The social responsibility of SMMEs : the case for a framework and measurement instrument for the African context

Published ArticleTo start with, "Corporate Social Responsibility" (CSR) appears a misnomer as it suggests a 'big business only' connotation. Rather, "Business Social Responsibility" (BSR) appears a better alternative because it accommodates all sizes of business. Despite progress in the business / society relationship, SMMEs on the African continent continue being neglected as far as BSR research is concerned. Unlike in the West, there are no frameworks, tools, and instruments to guide those interested in the SMME / BSR nexus in the African context. As it turns out, scholars, researchers, policy makers, and owner / managers interested in the SMME / BSR nexus in Africa have no choice but to rely on frameworks, tools, and metrics designed for European and American contexts. This is in spite of Visser's (2007) caution that the Euro-American frameworks are inappropriate for the African situation. This paper makes a case for the development of an African context specific SMME / BSR framework(s) and measurement instrument(s)

Informal distributed leadership in technology adoption

Published ArticleThis study investigated the role of informal distributed leadership in dealing with the complexities of adopting technology innovation in Higher Education contexts. In the study, in-depth semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were held with a group of informal leaders in a South African university. The findings suggest that informal distributed leadership works best in promoting technology adoption when there is a clear understanding of: (1) the locus of control of technology adopters; (2) power contestations between academics and students; (3) alignment of technology with pedagogical goals; and (4) shared intentionality between the core group of informal leaders. In practical terms, the study offers a middle-of-the-road approach to diffusion of technology innovation as an alternative to the ineffective top-down and individual innovative leader (bottom-up) approaches. For originality/novelty, the study introduces the distributed leadership theory into the technology adoption discourse

Integrating ICT into Rural South African Schools: Possible Solutions for Challenges

Published ArticleThe influence of ICT in schools cannot be overemphasized as its utility is changing the way students learn, teachers teach, and support staff work. ICT adoption in South African schools has therefore gained momentum. Whilst ICT is fully integrated into many if not all schools in urban areas in South Africa, regrettably the same cannot be said about rural schools. This has created a ‘digital divide’ between rural and urban schools. Theoretically, this paper is informed by social justice theory. Methodologically, the extant literature relied upon to make the case for ICT in South Africa’s rural schools. The same approach is used to identify key challenges militating against smooth introduction of ICT into South African schools. Thereafter, suggestions for overcoming identified challenges are provided. The aim is to help bridge the apparent digital divide between rural and urban schools in South Africa

Business doing well by doing good in the community: The case of Sedikong sa Lerato in South Africa

Published ArticleUntil quite recently, businesses the world over simply focused on profit maximization without really caring about the impact of their activities on society. In fact, such were the attitudes of most businesses that today‟s atrocities such as child labor and environmental degradation could easily pass as normal business practice. Of late however, society has been insisting that organizations conduct their activities in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. Heeding this call has led a small South African cooperative (called Sedikong sa Lerato) to adopt the triple bottom line (TBL) business practice. Applying the phenomenological approach through interviews and a focus group discussion, we probed how the TBL principle is being applied at the cooperative and the impact it is making in the surrounding community. The results show that Sedikong sa Lerato is positively impacting on the community whilst achieving its stated profitability goals leading to a win-win situation for the business and community. Based on this finding, we recommend that similar organizations replicate what Sedikong sa Lerato is doing hoping that the practice will assist such organizations to attain their goals while also benefitting their communities. That is, doing good to do well

