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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present an innovative leadership development program, which forms part of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) outreach. The program aims to develop the leadership of school principals in under-resourced communities in South Africa, while simultaneously developing the business partners paired with these principals. Through creatively combining various leadership development interventions, the human and social capital of the school principals and collaborating leaders are expanded to prepare them for an uncertain, volatile environment. This paper focuses on the learning experiences of the business partners. The program exposes business leaders to scenarios that develop unique leadership skills. Design/methodology/approach: An empirical study was conducted with a purposive sample of 73 business leaders who completed the 12-month leadership development program. A qualitative approach was followed, consisting of an online survey that predominantly required a narrative description of leaders' perceptions and experiences. The qualitative feedback was thematically analyzed. Findings: The findings indicated that the use of combined leadership development interventions is important in adequately preparing leaders for the challenges of a changing and unpredictable environment. Research limitations/implications: The findings of the research are limited by the small sample of 73 business leaders from a population of 294. Inferential statistics could not be conducted and responses to the survey cannot be regarded as representative of the total population. Possible bias may exist through utilizing a purposive sampling technique; however, this was counteracted through rigorous research, cross-checking and quality assurance initiatives. Practical implications: The presented program innovatively combines the benefits of a CSR program with shared value in human and social capital. Business leaders are exposed to various leadership development interventions. This approach effectively prepares business leaders to deal with multifaceted contextual issues within a diverse, complex and volatile environment. The present paper shows that through successfully cultivating better leadership development initiatives and adopting appropriate and pertinent development programs, human and social capital available for economic progress are appropriately managed and channeled. Furthermore, resource exchange is enhanced through establishing strong interpersonal relations. This collaboration acts as a forerunner to business success. Hence, through adopting such intervention programs and teaching their processes and procedures, the development and implementation of positive public policy can be assisted. Social implications: The value of the current research on public attitude is that its results imply and create the belief and acceptance that uncertainty and disparity can be alleviated through developing strong interpersonal relations that improve the exchange of resources through the collaboration of public and business stakeholders. Originality/value: This paper introduces an innovative leadership development program, which, as part of a CSR initiative, aims to improve the leadership of school principals in under-resourced schools, while simultaneously developing the business leaders involved in the initiative. This is done through partnering a school principal with a business leader in a formal participatory leadership development program. Research shows that the unique combinations of leadership development interventions cultivate school principals and business leaders who are emotionally and culturally intelligent, resilient and well prepared to push willingly beyond and across boundaries in unfamiliar environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There is noted emphasis on the role of small businesses as conduits for economic development especially in emerging economies. Given this, there is need for constantly seeking for ways to assist small businesses achieve success. Calls exist in the literature to investigate the combined role that strategy and human resource management practices can play leading to efforts of financial success. Design/methodology/approach: A structured questionnaire was utilised and data collected from 401 small businesses operating in the Eastern Province of South Africa. Pearson product–moment correlation and hierarchical regression were used in the data analysis. Findings: The results confirm that a direct relationship exists between strategy and financial performance. Further, the relationship is made significant only through the mediation effect of human resource management practices. Practical implications: To fully realise the enactment of strategy within small businesses there is need to pay attention to the role that human resource management practices may potentially have on financial performance. Small business owner-managers need to ground their strategies with sound human resource management practices. Through this, firm financial performance can be attained. Originality/value: The paper sheds light and presents a model that illustrates the mediating role of human resource management practices on the relationship between strategy and financial performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article raises a pertinent question; is there a significant difference between Male Entrepreneurs and Female Females in terms of key Business Success Factors? This article tests the null hypothesis that the population means on a set of dependent variables do not vary across Gender. Thus, this paper determines the variation if any between Male and Female Entrepreneurs with reference to Customer and Market Size; Products and Services and Management Know-How. However, opinions differ on the degree of the effects of contextual factors on the success or otherwise of SMEs especially in developing countries such as South Africa. Furthermore, studies on the direction of these factors in terms of male and female ownership of SMEs have not been fully documented in South Africa; thereby necessitating the need for this research. We divided the sample population into groups (strata) and then selected samples from each stratum for the survey. Questionnaires were subsequently distributed among the SME's operating in Mpumalanga. For this study, we applied a two-fold structured questionnaire. The first section addressed questions on participants' demographics and business types. The second section addressed questions on business success factors relevant to the scope of the study. Using MANOVA, we created a new summary dependent variable, which is a linear combination of each of our original dependent variables and then executes an analysis of variance using the new combined dependent variable. Policy makers need to recognise that women are a heterogeneous group with many differences in their motivations, intentions and projects for