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Access status: Open Access ,
Examining employes perceptions of the relationship between cost management strategies and financial sustainability at Southdown Estate.
(BUSE, 2026-06) Mahese, Pardon
The relationship between cost management strategies and financial sustainability has garnered significant attention in recent years, driven by the need for organizations to maintain financial stability in an increasingly complex and dynamic economic environment. The aims of the study were to investigate the current cost management practices and financial sustainability status of Southdown Estate, to analyze the relationship between effective cost management practices and financial sustainability at Southdown Estate, to assess the challenges associated with implementing cost management strategies at Southdown Estate and to propose strategies for effective implementation of cost management strategies at Southdown Estate. The researcher used a mixed research approach and a pragmatism research philosophy. The research used the researcher used Stratified Proportionate Random Sampling to select a subset of 74 participants from the total target population of 200 at Southdown Estates in Chipinge. Primary data were collected using participant interviews and questionnaires. The study revealed that Southdown Estate introduces an operational set up of formalized cost management processes in budgeting, financial reporting and variance analysis. The study revealed that there is a strong correlation between financial sustainability and cost management practices. The study revealed that organizational, behavioral and informational issues on the implementation of cost control in Southdown Estate hindered the success of the financial control framework. The study concluded that there is a positive relationship between cost management strategies and financial sustainability at Southdown Estate. The study also concluded that Southdown Estate introduces an operational set up of formalized cost management processes in budgeting, financial reporting and variance analysis. The study also concluded that organizational, behavioral and informational issues on the implementation of cost control in Southdown Estate hindered the success of the financial control framework. The study recommended that the government should offer training programs to companies to enhance their comprehension and execution of cost management practices.
Access status: Open Access ,
Investigating the cause of loan default. A case study of cell insurance's usd14.4 million obligation to Cell Med Company.
(BUSE, 2026) kopo, Forbearance
This study investigated the causes of loan default at Cell Insurance Limited, with particular focus on the factors behind the company's failure to meet its USD14.4 million intercompany debt obligation to its holding company, Cell Med. The research was guided by five objectives: to determine the internal management factors contributing to loan default; to assess the financial and operational challenges constraining the company's ability to meet its obligations; to evaluate the effect of Zimbabwe's macroeconomic environment on the company's financial capacity; to assess the effectiveness of the company's existing financial management and loan monitoring strategies; and to recommend practical measures for reducing the risk of future loan default. The study adopted a pragmatist research philosophy and a descriptive survey design, combining quantitative and qualitative data collected primarily through structured questionnaires, supplemented by documentary analysis of loan agreements, financial statements and repayment schedules. Using Slovin's formula with a 5% margin of error, a sample of 45 respondents was drawn from a target population of 50 management staff, loan officers, accounts personnel and loan clients at Cell Insurance Limited, using a combination of purposive and simple random sampling. Of the 45 questionnaires distributed, 42 were completed and returned, giving a response rate of 93%. The findings indicate that loan default at Cell Insurance Limited was driven by a combination of internal and external factors. Internally, weak management oversight, poor cash flow management, inadequate loan monitoring and insufficient applicant evaluation were identified as the most significant contributors. Externally, high inflation, currency instability, the high cost of borrowing and foreign currency shortages, reflecting the broader macroeconomic environment in Zimbabwe, further constrained the company's capacity to service its debt. An overwhelming majority of respondents (88%) supported restructuring the company's approach to debt repayment. The study concludes that the default was not attributable to a single cause but to the compounding effect of weak internal controls and an unstable operating environment. It recommends that Cell Insurance Limited strengthen its loan monitoring systems, improve cash flow management, renegotiate repayment terms with Cell Med, tighten financial management practices, and invest in borrower education, while pursuing closer strategic alignment with its holding company to safeguard the group's long-term financial stability.
