Botswana Journal of Business

Editorial, Review and Advisory Board

Jaloni Pansiri — 2021-09-16

Editorial, Review and Advisory Board

From the Editor's Desk

Jaloni Pansiri — 2021-09-16

From the Editor's Desk

An Expectation Disconfirmation Analysis of Undergraduate Research Supervision: Opinions of Business Students at the University Of Botswana

Delly M Chatibura — 2021-09-16

The preliminary findings of a broader study undertaken to address the recurring problem of high failure rates for the fourth-year research projects, observed at the Faculty of Business are presented. An expectation disconfirmation approach was used to analyse undergraduate business students’ satisfaction with the role of the supervisor and the institution/faculty in the research supervision process. The authors used a semi-structured questionnaire to assess the students’ level of satisfaction on several variables. Most of the students were specifically dissatisfied (hence negative disconfirmation) with the role of the supervisor regarding the provision of feedback, availability for scheduled meetings and the identification of research training the students need. The students were also displeased particularly with the training on research provided, the adequacy of resources for photocopying, printing, as well as the adequacy of financial resources for research. Several recommendations are suggested to the Faculty to address these observations.

The Impact of Non-tariff Barriers on Southern African Development Community: A firm base analysis of Botswana

Edward E. Marandu — 2021-09-16

Mutual gains in international trade are based on the assumption of absence of trade restrictions among trading countries. As the World Trade Organization, regional integrations and trade agreements decrease tariffs throughout the world, other barriers to trade have tended to emerge to attain the same protectionist objectives previously achieved through tariffs. The main objective of this study was to investigate the impact of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) on Botswana's trade within the Southern African Development Community region. In contrast with previous research, this study introduced infrastructure as a category of NTBs in the conceptualization of NTBs. In this study, 28 NTBs were categorised into four groups, namely, administrative, trade policy, technical and infrastructure. The findings made two major revelations: First, Administrative barriers were the most impactful, followed by Infrastructure, and then by Trade Policy; Technical NTBs were the least. Second, managers of smaller firms and less experienced firms perceived a higher level of NTBs. The findings suggest that studies in developing economies that omit infrastructure barriers may be misleading because of under-specification of an important trade barrier. Since NTBs are external to firms and macro in scope, overcoming them requires collective action by the business sector. It is recommended that export promotion programmes should concentrate on small and less experienced firms because their managers have a tendency to overestimate the impact of NTBs.

Online Narratives of Restaurant Service Deviation in Botswana: A Comparative Study of Gaborone and Maun

Delly M. Chatibura — 2021-09-16

A comparative analysis of 71 sub-optimal TripAdvisor narratives of restaurant service recovery in Gaborone and Maun, Botswana, is undertaken. The aim is to review the service recovery processes used to address service deviation. Using the Labovian structure, the study highlights that for the two sites, reviewers presented their narratives in an emotional manner, clouded with disappointment and regret. The narratives eventually lead to the presentation of codas, some that communicate decisions not to visit the facility again. In minor incidents, a balancing act through the use modal verbs and adverbs of contrast in the coda is achieved; that rouses an optimistic decision for repeat visitation. However, some of the narratives suggest the existence of highly complex service recovery processes, this evidenced by the occurrence of ‘quadruple’ deviation. Further research is required to ascertain whether it is widely existent.

The influence of attitudes and subjective norms on entrepreneurial intentions among undergraduate business students. The case of University of Botswana

Godfrey Themba — 2021-09-16

This paper investigates the influence of attitudes and subjective norms on entrepreneurial intentions among undergraduate business students focusing specifically on Network Marketing (NWM) business. The study entails a survey involving a purposive sample comprising 264 undergraduate business students of the University of Botswana. The results of Multiple Regression indicate that both attitude and subjective norms have a significant and positive influence on undergraduate business students’ intention to engage in NWM business, with attitude exerting a much stronger influence. The findings also indicate that subjective norms have a significant and positive influence on attitudes towards NWM business. Furthermore, the findings indicate that while there is no variation in the influence of attitudes and subjective norms on entrepreneurial intentions among undergraduate business students based on gender, there is variation based on the training in direct selling. In other words, while both female and male business students’ entrepreneurial intentions are similarly influenced by attitudes and subjective norms, those that received training in direct selling tend to be more inclined towards NWM business than those that have not received such training. The findings highlight the importance of attitudes, social influences and experiential training in the development of entrepreneurial intentions among undergraduate business students. This study adds to the literature on direct marketing and entrepreneurship development among business students in institutions of higher learning. The study further affirms the applicability of the Theory of Reasoned Action in explaining entrepreneurial intention and behavior among business students.

The State Of Industrial Relations In Botswana: Collective Bargaining In Crisis

Motsomi Ndala Marobela — 2021-11-12

This paper explores the state of industrial relations in Botswana in the context of public sector collective bargaining as a structure of mediation and power relations. Previous research on Botswana trade unions has focused more on the workers strikes, without specific attention to the structure and process of collective bargaining. This paper fills this gap by examining efforts of trade unions to use collective bargaining as a platform to raise demands, and in the process to arouse workers consciousness. The authors argue that, while collective bargaining is a useful conciliatory structure, it can also be injurious to workers struggles if it is not backed by real collective power from rank-and-file workers to put pressure on the negotiation. A history of Botswana labour movement is outlined in relation to the economic and political background. The multiple roles played by the state as enactor of labour laws, as an economic agent and employer are outlined. To help appreciate the tussle between the key main players in public sector bargaining relevant Botswana labour laws are examined in light of the International Labour Standards (ILO) fundamental conventions (see www.ilo.org). In conclusion the critical role of trade unions as agents of change to promote workers’ rights and industrial democracy is recognised. However, the researchers posit that their ability to navigate power structures and to win depends on the balance of class forces.