Abstract
In this current era of digitalisation, businesses generally seek digital solutions to the problems they face and to meet their goals. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are not immune to the global challenges and opportunities in the market. SMEs are known to be the greatest contributors to solving social ills in communities by means of providing products and services, and, most importantly, by means of creating employment and contributing to economic growth.
In South Africa, a country characterised by unemployment and slow economic growth, SMEs play a pivotal role in addressing those challenges. However, SMEs themselves encounter many challenges as they operate in the country. The constant electricity blackouts, or what is called load shedding, present a major challenge for SMEs to deal with, as do the issues of crime, political instability, high inflation, lack of relevant skills, high absenteeism and the lack of financial resources for acquiring other resources.
This study reviewed big data and the challenges that organisations face in adopting and implementing it. The South African Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA or the POPI Act) requires organisations or people that work with or oversee personal or organisational information to comply with its regulations regarding privacy. The need to manage such data competently is indicated by the consequences of data breaches. In this study, three cases of data breaches are reviewed, two comprising the biggest breaches in South Africa, and one the biggest breach in the world, which took place in the United States of America.
In adopting and implementing the proposed technological solution for SMEs, this study used the Technological-Organisational-Environmental (TOE) framework theory. This framework is used when engineers and/or entrepreneurs aim to adopt and implement a technological innovation in the organisation. Furthermore, the study used a design science research (DSR) study design, in which a sequential mixed-method research approach was used. Since there is insufficient empirical research in this discipline, with the discipline being fairly new and still emerging, the study started with a bibliometric analysis to understand what has been studied, which scholars are leading
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the research and which countries are leading the emergence of this discipline. Findings were displayed in the form of density and overlay network visualisations. Challenges faced by SMEs when implementing big data were analysed using word cloud and lexical dispersion analysis.
This led to the development of a dashboarding tool that SMEs can use for data mining, analytics and visualisation. For this, Power BI Microsoft software was selected as the most suitable business intelligence tool, having received excellent ratings and being freely available. It is a norm for DSR to confirm the usability of the artefact that has been developed. For this study, this involved testing the usability of the dashboarding tool that was developed with Power BI. Experiments were conducted using a micro farm SME based in Johannesburg South, with this SME adopting and implementing the dashboarding tool. Structured interviews were then held with ten experts (three entrepreneurs and seven support staff) to test the dashboarding tool. The data from the interviews was analysed using ATLAS.ti, for which content analysis was used. These ten experts confirmed the usability and credibility of the dashboarding tool.
From the study conclusions, it is evident that SMEs can take advantage of big data analytics. It is recommended that SMEs obtain proper training on how to manage data in their organisations because without a clear understanding of data management, they may receive heavy penalties and make themselves vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Government agencies need to provide support and resources for SMEs that intend to adopt and implement big data analytics. Further empirical research could be conducted on the adoption and implementation of big data analytics in emerging markets. Such research could be aimed at providing SMEs with a proper road map to follow when adopting and implementing big data analytics and guiding policy makers in how to support SMEs in leveraging the data they have at their disposal.
The study contributes to the academic body of knowledge by providing a thorough bibliometric analysis of big data for SMEs in emerging markets. Practically, the dashboarding tool provides SMEs with a roadmap for visualising and analysing data for financial decision-making.