Performance-based strategies for improving service quality in electricity regulation in developing countries: the Nigerian experience
- Authors: Obi, Chikwerem Ukaobasi
- Date: 2015-03
- Subjects: Electricity--Government policy--Developing countries , Public administration
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24868 , vital:63665
- Description: Service quality is a relatively new concept in the regulatory lexicon. It has emerged as a critical factor in post-reform regulation of electricity distribution networks and it is a multi-dimensional concept in regulatory policy that connotes standard of performance in service delivery. Regulators establish performance standards by defining clearly the quality of service the customer deserves given the price paid. It is in recognition of the fact that customers are highly sensitive to the level of service delivered to them, and they value the speed and accuracy with which their requests are handled that have made service quality critical in the electricity value chain. The level of quality provided to individual customers is generally distributed over a range of values. Hence, regulators are mainly concerned with the protection of the worst-served customers and the possibility that a group of customers might receive unacceptably low levels of service quality. The major objective of this study is to ascertain how service quality regulation can improve electricity distribution in Nigeria. In doing this, the research gave a general overview of the study as an introduction in chapter one; it went on to review the available literature in chapter two. Chapter three conceptualizes the framework of the study by identifying the New Public Management (NPM) as a catalyst for effective regulation, followed by a case study of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission in chapter four. In chapter five, the study employed the Likert attitudinal scale sampling technique and the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) as the methodologies for data analysis in the research. The data presentation and interpretation were carried out in chapter six by presenting the results of the customer survey and outlining the key performance indicators (KPIs) based on the following three areas of service quality: technical indicators, financial indicators and customer-service indicators, which finally dovetailed into the summary, recommendations and conclusion in chapter seven. The performance of the privatized DISCOs was assessed by means of descriptive analysis by administering questionnaires, trend analysis and technical efficiency estimations using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques. The estimates were carried out by means of the Frontier 4.1 software and were based on three assumptions of returns to scale. The findings revealed that the average industry performance for DISCOs dropped from 95% before privatization to 82% after privatization. This relatively poor performance may well have been caused by the reluctance of the private investors, who now own majority shares in the DISCOs, to invest in the retrofitting and upgrading of the network infrastructure existing before they took over. The implication of this finding is not a condemnation of the recentlyconcluded privatization of the power sector in Nigeria, but probably the private investors’ desperation to recover their investment at the expense of public interest for quality service given that most of the investors acquired the utilities with shortterm funds. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-03
- Authors: Obi, Chikwerem Ukaobasi
- Date: 2015-03
- Subjects: Electricity--Government policy--Developing countries , Public administration
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24868 , vital:63665
- Description: Service quality is a relatively new concept in the regulatory lexicon. It has emerged as a critical factor in post-reform regulation of electricity distribution networks and it is a multi-dimensional concept in regulatory policy that connotes standard of performance in service delivery. Regulators establish performance standards by defining clearly the quality of service the customer deserves given the price paid. It is in recognition of the fact that customers are highly sensitive to the level of service delivered to them, and they value the speed and accuracy with which their requests are handled that have made service quality critical in the electricity value chain. The level of quality provided to individual customers is generally distributed over a range of values. Hence, regulators are mainly concerned with the protection of the worst-served customers and the possibility that a group of customers might receive unacceptably low levels of service quality. The major objective of this study is to ascertain how service quality regulation can improve electricity distribution in Nigeria. In doing this, the research gave a general overview of the study as an introduction in chapter one; it went on to review the available literature in chapter two. Chapter three conceptualizes the framework of the study by identifying the New Public Management (NPM) as a catalyst for effective regulation, followed by a case study of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission in chapter four. In chapter five, the study employed the Likert attitudinal scale sampling technique and the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) as the methodologies for data analysis in the research. The data presentation and interpretation were carried out in chapter six by presenting the results of the customer survey and outlining the key performance indicators (KPIs) based on the following three areas of service quality: technical indicators, financial indicators and customer-service indicators, which finally dovetailed into the summary, recommendations