Background: Agency control has been studied in the context of large public listed businesses and is linked to business performance. However, very limited studies have validated such a role in ...small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), especially in a developing economy. Aim: The current study aimed at ezstablishing the perceived impact of agency control on performance, as measured by return on investment (ROI) and innovation in SMEs in Harare Province, Zimbabwe. Setting: Primary research was conducted amongst owners or managers of SMEs in Harare Province, Zimbabwe. Methods: The final sample consisted of 106 owners or managers of SMEs. The study was purely quantitative and adopted the survey design. Structured questionnaires were used for data collection. Results: The study established that the most used control mechanisms were frequent monitoring and face-to-face deliberations with subordinates. Weak and statistically insignificant relationships were found to exist between agency control and business performance measured by both ROI and innovation. Conclusion: It is best to solicit expert advice to coach owners or managers on how best agency control mechanisms could be formally instituted and managed to leverage on them.
Orientation The increasing focus on human resource management (HRM) and performance appraisal, in particular, in small- to- medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is a comparatively recent phenomenon. ...Unfortunately, much of our knowledge of traditional HRM topics in large corporations may not necessarily apply in the enterprises.Research purpose This study purposed to examine whether performance appraisal had an impact on SMEs’ performance measured by return on investment (ROI) and innovation in Harare Province, Zimbabwe.Motivation for the study Small- to- medium-sized enterprises are becoming the dominant form of business in terms of the socio-economic development of countries worldwide, in areas such as gross domestic product and employment. In view of this, a systematic collection of information about employees in the enterprises, which forms the bedrock of all human resource (HR) practice, can be done through performance appraisal. Unfortunately, performance appraisal in SMEs has not received adequate research attention.Research design, approach and method The study employed an ex post facto correlational design that adopted a purely quantitative approach. A total of 106 owners or managers took part in the survey. A self-constructed structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 was used for both descriptive and inferential statistics.Main findings Most owner or managers made use of the 360-degree performance appraisal method. The study established that very weak and statistically insignificant relationships existed between performance appraisal and firm performance measured by both ROI and innovation.Practical/managerial implications It is recommended that the government through the relevant ministries and agencies should consider more financial inducements, tax relief for start-ups and additional grants to support investments in new technology, and more training for owner or managers. This could, amongst other things, go a long way in assisting them to acquire sufficient information technology infrastructure for effective implementation of performance appraisals.Contribution/value-add The current study is one of the very few, if any, that sheds light on the nexus between HRM and performance appraisal in particular and the performance of SMEs in the country. Unlike most studies, the current study adopted a hybrid approach in the measurement of performance, making use of both objective and subjective measures.
The advent of Coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) pandemic has caused much distress, despondence, fear and pandemonium across all nations of the world. In Zimbabwe, the emergence of the virus sent a ...chilling message of insecurity and need for conscientiousness and diligence, as the virus decimated humankind amid untold suffering. The pandemic came as a litmus test for the integrity and meticulousness of all the so-called professionals and institutions of integrity across the country, challenging them to stand equal to their tasks, titles and claimed astuteness. For Zimbabwe and Africa in general, the manifestation and ramifications of COVID-19, has raised so many questions around issues of people’s welfare and innovative research, especially amid the reality that the country is dependent on charity and donations from well-wishers for the vaccines it needs, over and above the modest amount it can purchase. This reality and related challenges pose interesting research questions addressed in this volume. A central question on the possibility and extent of home-grown solutions inspired by and tailored to the needs and predicaments of Zimbabwe and the African continent. The richness of the book is in the firsthand eyewitness accounts of scholars caught up in the COVID-19 challenge. The researchers in this volume have sought to capture developments, insights and evolutions as they unfold and progress. The book is handy for scholars in policy studies, risk and disaster management, social anthropology, political science, development studies, African studies and decolonial fields of studies.
The challenges of staff retention and job performance persist as significant concerns for businesses, particularly in the context of Zimbabwe. While numerous studies have explored the impact of ...turnover intention on job performance, there is a gap in understanding the moderating variables influencing this relationship. This research aims to investigate the nuanced connection between decent work, intentions to leave, and job performance in the Zimbabwean banking sector, utilizing a quantitative approach with a causal design. The findings reveal a significant relationship between turnover intention and job performance. Moreover, it is deduced that all four pillars of decent work act as moderators in the association between turnover intention and job performance within the commercial banking sector in Zimbabwe.
