Faculty of Management Sciences

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Influence of incubation hubs on start-ups in Harare, Zimbabwe
(2021-11) Karambakuwa, Joe Kumbirai; Bayat, Mohamed Saheed
The thesis examines the effect of business incubation on new businesses. The research sheds light on how incubation centres are being implemented and how beneficial they are. The practice of business incubation is a crucial endeavour that can aid the growth of new enterprises. However, only a few studies have confirmed their influence on start-up survival. This study sheds light on how start-up enterprises evolve when they are exposed to incubation centres. An examination of the literature found that there is a gap in understanding the stages of start-up development because there is no consensus on the specific elements or paths that start-ups take. Literature showed that there was little that was known about what happens during and after company incubation since these aspects were considered black boxes. While there was literature on inclusive entrepreneurship, there was a vacuum in the linkage between the two. This study contributed to the body of knowledge by examining areas where there were gaps. To assess the influence of incubation on start-ups, the study used a qualitative methodology. Focus groups were used to obtain the data. Twenty-one start-up founders who met the requirement of having gone through the incubation phase made up the sample. To present the outcomes of the study, content analysis was done, and the NVivo software was used to analyse the data into thematic areas. The study found that hubs made a reasonable contribution to start-up competence and survival. Hubs aided in the expansion of businesses and assisted start-ups. The lack of capacity to accomplish the desired expansion was blamed for start-ups’ sluggish growth. According to the research findings, start-ups identified incubation hubs as centres that gave exposure and empowerment to start-ups. Several start-up business owners were not aware of some of the training and skills development that was provided to them before they began the incubation phase. Hubs were identified as centres of creativity and the generation of new ideas which aided them in successfully nurturing their businesses. Hubs encouraged serious thinking, analysis, as well as creativity, and the ability to do things differently. According to the findings, incubation centres offered start-ups mentorship as well as networking prospects. Networking was found to be essential since it allowed like-minded entrepreneurs to exchange ideas, opportunities, and open their minds to new possibilities and commercial options. The study found that hubs offered start-ups resources such as space, machinery, and technical assistance. As a result, reliance on standard company growth methods had certain limitations. The findings revealed that hubs bridged the gap between theory and practice, supporting lifelong learning and establishing discipline and professionalism in the business environment of start-ups. The hubs provide a well-structured strategy from beginning to end of the incubation process, allowing for better comprehension and lowering the risk of failure. The findings suggest that hubs offered a conducive atmosphere for start-ups and that respondents saw their firms expand. According to the study, incubation centres may play an important role in inclusive entrepreneurship by providing programmes to marginalised populations who can start businesses. Incubation hubs were found to have a significant impact on start-up survival. Incubators may be a driving force behind the creation of high-impact start-ups. The conclusions of this study have numerous theoretical as well as practical implications for incubation managers, policymakers, academic institutions, and startup entrepreneurs. Future research recommendations were made to better understand the constraints surrounding start-up incubation.
Exploring financial and investment strategies as foundational pillars of successful African economies : a case study of Namibia
(2018) Mutsvene, Thomas; Ngcamu, Bethuel Sibongiseni
This research outlines that amidst the raging debates, Africa is at the receiving end of the effects of ill-crafted financial and investment strategies of their own making. The major research problem is that African economies lose a lot of investment opportunities through lost investor confidence caused by political polarisation, weakening currency value and ignoring the resources available within the economy. The main aim of the research was to explore how financial and investment strategies can be used to improve African economies to be successful. The goal was to see how financial and investment strategy can be harnessed to achieve successful African economies through examining the effect of such strategies on the economy and comparing performance of Namibian economy against others as well as the impact of joining the rand monetary union and politics. The research adopted a mixed research methodology on data from eight countries out of the total population of fifty four African countries in various income levels. The sample size was two hundred (200) participants and one hundred and fifty (150) responded to the research instrument(s). The major findings revealed that financial and investment strategies revolving around the available resources are the bedrock upon which successful African economies hinge on, hence, there is need to tap into untapped resources and engage in massive beneficiation in pursuit of economic growth and development agenda. Practical and managerial implications of this research show the need of developing financial and investment strategies revolving around economy’s resources so as to tap into significant incomes and investment opportunities wrapped in them. The major contribution of this research is a thrust on beneficiation and value engineering along the resources exploitation value chain as most African literature has provided little scope on the importance of this process and its impact on financial and investment growth in Africa.
Conflict management strategies in settling workplace disputes : the case of Air Zimbabwe
(Virtus Interpress, 2015) Ngcobo, Sandiso; Komichi, Morgen
The aim of this article is to conduct the analysis of the conflict management strategies that Air Zimbabwe, a service delivery company in Zimbabwe in Southern Africa, employs in settling workplace disputes between it and its employees. The research approach relies mainly on a survey questionnaire that is completed by both the employees and management. The analysis of data is descriptive. The respondents indicate that strategies can move from a positive to a negative approach within a short space of time. The results are often detrimental for the quality of service that the company provides to its clientele. It is recommended that the parties should rely on negotiation and mediation to arrest conflicts before they escalate.

Faculty of Management Sciences

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