Examination of the Savings Practices Drivers Among Zimbabweans

Savings are part of the current income for use in the future or the accumulation of financial and non-financial assets and are mobilised by the financial sector which allocates them for productive use in the economy. The study examined the determinants of savings practices among Zimbabweans. A mixed approach was used to establish the drivers of savings among Zimbabweans. Both secondary (Bank deposits and liabilities) and primary data were employed for analysis and testing of hypotheses. A linear regression model was used to explain the savings practice among Zimbabweans and the determinants of savings. 200 depositors randomly selected from the ten provinces as well as 114 key informants were used in the investigation. Although the Zimbabwean majority across gender had a formal bank or mobile account, the predominant are savings for transactional purposes. Savings motivation was related to the selected banker although the provincial residence of accounts was independent to the savings practice. Zimbabwean savings culture has been affected by economic fundamentals, political factors and the credibility of the financial system. There was low financial literacy and depth of the financial system products and services. The savings costs were too high and there was low confidence in the financial system. This called for financial deepening and product development to meet the diverse population needs. This could be supported by broadening the scope of the financial institutions’ operating licences. A cost reduction and framework of rewarding savers as well as confidence restoration by providing guarantees against future losses was necessary. Monetary and fiscal policy reforms could also help long term savings. Key terms: financial system, savings practice, bank deposits and liabilities, gross and net savings DOI: 10.7176/DCS/10-8-04 Publication date:August 31st 202

Factors associated with delay in seeking antiretroviral therapy in Zimbabwe : cross-sectional study

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Access to antiretroviral therapy has been gradually increasing in resource limited settings, Zimbabwe included. Despite the increasing access to antiretroviral therapy quite a number of patients are still delaying to seek antiretroviral therapy. The purpose of the study was to examine factors associated with delay in seeking antiretroviral therapy. A survey was conducted at Parirenyatwa Hospital Opportunistic Infections/Antiretroviral Therapy Clinic from September and November 2012. A total of 80 participants starting antiretroviral therapy who met the criteria were included in the study. The inclusion criteria included patients 18 years above but less than 65 years, no prior history of antiretroviral therapy and eligibility for antiretroviral therapy based on CD4 count or World Health Organisation clinical staging. An interviewer administered questionnaire containing demographic, socio-economic and health-facility factors were used to collect data. Four weeks was used as a cut off point for delay in seeking antiretroviral therapy. The majority of participants (60%) delayed seeking antiretroviral therapy and the factors which were associated with delay in seeking antiretroviral therapy included female gender; lack of a partner; low level of education; low socio-economic status; treatment of opportunistic infections; extra laboratory tests on top of the CD4 count tests; not being on Cotrimoxazole Prophylaxis; not being referred for antiretroviral therapy by the testing site; stigma and discrimination. However disclosure was not associated with early seeking of antiretroviral therapy. Health system factors such as attitude of health care workers, shortage of staff and long waiting times were also identified as bottlenecks to patients seeking antiretroviral therapy early. Efforts to increase early starting of antiretroviral therapy should focus on addressing the referral system from testing sites to antiretroviral therapy initiating sites, improving efficiency of antiretroviral initiating sites, increasing point of care HIV & AIDS diagnostics tools and addressing patient‟s concerns such as stigma & discrimination.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Toegang tot antiretrovirale terapie Geleidelik is steeds in hulpbron beperkte omgewing, Zimbabwe ingesluit. Ten spyte van die toenemende toegang tot antiretrovirale terapie 'n hele aantal van die pasiënte is nog steeds vertraag antiretrovirale terapie te soek. Die doel van die studie was om faktore te ondersoek wat verband hou met vertraging in die soek van antiretrovirale terapie. 'n Opname is by Parirenyatwa-hospitaal opportunistiese infeksies / antiretrovirale terapie Clinic van September en November 2012. 'N totaal van 80 deelnemers begin antiretrovirale terapie wat met die kriteria wat in die studie ingesluit is. Die insluiting kriterium was pasiënte ouer as 18 jaar maar minder as 65 jaar, geen geskiedenis voor antiretrovirale terapie en in aanmerking kom vir antiretrovirale terapie gebaseer op CD4-telling of Kliniese stadiëring Wêreld Gesondheid Organisasie. Was 'n onderhoudvoerder vraelys met demografiese, sosio-ekonomiese faktore en gesondheid-fasiliteit wat gebruik word om data in te samel. 4 weke is gebruik as die afsny punt vir die vertraging in die soeke na antiretrovirale terapie. Die meerderheid van die deelnemers (60%) antiretrovirale terapie en die faktore wat verband hou met die vertraging in die soek na antiretrovirale terapie is vertraag te soek vroulike geslag, gebrek van 'n vennoot, lae vlak van onderwys, 'n lae sosio-ekonomiese status, behandeling van opportunistiese infeksies; Ekstra laboratoriumtoetse op die top van die CD4-telling toetse nie op Cotrimoxazole Profilakse, nie vir antiretrovirale terapie verwys deur die toets site, stigma en diskriminasie. Egter openbaarmaking wat nie verband hou met die vroeë soek van antiretrovirale terapie. Gesondheid stelsel faktore soos houding van gesondheidsorgwerkers, tekort aan personeel en lang wagtye, is ook geïdentifiseer as knelpunte aan pasiënte op soek na vroeë antiretrovirale terapie Pogings om te vroeg begin van antiretrovirale terapie Verhoog Indien Fokus op die verwysingstelsel van die toets sites tot antiretrovirale terapie Inisiëring sites, verbetering van doeltreffendheid van antiretrovirale Inisiëring sites, Verhoog Punt van Care MIV & VIGS diagnose tools en aanspreek van die pasiënt se Kommer Soos stigma en diskriminasie

