Browsing Research articles (Dept of Management) by Issue Date
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Temtime, Z.T. (Science Publications / ANSI Journals; http://www.ansijournals.com/3/c4p.php?id=1&theme=3&jid=jas, NaN, 2001)[more][less]
Abstract: Although environmental scanning is a key concept in management research, its application and importance, particularly in developing African countries, is not well investigated. Scanning the company's external environment for the purpose of exploiting opportunities and minimizing threats in a precondition for the survival and success of firms in the developed economies. Does this precondition also apply to African developing countries like Botswana? Are firms in Botswana formulating their strategies for the attainment of organizational goals without scanning their environment? If not, what are their scanning behaviours? Data were collected from a randomly selected sample of 44 firms in Botswana. Findings indicated that companies in Botswana do scan their environment and use the information in major managerial decision-making processes, particularly in strategy formation. Though more importance is attached to the customer / market, competition and economic sectors, corporate leaders in Botswana tend to rely more on impersonal and internal sources as opposed to personal and external sources to analyse an increasingly uncertain sector, This scanning practice calls for the attention of researchers in strategic management in developing countries. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/187 Files in this item: 2
license.txt (1.998Kb)temtime_pjas_Jul2001pdf.pdf (715.6Kb) -
Temtime, Z.T. (Science Publications; ANSI Publications http://ansijournals.com/3/c4p.php?id=1&theme=3&jid=jas, NaN, 2001)[more][less]
Abstract: Although strategic planning and information technology are key concepts in management research, they have been widely used in relation to only large firms. Only few studies attempted to examine the perceptions of small and medium enterprises (hereafter, SMEs) about the role of IT in strategy making. Moreover, these studies are of less significance for developing countries as the definition and environment of SMEs vary from developed to developing country. This article analyses the strategic use of microcomputers and software packages in corporate planning and decision-making in small and medium enterprises (hereafter, SMEs). Data were collected from 44 SMEs from 3 cities in the Republic of Botswana to study their perceptions about the use of computer-based technology to solve managerial problems, and analyzed using simple descriptive statistics. The findings indicate that SMEs in Botswana engaged in both strategic and operational planning activities. However, microcomputers and software packages were used primarily for operational and administrative tasks rather than for strategic planning. They perceive that strategic planning is costly, timeconsuming, and hence appropriate for only large firms. The study also showed that firm size and strategic orientation have direct and positive relation to the use of computer technology for strategic decision making. The major implication of the findings for future research has been identified and presented. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/199 Files in this item: 2
license.txt (1.998Kb)temtime_PJAS_2001.pdf (1.835Mb) -
Temtime, Z.T. (Science Publications / ANSI Journals; http://www.ansijournals.com/3/c4p.php?id=1&theme=3&jid=jas, October NaN, 2001)[more][less]
Abstract: This paper reviews the usefulness of the project management approach in promoting organisational and managerial flexibility in traditional organisations in developing countries. Three aspects of project management, viz. organisational structure, organisational behaviour, and planning and control tools, that have immense potential to alleviate these problems are reviewed. The need for indigenous managerial approaches in developing countries, and addressing some of the problems that hinder organisations from exploiting the potential benefits of the project management scheme are discussed. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/186 Files in this item: 2
license.txt (1.998Kb)temtime_pjas_Oct2001pdf.pdf (611.1Kb) -
Temtime, Z.T.; Solomon, G.H. (Emerald; http://www.emeraldinsight.com/0954-478x.htm, NaN, 2002)[more][less]
Abstract: Examines the relationship between TQM perceptions, planning behaviour, and firm size in SMEs in Ethiopia. Primary data were collected from 57 SMEs through a questionnaire. However, as the study is a preliminary investigation, uses only simple descriptive statistics to analyse the sample data. The results are not significantly different from those of previous studies in SMEs. TQM perceptions vary with firm size and planning behaviour. The findings also indicated that excessive emphasis on short-term profitability, lack of resources, business planning and vision, and misperception of TQM practices are among the main obstacles to the adoption of a formal TQM program. Suggests some lessons and implications for future research. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/192 Files in this item: 2
license.txt (1.998Kb)temtime_TQM_2002_formated.pdf (2.044Mb) -
Temtime, ZT (Science Publications / ANSI Journals; http://www.ansijournals.com/3/c4p.php?id=1&theme=3&jid=jas, NaN, 2002)[more][less]
