Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Finance – Zimbabwe'

Historical analysis suggests that in the short to medium term, dollarization as a monetary policy measure, post a period of high inflation, reduces economic volatility, stabilises the inflation of goods and services, and restores economic predictability. However, in fully dollarized economics (as opposed to dual currency economies,) in the medium term, the effects of dollarization do not create a suitable environment for long term sustainable growth. This paper discusses the benefits and challenges of full dollarization and suggests a further policy measure of re-introducing the local currency through a managed regime. The paper looks to smoothing out money supply volatility through Zimbabwe dollar introduction. Understanding the responsiveness of the economy to monetary liquidity is explained through theoretical and extrapolative statistical analysis derived from a short-range historic time series.

The research seeks to explore why women in Zimbabwe still face hindrances in accessing micro finance services and what can be done to meet their needs in a more holistic and effective way. Women play a crucial role in the economic development of their families and communities but are faced with certain obstacles that hinder them from performing their role effectively. Such hindrances as poverty, unemployment, low household income and societal discrimination. UNIFEM (1992) confirms that the majority of the world‟s poor have a predominantly female face and argues that women earn only 10 percent of world‟s income and own less than 10 percent of the world‟s property. African women have been characterised by the lack of empowerment caused by societal perceptions and negative cultural practice. In many cases of women rights violation it has been noted that this has been exacerbated by the over reliance on the male counterpart. Development practitioners have noted that micro finance as one of the strategies needed for women empowerment. Despite the concept having been practiced for at least 15 years now, women still face challenges in accessing micro finance services. There is need for Micro Finance Institutions to recognise the position of women in relation to men as actors in society.

My research explores the notion of creativity in the context of informal work. Existing literature on the subject has primarily focused on identifying the factors which enhance or constrain creativity in the organisational or work context. Most research has been developed and implemented in western contexts such as the United States or Europe, and there is limited explanation available of creativity in non-western contexts. There is also no research explicitly directed at explaining creativity in the informal sector, which presents a gap in the literature. I have therefore sought to enrich this literature by constructing a conceptual perspective that explains creative engagement in informal work, a methodology to explore this concept, and stories that illustrate how this occurs. I have constructed my conceptual perspective of creativity by drawing on de Certeau's (1988/1984) notion of creative tactics. I propose that creativity is the tactical subversion of space within an order, where a person uses constraints to their advantage, to take action. This involves the ability to engage in plurality, use what one has at hand, and take advantage of chance opportunities that arise. In order to explore my conceptual perspective, I carried out my research during the post-2000 crisis in Zimbabwe because there was a high prevalence of informal work during this time. I have developed my methodology - focused narrative ethnography - to capture the perspectives and dynamic engagement of people working in the informal sector, and intensively collected data in the form of narratives, observations, and visual material. In addition, I have written a series of stories to illustrate the different ways in which this occurs. These reflect changing attitudes and practices of work, as well as artistic and communal engagement in informal work. My findings reflect three main perspectives. First, informal work is a space that enables creative action. Second, creative engagement is a complex process that occurs in moments of creative action, wherein a person tactically uses their constraints to their advantage. Third, these moments shift and change in relation to the ongoing and changing nature of constraint that is inherent in many contexts of lnformal work. A further finding is that several parallels can be drawn between the literature referring to survival during difficult situations and my explanation of creativity, so it may be a useful addition to the vocabulary of work-related creativity literature. My findings are important because I highlight at the most basic level what people go through to identify opportunity, and my perspective of creativity may thus provide fresh insights into other areas linked to creativity, such as innovation or entrepreneurship.

To manage credit risk and improve working capital, many power utility companies have moved consumers from conventional post-payment for electricity to prepayment. Despite the growing use of this prepayment system, the welfare implications of this strategy are unclear and contested. The Zimbabwean utility company, Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), introduced prepaid meters in August 2012 and installed over 550,000 prepaid meters by the 31st of December 2015. This thesis' objective was to quantitatively assess the societal costs and benefits of introducing prepaid electricity to Zimbabwe, by calculating the net present value of the estimated annual costs and benefits over time. A qualitative analysis was also conducted, based on a consumer survey of 100 consumers who had switched from the post-paid to the prepaid system. The survey captured consumers' perceptions of the prepaid system's costs and benefits. Results of the study showed that both consumers and the utility company have benefited from the prepaid system. The average net benefit per user under the prepaid system was estimated at US$58.93 per annum. 74% of consumers surveyed confirmed having benefited from the switch to the prepaid system. The main policy recommendation, based on the results of the study, is for ZETDC to continue with its roll out of the prepaid system. However, as the research was limited to the current ZETDC prepaid consumer base of only domestic and small business users, a recommendation for future research would be to evaluate the costs and benefits for larger industrial consumers as well.

The research aimed to study whether the Beijing Consensus, a Chinese development model is an alternative development model for Africa. The study used Zimbabwe's plan to collateralise its natural resources mainly minerals under the Angola Model strategy as a test case. Zimbabwe's economic revival is currently ransomed by an unsustainable debt that has blocked external financial aid from its traditional donors and the western world. This is against the background that since the 1989, economist John Williamson's economic and policy recommendations known as the Washington Consensus became generally accepted as the most effective model by which developing countries could spur growth. This model based around ten policy recommendations embracing ideals of free-market capitalism that include open trade policies, privatisation and deregulation provided a prescription for development in the less developed countries. However, its implementation had mixed results such as multiple currency crisis, stagnation and recession during the financial turmoil of the 1990s and the most recent and more severe 2007 financial crises that led to the collapse of several nations' economic systems. This further eroded the confidence in the Western neoliberal economic model leaving the world calling for an alternative development model. By the turn of the century, a new strategy driven by China that has been defined by Joshua Cooper Ramo as the Beijing Consensus surfaced as a challenge to the Washington Consensus. This model is described as pragmatic, recognises the need for flexibility in solving multifarious problems. The model sounding warning bells for a post-Washington Consensus is inherently focused on innovation and emphasise equitable development driven by the central government has quickly gained appeal within the developing world challenging the Washington Consensus' antiquated policies. This exploratory research case study using primarily available literature on the subject sought to determine whether the Beijing Consensus is an alternative development model for Africa. To help synthesise the subject, Zimbabwe was used as a case study through primarily the "Angola model"- a Chinese strategy for resource-rich countries that are unable to guarantee loan repayments. Apart from the "Angola model", the study looked at the overall impact of the Chinese investments in Zimbabwe and Africa in general. The findings of the study has revealed while the Angola Model may have worked for Angola and other oil producing nations, it however will not benefit Zimbabwe as it is not geared in solving the current debt crisis. The results also show that while the Beijing Consensus may not actually be a consensus, it is currently an alternative for African nations as it presents an array of choices. It however does not seem to replace the Washington Consensus as a widely accepted consensus model for development but it has the right ingredients from a starting point to develop into an alternative model.

Zimbabwe has been experiencing an unprecedented increase in Non-performing loans (NPLs), since the adoption of the multi-currency regime in 2009. The NPL ratio which stood at 15.92% as at 31 December 2013, has attracted much attention considering its impact on banking sector stability and its effect on the real sector. The banking sector has since reduced its risk appetite, adopting conservative lending strategies, in response to the scourge, in an environment where industry is in need of funding thus causing second round effects. There has been conflicting views in literature on factors influencing the rise in NPLs. Shareholders and bank management have placed the blame of the increase in NPLs on the macroeconomic environment, while regulatory authorities and policy makers have attributed the levels to corporate governance weaknesses. This study sets out to ascertain the factors that have been instrumental in driving the level of non-performing loans in Zimbabwe and the extent to which each of these factors has contributed to this trend. The population of study was the Zimbabwean banking sector which comprised 21 banking institutions as at 31 December 2013. The factors that were investigated were: lending interest rates, shareholding structure, GDP growth, inflation rate, management efficiency, capital adequacy, loan tenure, size of the institution and the lagged NPLs. The study used statistical techniques, in particular panel data analysis for bank level data collected on a quarterly basis over a 5 year period beginning March 2009 and ending December 2013. The findings indicate that all the macroeconomic factors were not statistically significantly related to the rise of the NPLs. On the other hand bank specific factors with the exception of loan tenure and lending rates, were found to be significantly related to the rise in NPLs. Lagged NPLs were found to be more influential implying that the country is blight with credit indiscipline. Findings of this study, with the exception of size were found to be generally consistent with previous literature on determinants of NPLs. An interesting observation made was that bank size was found to be positively related to NPLs, contrary to literature, indicating that larger banks are not benefiting from diversification benefits. Based on the findings, the research recommends enhanced monitoring of banking institutions by the supervisory authority coupled with a collaborative NPL resolution options. Banking institutions are encouraged to tighten their credit risk management systems and practices.

