Michael C. Cant
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7 publications
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2760 downloads
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3315 views
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Internet-based ICT usage by South African SMEs: are the benefits within their reach?
Michael C. Cant , Johannes A. Wiid , Yu-Ting HungProblems and Perspectives in Management Volume 13, 2015 Issue #2 (spec. issue) pp. 444-451
Views: 469 Downloads: 269 TO CITE -
Small and medium enterprise development: do traditional marketing functions have a role to play?
Claudette Rabie , Michael C. Cant , Johannes A. WiidProblems and Perspectives in Management Volume 13, 2015 Issue #4 pp. 79-84
Views: 567 Downloads: 342 TO CITE -
The use of traditional marketing tools by SMEs in an emerging economy: a South African perspective
Michael C. Cant , Johannes A. Wiid doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.14(1).2016.07Problems and Perspectives in Management Volume 14, 2016 Issue #1 pp. 64-70
Views: 1629 Downloads: 1371 TO CITESmall and medium enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role in all economies around the world, they are responsible for creating of jobs, alleviating of poverty, contributing to innovation and to the gross domestic product of a country. However, many of these businesses face challenges and often fail within a short period of time. The success of small businesses is not only having products and a market to sell them to but also effective marketing of these products to the targeted market. A vast array of studies have investigated SME marketing tool usage however few have looked to SMEs in emerging economies and specifically to the traditional marketing tools such firms employ. Therefore the focus of this study was to describe the usage of traditional marketing tools employed by SMEs from a South African perspective. This study followed a quantitative research methodology whereby a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to SME owners within the Gauteng province of South Africa. Results obtained from this research indicate that SME owners mostly make use of print media while broadcast media is used selectively. Results obtained within this study will be of value universally to SME owners as it can be seen that all SMEs irrespective of geographic location face similar challenges
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The importance of human resources management for small businesses in South Africa
Yu-Ting Hung , Michael C. Cant , Johannes A. Wiid doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.14(3-1).2016.09Problems and Perspectives in Management Volume 14, 2016 Issue #3 (cont. 1) pp. 232-238
Views: 1925 Downloads: 1270 TO CITEThe majority of SMEs fail in the first five years of operation (Cant and Ligthelm, 2003). Human resource management (HRM) has been identified as a crucial key success factor for SMEs in today’s world. This research study investigates small business owners’ perception of the importance of HRM. The objective of this paper is to determine the perceived importance of human resources (HR) among South African SMEs and the management of it. A questionnaire was constructed and judgement sampling was used to gather the responses of 88 small business owners. The research revealed that the majority of SMEs have HR practices of some sort in place, as well as areas to improve on HR practices. The challenge now is to further increase the adoption of HR management and practices among small businesses in South Africa to ensure their success, as they play a vital role in the South African economy.
Keywords: South African SMEs, developing countries, human resource functions, human resources management, HR, HRM.
JEL Classification: M19 -
SMEs: do they follow a shotgun or rifle approach when it comes to target marketing?
Michael C. Cant , Johannes A. Wiid , Adri Meyer doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.14(3-2).2016.06Problems and Perspectives in Management Volume 14, 2016 Issue #3 (cont. 2) pp. 504-511
Views: 1172 Downloads: 325 TO CITEAs SMEs are the drivers of employment and GDP in many cases, SMEs are also critical to the development of any economy and their survival and success are, thus, important. With the high levels of failure of SMEs, it has become imperative that there is a drive to ensure the survival of SMEs. A way in which SMEs, can enhance their potential success rate and business performance is by means of proper target market selection in order for the business to focus their marketing efforts. This will allow the business to timeously identify opportunities and threats in the market and to react to these situations. The business will also have a greater understanding of their target market, and their needs and wants. Understanding the target market will assist the business in developing marketing strategies that are suited for the target market and enhance its chances of success. This study aimed to identify whether SME owners and managers have target market knowledge within a South African SME context. The main results indicate that although SME owners and managers claim they are aware of their specific target markets (90%), they do not have customer knowledge regarding the psychographic and demographic aspects of their target market. By using effective target marketing communication, SMEs can improve on their merchandising planning and product assortment and offerings to better serve their target market(s).
Keywords: target marketing, SMEs, South Africa.
JEL Classification: M310, L26 -
SMEs and product mix decisions: fact or fiction
Michael C. Cant , Safura Mohamed Kallier , Johannes A. Wiid doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.14(3-3).2016.03Problems and Perspectives in Management Volume 14, 2016 Issue #3 (cont. 3) pp. 608-616
Views: 945 Downloads: 1017 TO CITEResearch over the years has shown that in order for any business to survive, the correct product mix must be offered to the market. If the product does not satisfy the needs of the market, its reason for existence can be questioned. This principle applies to all businesses – big or small. The question arises if SMEs adhere to this fact and, if so, how they go about doing this. SMEs over the world make huge contributions to economic growth and job creation and are seen to be a driving force for economic growth and development in any economy. In the highly competitive environment that SMEs operate in, selecting the right merchandise for the right customer is important and, in most instances, its ability to survive or perish. This study aimed to determine if SMEs in South Africa make decisions regarding the product mix and, if so, if they conform to different profiles regarding the decisions that they make. A questionnaire was used to collect the data and was sent to SMEs around South Africa operating in different industries. The results indicated that SMEs in South Africa consider product characteristics, consumer behavior and strategic aspects when making product mix decisions.
Keywords: merchandising, product, SMEs, product mix, business, South Africa.
JEL Classification: M00, M300, M310 -
Using social media to market a promotional event to SMEs: opportunity or wasted effort?
Michael C. Cant doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.14(4).2016.09Problems and Perspectives in Management Volume 14, 2016 Issue #4 pp. 76-82
Views: 1545 Downloads: 550 TO CITEMuch has been said about the advantages of using social media in the marketing of brands and products of companies. Marketing, as we knew it in the past millennia, has changed dramatically and is evolving at a faster pace than ever. Traditional media, such as print and broadcast, are becoming more obsolete and largely replaced by social media platforms. These platforms are growing and expanding in leaps and bounds and have become potent instruments of marketing. It is up to organizations to use these platforms to market their brands, services and business, as it can have a profound effect on the success and growth. This is even truer in the case of entrepreneurs who are generally younger and more technology savvy and who use social media for all means and purposes. The purpose of this research study was, therefore, to investigate the use of social media among institutions that focus on specific events such as a business plan competition and to establish to what extent the use of these social media tools were used or effectively used to communicate the event to SMEs. A web-based self-administered questionnaire was distributed among the respondents of a business plan competition. A total of 992 useable responses were received. The findings mainly revealed that institutions that use social media in their marketing drive either do not plan properly for the use of it, or is careless in their approach to these tools. The results pointed to a large number of respondents (55%) who were not even aware that social media tools were used in the promotion of the competition.
Keywords: social media, SME, special event marketing, marketing, usage, promotional mix elements, South Africa.
JEL Classification: M13
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