The effect of the interventions of the South African Breweries' Kickstart Youth Entrepreneurship Programme on entrepreneurial and small business performance in South Africa

The purpose of the study is to determine the effectiveness of the interventions used by the South African Breweries (SAB) KickStart Programme to establish and grow entrepreneurial small businesses among young South Africans. South Africa has an extremely high unemployment rate, low economic growth and a dismal Total (early-stage) Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA). With regard to established businesses (older than three-and-a-half years), the GEM report of 2005 ranked South Africa the lowest of all the countries surveyed. The SAB KickStart Programme comprises five phases: an awareness campaign, recruitment and training, a business plan competition for grants, success enhancement and national awards. The following interventions form part of the programme: the General Enterprising Tendency (GET) test; two-week live-in business management training; funding and mentoring; and a national competition for prize money. At every stage, adjudication is based on business plans and presentations. The evaluation of the effectiveness of an existing entrepreneurship programme, the SAB KickStart Programme, has several advantages, in so far as it determines whether the programme does indeed attain its objectives, and could help to improve the structuring of such programmes for future use by other corporations in South Africa. The population for the study comprised all the participants of the SAB KickStart Programme, from 2001 to 2006. A questionnaire was developed and a response rate of 28.5% was realised. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to the turnover and percentage profit figures of respondents to investigate the significance of the type of SAB KickStart support afforded. The results were confirmed by the Bonferroni multiple comparison of means test. The deduction is that funding and mentoring, after training, adds value to the programme. Eighty per cent of the SAB KickStarters were still operating their initial businesses, which they owned when they started on the programme, while a further six per cent had started another business, hence a "failure" rate of only 14 per cent. Many other meaningful findings emerged. In conclusion, it can be said that the SAB KickStart Programme adds value and advances entrepreneurship, and could possibly be applied by other large institutions in South Africa In conclusion, it can be said that the SAB KickStart programme adds value and advances entrepreneurship, and can be elevated to other large institutions in South Africa.Business ManagementD.Comm. (Business Management

Cross-departmental collaboration in strategic sourcing as a catalyst for supplier development : the case of Eskom

Abstract: The objective was to analyse the integration of and collaboration between strategic sourcing and supplier development at Eskom, South Africa’s primary electricity supplier, and to determine how strategic sourcing can be a catalyst for supplier development. Problem investigated: To address fragmented and inefficient procurement, Eskom instituted two departments, Commodity Sourcing (CS), to drive strategic sourcing, and Supplier Development and Localisation (SD&L), to drive supplier development. The problem is that collaboration between CS and SD&L has not materialised and thus their mandates have not been entirely achieved. Research design: A case study research design was employed, drawing from multiple sources of data to triangulate findings. Managers from two departments, CS and SD&L, were separately surveyed, while face-to-face interviews were conducted with executive management. Results: The findings revealed a lack of planning, implementation and monitoring of supplier development in the strategic sourcing process of CS. Although the procurement spend in CS is used to drive supplier development objectives, from the perspective of SD&L, in practice this does not fully materialise..

Selection criteria for South African third-party logistics service providers

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is two-fold: firstly, to determine the critical selection criteria for the creation of an index to evaluate third-party logistics service providers (3PLs) in South Africa and secondly, to determine whether industry differences exist with regard to the selection criteria. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected from 103 Top 500 Companies in Africa that use 3PLs and within the industrial sectors that mostly outsource logistics services in South Africa. Seven groups of 3PL selection criteria, with a total of 44 3PL selection criteria were surveyed and ranked. Subsequently, a comparison of selection criteria by industrial sector was made..

Learning for a Better Future

Various international scholars and associates of the PASCAL (Place, Social Capital and Learning Regions) International Observatory (Africa hub), under the auspices of the Centre for Local Economic Development (CENLED) based at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), have contributed chapters in this scholarly book. The book aims to demonstrate how a combination of globalisation, pandemics and the impact of innovation and technologies are driving towards a world in which traditional ideas are being challenged. The book carries forward a dual context and relevance: to South African social, educational, economic and cultural development, and the broader international context and action directed at how lifelong learning for all can be fostered in communities as a foundation for a just, human-centred, sustainable world. The distinctive contribution of this book to the production of a local body of knowledge lies in the symbiotic relationships between these objectives, so that South Africa could serve as a test case in working towards approaches that have a wider international significance

Learning for a Better Future

Various international scholars and associates of the PASCAL (Place, Social Capital and Learning Regions) International Observatory (Africa hub), under the auspices of the Centre for Local Economic Development (CENLED) based at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), have contributed chapters in this scholarly book. The book aims to demonstrate how a combination of globalisation, pandemics and the impact of innovation and technologies are driving towards a world in which traditional ideas are being challenged. The book carries forward a dual context and relevance: to South African social, educational, economic and cultural development, and the broader international context and action directed at how lifelong learning for all can be fostered in communities as a foundation for a just, human-centred, sustainable world. The distinctive contribution of this book to the production of a local body of knowledge lies in the symbiotic relationships between these objectives, so that South Africa could serve as a test case in working towards approaches that have a wider international significance

Do the language errors of ESL teachers affect their learners?