and conclusion in chapter seven. The performance of the privatized DISCOs was assessed by means of descriptive analysis by administering questionnaires, trend analysis and technical efficiency estimations using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques. The estimates were carried out by means of the Frontier 4.1 software and were based on three assumptions of returns to scale. The findings revealed that the average industry performance for DISCOs dropped from 95% before privatization to 82% after privatization. This relatively poor performance may well have been caused by the reluctance of the private investors, who now own majority shares in the DISCOs, to invest in the retrofitting and upgrading of the network infrastructure existing before they took over. The implication of this finding is not a condemnation of the recentlyconcluded privatization of the power sector in Nigeria, but probably the private investors’ desperation to recover their investment at the expense of public interest for quality service given that most of the investors acquired the utilities with shortterm funds. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-03
A critical assessment of economic policies and their impact on entrepreneurship development in South Africa: a case of Khayelitsha Township in Cape Town
- Oduwole, Olusola https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1563-7392
- Authors: Oduwole, Olusola https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1563-7392
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship , Economic policy , Economic development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/26302 , vital:65236
- Description: The complexity of the South African society due to past systematic exclusion of some communities from economic activities resulted in the triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment. Although various economic policies had been developed since the advent of the democratic dispensation in 1994, these policies focused on levelling the economic environment, poverty alleviation and massive social security system. However, despite all the interventions, South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world. This is profiled by the mushrooming of informal settlements around cities with job seekers and frequent protests by people who are impatient to experience improvement in their quality of life and who feel cheated out of their social contract. Advocacy from the governing party’s tripartite alliance towards a developmental state had placed more obligations on the government. This requires deliberate interventions through policies implementation to improve or at best alleviate the well-being of the citizenry. A survey conducted in the township of Khayelitsha to assess the impact of such economic policies on the development of entrepreneurship. Khayelitsha is one of South Africa’s largest townships, an informal settlement profiled by unemployment, poor infrastructure and unavailability of basic services. The study explored the entrepreneurial perception, start-up barriers, entrepreneurship climate, and general cultural factors relating to the environment of entrepreneurship development. The results reveal that despite the various economic policies, high level of unwillingness of citizens towards entrepreneurial activity and business venture is rife notwithstanding the high level of unemployment and poverty. The antidote to these challenges would be a rapid entrepreneurship drive among people most affected that would cause them to mind their own business” and become “masters of their own destinies. Given the complexity and massiveness of the challenges, the conclusion shows that a pragmatic solution is required. Therefore, the emancipation of entrepreneurship development in South Africa townships needs attention. The recommended solution is a pragmatic and innovative strategy based on the acronyms NEEDS HELP which stand for Neighbourhood Enhancement and Environmental Development Strategy and Holistic Entrepreneurial Lifestyle Programme. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Oduwole, Olusola https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1563-7392
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship , Economic policy , Economic development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/26302 , vital:65236
- Description: The complexity of the South African society due to past systematic exclusion of some communities from economic activities resulted in the triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment. Although various economic policies had been developed since the advent of the democratic dispensation in 1994, these policies focused on levelling the economic environment, poverty alleviation and massive social security system. However, despite all the interventions, South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world. This is profiled by the mushrooming of informal settlements around cities with job seekers and frequent protests by people who are impatient to experience improvement in their quality of life and who feel cheated out of their social contract. Advocacy from the governing party’s tripartite alliance towards a developmental state had placed more obligations on the government. This requires deliberate interventions through policies implementation to improve or at best alleviate the well-being of the citizenry. A survey conducted in the township of Khayelitsha to assess the impact of such economic policies on the development of entrepreneurship. Khayelitsha is one of South Africa’s largest townships, an informal settlement profiled by unemployment, poor infrastructure and unavailability of basic services. The study explored the entrepreneurial perception, start-up barriers, entrepreneurship climate, and general cultural factors relating to the environment of