| Title | Chapter 7: Critical success factors for small businesses: Insights from South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
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| Contributor | Natanya Meyer(editor) |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.4102/aosis.2025.BK527.07 |
| Landing page | https://books.aosis.co.za/index.php/ob/catalog/book/527 |
| License | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
| Copyright | Natanya Meyer, Marius Venter & Niel Kruger (eds.). Licensee: AOSIS (Pty) Ltd. The moral right of the editors and authors has been asserted. |
| Publisher | AOSIS |
| Long abstract | Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are crucial for local economic development (LED) as they help to tackle socio-economic issues such as unemployment, poverty and income inequality. This chapter examined small businesses’ critical success factors that contribute to a healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports SME growth and development. This study was exploratory in nature and made use of a quantitative approach. The target population included SMEs in both South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR-Congo). The population included those operating in Gauteng province (South Africa) and the DR-Congo, Kinshasa (capital city), Lubumbashi and Kolwezi (Katanga province). A final sample of 287 South African and 177 DR-Congo SMEs was obtained and included in this study. Findings from the study suggest that market orientation, technology adoption, and management are essential for SMEs’ survival and sustainability. |
| Print length | 20 pages |
| Language | English (Original) |
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Jean-Marie Mbuya is a lecturer and holds a PhD in Business Management from the Department of Business Management at the School of Management, College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. His research focuses mainly on topics related to entrepreneurship and development, especially in Africa. Mbuya has been a member of the Institute of Management Consultants and Coaches of South Africa since 2021.
Natanya Meyer is a professor in the Department of Business Management in the College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. She is part of the DHET-NRF SARChI Entrepreneurship Education Chair. Her research focuses on entrepreneurial and economic-related topics as well as tourism studies. She has been a member of the South Africa Global Entrepreneurship Monitor team since 2022. Meyer holds a Y2 rating from the South African National Research Foundation(NRF). She is an editor, an editorial board member, a scientific committee member and a reviewer for several national and international journals.
Vivence Kalitanyi earned his PhD in Management from the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. He is an associate professor at the University of Johannesburg, lecturing on entrepreneurship, operations management, and research methodology. He holds an NRF C-rating, widely publishes articles in accredited journals and book chapters, and supervises Honours Master’s and PhD students. Kalitanyi’s research interests mainly involve entrepreneurship, migrant entrepreneurship and operations management. He is the author of a book and attends national and international conferences to present his research works. He co-authored journal articles and book chapters, and he mentors novice researchers in the Department of Business Management at the University of Johannesburg. Kalitanyi is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Business and Economics in the 4th Industrial Revolution (JBE4IR).