The focus of the thesis study is to conduct feasibility studies for the upgrading of Lusiwasi Hydro Power Station in Serenje District of Zambia. The study was undertaken from January to August 2009. The following were the main activities of the study: 1. Conducting literature review 2. Conducting site inspections to the project site 3. Estimation of the load 4. Estimation of power potential based on the flows monitored by the existing gauging station.   Literature review was done on the feasibility studies which were conducted in 1997 by the Consultant Knight Piesold Limited .The feasibility study focused on the need to rehabilitate the Power Station to ensure that it operated at its installed capacity of 12MW. A review was also done on hydrological data from DWA under Ministry of Energy and Water Development and ZESCO. The review process was further supplemented by direct observations and interviews during the site inspections.   As part of site inspection and data collection, two field trips were conducted on the project site, the main objectives of the field trips were to gather data and to familiarise with the operations of the hydro Power Station.   Due to non availability of records for the dam levels, reservoir volume and catchment basin hydrology, a method is adopted in this study to use records from the existing gauging station, which has been in existence since 1965, to estimate potential hydro power. Five different scenarios are developed using Hydata and Microsoft Excel programs to confirm whether the flows from the gauging station could support further expansion of the Power Station. From the results, the model revealed that the flows could only manage to sustain a plant capacity of 12MW with a yearly plant availability of 67%. However, it was further observed that if the spilled water from the intake weir dam is used to generate power, an additional 30MW could be generated. Therefore the total installed capacity is estimated at 42MW.     The main recommendation and future work for the project include the need to ensure that the proposed Power Station operates as a mid merit station i.e. as base and peaking station in order to avoid significant fluctuation of the water level in the proposed dam reservoir. The other recommendations include the need to install new gauging stations on the upstream of the existing dam so that the hydrology of the catchment area is monitored. Furthermore, there is also need for ZESCO to consider rehabilitating the Power Station as a matter of urgency to ensure that the station operates at its installed capacity of 12MW.

Applied research has value to the extent that it assists management to make better decisions. It is only through a scientific thinking process that we come to understand, and take into consideration, the complex set of factors that operates in any given situation. Having analysed the results from the data analysis the manager exercises good judgment by using both the research findings and drawing on the personal and invaluable resources of past experience. In sum, research indicates the direction of problem solving; experience and common sense, in conjunction with scientific research results. One without the other is not completely effective. This Dissertation sets out to carry out a strategy evaluation of the ZESCO Business Plan using a set strategy evaluation criteria of; suitability, acceptability and feasibility. In conducting this evaluation, it is recognised that; although it is impossible to demonstrate conclusively that a particular business strategy is optimal or even guarantee that it will work, one can nevertheless, test it for critical flaws using a set criteria. The results from the evaluation revealed that; in terms of suitability some of the strategies scored lowly due to the low disposable incomes of ZESCO's customers; in terms of acceptability of ZESCO's strategies to its principle stakeholders, there is a need for it to improve the input from these stakeholders when formulating its strategies and lastly the feasibility analysis revealed that ZESCO will struggle to implement its strategies. Lastly the importance of carrying out Business Research is well summed up by Sekaran (2000: 4) "the difference between the manager who uses common sense alone to analyze and make a decision in a given situation, and the investigator who uses a scientific method, is that the latter does a systematic inquiry into the matter and proceeds to describe, explain, or predict phenomena based on data carefully collected for the purpose. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.