entrepreneurship development. The results reveal that despite the various economic policies, high level of unwillingness of citizens towards entrepreneurial activity and business venture is rife notwithstanding the high level of unemployment and poverty. The antidote to these challenges would be a rapid entrepreneurship drive among people most affected that would cause them to mind their own business” and become “masters of their own destinies. Given the complexity and massiveness of the challenges, the conclusion shows that a pragmatic solution is required. Therefore, the emancipation of entrepreneurship development in South Africa townships needs attention. The recommended solution is a pragmatic and innovative strategy based on the acronyms NEEDS HELP which stand for Neighbourhood Enhancement and Environmental Development Strategy and Holistic Entrepreneurial Lifestyle Programme. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
An analysis of ethics and governance practices in the public sector: United Nations and African Union perspectives
- Authors: Shindika, Emmanuel Selemani
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: United Nations , African Union , Public administration -- Moral and ethical aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/26164 , vital:64946
- Description: Recent studies highlight the importance of improving governance and ethics in public entities, especially in Africa. However, doing so requires an understanding on what forms governance and ethics in public institutions, particularly at a national level. Such considerations necessitates that some focus on continental and world institutions, such as, the African Union and the United Nations. These institutions have been in existence for a number of years with mandates of improving member states governance and ethics, as well as, service delivery to the public. As such, this research primarily focuses on understanding the roles played by the AU and the UN in shaping governance and ethics to member states, as well as, of its employees. The focus of this inquiry was to understand individual narratives about how working for public institutions on a daily to day basis influences governance and ethics understanding and application. Therefore, in order to properly analyse the narratives from respondents, the study applied an inductive and qualitative approach in order to explore how the AU and UN systems influence governance and ethics for member s states and employees. Data was collected through semi structured interviews with UN and AU officials, as well as public servants of member states for those organisations. The study made use of a thematic analyses method of interpreting data. A total of six major themes emerged, they are as follows: ethics a part in governance; effectiveness of AU and UN systems; disciplinary role; ethical guidelines and standards influence on public sector; member states adherence to the UN/AU ethical conduct; and implementation gaps in ethical guidelines within member states. Interviews were conducted in four countries namely; South Africa, Tanzania, Mauritius and Botswana. Findings from the study pointed that the AU and UN systems have loopholes in dealing with issues of governance and ethics. Moreover, member states respondents also pointed to the loopholes in those two organisations. The research suggests that member states should tighten their public entities ethical compliance assessments and follow suggestions from the UN and AU. Final recommendations and suggestions for further research are provided. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Shindika, Emmanuel Selemani
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: United Nations , African Union , Public administration -- Moral and ethical aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/26164 , vital:64946
- Description: Recent studies highlight the importance of improving governance and ethics in public entities, especially in Africa. However, doing so requires an understanding on what forms governance and ethics in public institutions, particularly at a national level. Such considerations necessitates that some focus on continental and world institutions, such as, the African Union and the United Nations. These institutions have been in existence for a number of years with mandates of improving member states governance and ethics, as well as, service delivery to the public. As such, this research primarily focuses on understanding the roles played by the AU and the UN in shaping governance and ethics to member states, as well as, of its employees. The focus of this inquiry was to understand individual narratives about how working for public institutions on a daily to day basis influences governance and ethics understanding and application. Therefore, in order to properly analyse the narratives from respondents, the study applied an inductive and qualitative approach in order to explore how the AU and UN systems influence governance and ethics for member s states and employees. Data was collected through semi structured interviews with UN and AU officials, as well as public servants of member states for those organisations. The study made use of a thematic analyses method of interpreting data. A total of six major themes emerged, they are as follows: ethics a part in governance; effectiveness of AU and UN systems; disciplinary role; ethical guidelines and standards influence on public sector; member states adherence to the UN/AU ethical conduct; and implementation gaps in ethical guidelines within member states. Interviews were conducted in four countries namely; South Africa, Tanzania, Mauritius and Botswana. Findings from the study pointed that the AU and UN systems have loopholes in dealing with issues of governance and ethics. Moreover, member states respondents also pointed to the loopholes in those two organisations. The research suggests that member states should tighten their public entities ethical compliance assessments and follow suggestions from the UN and AU. Final recommendations and suggestions for further research are provided. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
