Empowering disadvantaged businesses through LED projects: a practitioner's approach.
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Date
2014
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Abstract
This thesis has been written in the context of Local Economic Development (LED). LED is
recognized as a process that requires a number of role players which include government,
business institutions and ordinary people representing themselves as various organizations
and as individuals. From all these groups of role players, the focus of this study is on the
group of business institutions, particularly small businesses from disadvantaged groups.
The aim of this study has been to investigate theoretical and practical ways that small
business owners in disadvantaged communities can contribute to their own business
development and that of their fellows within a framework of LED. The purpose has been
twofold and synergistic – to consider both empowerment and the creation of an enabling
support framework. The primary goals of this study are job creation, poverty alleviation and
ultimately economic development of the disadvantaged areas through the leadership of local
small business owners. This study has been conducted using a qualitative research method, drawing on interviews,
focus groups and learning journal as tools of data collection. This study highlighted some
information from disadvantaged small businesses in squatter camps/slums that could be
useful to the development of LED in Durban and in extension to the development of LED in
the country. Such information drawn from the disadvantaged small business groups can be
useful to the whole country because of the similar challenges faced by disadvantaged small
business groups in other major towns and cities in South Africa. Such challenges are mostly
around inequality and uneven economic development in different race groups, especially
amongst black South Africans.
Findings revealed that people from disadvantaged areas lack education and business skills
and that the businesses within these areas are mostly informal and are desperately in need of
finance. This study has shown that small businesses in disadvantaged areas have no formal
structures in place and are not in a position to help each other financially. However, small
businesses in disadvantaged areas have been found to be capable of helping each other to
overcome other issues such as crime and disorder that have a negative impact on their
viability. This study has shown that other role players are wary of coming into disadvantaged
communities to help with investment that will bring about job creation, poverty eradication
and economic development because of the crime and general disorder that prevails in
disadvantaged communities.
Description
M. Com. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2014.
Keywords
Government aid to small business--South Africa., Economic development--Social aspects--South Africa., People with social disabilities--South Africa., Small business--South Africa., Theses--Leadership and management.