Abstract: The social and economic disadvantages faced by women, particularly in developing countries, has long promoted inquiry into gender stratification in the major socio-economic infrastructures. Higher education has increasingly become instrumental in giving women the knowledge, skills and self-confidence necessary to gain their rightful position in society. Despite the serious attempts made by higher education institutions in formulating and implementing gender conscious policies and programs, the participation of women is far from satisfactory. Furthermore, the pace of progress in attitudinal and behavioural changes in both men and women is very slow as socio-culturally instigated impediments are still alive. The purpose of this paper is to examine the current status of gender equality in the higher education system of Botswana. Data on students and staff on the University of Botswana were collected from secondary sources and analysed using simple tabulation techniques. Some suggestions are forwarded to achieve gender excellence in high education. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/184 Files in this item: 2
license.txt (1.998Kb)temtime_pjas_Feb2002pdf.pdf (1.027Mb) -
Tesfayohannes, M.; Temtime, Z.T. (Science Publications / ANSI Journals; http://www.ansijournals.com/3/c4p.php?id=1&theme=3&jid=jas, March NaN, 2002)[more][less]
Abstract: Large-scale industrialisation policies and programs have proved themselves impractical to developing economies due largely to resource constraints. Small and Medium Industries (SMIs) play an important role in the transformation of developing economies. The globalisation of competition and the world economy have direct relation with the ever increasing rate of technological changes, which in turn affect the competitive position of SMIs. Investment in technology is becoming an important weapon not only to achieve competitive advantage and profitability but also to survive in this turbulent and dog-eat-dog global market. As developing countries lack the necessary resources, expertise, skills and infrastructure, it is unthinkable for them to come up with new ways of producing goods or providing services. It is therefore wise and advisable to adopt the appropriate technology and management know-how that has been innovated and tested in the developed world. The purpose of this paper is to throw some light o n the prospects and problems of technology transfer in developing economies with a special reference to Botswana. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/185 Files in this item: 2
license.txt (1.998Kb)temtime_pjas_Mar2002pdf.pdf (1.091Mb) -
Temtime, Z.T.; Shunda, J.P.W. (Science Publications / ANSI Journals; http://www.ansijournals.com/3/c4p.php?id=1&theme=3&jid=itj, June NaN, 2002)[more][less]
Abstract: The relationship between the degree of information technology usage, company size and its strategic planning practices has critical implications for sustainability of firm competitiveness. However the relationship has been conceptualised and operationalised in relation to only large firms. Only a few studies have attempted to examine the nature of this relationship in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in developing economies. This article examines three things: (1) the perception of SMEs about the role of IT in firm competitiveness, (2) the planning behaviour and practices of SMEs, and (3) the relationship between SMEs IT usage and planning behaviour. Data were collected from 44 SMEs in the Republic of Botswana. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/198 Files in this item: 2
license.txt (1.998Kb)temtime_PJIT_2002.pdf (2.582Mb) -
Temtime, Z.T. (Emerald; http://www.emeraldinsight.com/0954-478x.htm, NaN, 2003)[more][less]
Abstract: Total quality management (TQM) research has concentrated on large firms. Little has been done on the TQM practices of small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly in developing countries. This paper investigates the relationship between TQM, planning behaviour and firm size by reviewing existing literature and collection of primary data from 54 SMEs in the Republic of Botswana. The findings indicated that the majority of SMEs understand the importance of both TQM and planning activities for their survival and growth. However, their approach to both is unsystematic, non-formal and short-term orientated. Both firm size and planning behaviour are found to have statistically significant relationships with TQM practices. As firm size increases from small to medium, and as SMEs move from operational to strategic planning, they attach greater degree of importance to TQM practices. However, the planning behaviour of SMEs is more strongly related to TQM practices as a prerequisite to the adoption of formalised TQM practices. Some implications for SMEs are also forwarded. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/193 Files in this item: 2
license.txt (1.998Kb)temtime_TQM_2003.pdf (2.598Mb) -
Temtime, Z.T.; Pansiri, J. (Asian Network for Scientific Information, www.ansinet.org, NaN, 2004)[more][less]
Abstract: Although the discovery of diamonds has propelled Botswana from one of poorest countries in 1966 to its current economic status as a middle-income country, the country still face the problem of economic diversification, employment creation, income generation and distribution, and poverty alleviation. Governmental and non-governmental organisations have put many efforts on the developments of small and medium enterprises (SMEs)to diversify away the economy from mining, to create jobs, generate income and alleviate poverty. However, the pace of development of SMEs, after 30 years, is slow. The small business failure rate is currently estimated to be over 80 percent. There is a general consensus among policy makers, politicians, and researchers in Botswana that this trend should not be allowed to continue indefinitely. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceived critical success/factors (PCSFSs) affecting the development of SMEs by collecting primary data from 203 SMEs in 3 cities in the Republic of Botswana through questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to present the empirical data. The findings showed that ten PCSFs (human resource development, organizational development, managerial background, managerial leadership and competitive strategy) affect the performance of SMEs. The PCSFs are strongly related among themselves, indicating the need for a holistic and systematic approach in addressing them. Important relationships were also found between the PCSFs and firm-specific demographic variables such as ownership status, experience and operating period. Recommendations and implications for policy and research are also forwarded. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/849 Files in this item: 1