engaging in business activities. Traditional instruments have been used to address these barriers but these approaches have not yielded the expected effects. There is need to expand the strategies in-addition to the broad institutional conditions required for a successful business. In this article therefore, a comparative analysis of some identified success factors of SMEs in South Africa is undertaken in order to examine the gender differentials in productivity and performance of both female-owned and male-owned enterprises. More targeted action is required to ensure that family policies, social policies and tax policies do not discriminate against entrepreneurship by women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business incubators (BIs) are a significant tool in promoting the development of entrepreneurial firms, technology-based growth firms and economic growth in South Africa. The study reviewed the current literature on business incubation in South Africa. BIs in South Africa emerged as a popular strategy in the 1990s and most of the current literature was established in the same period. However, the current literature is still limited. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of existing knowledge on the role and effectiveness of business incubation in supporting the development of new small startup businesses. The quantitative and qualitative literature published by the academic and practitioner communities is reviewed. The searches indicated that incubation has encouraged many studies in South Africa. The studies can be categorised under the following themes: the role and contribution of incubators, success factors for business incubation, obstacles, and the relationship between incubators and entrepreneurship. The areas for further research are suggested. Two major areas that new research can explore focus on the creation of the model and selfsustainability of BIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financing has been identified as a major stumbling block to the effective launch and long-term success of SMEs, particularly in emerging economies. However, little is known about the impact of capital startups on SMEs' performance in South Africa. Thus, the aim of this article is to compare differences in business success for three different levels of Capital startups and to determine the impact of capital startups on SMEs' performance. The analysis was premised on a two-tail hypothesis test that the average weights of the three groups are different. The Cronbach Alpha test and the test–re-test reliability approach on the survey instrument indicated values of 0.70 and 0.875, respectively. A one-way between-groups analysis of variance was conducted startup. There was a statistically significant difference at the p < 0.05 level in scores for the three groups (F (2, 477) = 12.967 p = 0.0000). Post hoc comparisons using the Tukey HSD test indicated that the mean scores for Group 1 (M = 19.93, SD = 6.343) were significantly different from Group 2 (M = 20.94, SD = 2.309) and Group 3 (M = 21.73, SD = 2.880). Despite reaching statistical significance, the actual difference in mean scores between the groups was quite small. The one-way ANOVA approach indicates that finance (startup capital) remains a significant impediment to the effective launch of service-providing SMEs. It is recommended that SMEs who want to raise startup capital must create a solid business plan or build a prototype to sell the idea. This will assist them in discussions with venture capitalists, angel investors, banks, or other financial institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Six Sigma deployment methodology is known for its results in operational excellence associated with improved business practices. Organisations worldwide have shown significantly reduced costs and increased profits when successfully deploying Six Sigma. This paper reports a longitudinal study of a set of indicators and success factors for Six Sigma deployment, using Lonmin PLC, a mining company in South Africa, as a case. The results suggest a shift of indicators from heartfelt personal involvement in 2006 to a mechanistic performance-based culture in 2010. Practical recommendations are made regarding the nine success factor components to be included during Six Sigma deployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have attempted to determine how the success of South African IT projects related to the project management maturity of the organisations that executed the projects. The study reported in this article was conducted during 2010 in the engineering and construction sectors. This paper reports on a structured questionnaire distributed to 1,625 individuals mainly in the South African engineering and construction industries, from which 255 responses were received. 'Project success' was self-defined by the respondents, who identified 'project success' within their unique environments and contexts. The bulk of the projects (46%) were considered successful. The average perceived project management maturity level was 2.88. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally, governments and lobby groups increasingly put pressure on organisations to reduce their impact on the environment. To this end, various studies show the drivers, barriers, and contributions of energy efficiency towards a more sustainable environment, particularly through reduced greenhouse gas emissions and other by-products. In the study summarised in this paper, the factors that drive organisational success were compared with the effects that energy efficiency projects have on organisations. Methods, policies, and strategies on the application of energy efficiency were also studied. The findings are that, in general, most organisations have energy efficiency policies and strategies in place, and they include internal and external stakeholders in their energy efficiency efforts. These efforts also show a positive correlation with the factors that contribute to the perceived success of organisations in the South African industrial sector. These strategies must be maintained in the longer term, as energy efficiency will play a more important role in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines antecedents and outcomes of deliberate practice activities in South African small businesses. Deliberate practice consists of individualized self-regulated and effortful activities aimed at improving one's current performance level. Interview and questionnaire data from 90 South African business owners showed a direct impact of deliberate practice on entrepreneurial knowledge as well as an indirect effect on business growth via entrepreneurial knowledge. Cognitive ability and education were identified as antecedents of deliberate practice. Findings underline the importance of continuous proactive learning efforts in small business. The results of this study are relevant for policy makers, consultants, and credit providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]