An analysis of schooling outcomes in the Eastern Cape, using production function approach
- Authors: Ncanywa, Thobeka
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Education -- Economic aspects , Production functions (Economic theory) , School management and organization
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/26570 , vital:65656
- Description: This study analysed the schooling outcomes of the Eastern Cape Department of Basic Education in the period heading into the second decade of democracy. The main objective of the thesis is to discover what constitutes the education production function of the Eastern Cape schooling system. In an attempt to reach this objective, the study adopted an education production function approach to answer the questions of what constitute the Eastern Cape education production function, what the effects are of the Dinaledi policy interventions on learner performance and the effects of district size on schooling outcomes. The main focus of the constituents of the production function is on the level of the former Bantustan penalty and Department of Education and Training (DET) penalty in relation to former White schools; as well as the quality of educators in the province. The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and quantile regressions were used to analyse the data and the Annual National Assessment (ANA) represented schooling outcomes and was estimated against school, educator and community characteristics. The results indicated a strong relationship between schooling outcomes and the school inputs that were used in the study. The effects of the Dinaledi intervention programme were analysed using the grade 12 panel data for the period from 2008 to 2013, where event dropout rates represented schooling outcomes. The findings that emerged from this study indicated that this programme provides a model that can improve the Eastern Cape schooling outcomes. The effects of district size on schooling outcomes were analysed with the regression discontinuity design technique and this revealed that district sizes have an impact on schooling outcomes. Overall, the results suggested that White schools perform better than their counterparts; that placing schools in quintiles is a good policy intervention; and that educator quality is associated with schooling outcomes. The key findings from this research were the continuing existence of the apartheid legacy in Black schools; poor educator quality; an inappropriate language of instruction; gender inequalities in performance and an uneven distribution of schools in districts. The recommendations for this research are to pay more attention to the improvement of educator quality in terms of educator qualifications, training and remuneration; implement a programme like the Dinaledi programme to all schools, as it provides resources to schools; and enforce the district size as informed by the district act so as to improve the support that district officials give to schools. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Ncanywa, Thobeka
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Education -- Economic aspects , Production functions (Economic theory) , School management and organization
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/26570 , vital:65656
- Description: This study analysed the schooling outcomes of the Eastern Cape Department of Basic Education in the period heading into the second decade of democracy. The main objective of the thesis is to discover what constitutes the education production function of the Eastern Cape schooling system. In an attempt to reach this objective, the study adopted an education production function approach to answer the questions of what constitute the Eastern Cape education production function, what the effects are of the Dinaledi policy interventions on learner performance and the effects of district size on schooling outcomes. The main focus of the constituents of the production function is on the level of the former Bantustan penalty and Department of Education and Training (DET) penalty in relation to former White schools; as well as the quality of educators in the province. The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and quantile regressions were used to analyse the data and the Annual National Assessment (ANA) represented schooling outcomes and was estimated against school, educator and community characteristics. The results indicated a strong relationship between schooling outcomes and the school inputs that were used in the study. The effects of the Dinaledi intervention programme were analysed using the grade 12 panel data for the period from 2008 to 2013, where event dropout rates represented schooling outcomes. The findings that emerged from this study indicated that this programme provides a model that can improve the Eastern Cape schooling outcomes. The effects of district size on schooling outcomes were analysed with the regression discontinuity design technique and this revealed that district sizes have an impact on schooling outcomes. Overall, the results suggested that White schools perform better than their counterparts; that placing schools in quintiles is a good policy intervention; and that educator quality is associated with schooling outcomes. The key findings from this research were the continuing existence of the apartheid legacy in Black schools; poor educator quality; an inappropriate language of instruction; gender inequalities in performance and an uneven distribution of schools in districts. The recommendations for this research are to pay more attention to the improvement of educator quality in terms of educator qualifications, training and remuneration; implement a programme like the Dinaledi programme to all schools, as it provides resources to schools; and enforce the district size as informed by the district act so as to improve the support that district officials give to schools. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Assessing public administration implications of the use and disposal of agro-chemicals in A2 farms in Zimbabwe : a case study of Chirumhanzu District