Social responsibility of SMMEs in rural communities

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which the notion of Business Social Responsibility (BSR) has permeated the Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprise (SMME) environment in rural South Africa. It is expected that the determination of the extent of SMME BSR participation will help shed more light on this growing but highly controversial concept. The empirical investigation was preceded by a literature survey. In particular the literature review provided a discussion on the theoretical foundations of BSR that led to the identification of ethics and stakeholder theory as the two pillars upon which BSR rests. Examination of previous studies led to the identification of the community, employee, and customer related issues as key elements of SMME BSR. These elements were used to construct a measurement instrument for SMME BSR. The results of the empirical study show that the concept BSR has permeated the SMME mindset in the Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM). In particular it identified key factors to measure the BSR construct and shows that BSR is as much an SMME issue as it is a big business issue. Through discriminant analysis it is possible to classify SMME performance based on the determined factors. The study raises issues which when attended to might increase SMME BSR performance hence increase their contribution to socio economic development especially in rural communities. There is need for the SMME enabling environment to be improved. The level of management within SMMEs also needs to be improved. This requires policy makers to put in place extra support beyond what currently exists. There is also the need to educate businesses especially those in the rural areas on their social responsibilities. This will help create awareness of the concept not only because it is ethical but because of its business imperative. This requires commitment from the highest office of the country. But perhaps more importantly South Africa also needs a Minister for Business Social Responsibility like the UK.Thesis (PhD (Entrepreneurship))--University of Pretoria, 2006.Business Managementunrestricte

The holistic management concept in rearing Nguni cattle: a way out for sustainable agriculture and minimizing rural poverty?

Published ArticleThis study explores how the holistic management concept is being applied by the Tiger Kloof Educational Institution to ensure sustainable agriculture in rural South Africa. Holistic management in sustainable development provides benefits in three areas of development, which are the environment, economic and social. Before the advocacy for what is now referred to as the triple bottom line principle, businesses would only consider the economic aspect of doing business, which has proven to be unstainable in most instances. The Tiger Kloof Educational Institution is applying the holistic veld management in practical farmer training on Nguni cattle to promote and maintain biodiversity, improve water and mineral cycles and rear cattle that are purely grass-fed thus leading to low cost production. There are health and poverty reduction benefits that are noticeable in the surrounding towns and villages. The study uses the case study design to ascertain how the holistic management principle that is being applied at the institution is ensuring sustainability. The findings indicate that holistic management, as applied at the institution, meets the triple bottom line criteria that can be replicated in other rural communities in South Africa and elsewhere to ensure sustainable development

Enhancing new venture creation success in South Africa: a project management perspective

Published ArticleSouth Africa’s new venture creation rate is disturbingly low. Ineffective management during start-up can lead to a low venture creation rate. Amidst the growing importance of project management in effective business management, utilizing project management in the entrepreneurial process has become very appealing. The purpose of this paper is to provide a project management model for starting a new venture. Desk research is undertaken through which relevant literature on the key components of the study is reviewed and synthesized. The authors find that through action research, project management aspects can be integrated into the entrepreneurial process to improve the new venture success rate. Based on this framework, the authors conclude that it is possible to improve Total Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) in South Africa and elsewhere. This theoretical framework is yet to be tested. However, even in its present untested form, the paper is important because it theoretically enriches the entrepreneurship literature whilst also offering a possible practical solution to the vexing problem of high new venture creation failure rate in South Africa and elsewhere through a structured framework

An Exploratory Study on the Gender-Based Differences in Entrepreneurial Intention and Its Antecedents amongst Students of a South African University of Technology

Published ArticleAlthough the prevailing gender-linked fissures in entrepreneurial activity are shrinking in African economies, a disturbing feature of the contemporary business start-up environment is that women persistently are less willing to engage in entrepreneurship compared to men. In addition, women focus more on low technology and service-oriented business activities, which yield relatively lower financial value than other economic sectors. Given the subtle but entrenched gender vulnerabilities and biases that constantly accompany student career decisions, the primary objective of this research was to establish whether gender influences students’ intention to participate in entrepreneurship. Guided by a quantitative approach and survey research design, the study used a self-administered questionnaire to gather data from 130 undergraduate students, randomly selected from an entrepreneurship education class at a South African university of technology. The study applied the Mann-Whitney technique, a non-parametric test, to ascertain the existence of any significant gender-grounded disparities in the mean scores for entrepreneurial intention and its antecedents. The results confirmed the existence of significant differences in entrepreneurial intention, perceived behavioural control and attitude towards entrepreneurship among students, with males scoring higher than females in these constructs. These findings emphasise the need for gender-sensitive approaches to devising and implementing entrepreneurship development and support measures among potential entrepreneurs