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Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on private sector SMME incubation support in South Africa
The COVID-19 pandemic had globally disruptive repercussions, resulting in the resiliency of numerous support systems being tested, including the support ecosystem for small, micro, and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs). Small business development initiatives, such as incubation and acceleration progr...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Graduate School of Business (GSB)
2024
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| _version_ | 1867613170641666048 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | De Waal, Anelia |
| author2 | Hall, Martin |
| author_browse | De Waal, Anelia Hall, Martin |
| author_facet | Hall, Martin De Waal, Anelia |
| author_sort | De Waal, Anelia |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | The COVID-19 pandemic had globally disruptive repercussions, resulting in the resiliency of numerous support systems being tested, including the support ecosystem for small, micro, and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs). Small business development initiatives, such as incubation and acceleration programmes, ostensibly provide a supportive environment for SMMEs to overcome economic pressures and market failures. They provide a critical role in the development of SMMEs and, by extension, healthy, inclusive economies. Given the catastrophic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of SMMEs closing down, particularly in South Africa, ensuring that future support mechanisms are geared towards adaptability and resiliency is imperative. In pursuit of this, efforts to understand how enterprise support organisations involved in incubation-style small business development programmes experienced the COVID-19 pandemic is a critical step in developing frameworks for future crisis responses. In aid of this goal, the research project focused on the experiences of 12 practitioners representing enterprise support organisations, using qualitative research methods to code and compare emerging experiences. The research found a correlation between the influence of power and agency on multi-level decision-making, and how this determines capacity to adapt and respond in inclusive and meaningful ways. It is the recommendation of this study that small business development organisations develop adaptive support practices that centre inclusivity and leverage micro-agency. Key mechanisms found in the study include the adoption of limited hierarchical operation practices, open dialogue that prioritises collaboration, and continuous learning and improvement initiatives. Future research needs to be conducted from the perspective of SMMEs within development programmes during COVID-19, to bolster the study findings, and aid in determining the degrees to which support initiatives were effective. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/40724 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:31:53.390Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publishDateRange | 2024 |
| publishDateSort | 2024 |
| publisher | Graduate School of Business (GSB) |
| publisherStr | Graduate School of Business (GSB) |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/40724 Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on private sector SMME incubation support in South Africa De Waal, Anelia Hall, Martin COVID-19 SMMEs Small, Micro, and Medium-sized Enterprises South Africa The COVID-19 pandemic had globally disruptive repercussions, resulting in the resiliency of numerous support systems being tested, including the support ecosystem for small, micro, and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs). Small business development initiatives, such as incubation and acceleration programmes, ostensibly provide a supportive environment for SMMEs to overcome economic pressures and market failures. They provide a critical role in the development of SMMEs and, by extension, healthy, inclusive economies. Given the catastrophic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of SMMEs closing down, particularly in South Africa, ensuring that future support mechanisms are geared towards adaptability and resiliency is imperative. In pursuit of this, efforts to understand how enterprise support organisations involved in incubation-style small business development programmes experienced the COVID-19 pandemic is a critical step in developing frameworks for future crisis responses. In aid of this goal, the research project focused on the experiences of 12 practitioners representing enterprise support organisations, using qualitative research methods to code and compare emerging experiences. The research found a correlation between the influence of power and agency on multi-level decision-making, and how this determines capacity to adapt and respond in inclusive and meaningful ways. It is the recommendation of this study that small business development organisations develop adaptive support practices that centre inclusivity and leverage micro-agency. Key mechanisms found in the study include the adoption of limited hierarchical operation practices, open dialogue that prioritises collaboration, and continuous learning and improvement initiatives. Future research needs to be conducted from the perspective of SMMEs within development programmes during COVID-19, to bolster the study findings, and aid in determining the degrees to which support initiatives were effective. 2024-11-21T07:23:59Z 2024-11-21T07:23:59Z 2024 2024-11-21T07:21:36Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters MPhil http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40724 eng application/pdf Graduate School of Business (GSB) Faculty of Commerce University of Cape Twon |
| spellingShingle | COVID-19 SMMEs Small, Micro, and Medium-sized Enterprises South Africa De Waal, Anelia Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on private sector SMME incubation support in South Africa |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on private sector SMME incubation support in South Africa |
| title_full | Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on private sector SMME incubation support in South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on private sector SMME incubation support in South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on private sector SMME incubation support in South Africa |
| title_short | Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on private sector SMME incubation support in South Africa |
| title_sort | exploring the impact of covid 19 on private sector smme incubation support in south africa |
| topic | COVID-19 SMMEs Small, Micro, and Medium-sized Enterprises South Africa |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40724 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dewaalanelia exploringtheimpactofcovid19onprivatesectorsmmeincubationsupportinsouthafrica |