, business and communities. Business chambers are the core representative of local businesses and have to play an important role in the coordination of local economies. The primary objective of this study was to identify best practice management principles for business chambers to facilitate economic development. Three local business chambers from the Vaal Triangle region in South Africa were interviewed to gain an in-depth view on the roles and function of a business chamber. The results emanated in one main overall function namely the facilitation of the development of a local region and four secondary roles flowing from the main function. These roles include coordination and leadership, promotion and marketing, provision of information and business training and support. The result of the research is that economic development in a specific region is dependent on facilitation and coordination by local business chambers. In order to achieve this business chambers must be well managed and have the best interest of the local community as its primary goal.

Globally, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) contribute significantly to economic growth and development. Yet, various stumbling blocks exist that hinder SMEs growth and development. South Africa is no different and with the current level of economic and political instability, local SMEs are struggling to achieve their full potential. The aim of this study is to identify and analyse the stumbling blocks preventing business success in a developing region in South Africa taking into account the local developmental environment and management factors. The study region selected is the Vaal-Triangle region, which is located south of Johannesburg in the Gauteng Province, South Africa. This study followed a quantitative descriptive cross-sectional research design using two scales namely the SME stumbling block scale and the Enabling Developmental Environment Scale (EDES). A non-probability convenience sample of 386 small business owners were included. Data analysis included descriptive frequencies, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Pearson's correlation analysis. Results from the PCA returned five factors. Results indicated the three main stumbling blocks restricting business growth were recession and slow growth conditions, weak and volatile exchange rate and high inflation rates. The correlation results indicated several significant relationships between the various factors. For SME growth, an integrated multiple-sectoral approach is required.