Saskia De Klerk

University of the Sunshine Coast | USC · School of Business

Globally farmed seaweed is seen as a positive contribution to local food systems as a sustainable and healthy ingredient. Australia is, unfortunately, a net importer of seaweed in food and beverage consumption. Indigenous edible seaweeds are currently under-utilized in the Australian food and beverage market. The aim of this research is to explore...

This paper demonstrates how the theory of complex adaptive systems (CAS) and entrepreneurial ecosystems (EE) can be synthesized to create a comprehensive framework for understanding EEs as comprising dynamic and diverse actors, factors, and interdependencies. We adapt four elements common to CAS and propose a context-specific framework for explaini...

Rural women entrepreneurs are tapping into the abundant cultural tourism resources in Southern Africa to support household livelihoods. This research focuses on the entrepreneurship skills, demonstrated by rural women entrepreneurs when managing culturally-based tourism ventures in Southern Africa. The ventures enable rural women entrepreneurs to e...

New global and domestic policy and regulatory initiatives promoting a circular economy have renewed interest in the beneficial repurposing of commercial waste streams. Likewise, consumer trends and customers’ increased understanding of what they purchase, where it comes from, and what happens to it post-consumption have forced firms to consider red...

We need to learn from examples. IEA Bioenergy Task 43 provides a dashboard where biohub case studies come together, each with an indication of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Available at: https://arcg.is/qLqaK

Progress update on supply chain optimisation program and other research activities at USC/Australia, Newsletter issue 02

A Bio-hub refers to an intermediate place where farmers/growers can deliver their by-products (such as straw, harvesting residues, etc.) to be processed into some commodities (e.g. dried wood, pellets, etc.) that can yield higher quality and values along the supply chain (Kulisic et al. 2019). Biohub concept can provide feedstock collection, interm...

This research focuses on how entrepreneurs utilize cronyism to acquire resources. A case study method allowed us to explore three firms in the private property development industry in China. These firms uniquely cultivated cronyism and achieved distinctly different outcomes. Our findings highlight Chinese entrepreneurs in start-up ventures and late...

Purpose This paper takes a holistic and process-based view on agility from a Middle Management (MM) perspective. Its purpose is to identify subjective factors of agility emerging from people's interpretations and perceptions and to integrate them into the process of agile strategy-making. Design/methodology/approach To provide a theoretical founda...

Not only do Australian mature-aged entrepreneurs contribute $11.9 billion per annum to the Australian economy in over 379,000 businesses, they launch approximately 14,000 new businesses each year and actively contribute to fiscal, social, health, and active ageing outcomes in their communities. Thirty-four per cent of all young businesses in Austra...

Literature describe the creative industries as a combined effort to enhance operations which facilitate innovation, co-working, collaboration and co-creation of cultural, artistic and entertainment value. Some of these initiatives drive change and creativity. We investigate the impact of The Street Theatre as a meeting place where creatives can cre...

The diversity of migration to Australia today and the shift to skilled migration render necessity-driven entrepreneurship an incomplete explanation of the motivations behind new patterns in immigrant entrepreneurship. This chapter presents the findings of a mixed-method comparative case study of entrepreneurial motivation amongst immigrant entrepre...

Infrastructure is commonly conceptualized as a set of facilities that play a critical role in facilitating activities by individuals and organizations. Conventionally, infrastructure is tightly linked to publicly funded projects that facilitate access to key resources and enable diverse activities. Within entrepreneurial clusters research, infrastr...

Purpose The purpose of this study is to addresses the role accelerators as an authentic learning based entrepreneurial training programs. Accelerators facilitate the development and assessment of entrepreneurial competencies in nascent entrepreneurs through the process of creating a start-up venture. Design/methodology/approach Survey data from...

Women managers face institutional and social barriers throughout their careers. In this research, we use networking and symbolic interactionism theories to explain how they network while negotiating these impediments in an emerging economy setting. Focus-group data revealed three themes. The women in our study, as predicted by networking theory, us...

The scope of this project was to assess the value-add of Australian incubators and accelerators to the high-growth innovative startups they support, as well as to the local, regional and national innovation ecosystems. This scope includes exploring their impact on the development of entrepreneurial networks, improving the performance of the support...

Emerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services. Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. Th...

Entrepreneurial networks are important in the development of any industry. These networks offer access to resources, information, support and markets. In a dynamic, fast growing and diversified industry such as the wedding industry, the role of networks becomes an interesting lens to view entrepreneurs‟ motivations to attend events, for example an...

http://acereconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/ACERE-2014-Proceedings.pdf Purpose This research investigates the networking behaviour and social involvement of Aesthetic entrepreneurs. Recent literature highlights the economic importance of creativity and knowledge in creative industries. Little is known of their expected social involvement...

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This paper compares how opportunity and necessity entrepreneurs use business and social networks to support their performance. Based on these dimensions, we develop a typology of four types of entrepreneurs and compare how they perceive their performance. Our developing economy setting, which typically has higher proportions of necessity entreprene...

Purpose Networking is an important managerial skill and small businesses and businesses that are operated in informal settings, such as those of the festival entrepreneur, need to concentrate on building strong relationships with the role players in their networks in order to survive, thrive and to enhance their competitiveness. The purpose of this...

The primary research objective of the study was to investigate the perceptions of the social networking practices of businesswomen. A non-probability purposive voluntary sample, followed by snowball sampling, was used to select businesswomen (n = 31) living and working in the Gauteng province for in-depth interviews. Various perceptions of business...

