HI, KINDLY HELP ADVISE IF THIS IS OKAY ,MORE ESPECIALLY METHODS, LITERATURE REVIEW

Lweendo Munzele

Student ID GSB904473

Course Number: GSB5011

Course Name: Scientific Writing & Critical Thinking

Scientific Research Proposal: How can project management be used to improve the success rate of small businesses in Zambia: A case study for Mansa.

University of Zambia

Dr. Abubaker Q

24th June, 2022.

Abstract

Project management may be one of the many variables that contribute to the success of small enterprises. There are many other aspects that contribute as well. Small company owners may improve their companies' chances of being successful by being familiar with the processes involved in effective project management. It is essential to do research on the ways in which successful project management may assist Zambia's many small enterprises, given the country's predominant reliance on this sector of the economy.

Small firms in Zambia, much like their counterparts in other countries, may benefit from using project management. Business owners may improve their chances of being successful with their enterprises by effectively managing the projects associated with their company. Mansa District, Luapula Province, is one of the developing district in Zambia. A lot of businesses around this part of the country are SMEs. Hence this research will look at case studies of successful firms in Mansa to see whether there is any evidence of the adoption of project management methods in their businesses.

Keywords: SMEs, Project management, small ventures

Introduction

In Zambia and in many other developing countries in the world, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are perceived to be economic drivers as they reliably create employment providing opportunities for low-income poor people, thereby increasing financial inclusion. The SME sector is estimated to account for 97 percent of all businesses in Zambia (Tom Liyanda,2017). Although 9 out of 10 are said to operate in the informal sector. Inevitably both formal and informal SMEs in Zambia contribute to the GDP by creating opportunities for future growth and an innovative diversified economy. Of the 8.1 million adults in Zambia, 1.2 million operate a business accounting for a good portion of their income. In this grow pathway, SMEs still face challenges some of which include unanticipated financial mismatches between their income and expenses (Tom Liyanda,2017).

When you own a small shop or a company with not a big size in terms of workforce or revenue, it doesn't require much effort when it comes to management. As the sole runner of the organization, you can do a lot of things on your own and ensure that the operations of the company are going smoothly without any problems. You also must keep your focus on ensuring the efficiency deliveries and keeping out all the threats that can hurt your growth of the business or the organization you are working tirelessly for.

Fast forward to the future, assuming that everything worked out great for you and your business has now become a sizeable entity with significant revenue as well as operations. You also have a good sizeable workforce who is there for you, trying to achieve the same objectives as you are and giving their blood to the growth of the business. At this point in time, things will be a bit more complicated and management tougher, with difficult challenges. Project management is one way you can keep things under check and put your business back on track towards growth Project management means applying the rules of strict supervision, efficiency and control through various strategies to help keep things under the caution (Samuel Tom, 2015).

Research objectives

Literature Review

Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in the economy, in terms of employment and their contribution to national wealth. A significant proportion of that contribution comes from innovation. SMEs are also the engine for future growth in the economy. Project management has a role to play in managing that innovation and growth (Rodney J., Ledwith A., Kelly J., 2009). In their study they examined the extent by which small firms carry out projects depending on size, the resources they employ, the way they measure project success and the tools and techniques that they use. The results showed that companies of all sizes spend roughly the same proportion of turnover on projects, but the smaller the company, the smaller their projects the less they use project management and its tools.

APM(1) identified skills gaps as a one of the challenges SMEs are facing. They further unveiled that SME projects are often run by managers with limited formal training in project management. Up skilling is often a challenge as businesses with fewer employees can find it harder to spare people for longer training programmes. It was emphasized that a bite size courses to create consumable chunks of learning that employees can fit around their current Job roles.

Valentina L(2016) in his work on the importance of project management in SMEs. In this research, he looked at ways for modelling companies to accomplish projects in real time with less cost. This paper describes a new model of using critical success factors for implementing projects in small-and medium-sized enterprizes (SMEs). This study revealed the importance of reducing time and cost for SMEs through electronic collaboration and project management.

Greater use of project management would be beneficial for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). For formal project management methodologies to be effective, however, they should be adapted according to the size and nature of the organisation, as well as the sector it operates in. All projects benefit from these elements, but they are even more essential for smaller organisations. Valentina L(2016) further emphasized on SMEs to look critically on the following;

Set achievable objectives in line with strategy SMART objectives are one of the best-known rules of project management. These are objectives that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. SMART objectives are even more important when it comes to SMEs, because a project failure would have a significant impact on a smaller organisation.

Use a leaner approach and adapted tools In order to make project management methodologies more suitable for SMEs, it is important to find simplified solutions that are not more onerous than business-asusual activities. Using 'agile' project management processes will reduce cost and time within the budget and planning requirements of an SME.

Focus on key areas In many cases, there is no need to use a variety of methodologies. Focusing on key areas of the project - such as planning, monitoring, risk management/ mitigation and communication - will reduce the amount of time and workload involved.

Manage expectations Projects are not only about processes; they are mainly about people. This is even more the case within SMEs. In general, the fewer the stakeholders, the greater their involvement in the project. As a consequence, ongoing engagement and communication are key for the success of the project.

Conclusion

Rodney J., Ledwith A., Kelly J., (2009) SMEs do require less bureaucratic versions of project management , perhaps with different tools sets than the more traditional versions designed for medium sized or large projects, with different versions for medium, small and micro projects. It would therefore be important to look at the application of project management knowledge in SMEs in Mansa as literature search could not yield results specifically for Mansa.

Hypothesis

Methods

Study design: This research will take the form of a case study, with qualitative data being collected through interviews.

Study population: Employees of companies in Mansa.

Sample size: The study will look at three companies

Sampling technique: The selection of the companies will be based on a purposive sampling method, as the focus is on businesses that have succeeded despite operating in a challenging environment. The firms should have been operating for the past 10 years in a similar environment.

Data collection: Data collection will be done through short written interviews. At least five employees of each firm will be interviewed.

Data Analysis:The findings of this research will be presented in the form of a report, which will include an analysis of the data collected through the interviews. It is expected that the findings will provide insights into the use of project management as a tool for improving the success rate of small businesses in Mansa.

Data Management and control

The following measures shall be used to ensure data quality

• The firms should be based Mansa
• The firms should have been in existence for at least 10 years
• The firms must be operating in a similar environment

Ethical consideration

Only firms and individual who will be willing to participate will be enrolled in the study. A consent form will be used and only firms and individuals willing to participate on voluntary basis will be engaged. All CoviD 19 prevention measures will be adhered to and support for face masks and hand sanitizers will be provided.

Summary