Abstract
M.Com. (Business Management)
As most African economies emerge from conflict, subsistence and most recently from the financial crisis, it has become apparent that enterprise is going to play a key role in aiding economic recovery and success. It should be appreciated that Africa as a continent has emerged post the conflict era with a big shortage of human capital.
The objective of the research was to understand how the African Management Services Company (AMSCO) with the patronage of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the International Finance Corporation (IFC) the private arm of the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) has spearheaded the fight of the challenges of human capital development on the continent.
The problem statement was that Enterprise is an important driver of growth in economies across Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) and SMEs account for up to 90% of all enterprises in these markets. In southern African research, it is estimated that only 1% of new enterprises will make the transition to a successful established profitable enterprise (Fatoki 2014). This study aimed therefore to establish the relationship between strategic management interventions as well as the role these interventions play in helping transition selected enterprises into profitable and sustainable enterprises.
The research study purposively sampled 100 enterprises that have benefited from a Strategic management intervention from AMSCO. It engaged the enterprise owners, and relevant business heads within the intervention process. The objectives of the study were geared towards analysing the process and ensuring that the results achieved during the AMSCO interventions had been properly executed and that the various SME’s that AMSCO set out to satisfy had been adequately served.
The study achieved a response rate of 55% which offered credible and dependable information about AMSCO assisted enterprises. According to the findings, most of the respondents were males i.e. 74.5%, with only 23.6% of the respondents being females. The respondents indicated a high number of respondents within the age group of 36 – 55 years.
The research found that the strategic management intervention by AMSCO especially with the placement of the AMSCO managers was instrumental in successfully transferring business and management skills within these enterprises and organisations. And after 3 years, many were turned into profitable and sustainable enterprises. A large percentage of respondents i.e. 70% indicated that after the intervention by AMSCO, training became a norm. With the seconded manager expected to pass on skills to the local staff.