- Authors: Matunhu, Viola
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Agricultural chemicals , Hazardous waste treatment facilities , Pesticide waste
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/26481 , vital:65471
- Description: This study is concerned with use and disposal of agro-chemical in A2 farms in Zimbabwe with specific reference to Chirumhanzu District. The study is located in the field of public administration. A transformational mixed research design was employed in the collection, analysis and interpretation of the field data. The study involved farm employees in 21 A2 farms that use agro-chemicals to enhance farm productivity. Non probability sampling techniques were employed to select the participating farms. Interviews, questionnaires, literature search, and observation where the main data collection instruments. A total of 150 purposively selected employees drawn from 21 participating farms participated in the study. The findings of this empirical study, which uses the terms I, the researcher, and the study interchangeably, were that there is poor use and management of agro-chemicals in the area. Most farm employees do not adhere to instructions on use and disposal of the chemicals and there is a weak monitoring and evaluation of the use and disposal of agro-chemicals on the farms. Yet, most of these chemicals are carcinogens. Farm employees need to be trained on personal and public health implications of poor management of agro-chemicals. Labels on containers that store chemicals need to be written in both English and vernacular, which is not the case in the district. Labels on most of the chemicals on the farms studied are written in English and technical terms are used. Although, most of the employees on the farms are literate, they find it difficult to understand the jargon on labels. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Matunhu, Viola
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Agricultural chemicals , Hazardous waste treatment facilities , Pesticide waste
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/26481 , vital:65471
- Description: This study is concerned with use and disposal of agro-chemical in A2 farms in Zimbabwe with specific reference to Chirumhanzu District. The study is located in the field of public administration. A transformational mixed research design was employed in the collection, analysis and interpretation of the field data. The study involved farm employees in 21 A2 farms that use agro-chemicals to enhance farm productivity. Non probability sampling techniques were employed to select the participating farms. Interviews, questionnaires, literature search, and observation where the main data collection instruments. A total of 150 purposively selected employees drawn from 21 participating farms participated in the study. The findings of this empirical study, which uses the terms I, the researcher, and the study interchangeably, were that there is poor use and management of agro-chemicals in the area. Most farm employees do not adhere to instructions on use and disposal of the chemicals and there is a weak monitoring and evaluation of the use and disposal of agro-chemicals on the farms. Yet, most of these chemicals are carcinogens. Farm employees need to be trained on personal and public health implications of poor management of agro-chemicals. Labels on containers that store chemicals need to be written in both English and vernacular, which is not the case in the district. Labels on most of the chemicals on the farms studied are written in English and technical terms are used. Although, most of the employees on the farms are literate, they find it difficult to understand the jargon on labels. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
An examination of human resource management strategies and their contribution to effective local government systems in Zimbabwe
- Mutongoreni, Noah Ariel https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6039-6241
- Authors: Mutongoreni, Noah Ariel https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6039-6241
- Date: 2015-01
- Subjects: Personnel management , Local government--Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24024 , vital:62299
- Description: The study sought to examine human resource management strategies and their contributions to effective local government systems in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. Local government in Zimbabwe, though being nearest to the people, is showing evidence of failure to discharge its mandate. Various factors have been used to explain the reasons behind local government‘s failures to provide services. None of these have touched on the role played by people management in ensuring local government performance. This was notwithstanding the fact that towards the last two decades of the twentieth century research emerged glorifying human resources as the source of organizational excellence. Consequently, being motivated by the fact that good people management strategies lead to excellent organizational performance, attention in this study focused on people management strategies in local government in Zimbabwe. The study adopted a mixed approach with a strong inclination towards qualitative methodology. The data was gleaned from documents from local