LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
CHAPTER 1: NATURE AND SCOPE OF THE STUDY
1.9 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Ethical standards were observed and maintained throughout the research process. Informed consent, confidentiality and privacy (Bhattacherjee, 2012; Myers, 2009) were maintained, and the research process was guided by these ethical principles. Prior to the commencement of the data collection process, the researcher obtained ethical clearance (protocol reference number HSS/1114/013D) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) Ethics Committee.
Permission was sought from the senior management of the MSMECD and the Harare Chamber of SMEs. The researcher was issued with a gatekeeper’s letter from the MSMECD and another one from the HCSME. Informed consent was sought from the SMEs, the officials from the MSMECD and SEDCO who were interviewed, as well as from the key informants from three state universities in Harare. Participants had to sign an informed consent form, and were informed of their right to withdraw from the study at any stage. Research participants were assured of confidentiality in that their names would not be published.
17 1.10 STRUCTURE OF THE STUDY
The thesis is composed of eight chapters as outlined below:
Chapter One: Nature and scope of the study
This chapter provides an overview of the study. Key aspects covered in the study include the background to the study, the research problem, the research objectives, the research questions, the motivation for study and the research methodology. The chapter also briefly presents the limitations of the study, the ethical considerations, and the structure of the study.
Chapter Two: SMEs in the global world
Chapter Two provides a literature review of SMEs in the global world. The chapter covers the conceptual definitions of an SME as provided by international institutions such as the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Commission (EC), the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), and by regional organisations such as COMESA. Definitions of SMEs in developed, emerging and developing economies are also provided in this chapter. The chapter also describes the contribution of SMEs to economic development in developed, emerging and developing countries. A comparison of business ownership rate and growth is drawn between developing and developed nations. The challenges faced by SMEs on a global scale are explained, and an assessment of the government policies and strategies of selected countries in addressing the challenges of SMEs is presented. These countries are the United States of America (U.S.), the United Kingdom (UK), Russia, India, Malaysia and South Africa. The purpose of the chapter was to assist the researcher in drawing insights used for the development of the policy and strategy framework for the development of SMEs in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Chapter Three: SMEs in the Zimbabwean context
The purpose of the chapter is to provide a holistic view of SMEs in Zimbabwe. Chapter Three defines SMEs in the Zimbabwean context, and provides an overview of SMEs in Zimbabwe, the location of SMEs, and the role of SMEs in the economy. The macroeconomic environment leading to the development of SMEs in Zimbabwe is described. Also included in the chapter is a discussion of the challenges confronting Zimbabwean SMEs, and the government policies and strategies that have been implemented to address the obstacles to
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SME growth. An assessment of the success of these government policies and strategies in addressing the challenges is also provided.
Chapter Four: Conceptual framework
The chapter presents and discusses the conceptual frameworks guiding the study. The conceptual framework is informed by the challenges confronting SMEs, the government policies and strategies implemented to deal with these challenges, and the assessment of the success of these government policies and strategies. The conceptual framework also proposes the development of alternative policies and strategies, the refinement of the existing policies and strategies, or discarding policies and strategies that cannot address the needs of SMEs.
The anticipated outcomes of the appropriate policies and strategies are also outlined in the chapter. The concept of government policy and the concept of strategy are explained in conjunction with the policy and strategy cycles, respectively.
Chapter Five: Research methodology
The research methodology is discussed in this chapter, with key aspects including the research process, research philosophy, research design, research approach, research strategy and the study site. The study population and sampling, research instruments, type of data collected, data collection process and the qualitative as well as the quantitative data analyses are explained. Quantitative data analysis was conducted using descriptive and inferential statistics. Content analysis was employed in the analysis of qualitative data.
Chapter Six: Data analysis and interpretation of results
Chapter Six presents the analysis and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data was generated by the questionnaire, while the qualitative data emanated from the in-depth interviews with the officials from the MSMECD, SMEDCO, and key informants from the state universities in Harare. Document analysis was also conducted to provide additional qualitative data.
Chapter Seven: Discussion of results
The purpose of this chapter is to present a discussion of the results presented in Chapter Six in relation to the research objectives. A detailed discussion is also presented on the extent to which the results link to the existing literature on the challenges confronting SMEs, the
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government policies and strategies to address the SME obstacles, and the success of the policies and strategies in dealing with the challenges. A policy and strategy framework for promoting SME development in Zimbabwe is also provided in this chapter.
Chapter Eight: Recommendations and conclusions
Chapter Eight focuses on the recommendations and conclusions based on the findings of this study on the challenges confronting SMEs, the government policies and strategies to address the challenges, and the success of these policies and strategies in dealing with obstacles experienced by SMEs. The study makes informed recommendations for future policy and strategic planning and implementation that could lead to the development of SMEs in Harare, Zimbabwe. Included in the chapter is a summary of the major findings from the literature review, from the quantitative and qualitative data analysis, as well as from the documents analysed. The implications of the results for the government are also presented. The limitations of this study and the suggestions for further studies are briefly discussed. The contribution of the study to current knowledge is also presented. The conclusions of the study are presented, based on the four research objectives.