Economic diversification and entrepreneurship
Browse by
Recent Submissions
-
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) -
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) -
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.; 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)