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Theses and dissertations (Management Sciences)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/14

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    Factors influencing the competitiveness of small and medium clothing manufacturing enterprises in the eThekwini Municipal District in KwaZulu-Natal
    (2022) Mkhize, Dalisu Mhlengi; Lekhanya, Lawrence Mpele
    The purpose of this study is to determine factors influencing the competitiveness of small and medium clothing manufacturing enterprises in the eThekwini municipal district in KwaZulu-Natal. SMEs in the clothing manufacturing industry remain at lower competency. This appears to be as a consequence of a lack of knowledge and understanding of those factors that contribute to their competitiveness. The study aimed to determine which factors contribute to the competitiveness of manufacturing SMEs, while also describing how they impact these small clothing manufacturing industry enterprises in the eThekwini District Municipality of KZN. Data were collected from different parts of the eThekwini district municipality, which include Durban central, South Coast of Durban, North Coast of Durban, and west parts of Durban. The sample consisted of 80 SME owners and managers of clothing manufacturing companies who are members of the National Bargaining Council for the clothing manufacturing industry in the eThekwini District Municipality. The research design embraces a quantitative research approach with a closed-ended questionnaire distributed to participants by the researcher. Due to lockdown restrictions posed by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, and some participants restricting visitors, arrangements were made to receive and return the completed questionnaire through email. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27 for Windows. Numerous factors were anticipated to challenge the competitiveness of clothing manufacturing SMEs in the eThekwini District Municipality, with cheap imports, technological advances, and a lack of competitiveness knowledge by both employers and employees amongst these.
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    An investigation of strategies to improve the competitiveness of the poultry industry in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana
    (2022) Yeboah, Isaac; Amisi, Baruti B.
    Copious research studies have been carried out on poultry production worldwide in the small and medium scale (SMS) sector, resulting in quantum challenges identified that oppose local industries, with production cost paramount. Nevertheless, none of these studies were found to offer effective strategies to overcome the challenges, revamp the poultry industry and enhance its competitiveness in the Brong Ahafo geographical area of Ghana. This research thus bridges the opening left and catalyses the debate by assessing SMS poultry producers’ competitiveness, along with the challenges that militate against the local industry, as well as government policies that seek to enhance the industry’s competitiveness. Additionally, strategies have been proposed to boost productivity and improve the poultry industry’s competitiveness. Moreover, the result will have specific significance, especially for developing countries who consider SMS poultry operation as employment creation, while also being a measure to enhance the local poultry industry’s competitiveness. This study adopted convergent mixed methods design through which quantitative and qualitative data were collected concurrently, analysed seperately and then merged and intepreted, looking for convergence, divergence, contradictions or relationships of the two sources of data. The quantitative and qualitative data were collected from a sample of 100 participants, comprising 66 SMS poultry farmers, 10 Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and veterinary officers, and 24 consumers of chicken. The SMS poultry farmers as well as the consumers received both closeended and open-ended questions. The MoFA and veterinary officials however, received only open-ended questions as the researcher required basically certain technical information from them as per the phenomenon under study. The administration of the questionnaires to the identified respondents was done through the help of a reserch assistant, with a personal interview as a follow up on the open-ended questions. This was done by means of site visits and hand delivery of the measuring instrument. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 24.0, was used to analyse the quantitative data, with outcomes presented in cross-tabulations, correlation and frequency tables, as well as figures. The constant comparative analysis (CCA) method was used to analyse the qualitative data. The outcomes reveal that a low level of education, lack of management skills as wellas high production cost are impeding the operations of local poultry producers. The overwhelming challenges confronting the industry are exacerbated by policymakers’ apathetic attitude towards its development. However, by employing cost effective strategies throughout the poultry value chain, local producers can increase production, add value and be competitive in the turbulent market setting, currently dominated by foreign mega competitors. A collaboration is recommended between lawmakers and the Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers (GNAPF), based on the study findings, in order to create an enabling environment, within which to promote policy implementation and ensure the local poultry industry’s competitiveness.