The purpose of this research was to explore the importance of trust in establishing and developing business networks. The perceived levels of trust, commitment, cooperation, common interest and openness needed for successful business relationships were explored. A multi-method design, consisting of focus groups and a survey, provided a deeper under...

http://acereconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/2012-ACERE-DIANA_refereed-papers.pdf

This paper investigates the relationship between networking and business performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). A total of 404 SME owners/managers responded to a structured questionnaire which tested perceptions of networking, entrepreneurial motivation, entrepreneurship and business performance. While the importance of networking to u...

Purpose : The primary objective of this study was to investigate the networking practices of businesswomen in the Gauteng Province, South Africa. The study of businesswomen's networking practices can provide critical insight into the manner in which networking can assist businesswomen in personal and professional skills development. Problem investi...

Most definitions of entrepreneurship concentrate on the attributes and context in which they conduct their business. This paper focuses on the Artrepreneur as a person doing business primarily at arts festivals. A structured questionnaire with a response of 173 was used to determining the networking practices of this specific entrepreneur at the Aa...

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to contribute to literature on networking from a South African perspective. Literature on networking is mainly concentrated on the European and American contexts with homogeneous groups and traditional divisions. The business landscape of South Africa thus requires more investigation. Problem investigated: Lit...

It is generally accepted that personal networking is an essential component in sustainable business development (Ritter & Gemünden, 2002; Tsai, 2001). Such networking in business consists of constant communication through face-to-face interaction and the use of technology (such as the Internet, mobile phones and e-mail). This interaction can be def...

Networking is a life skill and it is in managers' interest to acknowledge its importance and develop their own networking skills. This article reports on networking practices in Gauteng businesses. The empirical study consisted of an exploratory, sequential mixed-method research design, which included five focus group discussions (n = 41) to invest...

Identifying customers who have the intention to build long-term relationships is beneficial for banking and life insurance organisations as it will afford marketers the opportunity to segment customers according to their relationship preferences. This may prevent money and resources being spent with little effect trying to develop a relationship wi...

Identifying customers who have the intention to build long-term relationships is beneficial for banking and life insurance organisations as it will afford marketers the opportunity to segment customers according to their relationship preferences. This may prevent money and resources being spent with little effect trying to develop a relationship wi...

p>The purpose of this article is to determine the attributes of entrepreneurs at festivals, in this case an arts festival. The reason for choosing an arts festival is that the largest festivals (judged by number of visitors and income generated) hosted in South Africa annually are arts festivals. A literature review revealed that this type of study...

To realise the dream of an African Renaissance and a better life for all South Africans, the entrepreneurial energies of all people, including children, should be harnessed to contribute towards economic development, job creation and the alleviation of poverty. Worldwide, various bodies and governments have recognised the importance of entrepreneu...

El Festival de las Artes Nacional Klein Karoo (KKNK) en Oudtshoorn, Sudáfrica, es el mayor festival de las artes en el sur de África. El propósito de esta investigación fue determinar las características y el papel de los empresarios en éste. Lo cual se hizo por medio de una encuesta (N = 249). Después de la captura de datos, se realizaron dos anál...

Networking is becoming more and more important in a constant changing environment where relationships offer some form of consistency. The technological innovations of the modern era does not recognise the importance of human interaction and people are forced to move out of their comfort zones by interacting with people that are different from thems...

This study explored the context of business relationships in the networking practices of South African businesses. The objective of this study was to investigate the networking practices of Gauteng businesses and specific perceptions and experiences of business owners and managers on their business networking objectives. A multi-method design was u...

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the networking concept and specifically the social networking concept. Current perceptions and recommendations by business people are investigated and a general networking process or steps are identified. Approach: The research on networking practices consisted of five focus group discussions among...

Business networks are complex and dynamic relationships characterised by direct and indirect relationships. Business has a component of human favouritism and therefore needs to be maintained and pursued constantly. Business networking is a process that needs management with unique application. The advantages of networking include tangible and/or in...

Purpose – The purpose and the goal of this paper were to investigate South African businesses and determine their utilisation of new technologies and business structures. The role and development of e‐commerce and networks in South African businesses can determine their competitive role in a global market. Design/methodology/approach – The paper s...

Thesis (Ph.D. (Business Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007. Networking is more than a natural inclination for a person to surround him or herself with people they already know, get to know, want or have to know. A successful network, whether for personal or business purposes, consists of people with integrity, the neces...

Globalisation is an interrelatedness where information and communication technology (ICT) is exploited and ultimately, changed the degree to which businesses are required to perform in international markets (Castells, 1997:72). Through globalisation the utilisation of networks of wealth, technology and power are identified. These networks enhance t...

Micro businesses play an important role in the distribution of goods and services, especially in low income areas that are further away from the Central Business District (CBD). Micro businesses or Spaza shops, as they are also called, provide a way of living to their owners, family members and sometimes employees. For local government, financial...

The modern economy is an ever-changing environment and businesses need to adapt to maintain competitive advantages and secure profits. Trade and communication barriers have faded leading to a more global and international environment. Technological advances, such as computer innovation and networks, changed the face of economic trade and play an im...

The networked economy characterised by technological advances, such as computer and telecommunication innovation and networks has changed the face of business. Trade and communication barriers have faded resulting in a more global and international environment. This changing environment compels businesses to expand activities globally to maintain a...

In a globalised networked economy, the sufficient utilisation of networks can be an important competitive advantage. Globally, the marketplace is restructuring itself for the new fast, intense unknown. In the past businesses struggled to position a strategy of solving existing problems. In the networked economy the focus is on finding new opportuni...