D. Tech. (Business, Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Management Sciences): Vaal University of Technology / Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the stronghold of economies and societies worldwide. In Zimbabwe, as in any other country, there is a realisation that SMEs are innovative, flexible and require low startup capital. There is an increased interest in pursuing SMEs as a poverty reduction strategy and as a roadmap to higher living standards. SMEs in Zimbabwe are divided into two sectors, namely the service and the manufacturing sector. SME manufacturers encompass almost every facet of the local economy, such as food processing, toiletry production, the garment, leather and rubber industry, metal fabrication, furniture manufacturing, construction and art. Most research that has been done on the influence of employee perception of equity (EPE), organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) on organisational commitment (OC) and turnover intention (ITS) has been on large organisations and little attention has been paid to SMEs. Studies on employee perception of equity and organisational citizenship behaviour has not filtered down to SMEs in developing countries. The primary objective of the study is to investigate the influence of OCB, EPE and OC on ITS in Zimbabwe’s SME sector. It also sought to ascertain the kind of relationships between OCB and OC, EPE with OC, OCB with ITS, EPE with ITS and finally OC with ITS. This study sought to determine whether there are any group differences with regard to SMEs employees perceptions on OCB, EPE, OC and ITS according to gender, age and industry type. A quantitative research method was used. Structured questionnaires were distributed to SMEs in five major cities. The data were collected from SME employees. The findings of this study show that there is a significantly positive influence of OCB on OC in the Zimbabwean SMEs. There is a significant strong positive influence of EPE on OC. There is also significant positive relationship between employees’ OCBs and their OC in Zimbabwe’s SME sector. There is a strong positive significant relationship of EPE with ITS and there is a strong positive relationship between employees OCBs and employees’ ITS in Zimbabwean SMEs. Finally, the results reveal that gender, marital status and industry type of the respondent influence OCBs, EPE, OC and their ITS in the Zimbabwean SMEs. Given that today’s business environments for SMEs are characterised by high levels of competition, lack of finance and uncertainty, it is recommended that SME managers should adopt good and proper management styles so that they can make good decisions. Scanning the environment is also necessary for competitive advantage not only for SMEs but also for large firms.

Thesis (Ph. D. (Administration Development Planning and Management)) -- University of LImpopo, 2017 / Whilst previous research has largely blamed inadequate finance as the cause of insufficient water provision and concomitant development implications such as poverty and food production; this thesis, took a slightly different turn and engaged on a critical deconstruction of the relationship between water infrastructure financing and water provision in South Africa. Archival data on South Africa between 1994 and 2014 were collected on water provision, water-asset finance, governance effectiveness, corruption, violence, accountancy and voice. Data were analysed using the OLS regression fixed effect. Findings from the analysis showed that against popular belief, there was lack of significant relationship between water asset finance and water provision. However, nonfinancial variables namely corruption, social violence, accountability and voice of citizens in development decisions showed a significant relationship with water provision. In addition, the analysis showed that water provision is significantly related to cereal production and incidence of poverty. Therefore, the thesis emphasized that rural development could be enhanced through an improved effort on water provision, which would increase cereal production and reduce the incidence of poverty. It stressed however, that provision of water asset finance without attention and control of nonfinancial variables might have the tendency to derail water provision initiatives in South Africa. The thesis made an original contribution by proposing a conceptual framework for employing and researching the catalyst for water provision in South Africa. It also developed three novel research models for future research. Key words: Infrastructure financing, water infrastructure, water provision, water and development, governance, accountability, poverty reduction

Liberia, Africa's oldest democracy, has made several efforts in becoming a developed economy and ending poverty, but these efforts have been hampered by lack of appropriate financing mechanisms to achieve this goal. The most recent challenge which was the purpose of this study was to understand how Liberia can finance and achieve the sustainable development goals adopted by the United Nations in September 2015. Despite substantial external aid, Liberia was only able to meet 3 out of the 8 Millennium Development Goals, and more than 60% of the population remain extremely poor. The main research question was to understand what policy shifts are need for Liberia to finance its post-2015 development goals. Using Kingdon's multiple streams theory as the lens, a qualitative case study design was used to analyze literature, public reports, government reports, and the loosely-structured interviews of 15 purposefully-selected participants. The interview data were coded and categorized for thematic analysis. Results reveal that Liberia needs to make a policy shift in key areas including domestic resource mobilization, natural resource governance, combating corruption, strengthening the justice system, strengthening capacity for policy processes, and improving political leadership. The positive social change implication of this study includes recommendations for policymakers, the Ministry of Finance, and the donor community to strengthen domestic resource mobilization and undertake pro-poor tax reforms in order to reduce aid dependence, support Liberia's long-term plan to eradicate extreme poverty and become a middle-income country by 2030.

