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Acta Commercii

E-ISSN: 1684-1999
Acta Commercii serves as an independent scientific publication for academic contributions to the broad field of management and its associated disciplines. It includes disciplinary, multi-disciplinary and problem oriented work.
Publisher | AOSIS |
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Frequency | Annually |
Coverage | Volume 1 2001 - current |
Accreditation(s) |
SciELO SA |
Language | English |
Journal Status | Active |
Collection(s) |
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Modelling key predictors that stimulate the entrepreneurial performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and poverty reduction : perspectives from SME managers in an emerging economy
Orientation: In this ever-changing business milieu, poverty alleviation has turned into an important issue after the publication of the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which aim at eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions by 2030.
Research purpose: This study investigates the effect of entrepreneurship education, budgeting financial literacy and access to credit facilities on entrepreneurial performance and poverty reduction.
Motivation for the study: There is a lack of literature that studies the effect of entrepreneurship education, budgeting financial literacy and access to credit facilities on entrepreneurial performance and poverty reduction in an emerging economy, such as South Africa.
Research design, approach and method: The study adopted a quantitative approach. The examination was completed in the Vhembe District of Limpopo province, South Africa, where many people live in poverty. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 150 managers of rural small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). To test the hypothesised model, structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis was employed using the Smart partial least squares (PLS) software.
Main findings: The findings uncovered that entrepreneurship education, budgeting financial literacy and access to credit facilities positively impact entrepreneurial performance of SMEs and reduce poverty.
Practical/managerial implications: The present research provides theoretical implications for academics in the field of entrepreneurship, precisely, by enhancing an understanding of the link between entrepreneurship education, budgeting financial literacy, access to credit facilities, entrepreneurship performance and poverty reduction. On the practitioners’ side, this work offers avenues for SME managers to improve entrepreneurial ventures and eventually eliminate household poverty. Moreover, this study also offers policy implications. Existing policies, for example, can be updated, with the goal of improving entrepreneurial performance of SMEs and reducing poverty.
Contribution/value-add: This article provides useful insights into and suggestions on the way forward. Furthermore, it contributes to the existing knowledge base in the field of entrepreneurship. As such, this research is important for SME managers because most of them endeavour to enhance entrepreneurial performance and alleviate poverty in their communities.
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Variable executive remuneration and company performance : insights from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, South Africa
Orientation: Agency theory predicts that agency relationships are subject to the principalagent problem. Other theories also suggest that executives may tend to maximise sales revenues, or expand their spans of influence through growth, at the expense of the net value of the firm or its profitability.
Research purpose: The purpose of this study is to test which forms of company performance are associated with higher executive variable pay ratios or determine the proportion of variable director remuneration to total remuneration.
Motivation for the study: The extent to which variable remuneration is associated with different types of firm performance is unclear.
Research design, approach and method: This study applies a simple panel regression model to test the extent to which the variable ratio of total director remuneration contributes differently to increases in firm revenue, total assets, return on assets, or measures of Tobin’s Q. These relationships are tested for listed companies on South Africa’s Johannesburg Stock Exchange, South Africa, for the years 2011–2014.
Main findings: Variable remuneration is found to be negatively and strongly related to total revenue and negatively and weakly related to total assets (the gross measures of performance). In contrast, variable remuneration is weakly and positively related to Tobin’s Q, a measure which better reflects the interests of shareholders than gross measures.
Practical/managerial implications: Firms in this context should seek to strengthen the linkages between variable remuneration and forms of performance that reflect the interests of stakeholders.
Contribution/value-add: In the wake of global and local governance failures, this study suggests that the use of the variable component of executive remuneration might be helpful in aligning stakeholder interests. Further research might seek to better understand the causal mechanisms that underlie these findings.
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Dynamics informing xenophobia and leadership response in South Africa
Orientation: The research addressed the issue of leadership response to xenophobia in South Africa that has a unique characteristic of being ‘black on black’.
Research purpose: The research purpose was to assess the dynamics informing xenophobia in South Africa, leadership responses and systemic lessons thereon.
Motivation for the study: The first black president, the late Nelson Mandela, put in place a Constitution that has an intent to protect all stakeholders in a non-racist, non-sexist and without discrimination based on colour or creed. This pleasantness and warm welcome attracted a large influx of immigrants from across the continent and South Asia who come as international students, skilled professionals and economic refugees. This migratory pattern has led to protracted conflict between immigrants from Africa and indigenous black South Africans.
Research design, approach and method: A qualitative, exploratory research that drew data from the semi-structured interviews was carried out. Seven participants were purposefully sampled based on their involvement with the xenophobic affairs in their line of work. Content analysis augmented the primary data.
Main findings: The findings of this research showed that xenophobia is a consequence of the socio-economic environment in South Africa and that the leadership response shaped the public opinion on the phenomenon.
