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Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Internet economy contributes 2% to South Africa's GDP; forecast to reach 2.5% by 2016
New Report by World Wide Worx provides the first and most comprehensive study of South Africa's quiet economic engine: The Internet
A shiny new sports car may look beautiful, but without the quietly purring engine under the bonnet, it is little more than a stationary lump of metal. So too, South Africa's economy, where flashy sectors like financial services are considered to be key drivers, when in fact it is what's under the hood – in this case the Internet – that is important. A new study has revealed exactly how crucial the Internet economy is to the country's future.
SME Survey 2012: SME slow to harness Cloud
Thursday, 24 May 2012
Despite the clear benefits of Cloud computing, ranging from reduced costs to improved efficiencies, small and medium enterprise (SMEs) have yet to embrace this approach to technology use.
According to the annual SME Survey, South Africa's longest-running survey of competitiveness in small businesses, just 9% of SMEs made use of the Cloud at the end of 2011. Cloud computing generally refers to accessing services and applications via the Internet that would previously have resided on the user's computer or internal network.
Website keeps 1 out of 5 SMEs alive
Thursday, 26 January 2012
One out of every five small and medium enterprises in South Africa would not be able to survive if they did not have a website.
This is one of the startling findings delivered so far by the 2012 edition of the annual SME Survey, which focuses on assessing the factors behind SME competitiveness. The interim findings of the survey - it has reached the halfway mark - were presented by the survey's principal analyst, Arthur Goldstuck, at the launch of the Woza Online project last week.
Google and Partners launch Woza Online to bring thousands of South African SMEs online
19 January 2011
Johannesburg, South Africa: Google today announced the launch of Woza Online, an initiative that aims to bring tens of thousands of small and medium South African businesses online. Businesses will have the opportunity to create their own websites at www.wozaonline.co.za and develop an online presence - for free, and in under an hour.
SME Survey 2012: Competitive businesses are online
Immediate release: Thursday, 12 January 2012
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that embrace technology are more competitive than those that do not. Recent findings suggest that with the current economic situation, fewer SMEs consider their businesses to be competitive. Despite this, those small to medium organisations which have an online presence still believe that their businesses remain top performers.
SME Survey 2012: Small businesses recognise the value of a website
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
As more and more consumers start their search for products and services on the Internet, and with more companies moving online and reaping the benefit of their web presence, savvy South African SMEs are taking the importance of an online presence to heart.
SME Survey 2011: Web-presence now crucial for the small business
Immediate Release: 17 November 2011
South Africa is about to reach a crucial moment in the evolution of the Internet. Not only is Internet access becoming more affordable, it is also becoming more accessible as people from a variety of economic backgrounds are increasingly accessing the Internet using their mobile phones. "This will have a profound effect on how businesses provide information and services to a growing online savvy user base," says Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx.
Social media goes mainstream in SA
26 October 2011
South Africans have embraced social media as a core pillar of Internet activity in this country, along with e-mail, news and banking.
MXit and Facebook lead the way in user numbers, while Twitter has seen the most dramatic growth in social networking in the past year, and BlackBerry Messenger is the fastest growing network in the second half of 2011.
These are among the key findings of a new study released today by Fuseware and World Wide Worx, entitled South African Social Media Landscape 2011.
SME Survey 2010: Diversify to boost resilience and profitability
Immediate release: Monday, 29 November 2010
Targeting a single sector of the market? Chances are that as an SME, you felt the pinch of the recession more than anyone else. That’s because new research from SME Survey 2010 reveals that those companies which have not diversified are at more risk than their counterparts who sell to a range of customer segments.
Sponsored by the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), SME Survey 2010 for the first time examined diversity as a factor in competitiveness.
SME Survey 2010: The South African SME and the environment - does it care?
Immediate release: 23 November 2010
Much is made, in big business, of the necessity for environmental responsibility and sustainability. But what about the SME – does the call for ‘green’ ways of doing business resonate with the South African small to medium enterprise owner? The answer to that question is definite – and perhaps not quite what you may expect.
That’s according to Arthur Goldstuck, principal researcher of SME Survey 2010, which is sponsored by the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). He says the assumption is that peripheral concerns such as ‘being green’ might be of less interest than establishing a profitable business.
However, “We were proven wrong. Very wrong,” Goldstuck says.
SME Survey 2010: Connectivity is a big issue in the emerging SME market
27 October 2010
More than a third (37%) of emerging small and medium enterprise (SME) businesses in South Africa have no Internet connectivity whatsoever. This startling statistic has emerged as part of the SME Survey 2010, sponsored by the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). This is in sharp contrast to the 17% of established SMEs that have no connectivity.
According to principal researcher, Arthur Goldstuck, this alarming statistic jumped out at the researchers, due to the significance of its impact on SME growth. He suggests that this only increases the obligations on government and telco operators to explore ways of bringing affordable Internet access to the emerging SME sector.
SME Survey 2010: Crime and competition the biggest headaches for SMEs
27 October 2010
Crime still tops the list of the major worries for decision-makers at small, medium and micro enterprises (SMEs).
While there is no doubt that the financial crisis has caused sleepless nights for many business owners, according to the SME Survey 2010, sponsored by the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), there are a number of other issues that also keep SME owners awake at night. Principal researcher Arthur Goldstuck says that, while the data suggests that many of the biggest factors have changed since the last survey, the number one issue remains the same.
SME Survey 2010: World Cup a great success for SA, but not for the SME
27 October 2010
With the excitement of World Cup 2010 subsiding, the unanswered question has remained whether the event had a positive impact on South African business. SME Survey 2010 reveals that the overall impact on small, medium and micro enterprises was negligible. And that is largely a factor of the policies of soccer's governing body FIFA and the complicity of government.
That is emerging from SME Survey 2010, sponsored by the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). Principal researcher Arthur Goldstuck says that it is very easy to define the impact of the World Cup on small business. "In short: there was little in it for the SME."
SME Survey 2010: Was the World Cup all that?
24 August 2010
According to principal researcher Arthur Goldstuck, the impact of the World Cup is the big question on the minds of many. “Enormous expectations were created in terms of what the event would do for the country. Our research last year showed that 84% of SMEs expected a positive impact on the economy. However, less than half expected that it would have an impact on their own businesses. This year, we will measure whether that impact occurred – and examine if it was in line with expectations,” he says.
NYDA’s poultry project opens doors for rural based youth
14 July 2010
The establishment of the Rural Development and Land Affairs Department has reinforced government’s commitment to improving the lives of rural based South Africans. Today, the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) in collaboration with the Mtubatuba Municipality will launch the Mtubatuba Poultry Project, which is specifically targeted at rural and peri-urban based young South Africans.
The project involves the full value chain of broiler production including a chicken abattoir facility. According to the NYDA Chairperson, Andile Lungisa, working with a number of government departments and agencies, such as Ithala Development Finance Corporation and the Department of Trade and Industry, will ensure that not less than 300 young people in co-operatives businesses benefit from this initiative.
Through this project the NYDA is encouraging young people to collaborate and form co-operatives because this will enable them to use their diverse skills, knowledge and resources to supply large quantities of chicken and its by-products to retail stores, prisons, colleges and mines.
“We hope that more partners will come on board so that similar projects can be rolled out throughout the country because we believe that it is one of the measures that can curb rural migration, promote sustainable development and ensure that rural based young people contribute towards developing their local economies by creating employment,” concludes Lungisa.
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