The purpose of this study is to investigate the information needs and information seeking behaviours of small and medium-size enterprises managers (SMEs) in Botswana's high-profile manufacturing industry. As the business environment becomes more complex and dynamic, it becomes increasingly vital for top executives of small firms to utilise information from a variety of sources to make consequential decisions about the survival and prosperity of their organisations. The overall objective of the study is to better understand the information needs and information seeking behaviours of this unique and unstudied group of users in a developing nation socio-cultural country context. Specifically, the study addresses the following research questions: (1) which types of information do SME managers need; (2) how much information seeking is done by SME managers; (3) what types of information are sought by managers; (4) which information sources are utilised by managers; (5) which factors influences election of information; and (6) in what ways do managers use the acquired information? The research design, which was developed to address the research issues, comprised both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The quantitative research method was an exploratory mail survey (n=400) of Botswana's manufacturing firms in eight industrial classifications. The survey was used to obtain broad patterns and evidence concerning the information behaviour of SME managers. The qualitative research method (follow-up face-to-face interviews) was explanatory case-based research. A convenience sample (n=9) of SME managers drawn from each sector provided rich descriptive information about their information needs and information seeking behaviours, which were used to build case studies. The case study research was used to confirm the survey results (a process of triangulation) and more importantly, to explain the trends and patterns observed in survey results analysis. The key findings of the study indicate that: (1) SME managers consider customer and competition information to be the most important types of information to their firms; (2) SME managers devote a significant time to active information seeking and on average, spend approximately 5 hours seeking information; (3) SME managers spend time seeking customer and competition information; (4) they use both personal (customer, business associates) and impersonal sources (newspapers, broadcast media, and government publications); (5) information source selection is determined largely by accessibility and ease of use; and (6) managers utilise information as they go about performing their routine day-to-day activities and making important decisions. It is concluded that in spite of their size and resource limitations, SMEs need more information than ever before. Globalisation has heightened uncertainty and therefore SME managers need external information to predict environmental changes and their impact on the organisations. Accordingly, and as suggested by the evidence from both data sets used in this study, SME managers are dynamic consumers of information and information seeking is an activity intrinsic to SME managerial work. Finally, information is not a homogeneous entity, that is what constitutes information to one group of users is dependent upon the contextual and situational peculiarities of a given setting.

This research was set out to investigate the role of knowledge management as a coping strategy for PHE institutions in Botswana, especially given that they operate in a highly regulated environment. One of the major drivers of volatility in the educational sector is intensely volatile regulatory environment in which the institutions operate. Further, a large portion of the stakeholder community of these institutions hold a strong believe that these institutions offer poor quality education to maximise profit. The primary objective of this study is therefore to determine the role of knowledge management (KM) enablers in facilitating KM practices in selected PHE institutions in Botswana that operate in this highly regulated environment and to develop a model for effective KM in these institutions. The study adopted a survey research design and collected quantitative data through a structured self-administered questionnaire and document reviews. The subjects comprised all five degree-awarding PHE institutions, which were strictly regulated by the Tertiary Education Council (TEC). The population surveyed came to 670 and sample size was 350. Data was analysed through various statistical measures such as Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) in the form of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), multiple regression analysis, and Chi-square test. The results of the study revealed that KM enablers were playing an insignificant role in facilitating KM practices in selected PHE institutions in Botswana. Results of the study can be generalised to similar institutions elsewhere operating in similar environments. In order to enhance KM practices in PHE institutions, it is recommended that the institutions adopt a systematic approach to KM, establish an organisational culture and structure that promote KM practices, and enhance the quality of their human capital including leadership. It should be noted that the state of KM in organisations operating in an uncertain environment can be enhanced if the leadership carefully controls the family-owned setting and organisational culture as these factors can detract from the organisation’s effective practising of KM. However, strategic leadership, organisational structure, and the role played by stakeholders played positive deterministic factors in ensuring an enhanced KM drive. / Business Management / D.Admin. (Business Management)