Browsing Faculty of Business by Subject "SMEs"
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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
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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
license.txt (1.998Kb)
Now showing items 1-2 of 2