An Analysis of the Obstacles to the Success of SMEs in Chinhoyi Zimbabwe

This paper sets out to analyze the obstacles hindering the success and development of SMEs in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe. To achieve this, the research hypothesised that limited access and cost of finance,?lack of marketing skills and market knowledge inadequate  management and entrepreneurial skills,?lack of access to infrastructure, inaccessible to land,?lack of information and?a hostile regulatory environment are some of the factors hindering the development of SMEs in Chinhoyi. This is a conceptual paper and the methodology used is a secondary research in which in depth literature review has been from books and journal as well as articles. The findings of this paper confirm that, SMEs view it as advantageous to remain part of the unregulated market because of perceived advantages like not paying taxes and other statutory dues, not having to comply with regulations that apply to formal business, being able to take short-cuts and being accountable to no-one. This then creates barriers against those same SMEs doing business with registered operators, who are the large companies. It therefore severely curtails the SME's potential market. Again the "informal" setup is the fact that the SMEs themselves do not keep proper accounting records of their activities and as such there is no track record of what the proprietor would have done and this makes banks reluctant to offer them credit facilities resulting in financial difficulties to finance operations for expansion. Again SMEs have a tendency to jump from one thing to another, depending on what will be making money at any particular time, an approach referred to as "kiya-kiya" (patchy/quick-fix) which makes them to fail to deliver the service promise and as a result they lose customers. Therefore the study concludes that SMEs firms need to transform their mindset that will see them succeed and graduate to becoming large corporations. Keywords: MoSMEs - Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises,SME- Small and Medium Enterprise, RBZ -Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe

Coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) response in Zimbabwe: A call for urgent scale-up of testing to meet national capacity

Control of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) heavily relies on universal access to testing in order to identify who is infected; track them to make sure they do not spread the disease further; and trace those with whom they have been in contact. The recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Zimbabwe is an urgent national public health concern and requires coordinated efforts to scale up testing using the capacity already in existence in the country. There is a need for substantial decentralization of testing, investment in better working conditions for frontline health workers, and the implementation of measures to curb corruption within government structures

Coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19): A case series of early suspected cases reported and the implications towards the response to the pandemic in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is among the countries that have been identified to be at risk of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of the 15th of March 2020, there was no confirmed case of the virus. Official reports of suspected cases were used to appraise the general screening, case management, and the emergency preparedness and response of the country towards the COVID-19 pandemic. In terms of the surveillance and capacity to screen at the ports of entry, the country seems to be faring well. The country might not be screening optimally, considering the number of COVID-19 tests conducted to date and the suspected cases who missed testing. Three of the suspected cases faced mental, social, and psychological consequences due to them being suspected cases of COVID-19. There is a need to enhance the screening process and infrastructure at all the ports of entry. More COVID-19 diagnostic tests should be procured to increase the testing capacity. Training and awareness on mental, social, and psychological consequences of COVID-19 should be offered to the health care workers and the general public. More financial resources should be sourced to enable the country control the pandemic

An Assessment of the Impact of Funding Gap on Financial Perfomance of Parastatals

The research focused on the impact of funding gap on profitably of SMEDCO, thus how the lack of working capital has affected the financial performance of the corporation. The research was inspired by the failure of the corporation to fulfil its mandate of giving loans to small and medium enterprises due to lack of funds. SMEDCO has put a moratorium on disbursements as the corporation has no funds for disbursements. This has affected the financial performance of the corporation as SMEDCO has been recording losses since the inception of USD era. Literature related to the study was also reviewed so as to fortify the base of the research. The research incorporated a mixed approach so as to cater for both qualitative and quantitative data. Descriptive, correlation research approaches with a sample size of 31 respondents was exploited in collecting primary and secondary data. The author also used questionnaires and interviews as instruments to collect data. Tables, graphs and charts were used in presenting and analysing the data collected. The research proved that the funding gap that has affected SMEDCO arose from failure to attain external funding due to lack of collateral security and political instability. The research suggested that SMEDCO should engage financial institutions so as to get funding. It was recommended that the corporation can downsize or use debt factoring so as to improve its working capital level

Mobile Banking and Commercial Bank Performance Nexus in Zimbabwe (2011-2021): Impact and Implications

The study investigated mobile banking and commercial banks’ performance nexus in Zimbabwe for the period 2011-2021. The investigation employed a pragmatic approach and a descriptive design. Primary data as well as secondary data were used to achieve the study objectives. Questionnaires, interviews and documentary guides were used to collect primary and secondary data respectively. There were 108 questionnaires distributed to staff members and customers of 6 sampled commercial banks in Zimbabwe having mobile banking experience. The interview guide was administered to bank managers to get a deeper understanding of the topic under research and as a mitigation strategy for addressing the flaws of the questionnaires. Analysis of quantitative data utilised descriptive analysis tools, correlations analysis tools as well as regression analysis tools whereas theme analysis was used for qualitative data. SPSS version 26 was used for this purpose. The study implications established that mobile banking and commercial banks’ performance nexus in Zimbabwe was significant and also enhanced mobile banking security capabilities and strengthened commercial banks’ performance. The investigation concluded that mobile banking’s success in enhancing commercial banks’ performance hinged on its ability to allow the user to get easier, cheaper and timely access to services. However, the study results showed that the cost of mobile banking services, government policies and intense competition inhibited the uptake of banking services. Commercial banks are recommended to continue strengthening the security of mobile banking services and to boost their uptake by bank customers in Zimbabwe.&nbsp

User-generated videos and tourists’ intention to visit

In pursuit of better travel decisions, potential tourists are not only exposed to online destination marketing content but are also exposed to user-generated content (UGC) which are based on the subjective evaluation of people's travel experiences. These user-generated contents have been observed to significantly influence tourist travel intentions, vlogs in particular. This paper aims to further our understanding of how tourists perceive user-generated videos and their influence on their travel intentions. A survey was conducted among tourists (n = 274) in Cape Coast Castle, Ghana and analysed using a Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique. Results suggest that tourist's perception of user-generated videos in relation to their perceived credibility and perceived fairness influenced their travel intentions