This research examined the impact of diaspora remittances on the economic growth of Zimbabwe using data collected from 1995 to 2018. The study further assessed whether the impact was realisable in the short-run or in the long-run. The results from the cointegration test and the causality test show that Diaspora Remittances have a long-run causal impact on economic growth in Zimbabwe. The results also show that the causal impact is unidirectional running from remittances to economic growth. In the short-run, the results reflected that remittances were failing to have a significant impact on the country's economic growth. These findings thus suggest that the nation of Zimbabwe requires complete and concise solutions to drive the country's economic growth. Particular attention should be paid to the country's growth enhancers in the long-term like diaspora remittances. The policy-makers should strive to develop a strong institutional framework that facilitates the channeling of remittances to productive uses. Finally, the policy-makers should craft policies that aim at increasing the diaspora remittances inflows through formal channels as one of the measures to enhance sustainable economic growth of the country.

This research is a diagnosis of the supply side of SME (small and medium enterprises) credit. Its objectives are to determine the current level of bank lending to SMEs to validate the financing gap, to explore the strategies and mechanisms employed by banks to provide tailor-made lending for SMEs and finally to conclude by identifying some of the key challenges the banks face in their quest to lend to SMEs. This, then, culminated in some recommendations for increasing bank funding to SMEs. This study employed a deductive qualitative research.. The research used a non-probability, purposive/judgmental sampling method to choose the heads of bank SME units to include in the research. There are twelve banks with dedicated SME units, out of a total of 18. The researcher carried out in-depth face to face interviews using semi-structured questions. The qualitative data was coded, deductively analysed and conclusions drawn and incorporated into a report. Banks’ most outstanding challenges in dealing with SMEs in terms of information asymmetry, an unsupportive business environment, poor quality of SME clients and inflexible regulatory requirements.

Bibliography: pages 488-519.
This study is based on the assumption that money 'powers the urban system'. Its focus is the geography of public finance in Harare and ideologically inspired change in urban management. The context is the changing circumstances attendant upon the transfer of power from minority White settler colonial rule to Black majority rule in Zimbabwe. The ruling ZANU-PF party professed a continuing ideological commitment to the principles of "Marxist-Leninist-Maoist" socialism. It was surmised that application of these principles to the discharge of urban management and to the provision of public goods and services by a Black City Council would have been reflected in changing trends in the generation, allocation and distribution of public funds. Expressed as an aphorism, the geography of public finance investigates 'who gets what, where; who pays, who benefits, who decides, and who decides who decides'. These issues are addressed in the present study. Annual income and expenditure on both capital and revenue accounts for selected Council operations, were analysed in an attempt to identify significant trends from 1978 to 1984. Analytical methods include regression analysis, tests for statistical significance, multi-variate analysis and shift-share analysis. Local authority organisation and practice in colonial Salisbury is described as a basis for the evaluation of changing patterns of public service delivery after independence. Perceptions of priority issues for the city's growth and development were solicited from Councillors in a structured, open-ended questionnaire, and Council by-laws were analysed for evidence of change in the regulation and control of urban activities. Major findings include: 1. that the accounting procedures employed by the City Council are inappropriate for geographical analysis; 2. that the organisational structure and operational procedures of the Council, particularly with respect to urban finance remain virtually unchanged; 3. that the financial and other data provide evidence of the reallocation and redistribution of public funds to redress the colonial legacy of inequality; but 4. that fundamental structural change consistent with criteria indicating transition to a socialist urban space-economy has not occurred. Evidence is advanced in support of these conclusions and major reasons are suggested.

Thesis (MDF)--Stellenbosch University, 2015.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The debate as to whether there is a trade–off between financial sustainability and outreach remains inconclusive among many researchers, therefore this research was conducted to bridge this knowledge gap. The study was conducted in Harare using longitudinal research design and analysed using panel data regression model. The study was conducted for the period of 3 years from 2011 to 2013 on 60 sampled MFIs in Harare. The findings were that MFIs in Harare are very sustainable but their outreach is low as shown by large loan sizes offered to clients. It was further revealed that staff cost per dollar and proportion of female clients are the only variables that affect sustainability of MFIs in Harare. Finally the research revealed that sustainability goals be achieved simultaneously and therefore are compatible. The key contributions to knowledge revealed by the study are as follows: there is a positive relationship between sustainability and outreach. Two variables affect sustainability on MFIs in Harare namely staff cost per dollar and proportion of female clients. The study recommends that Microfinance institutions in Harare should focus on financial sustainability in order to reduce their subsidy dependence, to ensure survival and growth in the future. To the policy makers the study recommends that sustainability does not compromise the outreach to the poor.

The study aims to establish the nexus between financial inclusion and financial development in Zimbabwe covering the period from 2009 to 2015. Using descriptive statistics including correlation analysis, t-tests, and graphical analysis, the study revealed that there is a positive relationship between financial inclusion and financial development. The study however established that the relationship is relatively weak. The positive relationship is being driven by expansion of the banking sector into previously marginalised and unbanked markets, riding on the increase in financial and mobile technology based banking products. The weak relationship is explained by the current high levels of financial exclusion and the increasing levels of financial dis-intermediation occurring in Zimbabwe. This is further explained by high levels of informalisation of the economy and the deterioration in the microeconomic environment which then resulted in cash shortages and creation of quasi-currencies with the potential to further dent market confidence. People then preferred to transact outside the formal financial system. The study further established that financial inclusion, through mobile and financial technology has great potential to support financial development in Zimbabwe. This is premised on the established high mobile penetration rate and the impact that mobile and financial technology has had on financial inclusion in the short period since 2012. It is also established that the negative governance factors, (as ranked by the World Bank World Development Indicators (WDI)), such as political stability, rule of law, regulatory quality and government effectiveness had largely a strong and significant relationship with financial inclusion and financial development. These negative governance factors need to be addressed by policy makers because they have the potential to inhibit local and international trust and market confidence in Zimbabwe's financial system. The loss of trust and market confidence impacts negatively on effective execution of both financial inclusion and financial development goals. It is imperative that interventions to leverage financial development through financial inclusion must embrace developments in the financial technology and mobile technology sectors due to the high mobile penetration rate and potential to lower transaction costs and foster financial inclusion. Policy makers must devise regulatory policies that foster infrastructure sharing, interoperability and interconnectivity of MNOs mobile and financial technology platforms to increase levels of financial inclusion and financial development. The established nexus makes it imperative that a national financial inclusion strategy must be complemented by a supportive financial development strategy for optimum results.

The level of supply of public transport increases proportionately with population size. However, increases in population growth and urbanization have led to several transport problems, including meeting the supply of transport services. The rationale behind the supply model as used in the study is generally found in economic theory, where vehicle operators/owners choose among alternative opportunities before investing in urban transport service industry. Despite the importance of the transport business sector to the Zimbabwean economy, the continued undersupply in the sector is alarming. The main objective of the study is to identify the factors affecting the supply of urban transport in Harare, Zimbabwe. The research seeks to find the reasons of the high mismatch of demand and supply in the urban public transport sector. These situations are related to finance, demand forecasting, management, high operational overheads, unviable fares, marketing, capitalization at start up and business planning. It also established that many entrepreneurs have high operational overheads as a result of inefficiency due to vehicle old age and high statutory safety requirements on vehicle fitness, which is forcing many large investors to opt to sell their passenger vehicles and venture into haulage trucks instead. By the end of the research we should be able to list the factors affecting investment in this sector in their order of importance such that coming up with solutions to those most important factors may just unlock a lot of investment into this sector This research established the notion that under investment in the transport sector are caused by lack of funding and non viable fares even though occupancy is very good. These factors will serve as a basis of modeling the supply situation in the study area. In addition, the study will outline some policy directions, which need to be considered in order to sustain the supply of urban transport services.