Temtime_AJAS_2004.pdf (998.3Kb) -
Temtime, Z.T. (Journal of Management Development; Emerald Group Publishing Ltd; www.emeraldinsight.com/0262-1711.htm, NaN, 2004)[more][less]
Abstract: This paper investigates the relationship between scanning and planning, planning and TQM practices, and scanning and TQM practices by collecting primary data from 54 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through questionnaire in the Republic of Botswana. Being explanatory in nature, the study used only descriptive statistics to analyze the data and indicate the nature and direction of the relationship. The study found a statistically significant relationship between scanning and planning; and between planning and TQM practices. However, scanning is indirectly related to TQM and has a moderating impact on TQM practices. Important implications of the findings for practitioners, future research and SME support agencies are also provided. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/48 Files in this item: 2
license.txt (1.998Kb)temtime_environmental_scanning.pdf (2.214Mb) -
Temtime, Z.T.; Chinyoka, S.V.; Shunda, J.P.W. (Journal of Management Development; Emerald Group Publishing Limited; www.emeraldinsight.com/0262-1711.htm, NaN, 2004)[more][less]
Abstract: There is a general consensus among public policy makers, academics and researchers that entrepreneurship is a vital route to economic advancement for both developed and developing economies. As a result, a host of small business assistance programs are conducted by public, private and nonprofit organizations. Although the need for integrating these programs has always been a high priority on the national agenda for public policy and research in entrepreneurship, their implementation particularly in developing economies is characterized by fragmentation and lack of coordination. Small business assistance will be meaningful if they are designed in a holistic and systematic way and implemented with a view to achieve long term sustainable development. This paper offers a conceptual framework for designing an integrated model of small business assistance. The paper identifies the major characteristics of small firms and potential small business assistance programs, and presents a decision tree model that matches the characteristics of firms with appropriate assistance program(s). A case study of small business assistance programs in the Republic of Botswana was conducted to provide an empirical evidence of the need for an integrated design or model. Finally, conclusions, discussions and the implications of the model for policy makers, practitioners and further research are presented. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/12 Files in this item: 2
license.txt (1.998Kb)temtime_decision_tree.pdf (5.483Mb) -
Temtime, Z.T. (Faculty of Business, University of Botswana, http://www.ub.bw/ord/ord_journals.cfm?pid=540&rf=545, March NaN, 2004)[more][less]
Abstract: Although the relationship between planning and profitability is inconclusive, there is much consensus in the strategic management literature that no firm can survive in todayâ s turbulent and competitive markets without some form of business planning. This paper examines the business planning practices of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with special reference to the planning processes and contents. Data were collected from 87 SMEs in three cities in the Republic of Botswana through a structured interview. The findings of the study indicated that owner-managers of SMEs are not actively involved in the planning process. Instead they use external consultants and advisors to prepare their business plans, which they use primarily for the purpose of external validation and legitimacy. Although both small and medium sized firms put greater emphasis on operational and short-term survival oriented issues than strategic activities, the study found that there is a positive relationship between firm size and planning practices. As a firm grows in market share or number of employees, owner-managers tend to actively engage in the planning process. The study stresses the critical importance of business planning process rather than business plans in developing strategic thinking and awareness in SMEs. Some suggestions and implications for future research are also discussed. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/179 Files in this item: 2
license.txt (1.998Kb)temtime_BJB_2004.pdf (2.774Mb) -
Temtime, ZT (Botswana Institute of Administration and Commerce (BIAC), November NaN, 2004)[more][less]
Abstract: The number of new indigenous business start-ups in Botswana has significantly increased during the past two decades. Unfortunately, the majority of them are not successful. Over 70% of new start-ups fail during their first 18 months. The general failure rate is over 80%, and only less than 2% of small businesses expand their businesses. It is noteworthy that this increased failure rate is substantially greater than the increase in the rate of new business creations. It is therefore essential to study the conditions that account for such a substantial rate of business failure and develop appropriate strategies to overcome the problems. The increasing rate of business failure has seen the emergence of several public policy approaches and assistance programs that attempt to improve the success rate of new businesses. One of the most intriguing of these is the Business Incubation Programmes (BIPs)... The purpose of this paper is to analyse why BIPs are critical for the development of all business and entrepreneurship and to put forward some suggestions on how BIPs can effectively be used for a proactive and sustainable entrepreneurial development. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/189 Files in this item: 2
