The level of corporate entrepreneurship within small and medium-sized enterprises in the seafreight transport industry
- Authors: Schachtebeck, Chris
- Date: 2012-06-06
- Subjects: Corporate entrepreneurship , SMEs , Small and medium-sized enterprises , Seafreight industry South Africa
- Type: Mini-Dissertation
- Identifier: uj:2530 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4985
- Description: M. Comm. , Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are widely regarded as the innovation and growth engine of the economy. As such, a large volume of research has been conducted on the subject area of SMEs. Furthermore, the topic of corporate entrepreneurship has gained popularity in the past few years. Despite the variety of literature and studies conducted on the topic of corporate entrepreneurship, very few studies combine the topics of corporate entrepreneurship within SMEs. This study aims to investigate the level of corporate entrepreneurship within SMEs operating in the seafreight transport industry in South Africa. The study furthermore aims to produce tangible recommendations for improving the level of corporate entrepreneurship within SMEs. The study is largely quantitative in nature and was conducted by means of the corporate entrepreneurship climate instrument (CECI), which is a paper-based questionnaire testing the six main indicators of corporate entrepreneurship. These indicators provide an accurate reflection on the currently prevailing level of corporate entrepreneurship within an organisation. The sample consisted of three SMEs with 47 respondents, who are registered members of the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF), operating within the sea-freight transport industry. The three sample businesses were selected based on differing attributes such as size and maturity. The results of the research instrument were complemented by means of a comprehensive literature review addressing the topic of corporate entrepreneurship and SMEs. The results of the CECI were thus evaluated against popular findings in current academic literature on the topic of corporate entrepreneurship. This was done in order to establish consistency of results in line with current academic literature on the subject of corporate entrepreneurship. This approach thus further adds credibility to the results of the study. The study found that the prevailing level of corporate entrepreneurship can be classed as moderate within SMEs operating in the sea-freight transport industry, with areas such as rewards and reinforcement and organisational boundaries showing positive results. Other areas such as management support, as well as climatespecific variables showed disappointing levels of corporate entrepreneurship, thus highlighting areas for improvement. Furthermore, the larger businesses showed much more promising results than their smaller counterparts did in terms of the 11 | P a g e prevailing level of corporate entrepreneurship. The study further showed that females and respondents below the age of thirty tended to perceive corporate entrepreneurship much more positively than other respondents did. This study thus increases the understanding of corporate entrepreneurship within SMEs, as well as highlights areas in which SMEs can improve. This study adds value to the subject of corporate entrepreneurship and has a uniquely South African focus, which is lacking in current literature.
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Global warming mitigation promotes corporate entrepreneurship within Woolworths’ supply chain
- Authors: Dos Santos, M A. O.
- Date: 2012-09
- Subjects: Corporate entrepreneurship , Woolworths , Sustainable marketing strategies , Global warming mitigation
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:5788 , ISSN 1993-8233 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/7795
- Description: This study demonstrates how Woolworths, a South African retail chain promotes corporate entrepreneurship within its supply chain as it implements sustainable marketing strategies. A qualitative case study approach, restricted to a single retail chain, was used and the data analysed was derived from their public documents. A content analysis using a thematic approach that incorporated product life cycle model variables was used to code the data. The results demonstrate that retailers can promote entrepreneurial activity within supply chains as they implement sustainable marketing strategies.
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Corporate entrepreneurship : it’s a matter of engagement
- Authors: Dhanpat, Nelesh , Schachtebeck, Chris
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Corporate entrepreneurship , Work engagement , Entrepreneurship
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/404294 , uj:33899 , Citation: Dhanpat, N. & Schachtebeck, C. 2019. Corporate entrepreneurship : it’s a matter of engagement.