Access status: Open Access ,
Grazing system and floor type effects on blood biochemistry, growth and carcass characteristics of Nguni goats
(Asian Australasian Association of Animal Production Societies, 2017) Chikwanda, Allen Tapiwa; Muchenje, Voster
Objective: Purpose was to determine the effects of grazing system and floor type on concentrations of blood metabolites, activity of creatine kinase, body weight and carcass characteristics of castrated Nguni goats. Methods: Forty eight, 7 month old goats were randomly allocated to herding and tethering treatments from 0800 to 1300 hours and accommodated on slatted and earth floors daily. Blood samples were collected by jugular venipuncture every fifteenth day for metabolite analysis. Slaughter was done at a commercial abattoir following 5 months of monitoring. Results: Tethered goats had significantly higher concentrations of urea (5.19 mmol/L) (p< 0.001), creatinine (55.87 μmol/L) (p<0.05), total protein (64.60 g/L) (p<0.01), and globulin (49.79 g/L) (p<0.001), whereas herded goats had higher glucose (3.38 mmol/L) (p<0.001), albumin (15.33 g/L) (p<0.05), albumin/globulin ratio (0.34) (p<0.01), and body weight (24.87 kg) (p< 0.001). Slatted floors caused higher (p<0.01) albumin at 15.37 g/L. The interaction of grazing system and floor type affected creatinine, total protein, globulin at (p<0.01) and albumen/globulin ratio at (p<0.01). The least creatinine concentration and albumin/globulin ratio was in herded and tethered goats that were accommodated on earth floors, respectively. The highest total protein and globulin concentrations were in serum of tethered goats that were accommodated on earth floors. The highest (p<0.05) dressing percentage (45.26%) was in herded goats accommodated on slatted floors. Conclusion: Herding of goats lowered globulin concentration, improved estimated feed intake, blood glucose and albumin concentrations, albumin globulin ratio, increased body weights and weight related carcass characteristics. Floor type had very little effects on metabolites where earth floors only reduced albumin concentration. Tethering and housing goats on earth floors resulted in double stress that increased chronic infections. Keywords: Blood Biochemistry; Floor Type; Grazing System; Goat
Access status: Open Access ,
A Smart architecture for sustainable development in the artisanal and small-scale mining sector in Kadoma District
(BUSE, 2024-06-30) Mabhanga, Langton
This research explored the conceptualization of a smart architecture for sustainable development in Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM). It applied the Natural Resources Curse Theory and the Driving Forces - Pressures - State of the Environment - Impacts – Responses theories to evaluate the ASGM activities against the dimensions of sustainable development that have been identified as economic, social, and environmental. The goal was to create a balanced ecosystem that promotes human livelihoods, while ensuring ecological, and economic viability. The study examined the sustainability of the ASGM in Wards 14, 15, and 16 also known as Chakari within the Kadoma District, Mashonaland West Province, Zimbabwe. The strategies and methods employed in ASGM activities and how they affect sustainable development were interrogated and analysed. Qualitative data were gathered by interviewing the ASGM operators, community leaders, Ministry of Mines officials, and the officers from EMA. The findings of the study revealed that the ASGM activities permitted the operators to access quite some amount of gold ounces since the combined ASGM sector contributed above 60% of the total country’s gold output sold to the RBZ via Fidelity Printers and Refinery. However, the ASGM players have not been significantly contributing to the local sustainable development agenda through effective rehabilitation of their mined-out areas which have become extensively degraded with risks to animals, children, and human health. The integration of digital broadband services, especially with satellite broadband, such as the high-speed Star Link would constitute the centrepiece of a multi-faceted application to scale sustainable development in the ASGM sector
Access status: Open Access ,
Lantana camara and Tithonia diversifolia leaf teas improve the growth and yield of Brassica napus
(Academic Journals, 2013) Chikuvire, T.J.; Karavina, C.; Parwada, C.; Maphosa, B.T.
Vegetable production is an economically viable enterprise in Zimbabwe. The most commonly grown leafy vegetable is Brassica napus (rape). The productivity of this vegetable is affected by poor soil fertility, with nitrogen being the most limiting nutrient. An experiment was carried out to evaluate the use of two invasive weeds Lantana camara and Tithonia diversifolia as leaf teas on harvestable biomass production of rape. The experiment was laid out as a randomized complete block design with six treatments that included different leaf tea concentrations. Leaf length was shortest (12.11 cm) on rape that did not receive any fertilizer application but was similar for all other treatments. Leaf widths of rape treated with leaf teas were not significantly different at three weeks after transplanting. At four weeks after transplanting, rape fertilized with ammonium nitrate and T. diversifolia (7.5 ℓ/week) had longest leaves. At five weeks after transplanting, rape that did not receive any fertilizer had the shortest leaves (12.79 cm) while ammonium nitrate gave the longest leaves. Highest rape fresh weight was from T. diversifolia (7.5 ℓ/week) and AN treatments. Treatments that did not receive any fertilizer consistently produced the lowest leaf length, width and fresh weight. The study showed that yield of rape from application of T. diversifolia (7.5 ℓ/week) was comparable to that of ammonium nitrate. Also, it is better to apply leaf teas than not to apply anything at all. Resource poor farmers who cannot afford to buy synthetic fertilizers could boost their rape production by using these leaf teas, and at the same time decelerate the spread of these weeds. Key words: Brassica napus, leaf tea, Tithonia diversifolia, Lantana camara, smallholder farmer.