The inability of small and medium enterprises to access microloans from microfinance banks is a major concern in business growth and development in Nigeria. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore strategies for accessing microloans from microfinance banks by owners of small and medium enterprises for business growth and survival. Using the conceptual framework on social capital theory, I selected 20 small and medium enterprises owners who have accessed microloans from microfinance banks and have operated their businesses beyond 5 years with significant growth were interviewed using face-to-face semistructured interviews. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and reviews of company documents. The use of member checking strengthened the trustworthiness of the interpretation of the participants' responses. A phenomenological approach was used for the qualitative interview with data analysis using a descriptive method. Nine themes emerged from this study: Obtaining a saving account before accessing microloans, group members serving as collateral, business social networks, business sustainability strategies, historical financial health, maintaining loan repayment deadlines, archiving business documents, use of competent guarantors, and strength and weakness analyses. The findings of the study may contribute to positive social change to create awareness among SMEs leaders in federal and state government, and individuals on how to gain access to microloans, thereby improving profitability, generating employment, reducing poverty, and enhancing standards of living among SME owners in Nigeria.

<p>Purpose: Our main purpose is to carry out a research on combining microfinance with entrepreneurship for poverty alleviation, empowerment of poor and sustainable development.</p><p>Target group: Students, researchers in Microfinance field, MFI’s, NGO’s and Governmental structures.</p><p>Research Question: How do micro entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship and microfinance serve as a combined tool to reduce poverty, empower people, and contribute to sustainable development in Pakistan?</p><p>Approach: We used qualitative approach for research. The data have been collected through interviews which held as structured and unstructured, and as secondary sources web page of the organization, statistics of Pakistan and Book of organization have also been consulted.</p><p>Delimitations: Due to distance problem between Pakistan and Sweden and, it was difficult to organize interviews at large scale from borrowers and this can reflect limited information about micro entrepreneurship. It is worthy to say here that Islamic microfinance is quite new practice and very limited data was available. With this, we mainly emphasized on microfinance and entrepreneurship as a combined tool, therefore, there is not enough discussion on Islamic microfinance. But we try to elaborate a complete picture of Islamic microfinance. Originality/value: This paper emphasizes on both Microfinance and Entrepreneurship, as case study we choose Akhuwat organization which started to give loans to poor people without interest. Also we focused on Social Entrepreneurship side of organization which challenges to other MFI’s with innovative type of loaning. Research will give a vision to Akhuwat and other micro financing organization that how they can develop activities more successfully.</p><p>Future implications: During our research we investigate that there is need to carry out more research on lending methods other than solidarity group. The other area is micro entrepreneurship that needs to be more investigated by researcher because in developing countries micro business with only traditional ways will not be so successful. There will be need of more innovation in production system or in business processes. Islamic microfinance is quite new way for lending loan. It is needed that researcher of western world also do research on this method. So that clear result should come and method becomes more mature.</p><p>Social Entrepreneurship also need to be discovered from many points, especially relation with profit and non for profit, public, private and nongovernmental models.</p><p>Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Microfinance, Social Entrepreneurship</p><p>Paper type: Master Thesis</p>

<p>Namibia is one of the most unequal countries in the world and has high rates of poverty. In the thesis the proposal for a basic income grant as a strategy for poverty alleviation in Namibia is analyzed. The study is based on six interviews with the Basic Income Grant Coalition in Namibia and their four publications. The theoretical and methodological framework is Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis and social theory of discourse. Conceptions about the economical and political situation of Namibia in relation to inequality are discussed, as well as the image of the desired citizen in neo-liberal societies. Poverty is conceptualized as a trap where the BIG is regarded as a way out from poverty to a situation of confidence, engagement and economic activity. Contemporary classifications and means testing for social grants are problematized as inefficient and discriminative. The BIG is regarded as right in the context of the big inequalities in Namibia. It is suggested that the BIG Coalition with the proposal for the grant also offers alternative conceptions about Namibia and about the possibilities for change in the situation of poverty.</p>

