The role of records management in small Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) in South Africa and its implications for business sustainability

The study investigated the nature of records management (RM) in enhancing small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) sustainability in South Africa. Indubitably, RM practices play a crucial role in supporting business return on investment, sustaining business decision making, and improving sustainable business management. The study adopted a case study; purposive sampling techniques and in-depth interviews were conducted to gather data from 23 SMMEs in Nkonkobe Municipality. The findings indicated that despite enormous contribution of the SMMEs to the South African economy, no actual RM policy existed to guide them in their business processes, and how business records should be managed and preserved. The findings revealed that SMMEs are yet to profit from the return on investment RM offers. Their inability to maintain business records serves as hindrance to access to credit facilities, especially from banks. The SMME owners or managers lack skills to manage their business records, and this has affected their output and productivity. The researchers recommended that the RM guiding principles should be incorporated by the SMMEs as the big companies utilise it, and this can help small businesses too if they are adapted to meet their local needs. The RM principles can be embedded through automation by designing SMME-specific RM systems, such as serviceoriented design, to aid both manual and electronic RM. Keywords: Records Management, Records Management Policy, SMMEs Sustainability, Records Life cycle, Return on Investment