- Description: Abstract: Organisations of varying sizes often implement changes at the strategic, operational and employee level to foster a culture of entrepreneurship. These entrepreneurial actions within existing organisations are referred to as corporate entrepreneurship (CE). CE is regarded as multi- dimensional in nature, influenced by environmental, managerial and organisational factors and often results in a multitude of outcomes such as enhanced internal and market performance. Whilst CE is seen as a firm-level initiative, it is employees who implement and practice such initiatives. An employee’s proactive nature towards their work is essential and hence, work engagement is vital in achieving business outcomes. However, to date, there is limited research on the linkages between corporate entrepreneurship and work engagement. This study is qualitative in nature and presents a conceptual paper. A deductive approach is employed by combining prominent literature on CE and work engagement as described in seminal works, thereby proposing a novel conceptual framework linking work engagement, CE and business outcomes. The study provides insights into a framework which, when tested empirically, has the potential to enhance and achieve business outcomes. The framework therefore holds significant potential to improve employee engagement in business, particularly within the ambit of the fourth industrial revolution.
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Corporate entrepreneurial climate : an investigation of South African accounting small and medium-sized enterprises
- Authors: Khoza, Rachel , Groenewald, Darelle , Schachtebeck, Chris
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Corporate entrepreneurship , Accounting SMEs , Small and medium-sized enterprises
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/259371 , uj:27288 , Citation: Khoza, R., Groenewald, D. & Schachtebeck, C. 2017. Corporate entrepreneurial climate : an investigation of South African accounting small and medium-sized enterprises.
- Description: Abstract: Government around the world, particularly in emerging economies such as South Africa, have recognised the socio-economic benefits Small and Medium -sized Enterprises (SMEs) hold. Despite this recognition and support, SME failure rates are still unsustainably high. For SMEs to survive, innovation and internal (corporate) entrepreneurship needs to take centre-stage. The purpose of this study is to assess the corporate entrepreneurial climate in South African accounting SMEs. Little empirical research exists in South Africa that addresses the importance of Corporate Entrepreneurship with reference to accounting SMEs. A quantitative research approach was followed by means of a selfadministered questionnaire. A purposive sampling approach yielded 102 responses drawn from the South African Institute of Professional Accountants database. Results indicate that positive support for corporate entrepreneurship exists, with four main dimensions of Corporate Entrepreneurship being evident. Time availability, however, was lacking in the sampled enterprises. This study positively contributes to the body of knowledge in accounting SMEs, particularly around the existence and promotion of Corporate Entrepreneurship. The results of the study can serve as an indicator for South African accounting SMEs, and related industries, in terms of assessing the existence of a corporate entrepreneurship climate.
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Assessment of entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial orientation constructs : an analysis of past research
- Authors: Schachtebeck, Chris , Groenewald, Darelle , Nieuwenhuizen, Cecile
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Intrapreneurial orientation , Entrepreneurial orientation , Corporate entrepreneurship
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/289467 , uj:31407 , Citation: Schachtebeck, C., Groenewald, D. & Nieuwenhuizen, C. 2018. Assessment of entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial orientation constructs : an analysis of past research.
- Description: Abstract: Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) can act as a predictor and indicator of firm-level entrepreneurship in organisations of different sizes. Intrapreneurial Orientation (IO), as an offspring of EO, describes an individual employee’s inclination to act entrepreneurially. Yet while the importance of an organisation’s EO cannot be overstated, a lack of clarity exists as to which common constructs underpin these concepts, as no study has attempted to analyse the shared conceptual basis underpinning EO, IO and other connected concepts. The purpose of this study is to analyse the underlying constructs of past EO and IO studies. The study is qualitative in nature by utilising a narrative review methodology. The review was conducted in prominent international databases. Discovered articles were analysed by means of content and thematic analysis. Results reveal that EO studies mostly utilise three constructs, namely risk-taking, innovativeness and proactiveness, while competitive aggressiveness and autonomy are less frequently utilised. Instruments developed by Miller (1983), as well as Covin and Slevin (1989) were the most frequently utilised instruments to assess EO. Studies investigating IO lack commonality in constructs, with only innovativeness representing a common construct. Entrepreneurial Attitude Orientation was found to act as an extension to IO, utilising similar constructs and one underlying instrument only. Findings of this study provide researchers and academics with an up-to-date identification and analysis of the main constructs underlying popular EO and IO instruments, thereby assisting in the development of instruments in future EO and IO studies.
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