This thesis analyses the influence of monetary policy on the general price level in Zimbabwe during periods of hyperinflation and dollarisation. The first part of the analysis covers the period January 2006 to July 2008 when the country experienced high inflation and ultimately hyperinflation. The second part covers the period 2009 to 2012, when the country adopted the multi-currency system and became fully dollarised. In terms of motivation, the study firstly sought to empirically examine the factors that led to hyperinflation in Zimbabwe, paying particular attention to the influence of monetary policy. Secondly, the thesis sought to determine the major factors that influenced price formation in a dollarised Zimbabwean economy; a completely new macro-economic environment. A significant development in this new macro-economic environment was the loss of monetary policy autonomy of the central bank, which also contributed to the relevance of the study. This thesis makes two contributions. The first contribution is the finding that hyperinflation in Zimbabwe was caused by expansionary monetary policy as a result of the activities of an unrestrained and unaccountable central bank. The second contribution was the empirical finding that in the fully dollarised economy inflation is largely determined by external factors. This implies that the domestic economy has no control over domestic inflation developments and as such, Zimbabwean authorities should formulate appropriate economic policies to respond to the impact of external shocks on domestic price formation when the need arises. The role of monetary policy in Zimbabwe’s hyperinflation episode is assessed using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) and the Error Correction Model (ECM) approaches with monthly data from January 2006 to July 2008. The impact of monetary policy on hyperinflation is captured by the coefficient of broad money supply and the interest rate. Results indicate that hyperinflation was caused by expansionary monetary policy, the exchange rate premium and inflation expectations for both the short and long term. Zimbabwe’s hyperinflation episode which peaked during the period 2007 to 2008 brings to the fore the importance of ensuring that the central bank is independent in executing its mandate of influencing the monetary policy process in a manner that ensures price stability. The ARDL and ECM approaches are also used to explore the dynamics of inflation in the dollarised Zimbabwean economy, with monthly data from January 2009 to December 2012. The main drivers of inflation under the multi-currency system were found to be the United States of America dollar/South African rand exchange rate, international oil prices, inflation expectations and the South African inflation rate. The findings contrast with the hyperinflationary era, where empirical studies have cited excessive money supply growth as the major driver of inflation dynamics in Zimbabwe. The results also suggest a higher exchange rate pass-through to domestic prices, consistent with empirical literature which postulates that inflation in dollarised economies is largely explained by movements in the exchange rate of major trading partners and international prices. The policy implication from the analysis is the need for policy makers to aggressively promote policies that ensure increased productivity of the economy. An improvement in productivity would influence the relative prices of tradable and non-tradable goods and ultimately the general price level in the economy. The study also quantified the independence of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) using the Mathew (2006), “new index for institutional quality” and the results showed that the RBZ is not an independent central bank. The central bank is found to have a low index of central bank independence (CBI), against a high level of inflation. While this relationship does not imply causality it can be inferred that the lack of independence of the RBZ could have influenced inflation dynamics in Zimbabwe. Only a subordinated central bank can be compelled to engage in inflationary deficit financing and also fund quasi-fiscal activities. The provisions of the RBZ Act [Chapter 22:15] in their current form make the central bank an appendage of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and this has, to a large extent, resulted in conflict between the political goals of government and the central bank’s primary objective of achieving price stability. In the event that Zimbabwe reintroduces its own currency in future, the achievement of the primary goal of price stability by the central bank will only be realised if the apex bank is given more autonomy.

Less than two decades ago, Zimbabwe was a symbol for the rest of the world of what Africa could become (Dell, 2005). DiSilvio (2007) contends that independent Zimbabwe was an economic success on route to attaining status of the most “developed country” in Africa. Contrary to expectations, by 2003 the Zimbabwean economy was shrinking faster than any other economy in the world at 18 percent per year (Richardson, 2005). Reports indicate that the Zimbabwean economy is in crisis and has since been set back by more than 50 years (Matikinye, 2005). This phenomenon necessitated the need for an investigation to ascertain its cause in Zimbabwe. As a result, the research identifies and presents hyperinflation as the root cause of the crisis in Zimbabwe and illustrates the validity of this assertion with a focus on the Zimbabwean construction industry. As part of the research inquiry, a review of related literature was conducted. The literature review illustrated the generic effects of hyperinflation as well as the effects of this phenomenon in action in Zimbabwe. The literature study was followed by a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire was completed by 23 contractors and 7 clients from a census of contractors and clients in Zimbabwe. The questionnaire consisted of a number of variables, which the respondents were asked to rate vis-à-vis the effects of hyperinflation in the construction industry. In summary, the questionnaire sought to determine the causes of hyperinflation in Zimbabwe, its specific effects on the construction industry and how respondents thought the phenomenon could be mitigated so as to revive the Zimbabwean construction industry. The techniques of re-scaling, in conjunction with descriptive and inferential statistics, ranking and quadrant analysis were applied to the data. Results from these analyses revealed a high degree of agreement among respondents vis-à-vis the effects of hyperinflation on the Zimbabwean construction industry. The interpretation of the results further revealed that hyperinflation has undoubtedly led to the collapse of the Zimbabwean construction industry. In conclusion, the research, applying the interpretations of v the survey findings, prescribes a number of ways in which the Zimbabwean construction sector may be resurrected. Among the recommended prescriptions, there are a number of debatable issues that arise that the researcher proposes should be subject to future study.

Thesis (MDF)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This research study has examined the impact of contract farming on enhancing efficiencies with the agricultural value chain for smallholder tobacco farmers in Mashonaland Central Province in Zimbabwe. The major challenges facing smallholder farmers in Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular relate to financial constraints, technical expertise and market access. Contract farming as a transactions-cost-focussed-model is considered more effectively responsive to those challenges than the pure market approach which insufficiently addresses the impact of information asymmetries, bounded rationality, uncertainty, governance challenges and infrastructure challenges, among others. It allows for closely monitored smallholder financing by agribusiness entities which reduces or eliminates the probability of loan default. Contract farming is seen as an important mechanism in transforming the fragmented, subsistence agriculture in rural Africa into high commercialised and viable business undertakings. In this study, extensive reference is made to literature on agriculture financing; empirical research data on smallholder productivity and loan recoverability is drawn and analysed using the quantitative research methodology. The analysis sought to test for relationships among a set of variables and in the process examined the impact of contract farming. A comparative analysis of national data on the contract and auction system of tobacco marketing was done with emphasis on production and sales volumes, crop quality, price stability and market access. The results from the quantitative analysis of farmer-level and country-level data indicated a strong correlation between smallholder farmer production, productivity and loan recoverability and contract farming value chain intervention mechanisms.

Background: Since the introduction of legislation in Zimbabwe allowing private participation in generation, there has been significant investor interest in financing independent power producers (IPPs). However, this interest has not materialized into actual investment. Of the 29 IPPs licensed by the Zimbabwe Regulatory Authority (ZERA), only seven have reached financial closure and are supplying the grid. This dismal performance in the IPP space is a major concern for policy makers, particularly in light of the persistent power shortages plaguing the country. Stop gap measures such as the imports of power and load shedding are not sustainable and have detrimental effects on economic productivity. Expansion of private power generation is the only viable long term solution. In light of this, it is imperative to understand the factors that contribute towards successfully financing IPPs. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore and identify the critical success factors (CSFs) for financing IPPs in Zimbabwe and specific strategies to improve the implementation of IPPs, to ensure as far as possible, a win-win scenario for all stakeholders. Methodology: This thesis employs a mixed methods approach consisting of a qualitative first phase of expert interviews to identify a core list of success factors, followed by a quantitative second phase, in which a questionnaire survey is used to examine the relative importance and ranking of the factors and to determine whether the ranking of factors varies by stakeholder grouping. Findings: A total of 40 success factors were identified, and 38 of the 40 were rated as critical for financing IPPs in Zimbabwe by stakeholders. The study also revealed that the expected debt paying ability of the project; a transparent and cost reflective tariff framework and upholding of contracts are the most critical factors for all stakeholders. The results indicated that there is low agreement in the the ranking of CSFs between the private sector and public sector. Value: This study provides a valuable reference for all stakeholders that are interested in developing IPPs in Zimbabwe.

Today Zimbabwe finds itself on the cusp of a new era, an inflection point which should set the country on a path towards recovery and sustainable economic growth, after years of being in a socio-economic quagmire yet extravagantly endowed with natural resources and extraordinary human capital. This study seeks to examine how best to unlock this untapped and embedded value for the emancipation of Zimbabwe’s people by looking at how other countries have extricated themselves from similar situations by the use of foreign direct investment. Pursuant to this cause, the author identified India as a case study from which Zimbabwe can learn and thus seeks to identify and measure the determinants of foreign direct investment and understand the policy framework underlying these determinants. Gross domestic product, trade, the exchange rate, inflation, foreign reserves and the foreign direct investment restrictiveness index were employed as variables in the research using annual data over a 27 year period from 1990 to 2016. This period was deliberately chosen to capture the impact of the liberalisation and reform efforts which set India on a growth path and today is the biggest recipient of greenfield foreign direct investment. The autoregressive distributed lag cointegration framework was employed as an estimation technique to examine the long-run relationship between foreign direct investment and the chosen explanatory variables. The findings reveal that the exchange rate and the foreign direct investment restrictiveness index are the key determinants of FDI in India with a negative relationship, thus a stronger Indian rupee and better restrictiveness index rating lead to more foreign direct investment inflows. Based on the results, placed in the context of India’s foreign direct investment policy framework, the study makes bespoke and befitting recommendations to the Zimbabwean authorities on how to use the import and the tenets of the foreign direct investment restrictiveness index as a basis for devising far reaching reforms needed to attract foreign direct investment for the sustainable development of Zimbabwe.

The study examines the relationship between the level of access to debt finance and viability among 41 randomly selected SMEs operating in the agricultural sector in Zimbabwe for the period 2011 and 2014 using descriptive statistical analysis and panel data regression analysis. The study found that viability is positively associated with short-term debt and negatively associated with long-term debt, while it has no significant relationship with total debt. The study concludes that the level of debt accessed does not matter to viability; what matters is the type of debt accessed. It also concludes that access to debt is not the main factor associated with viability, but there are other factors such as size of business, growth opportunities, number of employees and the ratio of female to male shareholders. It is therefore recommended that SMEs managers and policy makers should be mindful of the type of debt availed to SMEs since shortterm debt is positively related to viability and long-term debt is negatively associated with viability. It is also recommended that SME managers should monitor the sizes of their enterprises and growth opportunities since these are negatively associated with viability. Female ownership of SMEs should be encouraged and supported as the results demonstrate that those enterprises dominated by female shareholders are associated with high viability. SME managers should ensure that they have adequate employees, since the results show that viability is associated increasing the number of employees.

