Published Articles : ICE
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Kiraka, Ruth, N. (Informationsbüro Wirtschaft und Entwicklung (IBWE), 2009)[more][less]
Abstract: Small and medium enterprises (SME) are viewed as a key driver of economic and social development in the African context. They represent a large number of businesses, generate a relative large proportion of employment and are widely considered to be vital for a country’s competitiveness. To be competitive, they need one key ingredient: innovation. However, they are often unable to develop appropriate and innovative products due to a general lack of financial strength as well as technical and managerial skills. A part from that, they operate in an environment with multiple challenges: On the macro level, these include bureaucratic legal and regulatory frameworks, poor physical infrastructure, and a multiplicity of taxes. On the meso level, the challenges include inadequate support in terms of business training and skills, the unavailability of information on markets, suppliers and partners, a limited access to finance as well as weak, fragmented and uncoordinated institutions supportive of SME. Nevertheless, opportunities for investing in SME development are given, they include the commercialisation of SME innovations, the provision of resources to SME so that they are able to conduct research and market testing, business incubation, the funding of indigenous knowledge development and transfer, the development or rejuvenation of industry clusters, and the establishment of SME support centres These initiatives can enhance SME competitiveness, create more opportunities for employment and economic development and address a number of the challenges listed above. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/941 Files in this item: 1
ibwe-working-paper.pdf (676.7Kb) -
Kiraka, Ruth N.; Manning, Karen; Anona, Armstrong (Common Ground Publishing, 2004)[more][less]
Abstract: International development agencies (IDAs) operate in a context of diverse stakeholder interests. This requires them to consider the significance of each category of stakeholders to determine the level of interest and power to influence the operations of the IDA. Using interviews and mail questionnaires, fifty-six Australian-based IDAs were examined to determine the extent to which they perceive external stakeholders as influencing their work. The research showed that two categories of stakeholders – donors and governments, were considered the most influential and powerful, hence the need to give priority to their expectations and needs. The “weaker” stakeholders – development clients and partner agencies, had a high level of interest but low power of influence over IDAs. However, they legitimise the existence of IDAs, hence their needs cannot be overlooked. The challenge for the IDA is in balancing the needs of its different categories of stakeholders as ignoring some could result in undermining its credibility. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/929 Files in this item: 2
CGI Publisher Agreement.pdf (90.02Kb)