Background The continued growth in employment creation by small businesses in the hospitality sector necessitates research in organisational behaviour concepts such as turnover intentions that, for a ...long time, have been associated only with large organisations.Aim This study investigated the impact of selected individual and organisational factors on turnover intentions amongst employees in bed and breakfast (B&B) establishments in a district in the Free State province of South Africa.Setting There is limited research within the South African context on antecedents of intention to quit amongst employees in B&B establishments.Methods The study was purely quantitative. An ex post facto design was adopted. One hundred and forty four (144) employees were chosen using convenience sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and data analysis was done by way of structural equation modelling (SEM).Results Human resource practices, quality of work environment and organisational structure, all explained variance in intentions to quit. Human resource practices had a strong relationship with job satisfaction, and the quality of work environment was related to organisational commitment, while organisational structure explained employees’ job stress.Conclusion The effectiveness of B&B establishment owners’ interventions to reduce intentions to quit amongst employees is dependent on the implementation of excellent human resource management (HRM) practices and creating a conducive work environment that promotes employees’ long-term commitment to the business.
Orientation There is a continued call to understand those factors that not only affect work engagement but also reduce turnover. A broad umbrella of work emerges arguing for ascertaining how decent ...work conditions affect these outcomes of work.Research purpose To offer insight into the relationship between decent work, job engagement and turnover intention in the retail sector in Zimbabwe.Motivations for the study Rapid changes in the business environment have undoubtedly led to a deterioration of work standards across all sectors although the retail sector seems to have been more vulnerable and suffered the most. This calls for the need to investigate on decent work, a key mechanism in maximising labour force potential such as job engagement and turnover intentions are not ignored.Research approach/design and method The study adopted a descriptive survey design using a quantitative approach. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used for the purpose of analysis with the Structural Equation Model (SEM) utilised.Main findings The study found a positive significant relationship between decent work and job engagement. A positive significant relationship was also established between job engagement and turnover intention whereas, a very weak and statistically insignificant relationship existed between decent work and turnover intention.Practical/managerial implications Retail sector managers ought to prioritise decent work and pay closer attention to its impact on job engagement and turnover intention. A focus on these constructs will breed a highly engaged and committed workforce that will give the sector competitive advantage.Contribution Very few studies have shed light on the construct of decent work in developing economies, and specifically in Zimbabwe. Decent work is critical in the realisation of the sustainable development goal (SDG) 8. Its correlation with job engagement and turnover intention brings to light quite invaluable insights to the management of human capital in the retail sector.
Orientation: Regardless of the contribution done by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in modern economies, and the critical role managerial interpersonal competencies play in sustaining these ...enterprises, no known comparative study has been conducted in SMEs in developing economies.Research purpose: This study purposed to establish the impact of managerial interpersonal competencies on SME performance as measured by innovation and return on investment (ROI) in both family-owned SMEs (FOSMEs) and non-family-owned SMEs (NFOSMEs) in Zimbabwe and South Africa.Motivations for the study: Efforts at understanding managerial competencies and firm performance among SMEs have taken a holistic approach, using all known managerial competencies; yet, recently, there is acknowledgement that interpersonal competencies are more effective in business sustainability than other competencies. With this observation, the need to extent this finding in other contexts among FOSMEs and NFOSMEs in developing countries becomes apparent.Research approach/design and method: The study whose design was a descriptive comparative case study adopted a quantitative approach.Main findings: The study found a positive and significant relationship between managerial interpersonal competencies and firm performance as measured by innovation and ROI in FOSMEs in both countries.Practical/managerial implications: NFOSMEs may need to focus their training on interpersonal competencies for managers in order to be sustainable. For FOSMEs, continuous enhancement of managerial interpersonal competencies is important as it promotes innovation and business sustainability.Contribution/value-add: The study helps fill the lacuna between research and practice with respect to managerial interpersonal competencies in FOSMEs and NFOSMEs in the two countries.
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