Faculty of Management Sciences

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Challenges of the repairs and maintenance of water infrastructure in Aganang Municipality in the province of Limpopo
(2017-11) Mokgobu, Matlou Lesley; Amisi, Baruti B.
Access to clean water is a human right and a basic need. Yet, many South African communities, the villages of the Aganang Municipality included, are still living in areas where access to clean water remains a challenge. They face, among other problems, a longer waiting time in long queues; walking long distances despite the topography of the villages; waiting for water at night when numerous consumer‘s taps are closed is then that water can reach other areas; or simply buying water from other community members who trade it with donkey carts as a commodity. The researcher used a mixed method to understand the challenges of water infrastructure in the municipality. The research‘s main findings reveal that these challenges result from a number of factors including but not limited to vandalism, shortage of personnel; lack of resources human, financial and spare parts; leaking and breaking of pipes, and under qualified/poorly trained personnel. These issues lead to dissatisfaction of the beneficiaries and mixed feelings around water quality. Indeed, whilst majority of respondents believe the quality of water is good, others disagree whilst others claim that they do not receive water at all. The solutions to these problems are also multifaceted. They include yard connections, reporting theft and vandalism to the police, imposing fine to the offender, employing water inspectors and security guards, discouraging illegal connections, educate the communities. The reporting mechanisms could include social media, free transportation of both the personnel and individuals who have identified the issues, and recruiting local people and transferring skills to the community members. The respondents have different views on different aspects of water infrastructure and access to clean water.
Factors shaping the growth of women’s entrepreneurship in small and medium-sized retail enterprises in the eThekwini Municipality, Durban
(2021-11) Siyaya, Nomalungelo Duduzile; Amisi, Baruti B.
This study investigated the factors that shape the growth of women’s entrepreneurship in small and medium-sized retail enterprises in the eThekwini Municipality. Female entrepreneurs contribute significantly to the economy of eThekwini and South Africa as a whole, yet they remain underrepresented and receive inadequate research and policy making efforts to reveal their contributions. The intention of this research was to investigate the effects of global clichés on the ability of women to choose entrepreneurial careers and their ability to operate successful retail SMEs. It also explored the reasons why some women entrepreneurs seem to be trapped in unsuccessful environments that prevent the expansion of retail SMEs. This qualitative research used the purposive sampling method to select 44 participants according to the researcher’s interests. The criteria of inclusion were being (1) women entrepreneurs, (2) based in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, (3) owners of retail business(es), and (4) active in SMEs. Interviews and participant observation were used to gather empirical data whilst secondary data came from published and unpublished studies, research reports, and policy documents. The NVivo software assisted to analyse primary data. The results revealed that 71 percent of female entrepreneurs have at least diplomas, 50 percent are married, whilst 41 percent are single. They have small families or no children. The majority (84 percent) of their businesses are Closed Corporations in clothing (27 percent), beauty salons (18 percent), restaurants (14 percent), and event management (11 percent), whilst the remaining businesses share 30 percent. They run these businesses as professionals. Respondents indicated mixed feelings and reactions to the equity of the South African government’s SME policies and taxes. Most respondents are aware of these policies but a critical number of individuals are still in the dark. Among those who are aware about these policies, some are happy, other are unhappy for different reasons. Start-up capital mostly came from individuals’ savings, with some respondents having used more than one source to obtain the first investment for their business. Female business owners have received financial support from existing financial institutions. Among those who did not receive any, 61 percent have not applied for any loan. They therefore rely on family members (92 percent) for different kinds of assistance. Different motives (diverse sources of income, employment creation for themselves and others, the dream of creating businesses) motivated individuals to create businesses. Access to capital (human and social capital) features prominently in these businesses, from inception to management, growth, and expansion. Gender stereotypes play different roles in the businesses depending on their natures, settings and market niches, where they occur and are applied.
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.
The marketing strategies used by emerging building contractors in Polokwane Municipality, Limpopo
(2020-09) Selamolela, Mafeta David; Amisi, Baruti B.
This study explores The Marketing strategies used by emerging building contractors in the Polokwane Municipality which falls under the Capricorn district of Limpopo province, South Africa. It was motivated by the high failure rate of emerging building contractors. The aim is to identify and evaluate the effectiveness of the marketing strategies employed by emerging building contractors. Every business needs a winning marketing strategy to strengthen both its market position and presence. The high failure rate of emerging building contractors is of great concern to government, beneficiaries and the owners themselves. Research has shown that businesses with no clear-cut marketing strategy are prone to collapse. A case in point is marketing in the construction industry. Emerging building contractors have failed to compete adequately among themselves due to a lack of marketing skills, little or no knowledge of how to develop a marketing plan or its importance, insufficient capital, and a lack of access to markets. The respondents in the study were drawn from four important bodies in the construction industry in the Polokwane municipality, namely the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), the Limpopo Economic Development Agency (LEDA), the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) and the South African Women in Construction (SAWIC). It is required by law that all building contractors be registered with the CIDB. A quantitative method of data collection and analysis was used namely simple, random sampling to supply 75 potential respondents (33 women and 42 men). Two thirds (22 women and 28 men) of the 75 individuals were found to have active status on the CIDB register, while the registration of the remaining 25 had expired. Thereafter, descriptive ad inferential statistics were used to aggregate and correlate data. The results of this study showed that we do not reject null hypothesis H0, since (t (48) = 0.122, p=0.903) while mean and standard deviation of the marketing strategies are M = 24.16%, SD = 3.51%. The data indicates that the emerging contractors did not have marketing strategies all together. The findings of the study may assist the emerging building contractors to develop marketing strategies in order to enhance the construction fraternity and lead to growth and future profitability.