Browsing by Author "Friedrich, Christian"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Can personal initiative training improve small business success? A longitudinal South African evaluation study
    (Sage Publications, 2013) Solomon, Goosain; Frese, Michael; Friedrich, Christian; Glaub, Matthias
    High levels of personal initiative will be required to unlock the potential offered by the many untapped resources in Africa in terms of business opportunities. Significant resources are ploughed into the development of the small business sector by governments in Africa, particularly in South Africa. However, there is little evidence that these efforts are sufficiently effective to produce the desired results. Two issues are addressed in this article: (a) whether or not enhancing the personal initiative of owner-managers improves the performance of small businesses, and (b) the moderation of the content and effectiveness of a short training intervention by means of a longitudinal evaluation study, including a control group. The findings show an increase in the training group’s business activities and performance, and also identify the varied contributions of the components of the training.
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    Crime and HIV/AIDS in the Western Cape: business support organizations and business owners' perceptions
    (Academic Journals, 2007) Isaacs, Eslyn; Friedrich, Christian
    Economic growth will be severely curtailed if crime and HIV/AIDS is not effectively dealt with. Despite the fact that the business support organizations and the SMME owners are dissatisfied with the crime situation, the government reports that it is showing a decreasing trend. The research shows that 92% of the respondents are of the opinion that crime negatively affects small and medium enterprises and these owners are spending between $21 and $87 per annum on crime prevention. It was surprising when 52% of the owners mentioned that they have no measures in place to combat crime, whilst 17% have a double inventory and cash control system in place. A further 14% reported that they do a thorough background check before appointing new employees. Sixty percent of respondents believed that unemployment and low self-esteem (15%) are consequences of crime and it was therefore not surprising when 30% indicated that job creation should receive a priority; another 30% believed improved police visibility and 23% was of the opinion that youth programmes and a further 17% suggested that the prosecution system should be more effective. Hundred percent (100%) of the business owners indicated that they do not have a HIV/AIDS policy. Eighty eight percent of the respondents were of the opinion that HIV/AIDS have a negative impact on the small and medium enterprises. Fifty four percent of the respondents believed that HIV/AIDS reduces the workforce and forty six percent opinioned that it decreases the purchasing power of the affected employees. Fifty four percent of the respondents were of the opinion that awareness programmes; 23% thought treatment programmes and it was surprising when 20% of the respondents reported that they do not know what can be done to reduce the HIV/AIDS situation.
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    Entrepreneurship and the impact of entrepreneurial orientation training on SMMEs in the South African context: A longitudinal approach
    (University of the Western Cape, 2004) Solomon, Goosain; Friedrich, Christian; Dept. of Management; Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences
    This thesis formed part of a existing longitudinal study. The overall study is an outcome of research done to understand success and failure issues in Africa, which is an attempt to understand the impact of a short entrepreneurial training programme on the performance of small scale enterprises over time. The study is unique in the South African context in that it is the first short term, 3 days, entrepreneurial training programme that is assessed by means of a longitudinal method incorporating a control group.
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    Entrepreneurship education and training at the Further Education and Training (FET) level in South Africa
    (Education Association of South Africa, 2007) Isaacs, Eslyn; Visser, Kobus; Friedrich, Christian; Brijlal, Pradeep
    We assessed the levels of entrepreneurship education and training at the Further Education and Training (FET) level in a South African context. We are of the opinion that entrepreneurship education and training (of necessity) must fulfill a primary role in preparing our youth for their future. Evidence from elsewhere, in particular industrialised countries, indicates that entrepreneurship education and training at school level play important roles in the contribution to economic growth. Experts in the field of entrepreneurship believe that the contribution of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to the growth of our country can be much higher if entrepreneurship education is implemented at school levels. Entrepreneurship is now one of the outcomes of Grades R – 12. However, our research clearly showed that various problems in schools hinder the effective implementation of entrepreneurship education, some of which are poorly trained educators and lack of adequate resources. Better entrepreneurship education could make a significant contribution to job creation and ultimately to poverty alleviation.
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    Evidence-based practices of promoting entrepreneurship education in higher education institutions in Africa
    (International Foundation for Research and Development (IFRD), 2016) Basardien, Fawzy; Friedrich, Christian; Twum-Darko, Michael
    This research applies the changing of cognitive mechanisms of University students through Entrepreneurship Education (EE). The study hypothesises that entrepreneurial orientation (achievement orientation, personal control, innovation and self-esteem) improves after completing the entrepreneurship module. The context of this research involves undergraduate commerce students from the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in South Africa. The study involves quantitative research using questionnaires through a longitudinal approach. The research design consists of a pre-test, post-test and post-test after the intervention. The impact of the training intervention was assessed over a 12 month period based on a randomised control design. This study indicates that entrepreneurial orientation was influenced through this Entrepreneurship module. The practical implications of this study emphasises the importance of training approaches that are based on empirical research. The uniqueness of this paper lies in the pedagogy used that allows the effectiveness of assessing a training program.
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    The relationship between planning strategies and entrepreneurial success for start-up entrepreneurs in the Western Cape
    (Sage Publications, 2013) Basardien, Fawzy; Friedrich, Christian; Parker, Hamieda
    The total entrepreneurial activity rate in South Africa was 9.1% in 2011, compared with 8.9% in 2010, which is below the average for similar economies. This study examines the moderating impact of environmental difficulty on the relationship between planning strategies and entrepreneurial success. The authors carried out a cross-sectional interview- based study of 60 start-up entrepreneurs in the Western Cape in South Africa. The results show that environmental difficulty moderated the relationship of ‘opportunistic’ and ‘reactive’ strategies to entrepreneurial success. No moderation effects were found for environmental difficulty on the relationship between success and ‘complete planning’ and ‘critical point planning’ strategies.