Thesis (MDF)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Local non-governmental organisations play an important role in the development processes of Zimbabwe. However, they face an uncertain future, as they depend on volatile external donor funding which leaves them financially unsustainable. This research sought to determine whether local non-governmental organisations in Zimbabwe were sustainable, and to analyse the main factors that influenced their financial sustainability. Through a mixed methods research design including literature review, secondary data analysis and a survey using a structured questionnaire, this research revealed that local non-governmental organisations in Zimbabwe were financially unsustainable. A regression analysis was employed to determine the relationships between the different factors and financial sustainability. The research focused on four factors of financial sustainability of local non-governmental organisations: sound financial management practices, income diversification, own income generation, and good donor relationship management practices. Data used for the research was from 2009 to 2013. The survey of 52 local non-governmental organisations spread throughout Zimbabwe provided primary data for the research. The research confirmed findings of others that local non-governmental organisations in Zimbabwe were not financially sustainable and depended on external donor funds. The research revealed that most local non-governmental organisations were funded entirely by external donors, had no reserve funds, were not generating own income, and depended on average on about three donors. This meant that if the external donors pulled out these organisations would cease operations. The research revealed that on average donor dependency ratios for Zimbabwean non-governmental organisations were above 93 percent, while survival ratios were very low with 22 days being the maximum. These results meant that if external donors completely pulled out their funding, local non-governmental organisations would operate for at most 22 days before closing down. The research also revealed that most local non-governmental organisations in Zimbabwe were not leveraging their assets to generate income, and most were not engaged in own income generating activities while their funding sources were not diversified enough to be regarded sustainable. The government of Zimbabwe was not funding local non-governmental organisations and local donors were scant. The regression analysis ascertained that sound financial management practices had the largest influence on financial sustainability of local non-governmental organisations in Zimbabwe, followed by income diversification, then own income generation and good donor relationship management. The research recommends that international donors should provide local non-governmental organisations with some unrestricted income to support start-up of social entrepreneurship activities and small businesses to ensure the financial sustainability of the programmes they fund. The government of Zimbabwe must view local non-governmental organisations as partners that complement its work and are therefore deserving of government funding. Non-governmental organisations need to change their mind-set, start social entrepreneurship and small business activities, and refrain from just seeing external donors as their main source of funding. Networks of non-governmental organisations must fundraise to train and enhance the capacity of their member organisations in running social enterprises and small businesses, and hire staff with expertise in running profit-making activities to complement their non-profit work.

The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply (ESI) reforms of 2002 were primarily meant to improve the quantity and quality of electricity supply through encouraging private participation, especially in generation, introducing regulation and competition and restructuring the utility. The reforms have not yielded the expected results, two decades on. This research explores the reform process and the extent to which it is structured to encourage private investments. The research approach used was primarily qualitative, based on survey research and expert interviews as well as longitudinal power sector performance data. The research found that a transitional ESI structure was adopted to deal with legacy debt issues, as well as to allow the different companies time to develop to a level where they can commercially trade. The regulator was found to be fairly independent, with a good licensing framework and tariff methodology. However, the off-taker's tariff is below cost, though IPPs have been awarded cost reflective tariff and largely view the tariff methodology as acceptable. Only small IPPs have been able to commission their projects, with the larger ones failing to reach financial closure. This has not helped some of the objectives of the reform, as the installed capacity in the country remains below demand. The reforms proposed in the Electricity Act of 2013, meant to further restructure the utility, have not been implemented as the government felt that the conditions in the country were not yet conducive for the generation, transmission and distribution companies to be spun out of ZESA Holdings. The research concluded that the reforms managed to improve the attractiveness of the industry to investment, though only small IPPs managed to commission their projects, leaving a large demand-supply gap. It is recommended that further study be done to establish conditions necessary for further restructuring of the sector as this may be the panacea for unlocking bigger projects which will have an impact on improving the quantity and quality of power supply.

Thesis (M. Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2013
Rural areas of Zimbabwe suffered acute shortage of banking services. Conventional banks feared high transaction costs and lack of collateral associated with this market segment. This research aimed at evaluating impact of microfinance on rural farming sector. Finding out the general banking and microfinance situation, appraising scheme impact and making recommendations were the research’s objectives. A descriptive research design was used. A population of 3,400 members constituting 289 Investment Groups (IGs) was used. Quota and purposive sampling were used to select 20 IGs and 154 individual respondents. Sample survey, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and Key Informant Interviews (KII) were data collection methods. The survey findings showed that the five Department For International Development’s (DFID’s) Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) asset bases increased more for the treatment than the control groups, signifying microfinance impact. Wealth ranking, meant to triangulate survey results, depicted upward mobility of groups; old ones transcending to rich categories while the new moved into top poor rank, also demonstrating impact. Further, scheme achieved women empowerment basing on their numerical predominance and improved self-confidence, signifying impact. The study recommends that Farmers’ Association of Community self-Help Investment Groups (FACHIG) resuscitated its savings component using the Self-Help Group (SHG) thrift approach to ensure scheme sustainability. In addition, climate change, a phenomenon which increased droughts, could have dampened impact. However, the research did not delve into this area, compelling a future study.

This legal study identifies through a case-study of Zimbabwe the range of essential legal reforms an emerging market should implement to establish financial infrastructure that enables the structuring of securitization transactions and the prevention and management of risks – such as those highlighted by the 2007 global financial crisis – that can arise from securitization transactions. The study analyses: (i) laws regulating or relating to prudentially regulated firms that typically use securitization to refinance; (ii) corporate and trust laws to identify legal structures which can be utilised as securitization special purpose vehicles; (iii) the Roman-Dutch law of sale to determine whether it permits the true-sale of financial assets; (iv) various legal risks, including substantive-consolidation, veil-piercing, foreclosure, insolvency and tax risks; (v) the dispute resolution framework; and (vi) the structured finance risk mitigation properties of Zimbabwe‘s financial market regulatory framework. The study concludes that Zimbabwe‘s legal system permits most of the contractual arrangements that constitute a basic securitization transaction. However, its financial services regulatory and gatekeeping framework - which must be reformed - is rudimentary and ill-suited to preventing and managing systemic risks that can arise from securitization. This is the first comprehensive academic study which investigates the extent to which the Roman-Dutch legal system enables the various contractual arrangements that constitute a securitization transaction. It also presents an analytical model for reviewing the securitization-enabling characteristics of emerging markets‘ legal systems and the securitization risk mitigation properties of their financial infrastructures.

The Zimbabwean economy has been in decline for the past two decades with the economic situation reaching its worst state in 2008. This period was followed by the adoption of a multi-currency regime in 2009, which the Zimbabwean government hoped would lend some stability to the crumbling economy. The agricultural sector, which was previously considered the cornerstone of the economy has been contributing increasingly less and less to the country's gross Domestic Product, with the current state of the sector being the worst it has been since the country's independence in 1980. Much research has been done to establish the source of the decline in the sector with the major findings pointing toward unfavourable weather conditions, the issue of the equitable distribution of land and the IMF and WB mandated Economic Structural Adjustment Program. This research focused on the effects of ESAP on the agricultural sector with a view to highlight the themes that emerged on key indicators over the adjustment period from 1990 to 1995 as well as a period after to 2000 in order to consider the time lagged effects of adjustment policies. In addition to this, this research investigated the extent to which the ESAP policies were applied, and whether this may have been a reason for ESAP's perceived failings. This paper concluded that despite the shortcomings of ESAP, policies recommended pursuant to this program were not the direct source of the decline of the sector, but rather the non or poor implementation of policies as well as the socio-political environment in the country.

