School of Public Leadership

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Browsing School of Public Leadership by browse.metadata.advisor "Ackron, Johan"

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    Analysis of interventions in support of small tourism businesses in the Eden District Municipality
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-03) Biljohn, Mareve; Ackron, Johan; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Macro-economic policy interventions have been driven by the South African national government in order to create economic and trade opportunities for small businesses within the first economy. This macro-economic policy intervention of the government which advocates the active and inclusive participation of small business in the first economy has set the trajectory for small business development and support by both provincial and local government. The significant contribution of small businesses (SBs) to local economic development in the locality of municipalities has thus seen the prioritizing of small business support and development by local government as a focal point of municipal Local Economic Development programmes. However these small businesses are often subject to a myriad of challenges compared to larger established businesses that fall outside the classifications of small businesses. These challenges thus make it impossible for SBs to compete with established businesses and to actively participate in the first economy. The Eden District Municipality, a renowned and reputable tourism destination, offers substantial business opportunities that favour small tourism businesses. This is all to the good, but the question is what programmes are on offer by the Eden District Municipality that may assist small tourism businesses (STBs) to tap into these business opportunities. Furthermore, do such programmes address the needs of STBs to access trade and economic opportunities? In the light of the foregoing, this study sets out to establish the areas in which STBs require support, to establish the current level of support received from the Eden District Municipality, as well as the participation levels of STBs themselves in the development of tourism strategies. This study investigates the coherence between interventions and support programmes provided by the Eden District Municipality and seeks to identify the areas in which small tourism businesses (STBs) require support and assistance. The population sample employed comprises small businesses from a previously disadvantaged background in the Eden District Municipality. A quantitative research design was followed and questionnaires were used to elicit responses from STBs which constitute the primary data to address the research question. It is anticipated that the findings of this research will assist the Eden District Municipality with the identification of future required interventions that will augment accessibility to trade and economic opportunities for STBs. By using the findings of the study as a yardstick, the Eden District can assess its own efforts and ensure that programme responses are designed to meet the identified needs of STBs. The findings highlight an overall need for broader consultation with STBs when support programmes and interventions are developed, and can be used as a benchmark by other researchers and local municipalities in the development of support programmes and interventions for STBs.
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    A guideline framework for transformation to a LED approach in local government : the Frances Baard district
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2007-03) Rossouw-Brink, Milinda; Ackron, Johan; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Management and Planning.
    LED is the encouragement of a greater degree of local economic governance as an integral component of the pursuits of local community goals. It is about a systemic approach that manages community governance in such a way to achieve shared community goals and objectives. The intent to promote LED has become an established feature in the Frances Baard district, but certain constraints such as resource and skills constraints, lack of communication and lack of guidance from the other spheres of government, hinder the delivery of LED at Local Government level. LED is immersed in a line function environment that institutionally cannot support or sustain it, unless broader institutional reform takes place to bring the LED Approach into the mainstream of municipal and community decision making in terms of locating LED higher up in the municipal hierarchy. There is confusion between the roles and responsibilities of the Frances Baard District and local municipalities in terms of who should facilitate and guide the economic development in the municipal area. The assessment of these difficulties and confusions in terms of the institutional operations in the Frances Baard Local Government will identify and develop important operational guidelines for the district and local municipalities to overcome these shortcomings that occur within their organisations.