The Effect of Government Support on the Success of Small and Medium Enterprises: A Comparative Study between South Africa and China

Abstract

 The purpose of this article is to present evidence of a study conducted in two provinces of South Africa and one in China. The study investigated the effectiveness of the support mechanism for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and how government support agencies are making strides in providing this support. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with branch managers, a project director and business advisors. It emerged from the findings that efforts are being made to provide valuable support to small businesses. It further emerged that small businesses still face challenges such as lack of access to funding, market to serve, lack of a one-stop office and the unwillingness of service providers to enter into contract with the Small Enterprise Development Agency (more relevant to the South African situation).It is recommended that financial service providers partner with SME support agencies