A review of strategic thinking literature indicates that research has tended to focus on experiences contributing to strategic thinking, the strategic thinking perspectives that executives are likely to follow based on the environments in which they have developed their strategic competencies, and examining executives’ cognitive maps within the context of strategic management (O’ Shannassy 2003; Kutschera, and Ryan, 2009; Meyer, 2007). As an expansion of these principles and foundations of strategic thinking, this research was a study of the extent to which strategic thinking perspectives are utilised during macro environmental turbulence. According to Cravens et al. (2009: 31) volatility, reinvention, and fundamental changes in markets present unprecedented challenges to researchers and executives. “Unfortunately, too often traditional conceptual models and theories fail to provide adequate insight for coping with this new and rapidly changing business environment. Traditional market perspectives and conceptual logic may even blind researchers and strategic decision makers to the real threats present in the changing competitive landscape and new market space, and to opportunities for added value which can be uncovered and exploited” Cravens et al. (2009: 31). Hyperinflation in Zimbabwe was a major problem from 2003 to April 2009, when the country suspended its own currency and for the next five years the country continued to struggle with various macro environmental challenges. It is this backdrop that makes this research intriguing, where the soundness of any organisation is said to be crucially linked to the soundness of the macro environment, including macroeconomic policies as well as internal governance, market discipline; regulation and supervision (Louw and Venter, 2010). The research was a case study of BancABC Zimbabwe and focused on the period 2009 to 2013. BancABC Zimbabwe is a subsidiary of ABC Holdings Limited which is listed on the Botswana and Zimbabwe stock exchanges (BancABC, 2012). The aim of the study as the first key activity was to explore and describe how the BancABC executives responded to the critical macro environmental incidents identified, at a management or executive team perspective, and secondly, whether the rational reasoning or generative reasoning perspective was dominant during the period of turbulence. The goal is to gain insights of the strategic thinking process followed by executives during a period of macro-environmental turbulence. Literature defines strategic thinking concept as the cognitive process undertaken by executives in relation to problem solving in the business context. Two main perspectives are discussed: Strategic thinking as a science (rational thinking) is the prescriptive, structured nature of strategic thinking; arguments are that it is a less complex perspective for executives to adopt. Strategic thinking as an art (generative thinking) is the perspective that allows the strategist to think outside the box and be more creative about solving strategic problems. The discussion presents how the two perspectives can be used to complement each other and provide a more robust strategic thinking framework. The multi-perspective approach to strategic thinking recommends the right balance between analysis, intuition and creativity can be used to create new frameworks and innovative solutions. The ability to balance these strategic thinking perspectives enables executives to solve strategic problems (Linkov, 1999). The research findings highlighted the effect of time and availability of information on the strategic thinking perspective adopted by executives during times of uncertainty. It was noted that when time and information were available, executives appeared to use the rational strategic thinking perspective, while if there was limited time and information to solve problems the generative thinking perspective was dominantly used. Further the importance of integrative strategic thinking which facilitates the use of both intuition and analysis when solving strategic problems in a turbulent macro environment was also highlighted. The research thesis adopted the structure of a case study, relying on the critical incident technique to create the context of the study; and can be used to explore and discuss strategic thinking for teaching purposes. The results of the study can be recognised as a contribution towards the development of strategic thinking particularly in times of turbulence. It can also form the basis for future studies in the context of strategic thinking.

The purpose of this study is to, firstly, identify opportunities for manufactured exports from South Africa to its five largest trading partners in the SADC region, namely Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Secondly, the study investigates the challenges facing South African firms in exporting to the SADC markets and the strategies that can be pursued to overcome these challenges. The study uses a mixed-methods approach where secondary quantitative data was analysed to identify manufactured products with high potential for export to the selected SADC countries. Semi-structured interviews were used to answer the secondary research questions related to identifying export challenges facing South Africa, and strategies to overcome these challenges. It was found that the products with the highest potential for export to the five countries are mainly found in heavy duty vehicles, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, structural and building materials, construction machinery and equipment, and petroleum oils and other petroleum products. The main challenges, as well as strategies to overcome these challenges, were grouped into seven themes as follows: Facilitation of Trade; Understanding the SADC Market; South Africa's relationship with the Rest of Africa; Non-tariff Barriers; Regional Integration; South African competitiveness; and Competition. The recommendations of the study include South Africa developing a more tailored approach to doing business with the SADC countries in terms of product and service offerings as well as trade promotion activities. Furthermore the development of a market intelligence database, training programmes, a cohesive marketing strategy for the country's capabilities and a regional value chain approach are recommended. It is hoped that the findings of the study will contribute towards informing the development of a targeted regional export strategy for South Africa.

This research looked at external funding and its role in determining the success rate of the developmental agenda at country specific level. To undertake this investigation, the role of external funding was assessed alongside other factors largely viewed to be also relevant in discussing the success of the development agenda. The research relied on primary data collected from various participants deemed to be relevant stakeholders in development studies and its success drivers. The sample comprised bilaterals, multilaterals, aid agencies, private commercial sector, policy makers, regulators and the UN agencies. Extensive research was conducted using semi-structured questionnaires and also supported by interviews to probe further on the key sub-topics. The other factors explored alongside external funding in terms of their significance in influencing outcome of the development agenda are strong financial institutions, strong legal institutions, economic reform, competent human capital and international trade. While the factors linked to governance were ranked highly in terms of significance in driving Zimbabwe’ s achievement of sustainable development goals, the numeric difference on points scored were not materially significant. The research outcome highlighted the interconnectedness of the factors assessed in augmenting the impact of capital inflows in meeting the development agenda. In addition, it exposed the significance of broader stakeholder consultation and commitment at a national level.

This study examines the value relevance of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) based accounting measures for the periods before, during and after hyperinflation in Zimbabwe. The study uses a sample of 30 listed companies for the entire period from 1996 to 2013. It uses the fixed effects (FE) technique to examine the value relevance of IFRS based accounting numbers using the price model as the main tool for analysis and thereafter, the returns model as an additional tool for further analysis to this study Using the price model, the results show that IFRS based accounting measures in the form of earnings per share (EPS) and book value of equity per share (BVPS) are more value relevant before and during the hyperinflation periods relative to the after-hyperinflation period using the share prices 4 months after year end as proxies for firm value. The results also show that EPS is more value relevant before and during the hyperinflation period where as BVPS is not. The results further show that both EPS and BVPS are not value relevant for the period after hyperinflation when share prices 4 months after year end are used in the analysis. Further tests under the price model show no change in the conclusions reached if share prices 5 and 6 months after year end are used. Furthermore, tests based on a year on year analysis show that IFRS based accounting measures were more value relevant before and during the hyperinflation period relative to the after the hyperinflation period. In addition, for the period during hyperinflation, the year on year analysis shows that the EPS measure was value relevant for all the years while the BVPS was not for the years 2003 and 2005. A further test on whether historical cost IFRS based accounting measures are more value relevant than inflation adjusted IFRS based accounting measures (used in the main analysis) was also conducted for the period during hyperinflation (i.e. 2000-2005 only). The results based on this analysis show that both historical cost and inflation adjusted IFRS based accounting measures are value relevant during a hyperinflationary period irrespective of whether share prices 4, 5 or 6 months are used as proxies for firm value. Thus, this finding shows that historical cost and inflation adjusted accounting information should be used as complements and not as substitutes for each other. Using the returns model under additional analysis, the results further show that the accounting measures were more value relevant before and during the hyperinflation periods relative to the after-hyperinflation period. The results also show that EPS was value relevant before and during hyperinflation irrespective of whether share returns 4, 5 or 6 months after year end were used in the analysis. In addition, further tests based on the returns model show that both historical cost and inflation adjusted sets of accounting measures are value relevant for share valuation purposes during the hyperinflation period. This finding confirms that both historical cost and inflation adjusted accounting measures are value relevant and thus should be used jointly.

Due to climate change, fisher households who depend on fishing for their livelihood are faced with a number of challenges that include low productivity. There is now an acknowledgement internationally that fishers cannot depend on hunting fish when all other food producing sectors have adapted. How economic and feasible is it for fishers to consider aquaculture in the face of climate change? This dissertation investigates the economic viability of aquaculture as a climate change adaptation option in rural fisher communities of Zimbabwe. The southern lowveld district of Mwenezi was used as a case study in the economic evaluation of pond culture and cage culture as a climate change adaptation strategy from a baseline position. Data was obtained from secondary sources which include the private sector involved in aquaculture, civil society organisations and the fishers practising aquaculture in both Mwenezi and another district, Kariba. The cost benefit analysis method of economic evaluation was used to assess the economic viability of pond and cage culture forms of aquaculture. The net present value, internal rate of return and benefit cost ratio were used as the decision criteria. Two scenarios were considered depending on the type of funding for the initial investment - scenario one was built on donor funding support while scenario two relied on a bank loan with interest for financing. A sensitivity analysis was also performed to determine the extent to which different factors affect the economic viability of both pond and cage culture. Both pond and cage culture were found to be economically viable as climate change adaptation options in fisher communities of Zimbabwe. Cage culture was found to have a higher net present value under both scenarios when compared to pond culture. However, under scenario two, pond culture was found to have a higher internal rate of return and benefit cost ratio. The inconsistencies were due to the variations in the scale of upfront investments between pond and cage culture where the latter requires a higher initial investment. Key factors that affect the viability of aquaculture as an adaptation strategy in Zimbabwe include the market price of fish, the cost of fish feeds and the price of fingerlings. While these factors are primarily economic, there are other factors which may affect the viability such as the increasing frequency of natural disasters.