At the University of South Africa (Unisa), a large, open and distance education university in South Africa, the majority of the practising teachers who enrolled as students (henceforth referred to as teacher students) for the practical component of the Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE): Inclusive Education (Learning Difficulties) for the year 2008 lacked English proficiency. Because these students’ primary language is not English, they found it difficult to master this course, as reflected by the low throughput rate of 44 per cent in 2008. The question arose: Does poor proficiency in English of English second-language (ESL) teacher students influence ESL learners’ progress during learner support lessons taught by teacher students as part of their teaching practice for the ACE: Inclusive Education (Learning Difficulties)? In an attempt to answer this question, we report on typical errors made by the learners and the teacher students and similarities between teacher errors and learner errors, against the background of a literature overview which includes the relationship between input and output and prominent theories of second-language acquisition. Departing from a phenomenological/interpretive paradigm, a qualitative analysis of the teacher students’ portfolios was undertaken (Hussey & Hussey, 1997:54). The document analysis was done by means of error analysis of the teacher-student portfolios (which included ESL learner support lessons and ESL learner evidence) that were submitted by the teacher students to Unisa by 1 September 2008. The results of this study are significant because it alerts academia to the fact that qualified practising ESL teachers are not necessarily proficient in English and that this may have an effect on the ESL learner’s ability to acquire English proficiency. However, it was pointed out that several other contributing factors may exist and that further in-depth research is required. Nevertheless, a re-evaluation of teaching methodologies and the upgrading of teacher-students’ levels of cognitive academic language skills are required as a matter of urgency

Comparison of the entrepreneurial intent of master’s business students in developing countries: South Africa and Poland

Problem investigated: The objective of this study was to assess the differences in the levels of entrepreneurial intent and its antecedents of the master’s business students who had no exposure to entrepreneurial education from two culturally different countries, South Africa and Poland. A validated entrepreneurial intent instrument was administered to final-year master’s business management students from a university in South Africa and a university in Poland. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey design with two samples, one from each country, was used. A previously validated questionnaire developed from Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour model was administered. The results were factor analysed and new scales extracted. These refined scales were used to assess the differences between the two countries. A total of 182 questionnaires were collected from the two universities, University of Johannesburg in South Africa and Krakow Business School in Poland. Findings/implications: From the t-tests statistically significant differences between the two groups were found on 10 of the newly defined scales. Except on one scale, the South African students scored higher than the Polish students. Originality/value of research: This is the first study comparing differences between master’s business management students from two culturally diverse countries, South Africa and Poland, in terms of entrepreneurial intent and its antecedents. Conclusion: Possible reasons for the differences were offered as gleaned from other research, but further research is required to identify the determining factors for the differences

Success profiling: A methodological perspective on the interactive nature of success predictors on student performance at an open and distance learning institution

The drive to improve the academic performance of students at an open and distance learning (ODL) institution has resulted in the incorporation of a blended learning component, namely satellite classes, in the learning strategy to enhance the academic performance of first year diploma students in Business Management and Management. Monitoring this intervention to justify implementation costs (Mathur & Oliver, 2007:3) and effectiveness in relation to student performance is essential. Whereas an initial study confirmed a statistically significant relationship between satellite class attendance and academic performance, this study evaluated the interaction effect of satellite classes and additional, potential success predictors on academic performance by applying the Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) methodology. This decision tree methodology described the interactive driving forces that impacted on student success. Satellite class intervention and biographical student attributes constituted the driving forces. The CHAID analysis enabled the profiling of successful and at-risk students. The decision tree algorithm mimics true life situations where various effects interactively and jointly influence and predict an outcome. The results showed that satellite class intervention as such was an effective and significant predictor of performance, but that the critical interacting nature of satellite class attendance and additional co-predictors, such as population group and type of matriculation certificate, considerably strengthened performance prediction

Success profiling: A methodological perspective on the interactive nature of success predictors on student performance at an open and distance learning institution

The drive to improve the academic performance of students at an open and distance learning (ODL) institution has resulted in the incorporation of a blended learning component, namely satellite classes, in the learning strategy to enhance the academic performance of first year diploma students in Business Management and Management. Monitoring this intervention to justify implementation costs (Mathur & Oliver, 2007:3) and effectiveness in relation to student performance is essential. Whereas an initial study confirmed a statistically significant relationship between satellite class attendance and academic performance, this study evaluated the interaction effect of satellite classes and additional, potential success predictors on academic performance by applying the Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) methodology. This decision tree methodology described the interactive driving forces that impacted on student success. Satellite class intervention and biographical student attributes constituted the driving forces. The CHAID analysis enabled the profiling of successful and at-risk students. The decision tree algorithm mimics true life situations where various effects interactively and jointly influence and predict an outcome. The results showed that satellite class intervention as such was an effective and significant predictor of performance, but that the critical interacting nature of satellite class attendance and additional co-predictors, such as population group and type of matriculation certificate, considerably strengthened performance prediction

Benchmarking criteria for evaluating third-party logistics providers in South Africa

Background: In South Africa, deemed the ‘gateway to Africa’, there is limited evidence of the existence of a survey ranking third-party logistics providers (3PLs). This lack of comparative information of the major 3PLs based on key outsourcing and ranking criteria complicates the selection process for companies that intend to contract 3PLs. Objective: The purpose of this article was to determine the critical selection and ranking criteria for the creation of an index to evaluate 3PLs in South Africa for developing a 3PL benchmarking index. Method: Survey data were collected from 103 of the Top 500 Companies in Africa that use 3PLs and operate within the sectors that mostly outsource logistics services in South Africa. A factor analysis method was employed. Results: Three factors for 3PLs selection converged: service quality, information management and compliance, and collaboration. The top three ranked categories for 3PLs selection are cost and price structure, service delivery and the relationship with the 3PL provider. Most respondents (90%) confirmed a need for a 3PLs index in South Africa. Conclusion: The results help managers with the strategic selection of 3PLs as these critical logistics outsourcing selection criteria can be used to evaluate and rank 3PLs prior to contracting. Based on the selection criteria for logistics outsourcing identified and ranked in this article, a ranking index for 3PLs in South Africa can be developed