Through a survey conducted among 219 businesses in Lesotho, this paper reports small, medium and micro enterprise (SMME) owners' and managers' perceptions of strategies implemented by the government to enhance SMME development, as well as identify shortcomings, if any. It was ascertained that although there are a number of initiatives -inter alia, the creation of a 'onestop shop' to simplify the procedures required for registering an enterprise -the respondents perceive that operating informally is the alternate solution, the consequence being possible loss of taxes by the government which impacts on economic growth. It also became evident that access to finance is still a hurdle to SMME establishment in Lesotho. SMMEs also find taxes too high and are therefore compelled to declare false turnover figures, to avoid being taxed or to pay minimum taxes. The findings of this research could assist SMMEs since there will be greater awareness of the initiatives by the Lesotho government to develop the sector.
Foreign-owned SMMEs contribute positively to national economic growth. Foreign-owned SMMEs are sources of direct foreign investment and create employment opportunities for local citizens. Although the South African government has instituted several interventions to promote SMMEs growth, very little research has investigated the impact of such interventions on the growth of foreign-owned SMMEs. This study is an attempt to address this gap by investigating government-related support interventions that have an influence on the growth of African foreign-owned SMMEs. Using quantitative research methods and a sample of 60 African foreign SMMEs owners conveniently sampled from the Pietermaritzburg city, findings reveal that training support from the government is the only single intervention that significantly influences the growth of African foreign-owned SMMEs. Thus, this chapter proposes a regression model that depicts how receiving training support from the government influences the growth of African foreign-owned SMMEs in the South African context.
This chapter investigates the extent of digital marketing usage in South Africa, its perceived impact, and factors that influence its adoption in the South African context. The methodology adopted is the systematic review using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) framework. The results show that digital platforms currently used include mobile marketing (SMS) and social media platforms. The findings suggest that SMS-based marketing may be appealing to other market segments but not to young adults. The findings further suggest that social media marketing has had a significant influence on the purchase intentions among South African millennials (Generation Y). Moreover, the findings suggest that marketers, in their quest to influence customer purchasing decisions, should consider the knowledge that social media followers have regarding a subject matter (such as a product), and make an effort to educate those followers on the subject (or product) before suggesting a purchase.
One of the functions of government is to create an environment conducive for business development, which would eventually impact economic development. This paper explores the perceptions of business owners and managers in Lesotho on the functional interventions by government on infrastructural development, and also identifies shortcomings in the current strategy. It became evident from a survey of 219 business owners and managers, that the infrastructure in Lesotho does not fully support business development, therefore, there is limited economic growth and development. However, the Lesotho government has recognised the need to improve both the quality and delivery of infrastructure services and has embarked on a series of reforms in inter-alia, the telecommunication, transportation, education and health sectors.
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