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    The role of human resource management in creating competitive advantage for a selected South African state-owned enterprise
    (2021-05) Muzanenhamo, Arvid
    This study examined the role of Human Resource Management (HRM) in achieving organisational competitiveness in a selected South African State-Owned Enterprise (SOE). It also explored the challenges faced by the Human Resource Management function in achieving organisational competitiveness. The Dave Ulrich model of four Human Resource Management roles in building a competitive organisation was the basis of this study. The roles of HRM include strategic partner, change agent, administrative expert and employee champion (Grobler, Bothma, Brewster, Carey, Holland and Warnich 2012:5). The study proposes a framework for organisational competitiveness application by the Human Resource Management departments in state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The study used a qualitative approach, which allowed the researcher to make use of a case study in the state-owned enterprise. Data was collected through interviews and results were validated with a pilot test. A total of twenty-four respondents were interviewed in this study. The study used a purposive sampling technique for both HRM practitioners and departmental heads. Data was drawn from Human Resource Management practitioners and divisional heads in various sections such as finance, pyrometallurgy, auditing, communication, etc. in a selected South African state-owned enterprise. South African state-owned enterprises are less efficient as they experience high labour turnover, retrenchment, employee salary reductions and the inability to attract talent. Such factors initiated the impetus for this research. The findings of the research show that human resource management roles are not maximised at Mintek since HR professionals mainly focus on basic human resources activities. This is due largely to the slow response of the organisation to adopt new innovative HR approaches that provide competitive advantage, which seems to be common in most state-owned enterprises. The findings also show that some current HR roles at Mintek benefit the organisation somewhat. However, there are challenges preventing the organisation from fully obtaining a competitive advantage since it was shown that a lack of technology, out-dated policies and bureaucracy, amongst other challenges, prevail in the organisation. The study contributed a Human Resource Management framework that allows the HR professionals and management of Mintek to consider the use of electronic HRM and strategic partnerships in the organisation for competitive advantage. In addition, consideration of internal HR strategies and external forces that may affect the organisation was proposed.
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    Competitive regions in South Africa : a study of regional planning in the iLembe District in the province of KwaZulu-Natal
    (2020-04) Lincoln, Gilberte M.; McCarthy, Jeff
    Globally, regional planning is widely used in different scales of national, regional, metropolitan and economic spatial planning and is increasingly seen as essential for supporting the economic development and competitiveness of nations in an era of globalisation. This study focuses on regional planning in South Africa since democracy and assesses the extent to which it has succeeded in meeting the challenges of economic growth and sustainable development. Whilst the South African space economy is considered to be relatively diverse, long term structural weaknesses persist. Poverty, inequality and unemployment continue to be serious challenges for the country and spatial planners, despite major expenditure on socio-economic infrastructure by the state since 1994 to close the generation gap between the apartheid and post-apartheid period. The study analyses regional planning as mandated by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and the role of the local state in planning to meet these challenges. In order to do this, it is necessary to identify how regional planning is understood and acted upon by government, business and stakeholders, so as to support growth and competitiveness of the regional economy and assist in national policy deployment at local level. In this context, the relationship between planning, public management and policy deployment to improve policy coherence and policy outcomes and impacts at a local level, is explored. A significant aspect of spatial planning is the state’s relationship to the Production of Space as articulated by Lefebvre. This aspect is explored by analysing the changes in spatial planning policy in South Africa since 1994 and the global economic context. The researcher argues that the current spatial planning architecture is compliance and process driven, resulting in limited ability to engage with economic competitiveness and emerging new capital formations. The research investigates regional planning in South Africa, using the case of the iLembe District Municipality in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal. This site has been chosen as it is representative of many district and local municipalities in South Africa. iLembe is a fast-growing region, yet faces serious socio-economic challenges, including infrastructure delivery, poverty, inequality and unemployment, especially in rural small towns and incorporating the former apartheid Homeland, the Ingonyama Trust area. This is explored using the lens of social constructivism and synthetic theory, using Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse analysis. This is a qualitative study and includes face-to-face interviews using an open-ended interview schedule administered by the researcher and documentary analysis of the current practices of planning and associated policies as the key research instruments. The contribution of this study is to propose a place-based framework for regional planning in South Africa that will contribute to national and provincial policy and resource deployment at a local scale towards achieving sustainable growth and development. This could allow regions to gain competitive advantage through collaboration of planning authorities and stakeholders, leading to better planning outcomes and assisting in closing the generation gap in the space economy. Arising out of the research findings, recommendations are made for institutional reform and a place-based planning framework for district level planning.