Thesis (MDF (Development Finance))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Meer en meer mense werk buite hul land van herkoms as ooit tevore, en die geld wat hulle stuur na hul tuislande kan bestempel word as ‘n belangrike ekonomiese krag. Hierdie geld kan ’n belangrike rol speel in die ekonomie wat die geld ontvang. Die geld wat reiswerkers tuis stuur word remise of geldsending genoem en oortref reeds Offisiële Ontwikkelingshulp en oortref selfs Buitelandse Investering in sommige lande. Hierdie navorsingsverslag fokus op Zimbabwe, ’n land waarvan die ekonomie volgens sommiges reeds lank gelede moes ineengestort het. Die studie ondersoek tot watter mate geldsending die Zimbabwe ekonomie beskerm teen ineenstorting. Die verslag gebruik ’n opname onder verskeie rolspelers om te wys hoe geldsending die Zimbabwe ekonomie beskerm teen internasionale uitsluiting en sanksies. Zimbabweërs wat die ekonomiese swaarkry vrygespring het in hul land van herkoms stuur voortdurend geld na vriende en familie. Remise word deels gebruik as investering in kleinsake, terwyl deel van die buitelandse valuta investeer word in komoditeite wat die land moeilik deur offisiële kanale sou kon bekom. Die studie het bevind dat geldsending in 2005 en 2006 ongeveeer 25.5% en 25 persent respektiewelik tot die Bruto Nasioanle Produk van Zimbabwe bygedra het. Die studie het verder ’n paar interresante bevindinge gemaak. Een van hierdie is die ongedokumenteerde verskynsel van defleksie van geldsending na meer stabiele ekonomieë of geldeenhede. Sulke remise word dan in die land gehou waar dit gegenereer is, of dit word gestuur in ’n stabiele geldeenheid, of dit word selfs in die vorm van produkte soos kos gestuur.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: More and more people are working outside their countries of citizenship than before. These people are now a major economic force to their countries of origin as they are sending a lot of money to relatives back home. This income plays a key role in receiving economies. The money migrants send home is referred to as remittances and the amount transferred globally has eclipsed official development assistance (ODA) and in some economies it is well ahead of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). This research focuses on Zimbabwe, a country whose economy has long been anticipated to collapse but has so far evaded that implosion. It explores to which extent remittances are cushioning Zimbabwe’s economy from collapse. This report uses a survey of a number of role players to show how remittances have cushioned that economy from the effects of international isolation and sanctions. Zimbabweans who “escaped” the economic hardships in their country of origin have been consistently sending money home to their friends and relations. Money received has partly been invested in small businesses and part of the forex has been used to procure commodities that the country has struggled to acquire through official channels. The study found that the amount of remittances sent for 2005 and 2006 has respectively contributed approximately 25.5 and 25 percent to the GDP of Zimbabwe. The study further made a number of interesting findings. One of these seems to be the undocumented phenomenon of the deflection of remittances to more stable economies or currencies. Such remittances would be kept in the country where it is generated, or it would be sent back in a stable country, or could even be in the form of products such as food.

The 2008-2009 global financial crisis resulting in some banks collapsing has raised questions about the corporate governance of financial institutions. Some bank managers lack an understanding of the role of corporate governance in preventing bank failures. In this multiple case study, data were collected through interviews and triangulated with annual reports to explore the strategies some bank managers need to improve their understanding of the role of corporate governance in preventing bank failures in Zimbabwe. The 7 study participants were purposefully recruited from a larger population of 19 bank managers responsible for corporate governance and compliance operating in Zimbabwe between 2009 and 2015. This study was grounded in the concept of corporate governance using the agency theory. The central research question explored strategies bank managers can employ to improve their understanding of the role of corporate governance in preventing bank failures in Zimbabwe. The transcribed interviews were coded to generate themes and validated through member checking. Four themes emerged from the research: the need for improvement on compliance to corporate governance policies and regulations, recruitment of qualified and competent directors who should be independent non executive in majority, risk management and internal control, and training, education, and awareness of best practices. This study may have a positive social impact in that a stable and profitable banking environment creates and sustains employment and results in an improvement in the individuals' standard of living.

The purpose of the current study was to assess how RBF performed in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, equity and governance in the Zimbabwean context. It outlines the evolution of health systems thinking and health funding models over time to show the history and changing landscape of health care financing and their actors. General consensus is there is need to focus on results of health care investments against a background of prodigious amounts of foreign aid with marginal or no improvements in heath care delivery for decades of development assistance in developing countries. Health systems in developing countries are beset with burgeoning domestic and foreign debts as well as diminishing fiscal space that has more often put the primary health delivery system in developing nations in "comatose". The research made use of both qualitative and quantitative dimensions. Findings indicate that the pre-RBF era was characterised by poor primary health outcomes, unsound governance and a lack of confidence in the public health delivery system. However, since RBF implementation, access to health care by marginalised groups has increased, with incentives and community participation liberalising health systems to greater efficiency as shown by slight increases in post-natal care visits in rural health care centres. A trade-off between achieving efficiency and equity was found especially when scaling up health programmes under the RBF initiative. Through embracing RBF, the primary health delivery system is poised for future development attributed to community buy-in and people-centric empowerment approaches.

The challenge to virtually all businesses is to ensure viability in increasingly changing operating environments. This challenge becomes more pronounced when the operating environment is one that rapidly deteriorates to a level where survival becomes the focal point. A hyperinflationary environment is one such environment which renders some common business processes and models death traps which can lead to insolvency. Under hyperinflationary environments, working capital management becomes of paramount importance to the survival of business operations. This dissertation attempts to highlight the key characteristics of a hyperinflationary environment which, if not closely managed, can lead to the demise of a business no matter how good its strategic plans or technological assets may be. In order to highlight these key elements, this dissertation covers a review of hyperinflation aspects and their impact on working capital management components. This impact is further analysed through extraction of financial performances of various companies to establish validity of these aspects and how best they can be managed. In addition, a survey is conducted through the administration of a questionnaire to establish the impact on the various working capital components. This dissertation ends by suggesting an adjustment to the working capital management model to suit business operations in hyperinflationary environments. The result is not an attempt to create new models or theories but in essence, a confirmation of the need for flexible management that timeously adapts to the changing environment.
Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZlu Natal, 2006.

Results Based Financing (RBF) models are results oriented, linking performance indicators to incentives to motivate health workers to deliver quality care in anticipation of rewards attached to service delivery. The study sought to explore nurses’ views and experiences regarding the implementation of RBF in Zimbabwe with the aim of recommending measures to strengthen the programme. The researcher used a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive design in this study. The population of this study comprised 21 nurses. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to select professional nurses involved in implementing RBF in Mrewa District, Mashonaland East Province, Zimbabwe. Data were collected through focus group discussions using an interview guide. Three (3) focus group discussions were conducted during this study, following a pilot study consisting of six (6) conveniently sampled nurses in Mashonaland East Province. Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim. Permission to proceed with this study was granted by the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the University of South Africa. Measures to ensure credibility, dependability, conformability and transferability were followed. Data were analysed using Creswell’s data analysis steps. Data were transcribed and thematically analysed, and emerging patterns were noted. The researcher examined these categories closely and compared them for similarities and differences, identifying the most frequent or significant codes in order to develop the main categories. These were summarised in narrative form. Four themes emerged from data: interpretation of RBF; role of nurses in the implementation of RBF; evaluation of RBF; and strengthening implementation of RBF. The study revealed various interpretations of RBF that converged to definitions of RBF in literature. Nurses viewed themselves as key and important players in the successful implementation of RBF. The successes and challenges of RBF were presented. Several measures that could strengthen the implementation of donor funds were highlighted, including subsidisation of low catchment health facilities, inclusion of district hospitals on the RBF programme, increasing financial autonomy of health facilities and the review of procurement guidelines. The study assumed that these measures will enhance nurses’ work experience in donor funded health care delivery, and improve health outcomes.
Health Studies
M.P.H.

The challenge in most developing countries is lack of funding in education. This leaves no option for most learners except to drop out of school. Even when safety nets are provided for by governments, this does not fully address the issues of access, equity and retention in secondary education. Education for All, as pronounced in the Dakar Declaration (2000) calls on governments to address access, retention and equity in basic education, overlooking the provision of secondary education. Many policies were adopted by governments in post-colonial rule in Africa and Asia to address the colonial disparities in education. This had a tendency of drowning the budgets in educational matters, notwithstanding the issues of fully addressing access, equity and retention in secondary education. In the developing world, the bulk of the population lives in rural areas where infrastructure for teaching and learning still has to catch up with the urban setting. In view of the global economic meltdown in the 1980s, 1990s and mid-2008, education has seen a squeeze on its budget. It is in this context that funding for secondary education has to be analysed in order to establish policies and programmes which are most suitable and sustainable to enable access, equity and retention of learners in secondary education. Models of funding in various countries are carefully examined in this study, in order to draw on the best practices in funding secondary education as applicable to the Zimbabwean case, and possibly to other countries in a similar situation. The research was carried out in three administrative districts of the Manicaland province of Zimbabwe. Using a mixed methods approach, this study examines the safety nets for the provision of secondary school education in Zimbabwe and proposes better ways to finance secondary school education.
Educational Leadership and Management
D. Ed. (Education Management)

