Tracking SMME research in South Africa’s priority sectors

The National Industrial Policy Framework and the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa emphasize the importance of promoting select ‘priority sectors’. This paper provides a review of existing research concerning SMME development in the three priority sectors of tourism, business process outsourcing and offshoring (BPO & O) and, creative industries. The paper argues for the importance of undertaking sector-differentiated research on SMME development in South Africa in order to complement other research which is focussed on sector development as a whole.

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South Africa's business process outsourcing services sector: Lessons for Western-based client firms

South African Journal of Business Management ◽

10.4102/sajbm.v45i4.140 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 45 (4) ◽

pp. 45-58 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M. C. Lacity ◽

L. P. Willcocks ◽

A. Craig

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Business Process ◽

Business Processes ◽

Economic Value ◽

Case Study Research ◽

The Philippines ◽

Value Proposition ◽

Time Zone ◽

Business Process Outsourcing ◽

The Uk

Since 2008, South Africa has become one of the world's upcoming offshore destinations for business process outsourcing (BPO), a market estimated to be worth $US 182 billion globally by 2013. Western-based client firms evaluating South Africa as a BPO destination must consider the country's relative value against alternative locations. Client firms also have a number of engagement models from which to choose, inclucling outsourcing, erecting a captive centre, or acquiring an existing BPO business. The research finds that, for the UK, US, and Australian client companies in this study, South Africa's value proposition is not just based on costs as other locations are often cheaper. South Africa's value proposition is about overall economic value, high quality service and staff, strong cultural compatibility, and a favourable time zone. The findings reveal that South Africa complements the global portfolio for Western-based client firms that already have BPO centres in Inclia, the Philippines, and Eastern Europe. Moreover, whether client firms build or buy services from South Africa, the research identifies clistinctive risks that need to be mitigated by investing in and effectively governing the business processes performed offshore. Finally, from the case study research, this article identifies management lessons for leveraging South Africa's identifiable BPO service advantage.

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Tapping into Opportunity beyond South Africa for Small Business Expansion

Muma Case Review ◽

10.28945/4219 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. 001-019

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Small Business ◽

Business Process ◽

Business Process Outsourcing ◽

Data Services ◽

Excellent Opportunity ◽

External Constraints ◽

The Future ◽

New Business ◽

Technology Services

Masana Twala and Emily Brown, the co-founders of ME Data Services (MEDS), believed they had identified an excellent opportunity in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) domain. They were excited to set their idea in motion and, as many technology services entrepreneurs do, they feared that if they did not act promptly they could lose this chance. However, as recent entrants to the fiercely competitive BPO) industry in South Africa, pausing to map out the future of their new company was a necessity rather than a luxury. The pair had several issues to consider before making their next move. They needed to take into account the various internal and external constraints in order to map out a strategy for their new business in the fast paced BPO domain. How should their 5-10 year plan look like?

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