Vivence Kalitanyi

Taking Cape Town, South Africa as a case, this paper seeks to investigate the factors that define the success of small businesses owned by African immigrants. The paper reviews literature on immigrant entrepreneurs, immigrant-owned ventures and social capital. A random sample of available immigrant small businesses owners was taken where semi-structured interviews were conducted, as well as the use of self-administered questionnaires. Secondary data (literature review) have unveiled that social networks are vital in the formation and growth stages of an immigrant-owned business, as networks provide the necessary support. Ultimately, social networks supplement the survival chances of an immigrant-owned venture. Furthermore, primary data (empirical results) have revealed that most of the businesses are mainly run by males, while longevity and employment creation are defining factors of success to African immigrant-owned small businesses in Cape Town. Following the empirical findings and their analysis, recommendations have been formulated

An empirical study was conducted in Cape Town – South Africa – to determine whether social values (family, parents’ work and education) have an impact on entrepreneurship students in the universities of Cape Town, University of Stellenbosch, and University of the Western Cape, as well as Cape Peninsula University of Technology. The paper reviewed the literature about the role social values plays in the people’s lives. Respondents were the entrepreneurship university students. Data were collected in classrooms, and, in most cases, with the facilitation of both the lecturer and the researcher. Bivariate and multivariate tests of statistical significance were conducted, while Cronbach’s Alpha was used to measure the reliability of the research tool. Findings suggest that social values of the university students have an impact on their entrepreneurial intentions. The paper ends with recommendations to universities, entrepreneurship lecturers, parents, government and businesses, as well as civil society organizations.

Keywords: social values, entrepreneurship intentions, university students, Cape Town.
JEL Classification: Y4