Practical/managerial implications: The research informed all South Africans, policy-makers and leadership in government on the consequences of xenophobia on the growth and image of the country.
Contribution/value-add: This article contributed to the current efforts by leadership in both government and civil society towards addressing the socio-economic issues that fuel xenophobia.
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The relationship of self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intentions on the commitment of the next generation in family-owned agribusinesses
Orientation: Poor intergenerational survival rate of family-owned agribusinesses is a matter of serious concern in family business literature. Ageing population of senior leaders and a lack of commitment from the next generation are often cited as the main contributing factors.
Research purpose: The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between cognitive factors (self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intentions) and commitment of the next generation in family-owned agribusinesses.
Motivation for the study: Family business literature is extensive regarding the phenomena of high failure rate amongst family-owned business, and agribusinesses are not immune to this phenomenon. However, previous research has focussed more on situational factors that relate to ‘contextual’ environment surrounding the individual, whilst little research has focussed on ‘cognitive’ (person-related) factors.
Research design, approach and method: Following a positivistic paradigm, a cross-sectional design was followed using a quantitative self-administered questionnaire through multi-stage probability sampling, resulting in a sample of 125 next-generation individuals in family-owned agribusinesses. The data was subjected to an exploratory factor analysis and Pearson’s correlation test.
Main findings: The results revealed that there was a significant relationship between selfefficacy, entrepreneurial intentions (person-related factors) and commitment of the next generation. Furthermore, the relationship between self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intentions was also found to be positively significant.
Practical/managerial implications: A committed, willing and ready next generation is a prerequisite for effective succession in family businesses, given the expected exodus of a large cohort of senior leaders. Therefore, succession planning, especially from the successor’s side, needs effective management. Investment in career planning and development of the next generation is a step in the right direction.
Contributions/value-add: Given the dearth of research exploring successor-related factors affecting succession, the current article adds to the literature by examining the relationship between person-related factors (self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intentions) and commitment (behavioural outcome) of the next generation within the realm of agribusiness development.
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Innovation in small accommodation businesses : a comparative study of Zimbabwe and South Africa
Orientation: The accommodation sector has been identified as the most competitive and innovative segment of the tourism offer. However, the uncertainty with regard to persistent fierce competition that often shrouds small accommodation businesses (SABs) from their large business counterparts necessitates the identification and understanding of sustainable drivers of innovation to ensure their survival.
Research purpose: The main purpose of this study was to examine and compare the influence of selected drivers (market and learning orientations [LOs]) on innovation in SABs in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Motivation of the study: This study was motivated by the absence of empirical evidence in establishing and comparing the relationship between market and LOs and innovation in SABs in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Research design, approach and method: This study used a descriptive cross-sectional comparative research design. Using simple random sampling, two samples each of 139 from SABs in Manicaland in Zimbabwe and the Free State province in South Africa were analysed using one-way ANOVA, Pearson product-moment correlations and regression analysis.
Main findings: The results demonstrate that market and LOs influence innovation in SABs in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Practical/managerial implications: In view of the strong association between market and LOs and innovation, owners or managers of SABs should embrace and invest more in these orientations to stimulate sustainable innovative behaviour.
Contribution/value-add: This study adds richness to extant research by affirming market and LOs as drivers of innovation in SABs in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
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Stemming the sportswear counterfeit tide : emerging market evidence of rational and normative drivers
Orientation: Increasingly, there is an urgent need to curb the scourge of counterfeiting, which is fast becoming a global economic threat with severe implications on employment creation and societal well-being.
Research purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of rational and normative factors on consumers’ willingness to buy counterfeit sportswear in South Africa. Motivation for the study: This study contributes input to the development of long-term strategies of curbing the escalating scourge of counterfeiting in the sportswear sector.
Research design, approach and method: The study was conducted in South Africa’s southern Gauteng region and Johannesburg central business district, which are considered to be amongst the major counterfeit sportswear promoting segments in South Africa. Cross-sectional data were collected from a convenient sample of 390 respondents. Study hypotheses were tested using standard multiple regression analysis.
Main findings: Perceived financial control and subjective norm emerged as the main factors that engender favourable attitudes towards counterfeit products. Furthermore, attitude towards counterfeits had a strong positive effect on consumers’ willingness to purchase counterfeit sportswear.
Practical/managerial implications: The findings of this study suggest that a combination of normative and rational strategies have the potential to change consumers’ attitudes and willingness to purchase counterfeit sportswear.
Contribution/value-added: The study findings highlight the importance of attempting to address the problem of counterfeiting not only from a regulatory perspective but also from a rational and normative perspective.
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E-ISSN: 1684-1999
© Publisher: AOSIS

E-ISSN: 1684-1999
© Publisher: AOSIS