This short learning programme of Digital Transformation in Management of SMME’s is developed to assist managers and start-up entrepreneurs of small, medium, and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) to develop an understanding of digital transformation, and to practically apply this knowledge to their management strategies. This will ensure that SMME’s keep ahead of the challenges of a rapidly changing business environment and utilise digital transformation opportunities for businesses in the 4thIR environment.

You can improve the quality of your business's services by implementing IoT devices that can be accessed from anywhere at any time and give real-time updates on events. These devices can help you implement more efficient operations that can lead to long-term cost savings (e.g. automated inventory control), and constantly monitor your business’s processes to eventually make better business decisions. IoT devices can be used in any environment including: manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and more.

You can improve the quality of your business's services by implementing IoT devices that can be accessed from anywhere at any time and give real-time updates on events. These devices can help you implement more efficient operations that can lead to long-term cost savings (e.g. automated inventory control), and constantly monitor your business’s processes to eventually make better business decisions. IoT devices can be used in any environment including: manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and more.

Data analysis can help your business with analysing and processing large amounts of data, automatically. Data analytics is composed of four different disciplines, namely data mining, machine learning, artificial intelligence and big data. These four disciplines can provide insight into the functionality of your business, identify which type of actions will yield the biggest income over the longest period, allow for detail-orientated jobs that cannot afford human error, and involve the analysing of astronomical amounts of data. With knowledge of data analytics, you can do predictions and see trends in your data that would otherwise go unnoticed.

The management of large quantities of data generated by your business needs to be stored in a virtual space, like the cloud, for it to be kept out of harm from natural elements and so that it can be accessed anywhere, all day and every day. By incorporating cloud computing into your business, saves time and money and boosts collaboration and innovation. Because the data stored in the cloud can be accessed from anywhere at any time, it also enables easy backup of the data.

Automation is an excellent way for small businesses to streamline operations and drive business growth. It can help develop higher production rates with better quality products in less production time, improve safety for workers and can help relieve workers from repetitive or hazardous tasks.

Digital marketing of products and services in your business is the new trend these days. With one advertisement millions of people can be reached all over the world. Digital marketing helps you to personally tailor your products or services to a specific customer with continuous input from the customer. It provides real-time marketing results and makes it possible to target both national and international audiences all at once.

Africa presents tremendous prospects to establish sizable, lucrative enterprises for international and African corporations seeking to enter new growth markets. The African continent is a rich ground for invention. The African market consists of a young, rapidly urbanising population and the rapid speed at which it adopts technology makes the continent a perfect showground for innovation. In the ‘Business in Africa’-module, you will gain insight into Africa’s business environment which will enable you to better understand this complex, yet exciting continent as a business playground.

Understanding the digital ecosystem in your business enables you to interact with a network of individuals, other businesses and processes which utilises technology. A digital ecosystem not only allows you to interact with others, but also it also helps your business to increase resources, brand awareness, and sharing of expertise in your line of work. The digital ecosystem is interconnected and can help grow your business’s revenues. This module will enable you to understand the digital ecosystem and how to utilise it in your business.