license.txt (1.998Kb)temtime_BIAC_2004.pdf (2.785Mb) -
Temtime, Z.T.; Pansiri, J. (Business Perspectives; Sumy State University (Ukraine); http://www.businessperspectives.sumy.ua/, NaN, 2005)[more][less]
Abstract: Although the discovery of diamond has propelled Botswana from one of the poorest countries in 1966 to its current stage of development as a middle-income country, the country still faces the problems of economic diversification, employment creation, income generation and distribution, and poverty alleviation. Government and non-governmental organizations have put many efforts on the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to diversity the economy away from mining, to create jobs and alleviate poverty. However, the pace of development of SMEs, after 30 years, is very slow and discouraging. The SMEs failure rate, caused by a plethora of internal and external factors, is now estimated to be over 80%. There is a general consensus among policy makers, politicians, and researchers in Botswana that this trend should not be allowed to continue indefinitely. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceived critical management factors (PCMFs) affecting the development of SMEs by collecting primary date from 203 SMEs in 3 cities in the Republic of Botswana by means of questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to present the demographic distribution of the sample firms, the identification, ranking and association of PCMFs. The findings showed that five PCMFs (human resources development; organizational development; managerial background; managerial leadership and competitive strategy) affect the performance of SMEs. The PCMFs are strongly related among themselves, indicating the need for a holistic and systematic approach in addressing them. Important relationships were also found between the PCMFs and firm-specific demographic variables such as ownership status, experience and operating period. Recommendations and implication of the findings for future research, policy makers, practitioners in SMEs, and SMEs support agencies and groups were also forwarded. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/188 Files in this item: 2
license.txt (1.998Kb)temtime_PPM_2005.pdf (2.663Mb) -
Temtime, ZT (Botswana Institute of Administration and Commerce, November NaN, 2005)[more][less]
Abstract: Today's business environment is turbulent and requires firms, small or large, to be proactive and innovative rather than reactive and receptive if they are to survive and grow in it. Strategic awareness is a mental process of continually evaluating organisational and environmental problems and improvement on how they are identified, recognised, influenced and interpreted and consequently used in making managerial decisions. However, due to the apparent lack of resources and expertise, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) put greater emphasis on short-term survival issues that long-term competitiveness and dynamism. This paper develops and examines a conceptual model of SME problem classification for designing meaningful assistance schemes and entrepreneurial development programmes. .. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/190 Files in this item: 2
license.txt (1.998Kb)temtime_BIAC_2005.pdf (2.741Mb) -
Marobela, M. (Emerald Group Publications, www.emeraldinsight.com, NaN, 2006)[more][less]
Abstract: Capitalist transformation of the public sector is global phenomenon that affects many countries. This paper seeks to examine recent public sector reforms introduced by the Government of Botswana to improve civil service performance. The underlying political philosophy behind the change in the public sector is explored by relating neoliberal ideology which is driving the reform agenda to the discourse of new public management (NPM) URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/858 Files in this item: 1
marobela_IJSE35_2006.pdf (1.480Mb) -
Temtime, Z.T. (International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business; Inderscience Enterprises Ltd; http://www.inderscience.com/browse/index.php?journalCODE=ijgsb, NaN, 2006)[more][less]
Abstract: The process of gathering and interpreting pertinent information from the environment and introducing the results into the business planning process is referred to as environmental scanning. This paper investigates the practices and perceptions of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in monitoring environmental complexities and changes through the use of different scanning sources and frequency. Data were collected from 44 SMEs in Botswana through questionnaire and analysed using simple descriptive statistics. The findings indicated that SMEs in Botswana do monitor their environment and use all the major scanning sources with different degrees of frequency. Though more importance is attached to the customer/market, competition and economic sectors, owner-managers in Botswana tend to rely more on impersonal (written) and internal sources as opposed to personal (informal) and external sources to analyse an increasingly uncertain sector. This is in contrast to previous findings, since information from these sources is less reliable for analysing unstable, turbulent and hard-to-measure sectors than personal and external sources. The use of inappropriate scanning sources could be partially attributed to the fact that most SMEs in Botswana do not have an integrated management information system designed to capture, store and analyse environmental data for use in strategic decision-making processes. Further implications for SMEs and future research are highlighted. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/49 Files in this item: 2
