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This study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment within Zambia's tourism sector, focusing on the years 2020 to 2022. Four key objectives guided the study; identifying affected segments, assessing employment level changes, pinpointing affected job types, and exploring resilience strategies adopted by businesses. The study used a quantitative research design in which 120 respondents from different tourism sectors participated. The findings revealed that; accommodation, tour packages, and entertainment segments were the most affected during the pandemic. These observations align with global trends, emphasizing the intricate interplay between various sub-sectors and underscoring the pivotal role of accommodations in the overall health of the tourism ecosystem. Examining the extent of employment disruptions during this period exposes the interconnected nature of jobs within the sector. Notably, the study also highlights the mutual relationship between hotels and tourist visits, highlighting the ripple effects of downturns in one area on the entire ecosystem. The study recommends that fostering resilience and adaptability in the Zambian tourism industry amid the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, several strategies are recommended. Diversification, adaptive marketing, and collaborative initiatives are crucial for enhancing the sector's resilience. Ongoing monitoring, supported by government interventions and industry-specific plans, can effectively address the adverse impacts on employment within the tourism sector.

The study investigated the extent of demand-side and supply-side factors that prevent Zambian women entrepreneurs from accessing financial services from microfinance institutions. A mixed method approach was used in which survey questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data. The findings reveal that, both demand and supply side factors such as lack of collateral, low manpower, high interest rates, lack of knowledge about financial services, low access to financial institutions, lack of education, few financial institutions supporting women, poverty, devoid of self-confidence, type of business management etc. prevent women’s access to financial services from microfinance institutions. Based on these findings, the study recommends that financial institutions pay more attention to the specific needs of women entrepreneurs, develop products and services that meet their needs, offer different distribution methods rather than simply increasing in the branch network of various financial institutions involved in providing loans to women entrepreneurs. This study offers insights to microfinance institutions on how to make women rights a priority and educate women about financial inclusion. It also provides a foundation for the development of policies that address financial inclusion for women. Keywords: women entrepreneurs, demand, supply, financial services, financial inclusion, Zambia DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/15-19-04 Publication date: December 31st 2023

The overarching focus of this study was to establish the effect of motivation on employee performance at a Government Agency responsible for the collection, enforcement and administration of various taxes in Zambia. The study objectives were to establish the types of motivation the company provided to its employees, examine the employees’ expectations of motivation and assess the effect of motivation on employee performance. A quantitative approach to which a descriptive case study was adopted for this study. Stratified random sampling of participants was employed to select respondents from Lusaka Headquarters and a questionnaire with Likert scale statements was used for data collection. Questionnaires were administered via email and 183 respondents returned fully answered questionnaires. The findings revealed that 65% of motivation were motivated. The study also revealed that employees had expectations on the type of motivation to be provided to them by their management. Regarding the effect of motivation on employee performance, it was revealed that motivation influenced individual hard work, reinforcement of morals and integrity, rejection of under hand bribes by clients and many other effects. The findings of the hypothesis showed that the mean values were skewed towards the Likert responses ‘agree’ with 80% of employees agreeing to motivation variables. This confirmed that motivation affected employee performance by 100%. The study concluded that, motivation played a pivotal role where productivity through human effort was concerned. The study made three recommendations: The management and Board should understand human nature and their employees’ needs at workplace as this determined the direction on the correct motivation to provide to them. The Government Agency should create a committee of incentives provision comprising ordinary employees and management personnel in order to have inclusive suggestions of incentives that have a bearing on the needs of the em

The internationalization of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) within the manufacturing sector is frequently hindered by significant challenges that impede their export performance. To comprehensively address these obstacles and pinpoint vital predictors of export performance among manufacturing SMEs, the study assessed the state of export performance of manufacturing SMEs in internationsl markets, identified the challenges of internationalization that affect export performance of manufacturing SMEs and examined the effect of internationalization challenges on export performance. A quantatitive approach was used to conduct this study and a total of 92 manufacturing SMEs participated in the study. Multiple Regression Analysis and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was analysed using Statictical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. The study findings revealed a substantial relationship between internationalization challenges and export perfroamce. Challenges steming from exogenous factors such as governmental policies, procedural intricacies, and competitive dynamics collectively exert a negative effect on export performance. A negative correlation exits between financial challenges and export performance implying that each unit increment in human resource challenges could potentially lead to a reduction of 0.59 units in the export performance. In contract, information and knowledge challenges exhibit a positive correlation to export perfornace suggesting a promising avenue for potential improvement. This study provides indispensable insights into the challenges encountered by manufacturing SMEs during their internationalization journey and the subsequent repercussions on their export performance. The implications underscore the necessity of tailored strategies to effectively surmount these challenges, particularly within realms such as knowledge acquisition and management. By proactively addressing these challenges, manufacturing SMEs can navigate internationa