The study sought to evaluate the sustainability of family-owned businesses which were situated in Willowvale industrial area of Harare. The study emanated from the fact that family-owned businesses were experiencing high failure rates. The research explored challenges faced by family-owned businesses, investigated the coping strategies which they adopted, evaluated the link between success factors and sustainability and identified forms of government assistance. Mixed research approaches were adopted. The study found that the family-owned businesses faced a myriad of challenges chief among them shortage of capital, adverse economic environment and stiff competition. The companies lacked in appreciating the role of innovation, information technology, efficiency and quality in enhancing sustainability of their businesses.Coping mechanisms involve reorganising their operations, balancing costs, having family support and mixing entrepreneurship with emotion. There was a weak link between corporate governance, succession planning and management practices with sustainability of family-owned businesses in Willowvale. However, there was a strong link between sustainable competitive advantages and sustainability of these organisations.

Adoption and usage of social media marketing by MSMEs is critical given the current global trends. The study examined the factors influencing social media adoption by Construction MSMEs in Harare guided by Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and Chaffey’s theory. A sample of 119 was drawn from CIFOZ and SMEA using systematic and purposive sampling techniques. Questionnaires and interviews were used in data collection and were analysed using SPSS version 25.0, thematic analysis and Nvivo. Positive factors noted were environmental, (at α=0.05 level of significance,) organisational (statistically significant at p-value<0.000) and CEO characteristics towards the adoption of social media marketing by these notwithstanding numerous barriers. The study concludes that while MSMEs in the construction sector appreciate social media marketing and positive factors towards its adoption, there are significant barriers towards its adoption that include lack of expertise, information, high maintenance costs and legal issues. Further, in considering positive factors towards adoption, it is reasonable to conclude that the MSMEs should take account of factors such as managerial and organizational attributes as they have the most significant influence. The study recommended training and establishment of a strategy driven approach by MSMEs in their quest to adopt social media marketing. Findings from this study will guide forward looking policies to ensure no sector is left behind towards a digital economy.

The cross-sectional study was aimed at assessing the contribution of social entrepreneurship to sustainable community development in Zimbabwe using case study approach. The behavioural theory of social entrepreneurship and the community development theory guided the study. Mixed research methods were used guided by the pragmatist research philosophy. A case study was used with a sample of 80 participants selected from four farming communities in and around Harare using stratified random sampling and judgement sampling techniques. Data collection was done through questionnaires and interviews. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 25.0 for quantitative data, NVIVO and thematic analysis for qualitative data. The findings indicate that there is limited knowledge of social entrepreneurship concept amongst research participants. However, there was greater appreciation of the sustainable community development concept. The findings also revealed that there are some challenges for the social entrepreneurship ventures and the communities that retard sustainable community development in the country. The study recommends proper information dissemination channels, more capacity building initiatives through specific grants to support social entrepreneurship organisations and the crafting of an Act that guides social entrepreneurship ventures independent of other NGOs.

The study investigated factors that influence the uptake of maternal healthcare services by women in Zimbabwe, using a logit model. Data from the Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS, 2015) was used. Deteriorating maternal health indicators motivated the study. The effect of socioeconomic and demographic factors on the probability of utilising maternal healthcare services was examined. Descriptive statistics and a logit model were used for data analysis. Results from the logit model show that region of residence, insurance cover, educational level, employment status, maternal age, birth order, place of residence, number of living children, maternal age and household income all influence the utilisation of maternal healthcare services by women in Zimbabwe. Basing on research findings, the study recommends that relevant authorities make more available vocational training centres and education institutions since education was found to influence the uptake of maternal healthcare services. There is need to encourage family planning so as to reduce the number of children, especially among the apostolic sect, which affects the uptake of maternal healthcare. Compulsory national health insurance schemes could be adopted to mitigate the effect of low income that discourages the use of institutional facilities for delivery. The issue of balanced regional development needs to be pursued through accelerating devolution to ensure equal access to maternal healthcare facilities in all provinces.

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