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Wirick (2009: 1) states that increasing demands on the public sector and government at all levels to find more cost-effective ways of serving the public, challenge public sector employees to be innovative and to do even more in the coming years. According to Wirick (2009: 1) public sector entrepreneurship is often unrealised due to barriers and cultures rooted in the public sector.
Kearney, Hisrich and Roche (2009: 31) point out that innovation; risk-taking and pro-activeness are key dimensions determining entrepreneurial organisations. The environment facing public sector managers is more complex, dynamic and threatening than before, and the public sector finds it difficult to respond to those changing circumstances due to limited resources, management philosophies and structures characterising public organisations. According to Kearney et al. (2009: 36) public sector organisations are operating in formalised organisational structures that are characterised by rigid policies and inflexibility which inhibit their capacity to foster corporate entrepreneurship. Kearney et al. (2009: 36) also mention that high levels of rigidity and red tape in the public sector are in conflict with the development of the entrepreneurial culture in the public sector.
Zampetakis and Moustakis (2010: 872) state that research on the public sector entrepreneurship is limited. Reported studies are also limited to few countries and consequently the field lacks sufficient results, which would allow global generalisation and formation of universally accepted best practices. South Africa is no different - research on public sector entrepreneurship is very limited.
The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA, 2009: 7) state that South Africa needs an innovative public sector to sustain the transformation agenda and redress the past imbalances in terms of provision of public services and economic development. DPSA (2009: 7) is of the opinion that these calls for models of service delivery to be amended and changed to deliver better services that meet the needs of citizens.
The problem investigated in this study is to assess the extent to which corporate entrepreneurship is promoted and encouraged within the South Africa public sector.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES Primary objective
The primary objective of this research is to assess the extent to which corporate entrepreneurship is promoted and encouraged within the South African public sector. Secondary objectives
In order to achieve the primary objective of the study, secondary objectives need to be formulated. The secondary objectives are as follows: Ÿ defining corporate entrepreneurship and innovation in the public sector; Ÿ determining the element of a public sector corporate entrepreneurship model;
Ÿ Ÿ identifying the barrier to public sector entrepreneurship; and Ÿ identifying how to overcome the barriers to public sector entrepreneurship.
CORPORATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR 97
identifying the internal factors critical for promoting corporate entrepreneurship in an organisation;