There is a general consensus among public policy makers, academics and researchers that entrepreneurship is a vital route to economic advancement for both developed and developing economies. As a result, a host of small business assistance programs are conducted by public, private and nonprofit organizations. Although the need for integrating these programs has always been a high priority on the national agenda for public policy and research in entrepreneurship, their implementation particularly in developing economies is characterized by fragmentation and lack of coordination. Small business assistance will be meaningful if they are designed in a holistic and systematic way and implemented with a view to achieve long term sustainable development. This paper offers a conceptual framework for designing an integrated model of small business assistance. The paper identifies the major characteristics of small firms and potential small business assistance programs, and presents a decision tree model that matches the characteristics of firms with appropriate assistance program(s). A case study of small business assistance programs in the Republic of Botswana was conducted to provide an empirical evidence of the need for an integrated design or model. Finally, conclusions, discussions and the implications of the model for policy makers, practitioners and further research are presented.
This article analyzes the strategic use of microcomputers and software packages in corporate planning and decision making in SMEs. Data were collected from 44 SMEs from three cities in the Republic of Botswana to study their perceptions about the use of computer‐based technology to solve managerial problems, and analysed using simple descriptive statistics. The findings indicate that SMEs conduct both strategic and operational planning activities. However, microcomputers and software packages were used primarily for operational and administrative tasks rather than for strategic planning. SMEs perceive that strategic planning is costly and time‐consuming, and hence appropriate only for large firms. The study also showed that firm size and strategic orientation are related to the use of computer technology for strategic decision making. The major implication of the findings for future research has been identified and presented.
Purpose The paper aims to investigate challenges facing small-, medium- and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs) in public procurement in Botswana from the view of a buyer. Design/methodology/approach The researchers conducted consultative workshops, succeeded by focus groups and follow-up telephone interviews, to collect and validate data. A total of 75 procurement officers from central government ministries and local governments participated in the study. Findings Results indicate that SMMEs find it difficult to deal with public procurement because of lack of capacity, unfair bias against SMMEs, inefficient government payment systems, unfair competition from their larger and established counterparts and centralized public procurement. The paper recommends a comprehensive integrated framework, improvement of SMME capacity and adopting policies to ensure greater public procurement market access.
In recent years Botswana has witnessed an unprecedented boom in small business informal car washers. This paper explores the emergence and spread of this phenomenon, with specific attention to the capital city, Gaborone, where there is a high concentration of small car washers. Relying on critical realist philosophy and the entrepreneurial ecosystem conceptual model, we explore the issue of youth self-entrepreneurship against the critical factor of employability. Our findings reveal a number of pointers to socio-economic needs and vulnerable livelihoods. While Botswana economy has been largely characterised by growth, however the economy is not creating jobs, hence the unemployment crisis, which pushes many young people to seek alternative means of survival. In this context car wash entrepreneurship becomes appealing as it is relatively simple to start and requires little start-up capital. Car wash businesses provide hope to desperate youth in search for jobs, as well as contributing to the economy. However, in the long term this option is not sustainable and profitable in its present form. This calls for robust policy intervention to formalise it to SMME status.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.