license.txt (1.998Kb)temtime_ijgsb_2006.pdf (157.1Kb) -
Temtime, ZT; Pansiri, J (Development and Learning in Organisations; Emerald Group Publishing Ltd; www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints, NaN, 2006)[more][less]
Abstract: Although the discovery of mineral wealth (i.e. diamond) has propelled Botswana into the middle-income category, the country still faces the problem of economic diversification, employment creation, income distribution and poverty alleviation. The main strategy employed by the government to diversify the economy and create employment has been the promotion of the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). There is a general consensus that Botswana should not continue putting all its ‘‘eggs in one basket’’. The most common argument in favor of SMEs is that they are sustainable forms of diversifying the economy away from mining; they create substantial job opportunities; and they help narrow the gap between urban and rural development, and alleviate poverty. SMEs employ more people per unit of investment as compared to large firms. The prevalence of low-skill and unskilled labor force in the economy coupled with the tendency of the government to reduce its role as primary employer made the promotion of SMEs a primary source of employment creation, income generation and poverty alleviation. The objective of the study was to investigate how managerial problems are affecting the performance and development of SMEs, and analyze the relationship between these factors and firm specific demographical variables, and the association among the problems themselves. Data were collected from through questionnaire from 250 SMEs. The majority of the sample firms were small in size (70 percent), owned by males (78 percent) and concentrated in the non-manufacturing sectors (merchandising and service) (90 percent) of the economy. Respondents were asked to rate the impact of 34 managerial items on the performance of SMEs on a five-point scale ranging from 5 (very high) to 1 (very low). URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/47 Files in this item: 2
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Temtime, Z.T.; Pansiri, J. (Botswana Institute of Administration and Commerce (BIAC), May NaN, 2006)[more][less]
Abstract: Although the discovery of diamond has propelled Botswana from one of the poorest countries in 1966 to a middle-income developing nation, the country still faces the problems of economic diversification, employment creation, income generation and poverty alleviation. The main strategy to achieve these goals has been the promotion of entrepreneurship and small business development. In spite of the concerted efforts made to promote the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), the small business failure is increasing at an alarming rate. This paper investigates the perceived impacts of marketing and finance on the development of SMEs in Botswana. 39 marketing and finance related problems were identified, largely from the small business literature, and the respondents were asked to rate the impact of these problems using a five-point scale. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation produced four critical factors (ie marketing actions, customer relationship, investment analysis and working capital management). These factors were also found to have a statistically significant relationship with firm specific demographic variables showing the need for comprehensive and flexible small business assistance programmes. The implications of the findings for policy makers, practitioners and researchers are also presented. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/191 Files in this item: 2
license.txt (1.998Kb)temtime_BIAC_2006.pdf (3.029Mb) -
Marobela, M. (Botswana Journal of Business, Faculty of Business, University of Botswana, September NaN, 2006)[more][less]
Abstract: In Africa as in other parts of the world critical management research is assuming a lot of significance. There is now a felt need to break away with positivist or empiricist research, which has over years assumed hegemonic status in the philosophy of science. Positivist blind insistence on experimentation and causality as the hallmark of rigorous research is no longer credible and sustainable. One of the apparent problems with the traditional view of research is that it conflates philosophy with methodology and methods. This paper examines a new research paradigm called critical realism. A key component of realism is that it embeds research methods in philosophy, for realism ontology matters. It is argued that realism provides an important metaphysical depth to research. Its theoretical perspective grounded on generative mechanism and stratification and emergence is crucial in explaining contemporary global changes and their impact on organisations. By integrating the macro and the micro domain critical realism offers a new dynamic in the conceptualisation of management where events that we see occurring at the surface level are traced to the deeper unobservable mechanisms, which shape phenomenon. Some weaknesses of critical realism are also discussed, especially its failure to historicise the dialectics of labour and capital. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/61 Files in this item: 2
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