Since the Zimbabwean economy adopted the US dollar as a major currency in 2009, rural communities have remained marginalized in terms of access to financial products and services. The research study evaluates the use and adoption of plastic money by rural communities in Zimbabwe. A descriptive research design was adopted to assess the use of plastic money by rural financially active citizens in Masvingo Province. Data was collected from a sample of 300 respondents using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using selected econometric computer packages. The research study established that the majority of rural communities in Zimbabwe had no access to plastic money facilities and therefore transacted mainly using cash and mobile money. This was largely due to lack of plastic money facilities among rural service providers, lack of adequate knowledge on importance of plastic money, low income levels and lack of confidence in the overall financial system. It was concluded that very few financial institutions served the rural market, and those that, did relied on agent banking. In addition, the majority of retail operators are importers who only accept cash as a means of settlement. It was recommended that banks should market their products and services to rural markets through awareness campaigns on the benefits to be drawn from adoption and use of plastic money. The central bank through its monitoring and supervisory function should continue to assess the extent to which banks and other financial institutions are serving the needs of rural communities. Point of Sale (POS) transaction costs should be reduced further to allow low income earners to transact even in smaller amounts without feeling the pinch, otherwise the goals of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy will be unachievable by 2020.
The traditional brick and mortar buildings labeled “Banks” are fast becoming a historical notion being replaced by electronic, paperless and virtual money. Globalisation has ushered a new era resulting in availability of mobile phones to the larger populace of the world despite physical location. Mobile networking has created a platform that has seen acquisition of mobile phones which in turn has accorded billions of people Self Service Technologies (SST). These services know no boundaries. This paper seeks to explore two determinant variables of the Technological Acceptance Model (TAM) which have become major variables in the implementation of mobile banking projects. Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) are arguably the cornerstones if mobile banking is to be successfully implemented, and hence adopted, in these financial services sector advancements. This Paper seeks to hypothetically explore the argument that PU and PEOU have the greatest impact on the implementation of mobile banking projects when considered in relation to other factors. The case of the mobile banking situation in Zimbabwe will be explored.
Aunque generalmente se considera que la cultura es un factor determinante de la capacidad empresarial, generalmente no se cuenta con el consenso sobre la influencia precisa de esta variable en el desempeño empresarial en las economías emergentes. Utilizando un enfoque cuantitativo, este estudio confirmatorio y multidisciplinario buscó investigar el efecto de las dimensiones culturales sobre el desempeño empresarial de las Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas en Zimbabwe. Las variables independientes se derivaron principalmente de las dimensiones culturales de Hofstede y un total de 250 cuestionarios fueron distribuidos a Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas en Zimbabwe. La investigación adoptó un enfoque multisectorial y los encuestados fueron extraídos de las diez provincias de Zimbabwe. Para confirmar la existencia de una relación entre las dimensiones culturales y el desempeño empresarial, se empleó el modelado de ecuaciones estructurales, una técnica confirmatoria y multivariada, comenzando por representar las relaciones causales entre estas variables en forma pictórica. Los hallazgos de esta investigación son consistentes con las proposiciones de que las dimensiones de la cultura tienen una influencia significativa y positiva en el desempeño empresarial. Los resultados también confirman los hallazgos de estudios previos que se han llevado a cabo sobre la influencia de la cultura en el desempeño empresarial. Más allá de las dimensiones genéricas de la cultura, este estudio agrega el papel mediador de la propensión a actuar y la viabilidad percibida.
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