authorities, interviews, focus group interviews and questionnaire surveys. The study focused on local authorities in Manicaland Province. The results of the study confirmed the existence of human resource management strategies in local authorities in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. The human resource management strategies have however not resulted in excellent performance of local authorities. The reason behind this is attributable to severe resource constraints. Excellent people management strategies were found to be on paper as there were no resources to support them. The dearth of resources in local authorities was found to be attributed to the economic, political, legal and social factors engulfing the local government system in Zimbabwe. Consequently, local government in Zimbabwe remain stressed and in dire need of a ―Lazarus moment‖. There is an engineer with skills to construct dams to quench the thirst souls in the city but there are no resources to construct the dams. The fireman‘s truck rushes to quench a fire outbreak only to arrive at the scene with no water. In view of this, the study recommends that the review of the local government legal framework be speeded up and more autonomy be granted to local authorities. Such a review would have a bearing on the notion of decentralization, democratization and consequently economic development. In addition, government must seriously consider setting aside a portion of its budget towards support of local authorities. v Where democratic ethos exists, there is transparency, accountability, the rule of law and responsiveness. The human resource in local government would in turn promote democracy and excellence. Other strategies such as granting of garnishing powers to local authorities as well as giving their police arresting would further nourish their resource base. When this happen people management strategies would contribute to effective local government systems in Zimbabwe. Further studies on the contribution of human resource management strategies in effective local government systems after the complete overhaul of the current legislative regime would nonetheless be of interest to researchers. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-01
- Authors: Mutongoreni, Noah Ariel https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6039-6241
- Date: 2015-01
- Subjects: Personnel management , Local government--Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24024 , vital:62299
- Description: The study sought to examine human resource management strategies and their contributions to effective local government systems in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. Local government in Zimbabwe, though being nearest to the people, is showing evidence of failure to discharge its mandate. Various factors have been used to explain the reasons behind local government‘s failures to provide services. None of these have touched on the role played by people management in ensuring local government performance. This was notwithstanding the fact that towards the last two decades of the twentieth century research emerged glorifying human resources as the source of organizational excellence. Consequently, being motivated by the fact that good people management strategies lead to excellent organizational performance, attention in this study focused on people management strategies in local government in Zimbabwe. The study adopted a mixed approach with a strong inclination towards qualitative methodology. The data was gleaned from documents from local authorities, interviews, focus group interviews and questionnaire surveys. The study focused on local authorities in Manicaland Province. The results of the study confirmed the existence of human resource management strategies in local authorities in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. The human resource management strategies have however not resulted in excellent performance of local authorities. The reason behind this is attributable to severe resource constraints. Excellent people management strategies were found to be on paper as there were no resources to support them. The dearth of resources in local authorities was found to be attributed to the economic, political, legal and social factors engulfing the local government system in Zimbabwe. Consequently, local government in Zimbabwe remain stressed and in dire need of a ―Lazarus moment‖. There is an engineer with skills to construct dams to quench the thirst souls in the city but there are no resources to construct the dams. The fireman‘s truck rushes to quench a fire outbreak only to arrive at the scene with no water. In view of this, the study recommends that the review of the local government legal framework be speeded up and more autonomy be granted to local authorities. Such a review would have a bearing on the notion of decentralization, democratization and consequently economic development. In addition, government must seriously consider setting aside a portion of its budget towards support of local authorities. v Where democratic ethos exists, there is transparency, accountability, the rule of law and responsiveness. The human resource in local government would in turn promote democracy and excellence. Other strategies such as granting of garnishing powers to local authorities as well as giving their police arresting would further nourish their resource base. When this happen people management strategies would contribute to effective local government systems in Zimbabwe. Further studies on the contribution of human resource management strategies in effective local government systems after the complete overhaul of the current legislative regime would nonetheless be of interest to researchers. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-01
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