Abstract in English, Afrikaans and Zulu
The study investigated the effects of social media on mobile money adoption in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The main gap identified in empirical literature is the omission of social media use in technology adoption models and social networking theories. While some theories acknowledge the role of social influences in technology adoption, the social interactions considered therein are not mediated through the internet as is social media. Furthermore, no empirical study has to date focused on how social media influences mobile money technology adoption. Thus, this study deviates from the offline social network analysis approach which is restricted to the neighbourhood effects, physical contact, cell phone calls and text messages where information on mobile money technology is disseminated to an individual’s limited social circle. The secondary data used for the study were obtained from individual responses in the cross-sectional FinScope consumer surveys South Africa 2015 and Zimbabwe 2014 which were conducted and reported by FinMark Trust (2015; 2014). The study employed the binary logistic regression model to estimate the nature of effect. The results of the study indicated that use of social media had a positive and statistically significant impact on mobile money adoption in both South Africa and Zimbabwe. The results also revealed that despite there being a lower internet penetration and social media usage rate in Zimbabwe than South Africa, the use of social media in the former led to a higher rate of mobile money adoption. The study also established that mere use of social media and availability of mobile money technology did not translate to a high adoption rate; instead, availability had to be matched by a demand for the financial services. Additionally, the study found that the interaction of mobile money adoption and use of social media increased the overall mobile money adoption in both countries. The study recommended the implementation of collective policies that increase internet penetration to facilitate increased use of social media platforms and promote mobile money adoption to foster improved financial inclusion in developing countries.
Hierdie studie het die gevolge van sosiale media op die ingebruikneming van mobiele geld in Suid-Afrika en Zimbabwe ondersoek. Die belangrikste leemte wat in empiriese literatuur geïdentifiseer is, is die weglating van die gebruik van sosiale media in tegnologieaanvaardingsmodelle en sosialenetwerkvorming-teorieë. Hoewel sommige teorieë (teorie van beredeneerde handeling; teorie van beplande gedrag; diffusie van innovasie) die rol van sosiale invloede op tegnologieaanvaarding erken, word die sosiale interaksies wat daarin oorweeg word nie deur middel van die internet bemiddel nie, soos wel in die geval van sosiale media. Boonop het geen empiriese studie tot op hede gefokus op hoe sosiale media die ingebruikneming van mobielegeld-tegnologie beïnvloed nie. Hierdie studie wyk dus af van die niegekoppelde sosialenetwerkontleding-benadering, wat beperk is tot die omgewingsgevolge, fisieke kontak, selfoonoproepe en teksboodskappe, waar inligting oor mobielegeld-tegnologie aan ʼn individu se beperkte sosiale kring versprei word. Die sekondêre data wat vir die studie gebruik is, is verkry uit afsonderlike response in die deursnee- FinScope-verbruikersopnames (Suid-Afrika 2015 en Zimbabwe 2014), wat onderneem en bekendgemaak is deur FinMark Trust (2015; 2014). Die studie maak gebruik van die binêre logistiese regressiemodel om die aard van effek te skat. Studiebevindings dui daarop dat die gebruik van sosiale media ’n positiewe en statisties beduidende uitwerking op die ingebruikneming van mobiele geld in sowel Suid-Afrika as Zimbabwe het. Die resultate wys ook dat, ondanks ’n laer internetpenetrasie en sosialemedia-gebruikskoers in Zimbabwe, die gebruik van sosiale media in Zimbabwe tot ’n hoër koers van ingebruikneming van mobiele geld in dié land as in Suid-Afrika tot gevolg het. Daar word verder waargeneem dat die blote gebruik van sosiale media en die beskikbaarheid van mobielegeld-tegnologie nie geredelik omgesit kan word in ’n hoë ingebruiknemingskoers nie; beskikbaarheid moet met ’n vraag na die finansiële dienste gepaard gaan. Daarbenewens toon die studie dat die interaksie tussen mobielegeld-ingebruikneming en die gebruik van sosiale media die oorkoepelende ingebruikneming van mobiele geld in albei lande versterk. Die studie beveel die implementering van beleide aan wat internetpenetrasie verhoog om wydverspreide gebruik van sosiale media te fasiliteer, wat op sy beurt die ingebruikneming van mobiele geld sal bevorder, wat finansiële insluiting sal bevorder.
Ucwaningo luphenyisise imiphumela ye-social media ekwamukelweni kwe-mobile money eNingizimu Afrika naseZimbabwe. Igebe elikhulu eliphawuliwe kwimibhalo yobufakazi ukweqiwa kokussetshenziswa kwe-social media ekwamukelweni kwama-technology adoption models kanye namathiyori e-social networking. Kodwa amanye amathiyori (i-theory of reasoned action; i-theory of planned behaviour; i-diffusion of innovation) amukela indima yemithelela ye-social influences ekwamukelweni kwetheknoloji, ngokusebenzisana kwama-social interactions abonelelwe lapha, awaxhunyaniswa nge-inthanethi, njenge-social media. Kanti-ke futhi okunye, akukho bufakazi bocwaningo kuze kubemanje obugxile kwindlela i-social media enomthelela ngayo kwi-mobile money technology adoption. Ngakho-ke, lolu cwaningo luyehluka kwizinqubo ze-offline social network analysis approach, enezihibe kwimiphumela esondelene nayo, ukuxhumana ngokubamba, ukushayelana izingcingo nge-cellphone, kanye nemilayezo ebhaliwe, lapho ulwazi kwi-mobile money technology lusatshalaliswa kumuntu ngamunye nalabo asondelene nabo. I-secondary data esetshenzisiwe kucwaningo itholakale kwizimpendulo zabantu ngamunye kwi-cross-sectional FinScope consumer surveys (iNingizimu Afrika 2015 kanye neZimbabwe 2014), olwenziwa nokubikwa nge-FinMark Trust (2015:2014). Ucwaningo lusebenzisa i-binary logistic regression model ukulinganisa inhlobo yomphumela. Imiphumela yocwaningo ikhombisa ukuthi i-social media inomphumela omuhle futhi ngomphumela wezibalo ezibalulekile ekwamukelweni kwe-mobile money okwamukelwe kuwo womabili amazwe iNingizimu Afrika kanye neZimbabwe. Imiphumela ikhombise nokuthi, ngisho noma i-inthanethi ingakangeneleli kangako kwezinye izindawo, kodwa izinga lokusetshenziswa kwe-social media eZimbabwe kungaphezulu kuneNingizimu Afrika, ukusetshenziswa eZimbabwe kuhola phambili ngezinga eliphezulu ekwamukelweni kwe-mobile money kunaseNingizimu Afrika. Kanti futhi kuphawulwa ukuthi ukusetshenziswa kwe-social media kanye nokutholakala kwe-mobile money technology, akuhambelani ngezinga lokwamukelwa kakhulu; ukutholakala kumele kuhambelane nesidingeko samasevisi ezezimali. Nangaphezu kwalokho, ucwaningo lukhombisa ukuthi ukusebenzisana kokwamukelwa kwe-mobile money nokusetshenziswa kwe-social media kuphakamisa ukwamukelwa kakhulu kwe-mobile money kuwo womabili amazwe. Ucwaningo luncoma ukuthi ukwamukelwa kwemigomo enyusa ukungenelela kakhulu kwe-inthanethi ukulekelela ukusetshenziswa kakhulu kwe-social media, kanti futhi lokhu okuzophakamisa kakhulu ukwamukelwa kwe-mobile money okusiza ukubandakanya wonke kwezezimali.
Business Management
D. Phil. (Management Studies)

The thesis examined the comprehensive causal relationship between the banking sector, stock market development and economic growth in a multi-variate framework using Zimbabwean time series data from 1988 to 2015. Three banking sector development proxies (total financial sector credit, banking credit to private sector and broad money M3) and three stock market development proxies (stock market capitalization, value traded and turnover ratio) were employed to estimate both long and short run relationships between banking sector, stock market and economic growth in Zimbabwe. The study employs the vector error correction model (VECM) as the main estimation technique and the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach as a robustness testing technique. Results showed that in Zimbabwe a significant causal relationship from banking sector and stock market development to economic growth exists in the long run without any feedback effects. In the short run, however, a negative yet statistically significant causal relationship runs from economic growth to banking sector and stock market development in Zimbabwe. The study further concludes that there is a unidirectional causal relationship running from stock market development to banking sector development in Zimbabwe in both short and long run periods. Nonetheless this relationship between banking sector and stock markets has been found to be more significant in the short run than in the long run. The thesis adopts the complementary view and recommends for the spontaneity implementation of monetary policies as the economy grows. Monetary authorities should thus formulate policies to promote both banks and stock markets with corresponding growth in Zimbabwe’s economy.
Business Management
M. Com. (Business Management)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of philanthropic interventions in public high schools in Mutasa district of Zimbabwe. Three research questions guided the study. The investigation focused on finding out the types of philanthropic interventions in the public high school and to evaluate their impact on the schools and students involved from an educational management perspective. The investigation was a mixed methods research using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Data was collected by questionnaire, interview and documentary sources. Principals of twenty nine high schools responded to a questionnaire. Interview data was gathered from two representatives of non-governmental organisations. One NGO also provided documents for more data. Two individual philanthropists from the district were also interviewed. The results of the study indicate that philanthropic interventions have made significant improvements to the physical infrastructure of some schools. During the 2014 study there were about 700 students from poor backgrounds on various school fees assistance programmes. School enrolment and completion rates have increased. School drop-outs have decreased. Over 6 500 former beneficiaries of fees from one donor organisation have formed an alumni association to assist other children in disadvantaged circumstances. It is strongly recommended that schools in the district and elsewhere use online social network platforms to organise alumni associations from a wider catchment area beyond national borders. Alumni associations are a potentially rich source of philanthropic revenue hardly tapped in the district. Schools should create their own websites to be exposed to a global audience of donors for possible funding of their projects.
Educational Leadership and Management
D. Ed. (Education Management)

