South Africa SME's Experience of Enterprise

The purpose of this research was to determine the challenges facing smallbusinesses in South Africa and further determine the experiences of smallbusinesses under enterprise development by large firms. These challenges weredetermined to be lack of skills for small business owners, lack of guaranteedmarkets, and lack of trade financing. The supports that small businesses receivefrom large businesses under enterprise development were determined to be trainingand preferred procurement.A sample of SMEs under support from large businesses was chosen to carry outthis research. Questionnaires and telephonic interviews were administered to thesesampled SMEs. These SMEs were from the previously disadvantaged communitieswho are targeted by most SMEs support interventions from large companiesthrough the B-BBEE policy of enterprise development.From the interviews and questionnaires administered, analysis was conductedusing the content analysis method to test the research propositions. The resultswere discussed and conclusions drawn from them. A framework was developedwhich will be useful in guiding interventions within the SME development arenawhere linkages with large businesses are undertaken