The political economy of Zimbabwean Urban informality since 2000 – A contemporary governance dilemma

ABSTRACT

The article explores the urban informality dilemma in Harare through the lens of a political economy theory. It examines the typologies of urban informality, the influence of political economy on urban informalities, and informs decision-making to address the urban informality dilemma. A qualitative approach was used where secondary data were collected through document analysis and primary data from interviews with 20 purposively selected key informants. Surveys and in-depth interviews were conducted with 585 individuals engaged in informal activities. It emerged that urban informality in Harare takes on different forms and aside from the economic crisis, politics played a role in the emergence and proliferation of urban informality. The article provides insight into, and raises awareness with regard to key areas of concern on how power influences decision-making relating to urban informality. Therefore, the article provides a basis for policy formulation and institutional reforms for effective measures to curb urban informality.     

Livestock as a buffer against HIV and AIDS income shocks in the rural households of Zimbabwe

The objective of this study was to determine the extent to which households use livestock sales to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS income shocks. Using survey data from the Muzarabani and Bindura districts of Mashonaland Central Province in Zimbabwe, the econometric analysis indicated that livestock, particularly poultry and small stock, play a significant role in smoothing income fluctuations due to HIV/AIDS. Cattle sales compensate for 71 per cent of income shortfalls due to HIV/AIDS. About 90 per cent of HIV/AIDS-afflicted households, headed mainly by women or children, used poultry and goats as consumption-smoothing strategies when faced with negative income shocks. Government and other stakeholders were advised to support the use of small stock as a strategy for coping with HIV/AIDS economic shock in female- or child-headed households in rural areas.     

Brand relationships and brand equity in franchising

Previous research suggests that building brand equity enhances the competitive advantage of retailers in B2B markets. However, limited attention has been paid to the concept of brand equity in B2B retailing contexts, particularly in franchise channels. This study seeks to understand how brand relationships can be leveraged to enhance brand citizenship behavior and ultimately brand equity in franchise channels. Accordingly, this study explores franchisees’ perceptions of their franchise brands, leading to a new conceptualisation of ‘franchisee-based brand equity’. An interpretive research design is employed, comprising of semi-structured interviews with key informants. Findings suggest that franchisors play an important role in promoting brand citizenship behaviour of franchisees, which in turn enhances brand equity. The study provides insight on how to effectively manage brand relationships to enhance franchisees’ brand citizenship behaviour and brand equity. The concept of brand relationships has been discussed widely in consumer markets, but has received limited attention in B2B contexts. In response, this study provides new insight in B2B branding and specifically, in how brand relationships may enhance brand citizenship behaviour and brand equity in B2B markets.     

How do alternative strategic orientations influence social media performance?

Increasingly organisations are using social media due to its advantages over traditional media however, its successful implementation has been problematic. To address this issue this study drew from the organisational orientation literature to examine alternate frameworks for implementation. Survey data were obtained from senior marketers from various Australian industries and structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesised relationships. The study identified the components of alternate strategic orientations which were positively or negatively related to social media performance. The contribution of the study is to identify how the different emphasis within market, entrepreneurial and e-marketing orientations impact social media performance in terms of customer retention and customer acquisition. Implications for theory and practice are provided. Finally, research limitations and future research suggestions are presented.     

Gendering the voiced complaining behavior of customers in small restaurant environments: A case of college students in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT

Understanding gender-related nuances connected to customer complaining behavior in a valuable market segment in a low-income economy is strategically important to customer relationship management practitioners in the hospitality industry. Using customer complaining behavior taxonomies and Eagly’s social role theory, this quantitative study examines how selected demographic variables, attitude toward complaining, customer loyalty, and likelihood of success affect the verbal complaining behavior of a sample of college students in Zimbabwe in restaurants contexts. The findings revealed that all the proposed predictors had statistically significant effects on voiced complaining. In addition, the gender variable moderated the influence of the non-demographic predictors. Interestingly, the likelihood of success variable had a negative influence on the respondents’ propensity to complain verbally. Based on this evidence, it is concluded that gender is integral to how college students react to service failure in restaurant environments. Consequently, marketers of related services should implement customized gender-sensitive customer complaint handling and service recovery strategies.