Abstracts in English, Zulu and Southern Sotho
The advent of Basel II Capital Accord has revolutionised credit risk measurement (CRM) to the extent that the once “perceived riskier bank assets” are now accommodated for lending. The Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector has been traditionally perceived as a riskier and unprofitable asset for lending activity by Commercial Banks, in particular. But empirical studies on the implementation of the Basel II internal-ratings-based (IRB) framework have demonstrated that SME credit risk is measurable. Banks are still finding it difficult to forecast SME loan default and to provide credit to the sector that meet Basel’s capital requirements. The thesis proposes to construct an empirical credit risk measurement (CRM) model, specifically for SMEs, to ameliorate the adverse effects of SME credit inaccessibility due to high information asymmetry between financial institutions (FI) and SMEs in Zimbabwe. A well-performing and accurate CRM helps FIs to control their risk exposure through selective granting of credit based on a thorough statistical analysis of historical customer data. This thesis develops a CRM model, built on a statistically random sample, known-good-bad (KGB) sample, which is a better representation of the through-the-door (TTD) population of SME loan applicants. The KGB sample incorporates both accepted and rejected applications, through reject inference (RI). A model-based bound and collapse (BC) reject inference methodology was empirically used to correct selectivity bias inherent in CRM domain. The results have shown great improvement in the classification power and aggregate supply of credit supply to the SME portfolio of the case-studied bank, as evidenced by substantial decrease of bad rates across models developed; from the preliminary model to final model designed for the case-studied bank. The final model was validated using both bad rate, confusion matrix metrics and Area under Receiver Operating Characteristic (AUROC) curve to assess the classification power of the model within-sample and out-of-sample. The AUROC for the final model (weak model) was found to be 0.9782 whilst bad rate was found to be 14.69%. There was 28.76% improvement in the bad rate in the final model in comparison with the current CRM model being used by the case-studied bank.
Isivumelwano seBasel II Capital Accord sesishintshe indlela yokulinganisa ubungozi bokunikezana ngesikweletu credit risk measurement (CRM) kwaze kwafika ezingeni lapho izimpahla ezazithathwa njengamagugu anobungozi “riskier bank assets” sezimukelwa njengesibambiso sokuboleka imali. Umkhakha wezamaBhizinisi Amancane naSafufusayo, phecelezi, Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) kudala uqondakala njengomkhakha onobungozi obukhulu futhi njengomkhakha ongangenisi inzuzo, ikakhulu njengesibambiso sokubolekwa imali ngamabhange ahwebayo. Kodwa izifundo zocwaningo ezimayelana nokusetshenziswa nokusetshenziswa kwesakhiwo iBasel II internal-ratings-based (IRB) sezikhombisile ukuthi ubungozi bokunikeza isikweletu kumabhizinisi amancane nasafufusayo (SME) sebuyalinganiseka. Yize kunjalo, amabhange asathola ukuthi kusenzima ukubona ngaphambili inkinga yokungabhadeleki kahle kwezikweletu kanye nokunikeza isikweletu imikhakha enemigomo edingekayo yezimali kaBasel. Lolu cwaningo beluphakamisa ukwakha uhlelo imodeli ephathekayo yokulinganisa izinga lobungozi bokubolekisa ngemali (CRM) kwihlelo lokuxhasa ngezimali ama-SME, okuyihlelo elilawulwa yiziko lezimali ezweni laseZimbabwe. Imodeli ye-CRM esebenza kahle futhi eshaya khona inceda amaziko ezimali ukugwema ubungozi bokunikezana ngezikweletu ngokusebenzisa uhlelo lokunikeza isikweletu ababoleki abakhethekile, lokhu kususelwa ohlelweni oluhlaziya amanani edatha engumlando wekhasimende. Imodeli ye-CRM ephakanyisiwe yaqala yakhiwa ngohlelo lwamanani, phecelezi istatistically random sample, okuluphawu olungcono olumele uhlelo lwe through-the-door (TTD) population lokukhetha abafakizicelo zokubolekwa imali bama SME, kanti lokhu kuxuba zona zombili izicelo eziphumelele kanye nezingaphumelelanga. Indlela yokukhetha abafakizicelo, phecelezi model-based bound-and-collapse (BC) reject-inference methodology isetshenzisiwe ukulungisa indlela yokukhetha ngokukhetha ngendlela yokucwasa kwisizinda seCRM. Imiphumela iye yakhombisa intuthuko enkulu mayelana namandla okwehlukanisa kanye nokunikezwa kwezikweletu kuma SME okungamamabhange enziwe ucwaningo lotho., njengoba lokhu kufakazelwa ukuncipha okukhulu kwe-bad rate kuwo wonke amamodeli athuthukisiwe. Imodeli yokuqala kanye neyokugcina zazidizayinelwe ibhange. Imodeli yokugcina yaqinisekiswa ngokusebenzisa zombili indlela isikweletu esingagculisi kanye negrafu ye-Area under Receiver Operating Characteristic (AUROC) ukulinganisa ukwehlukaniswa kwamandla emodeli engaphakathi kwesampuli nangaphandle kwesampuli. Uhlelo lwe-AUROC lwemodeli yokugcina (weak model) lwatholakala ukuthi luyi 0.9782, kanti ibad rate yatholakala ukuthi yenza i-14.69%. Kwaba khona ukuthuthuka nge-28.76% kwi-bad rate kwimodeli yokugcina uma iqhathaniswa nemodeli yamanje iCRM model ukuba isetshenziswe yibhange elithile.
Basel II Capital Accord e fetotse tekanyo ya kotsi ya mokitlane (credit risk measurement (CRM)) hoo “thepa e kotsi ya dibanka” ka moo e neng e bonwa ka teng, e seng e fuwa sebaka dikadimong. Lekala la Dikgwebo tse Nyane le tse Mahareng (SME) le bonwa ka tlwaelo jwalo ka lekala le kotsi e hodimo le senang ditswala bakeng sa ditshebetso tsa dikadimo haholo ke dibanka tsa kgwebo. Empa dipatlisiso tse thehilweng hodima se bonweng kapa se etsahetseng tsa tshebetso ya moralo wa Basel II internal-ratings-based (IRB) di supile hore kotsi ya mokitlane ya SME e kgona ho lekanngwa. Leha ho le jwalo, dibanka di ntse di thatafallwa ke ho bonelapele palo ya ditlholeho tsa ho lefa tsa diSME le ho fana ka mokitla lekaleng leo le kgotsofatsang ditlhoko tsa Basel tsa ditjhelete. Phuputso ena e ne sisinya ho etsa tekanyo ya se bonwang ho mmotlolo wa kotsi ya mokitlane (CRM) tshebetsong ya phano ya tjhelete ya diSME e etswang ke setsi sa ditjhelete (FI) ho la Zimbabwe. Mmotlolo o sebetsang hantle hape o fanang ka dipalo tse nepahetseng o dusa diFI hore di laole pepeso ya tsona ho kotsi ka phano e kgethang ya mokitlane, e thehilweng hodima manollo ya dipalopalo ya dintlha tsa histori ya bareki. Mmotlolo o sisingwang wa CRM o hlahisitswe ho tswa ho sampole e sa hlophiswang, e leng pontsho e betere ya setjhaba se ikenelang le monyako (TTD) ya batho bao e kang bakadimi ba tjhelete ho diSME, hobane e kenyelletsa bakopi ba amohetsweng le ba hannweng. Mokgwatshebetso wa bound-and-collapse (BC) reject-inference o kentswe tshebetsong ho nepahatsa tshekamelo ya kgetho e leng teng ho lekala la CRM. Diphetho tsena di bontshitse ntlafalo e kgolo ho matla a tlhophiso le palohare ya phano ya mokitlane ho diSME tsa banka eo ho ithutilweng ka yona, jwalo ka ha ho pakilwe ke ho phokotseho ya direite tse mpe ho pharalla le dimmotlolo tse hlahisitsweng. Mmotlolo wa ho qala le wa ho qetela e ile ya ralwa bakeng sa banka. Mmotlolo wa ho qetela o ile wa netefatswa ka tshebediso ya bobedi reite e mpe le mothinya wa Area under Receiver Operating Characteristic (AUROC) ho lekanya matla a kenyo mekgahlelong a mmotlolo kahare ho sampole le kantle ho yona. AUROC bakeng sa mmotlo wa ho qetela (mmotlolo o fokotseng) e fumanwe e le 0.9782, ha reite e mpe e fumanwe e le 14.69%. Ho bile le ntlafalo ya 28.76% ho reite e mpe bakeng sa mmotlolo wa ho qetela ha ho bapiswa le mmotlolo wa CRM ha o sebediswa bankeng yona eo.
Graduate School of Business Leadership
D.B.L.