Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series

Title:
Small enterprise development in South Africa: The role of business incubators

Authors

Mukhove Masutha - University of Johannesburg, School of Geography, Environmental Management and Energy Studies, South Africa; e-mail: masutham@thusanifoundation.co.za;

Christian M. Rogerson- University of Johannesburg, School of Tourism and Hospitality, Faculty of Management; e-mail: crogerson@uj.ac.za (corresponding author)

Keywords
small enterprise; business incubators; entrepreneurship; South Africa

Abstract
Business incubation is a relatively new phenomenon in scholarship and policy development for small enterprise development. Business incubators offer targeted business support and technical support services to accelerate the growth of emerging and small start-up business enterprises into financially and operationally independent enterprises. South Africa has adopted business incubation as one vehicle for upgrading the SMME economy. This article examines the evolution of policy towards business incubation, current progress, institutional issues and emerging geographies of business incubators as part of the unfolding and dynamic SMME policy landscape in South Africa. Considerable differences are observed between the activities of the network of state-supported incubators as opposed to private sector operated incubators.

Pages:
141-155

DOI:
10.2478/bog-2014-0050

BGSS No. 26 (2014)