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Number of years involved in social responsibility practices
Employment size Industry type
Less than 1 year 1-5 years More than 5 years
Small Medium
Manufacturing Retailing Wholesaling Financial, insurance and real estate Catering and accommodation Construction and engineering Transport/Travelling Communication Medical Leisure and entertainment Other
Type of employment sector Form of ownership / business
Private Public
Sole proprietor Partnership Close corporation Private company Public company Other
47 56 17
89 31
6
49 15 8
22 3 2 1 3 6 5
111 9
24 28 6
50 9 3
39 47 14
74 26
5
41 13 7
18 2 2 1 2 5 4
93 7
20 23 5
42 8 2
Table 2 clearly shows that the majority of the respondents are males (53%) and the females were 47%. It also appears that the majority of the respondents (64%) are between the ages of 25 and 44. In terms of ethnic classification, 32% of the respondents are white, 31% are black and 23% coloured. It is clearly shown that 56% of the respondents have a diploma/national certificate or a bachelor's degree, whilst 21% have a postgraduate qualification. Thirty-six per cent of the respondents are managers and 35% are owners. It further appears that 78% of respondents are employed at their current SME for between six and 15 years whilst 11% were employed for five years or less at their current SME. Regarding years of involvement in ethical and social responsibility practices, 49% and 47% of SME's were involved for between one and five years, respectively. The majority of the respondents (74%) are employed in small enterprises and 26% are employed in medium-sized enterprises. It also appears that the majority of the respondents (54%) are employed in retailing and wholesaling and 18% in the catering and accommodation industry. An overwhelming majority of 93% of the respondents are employed in the private sector. In terms of form of ownership, 50% of the SMEs are private or public companies, 20% sole proprietors and 23% partnerships, respectively.
Descriptive statistics
Table 3 indicates the descriptive statistics for Section B of the questionnaire (perceptions regarding sustainability of SME's).
PERCEPTIONS REGARDING ETHICAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PRACTICES: AN SME PERSPECTIVE 145