The study focuses on the impact of training and development on employee performance at ESCON. Training and development is a critical process, which seeks to improve the performance of workers in the organisation. In order to form competent committees, employees' relevant expertise and intellectual capacity needs to be improved. Some of the projects executed by ESCON fail at an embryonic stage owing to the fact that tenders are awarded to the lowest priced contractor. Moreover, the ineffectiveness of training and development of employees in the organisation reduces the organisation's productivity, as organisations depend on having people with the right skills, attitudes and capabilities in order to reach goals effectively. A random sampling method was used to select participants for this study, which adopted a quantitative approach. Accordingly, data was collected using a questionnaire. The study was limited to employees of ESCON. Subsequently, the findings revealed that working conditions and a lack of resources affect the training and development of employees. It is recommended that certain areas be improved, that is, management support, the provision of feedback to employees and the conducting of employee training on a continuous basis. The findings show that this would improve employee performance in the organisation.

This study sought to analyse the factors that contribute to the failure of Small and/or Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Windhoek, Namibia. The objectives of this study were to determine the causes SME failures, to examine ways in which SME failures can be overcome, and to recommend ways in which SMEs can overcome their problems. These aspects were done by identifying the causes of SME failure, and were deemed important that the causes of SME failure be understood. Through an analysis of literature information and primary findings, new, better and effective ways were established to help SMEs to overcome the problems experienced. The findings from the study indicated that there are many causes of SME failure in Windhoek, Namibia. The study indicated that a lack of management skills, a lack of financial support and a lack of business training are the major causes of SME failure in Windhoek. It is recommended that the Government of Republic of Namibia and SME owners, managers and supervisors help them avoid the failure of SMEs.

In a competitive business environment, the concept of rewards and employee motivation has become a popular point of discussion in many successful organisations. Companies need to review their reward systems in order to improve employee motivation, increase performance and stay competitive. The main purpose of this research was to investigate the role that intrinsic and extrinsic rewards play in motivating employees. This study in assessment of this problem adopted an explanatory research design using quantitative methodology and a survey strategy carried out among employees at a medical devices company in South Africa in order to assess these. The research had the following three essential objectives: to ascertain whether employees value rewards as motivation factors, to establish the extent to which employees are satisfied with current reward systems, and to identify which rewards (extrinsic or intrinsic) employees consider most beneficial. Forty (40) questionnaires were collected from respondents in order to explore and analyse their opinions on these topics. The analysis of the data collected from the questionnaires suggested that rewards are highly valued as a motivating factor by respondents. The research further suggested that employees were generally satisfied with, and benefited from the current rewards offered by the company. Additionally, it was found that employees were more motivated by intrinsic rewards rather than extrinsic rewards, although a thirteenth cheque and annual salary increases (extrinsic rewards) were the most ranked rewards for employees at the company.

This paper tracks the development of entrepreneurship policy in South Africa since the birth of democracy. Using the variety of measures suggested by the OECD Framework for measuring entrepreneurship, the Entrepreneurship Indicators Project and GEM, this paper explores the development of a model for the evaluation of Entrepreneurship policies of South Africa. The point is made that while the stimulation of entrepreneurship and small business is important to South Africa, the global competitiveness race and the moves occurring in other parts of the world require us to hasten towards the development and adoption of policies that encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. There appears a concentration of effort at interventions aimed at entrepreneurship for the purposes of poverty alleviation and job creation. While this is laudable, it is suggested that more emphasis should be focused on stimulating growth of existing businesses and encouraging innovation for real entrepreneurship in the country. Despite the E Policy interventions, we are relatively slow in measuring the impact of these policies on our economic development and welfare. This paper attempts to rectify this.

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