Information organisation in small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in South Africa

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:The study was conducted to determine the need of SMMEs with regard to the availability andorganisation of information. Literature on the subjects of information that is available inSMMEs and how this information should be organised was studied to determine whether itprovides SMMEs with enough knowledge to find external information and extract internalinformation. The literature regarding information management and organisation was alsostudied to determine whether it can be used by a owner/manager of an SMME to organise itsinformation in such a way that it can be retrieved and used. The study also included anempirical part with the purpose of discovering the current practices regarding the collection,organisation and use of information in SMMEs.Twenty-four structured interviews were conducted in four towns, namely Kuilsriver,Stellenbosch, Upington and Makhado (Louis Trichardt). During the interviews a questionnairewas used to investigate the uses of computers, the availability and need for information fromthe external and internal environment, and lastly electronic and manual systems used toorganise information. When the interviews were concluded the systems were, especially theelectronic folder systems, further investigated through observation. This provided an excellentopportunity to discover the usefulness of a system and even what type of information is reallyavailable and needed.It was found that SMME owner/managers are mostly aware of internal information, but do notknow how to extract it or what other application possibilities it has. External information is notwidely available or used. The only external information available is that which the SMMEs arerequired to have by law.Information organisation, although critically important to all SMMEs, was mostly not doneeffectively. Electronic folder structures and manual filing systems are mostly used forinformation organisation, but they are not effectively used because of lack of skill and no otherliterature or association to turn to. To assist SMMEs in the development of a folder structuresystem a number of guidelines are provided that will help to design a natural or structuredlanguage system tailored to the specific needs of the business.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University