Abstract
The purpose of this article is to present evidence of a study conducted in two provinces of South Africa and one in China. The study investigated the effectiveness of the support mechanism for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and how government support agencies are making strides in providing this support. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with branch managers, a project director and business advisors. It emerged from the findings that efforts are being made to provide valuable support to small businesses. It further emerged that small businesses still face challenges such as lack of access to funding, market to serve, lack of a one-stop office and the unwillingness of service providers to enter into contract with the Small Enterprise Development Agency (more relevant to the South African situation).It is recommended that financial service providers partner with SME support agencies.
Keywords
- China Search this journal for China (opens in a new tab)
- South Africa Search this journal for South Africa (opens in a new tab)
- Small and Medium Enterprises Search this journal for Small and Medium Enterprises (opens in a new tab)
- Small Enterprise Development Agency Search this journal for Small Enterprise Development Agency (opens in a new tab)
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Keywords
- China Search this journal for China (opens in a new tab)
- South Africa Search this journal for South Africa (opens in a new tab)
- Small and Medium Enterprises Search this journal for Small and Medium Enterprises (opens in a new tab)
- Small Enterprise Development Agency Search this journal for Small Enterprise Development Agency (opens in a new tab)
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