<p>The case study was made in the area of Kiru Valley, Tanzania, in order to study the conflicts over the water in the river Dodumera, and also to understand how the villages Mawemairo, Matufa and Mapea have been affected by the construction of the IFAD irrigation scheme. The aim was to connect the conflicts in the area with a general view of how water can create such conflicts. The method used in the case study was semi-structured interviews. The results from the interviews made with farmers and officials in Kiru Valley was analysed through general theories about water conflicts and theories about governing common-pool resources, such as Ostrom’s eight principles and the theory the Tragedy of the Commons. The analysis was also made through the IFAD poverty reduction strategy programme (PRSP). The conclusion made on the basis of this analysis was that the IFAD project, in Kiru Valley, was in correlation with the PRSP and an attempt to reduce poverty in the two villages Mawemairo and Matufa. The project has been very successful and has contributed to an increase of livelihood and development in the villages. However, the scheme has also affected other villages, such as Mapea. The scheme has contributed to a decrease of water availability in the Dodumera River for Mapea. Nowadays they only rely on rain-fed irrigation. The conflicts have been affected by the scheme, not so much in the quantity of the conflicts but more in the target of the conflicts. Before the construction of the scheme the conflicts was directed at the big-scale farmers, now they are directed at the scheme. On the other hand, the scheme has helped reducing the conflicts between the farmers in Mawemairo and Matufa. There are solutions to conflicts and water scarcity, such as more efficient irrigation techniques and Ostrom’s principles on governing the common-pool resources.</p>

<p>Agriculture and livestock production were the mainstay of the economies of many sub-Saharan African countries, including of Cameroon, in the 1970s. Things began to change with the discovery of petroleum products and natural minerals, and the push to industrialise. This led to a shift from agricultural production to other more &lsquo / beneficial&rsquo / sectors. In the 1990s there was an &lsquo / imposed&rsquo / liberalisation of the agricultural sector. This liberalisation was marked by a disengagement of most governments in developing countries from assisting agriculture. In Cameroon, disengagement was achieved by the promulgation of law No. 92/006 of 14th August 1992 and its decree of application No. 92/455/PM of 23rd November. This law encouraged the creation of common initiative groups which could independently pool their resources to increase agricultural production. Although there has been a shift to non-agricultural sectors in many sub-Saharan countries, on the whole, however, many rural areas in these nations have remained essentially agro-pastoral. nfortunately some rural areas, like Small Babanki in Cameroon, whose livelihoods are land-based are faced with soil erosion, population pressure and farmer/grazer conflicts which undermine the little economic gains made in these places. Rural-dwellers have resorted to several innovations to circumvent these constraints to agricultural production.</p>

Namibia is one of the most unequal countries in the world and has high rates of poverty. In the thesis the proposal for a basic income grant as a strategy for poverty alleviation in Namibia is analyzed. The study is based on six interviews with the Basic Income Grant Coalition in Namibia and their four publications. The theoretical and methodological framework is Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis and social theory of discourse. Conceptions about the economical and political situation of Namibia in relation to inequality are discussed, as well as the image of the desired citizen in neo-liberal societies. Poverty is conceptualized as a trap where the BIG is regarded as a way out from poverty to a situation of confidence, engagement and economic activity. Contemporary classifications and means testing for social grants are problematized as inefficient and discriminative. The BIG is regarded as right in the context of the big inequalities in Namibia. It is suggested that the BIG Coalition with the proposal for the grant also offers alternative conceptions about Namibia and about the possibilities for change in the situation of poverty.

The case study was made in the area of Kiru Valley, Tanzania, in order to study the conflicts over the water in the river Dodumera, and also to understand how the villages Mawemairo, Matufa and Mapea have been affected by the construction of the IFAD irrigation scheme. The aim was to connect the conflicts in the area with a general view of how water can create such conflicts. The method used in the case study was semi-structured interviews. The results from the interviews made with farmers and officials in Kiru Valley was analysed through general theories about water conflicts and theories about governing common-pool resources, such as Ostrom’s eight principles and the theory the Tragedy of the Commons. The analysis was also made through the IFAD poverty reduction strategy programme (PRSP). The conclusion made on the basis of this analysis was that the IFAD project, in Kiru Valley, was in correlation with the PRSP and an attempt to reduce poverty in the two villages Mawemairo and Matufa. The project has been very successful and has contributed to an increase of livelihood and development in the villages. However, the scheme has also affected other villages, such as Mapea. The scheme has contributed to a decrease of water availability in the Dodumera River for Mapea. Nowadays they only rely on rain-fed irrigation. The conflicts have been affected by the scheme, not so much in the quantity of the conflicts but more in the target of the conflicts. Before the construction of the scheme the conflicts was directed at the big-scale farmers, now they are directed at the scheme. On the other hand, the scheme has helped reducing the conflicts between the farmers in Mawemairo and Matufa. There are solutions to conflicts and water scarcity, such as more efficient irrigation techniques and Ostrom’s principles on governing the common-pool resources.