Browsing by Author "Allan, Issack Shimba"

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    Allan, I, S, (2018) Entrepreneurship training and self-employment choices of graduates: Experience from selected Tanzanian universities. Tanzania. Business Management Review. Vol.21, Issue 2, pp. 14-29.
    (University of Dar es Salaam, Business School., 2018) Allan, Issack Shimba
    For the past few years entrepreneurship training programmes have been conducted in some universities in Tanzania, with an objective of positively reforming the students’ mindsets regarding self-employment opportunities in the micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) sector. However, to date, it has not been easy to determine the extent to which these initiatives have been fruitful. This study aimed at examining the extent to which Tanzanian university students are being equipped with General Enterprising Tendencies (GETs), which are important in enabling them to become active players in the private sector. Quantitative data was collected using the GETs test from 118 university graduates and qualitative data was collected from some of them through 3 focus group discussions and 6 in-depth interviews. Generally, the findings indicated that graduates’ possession of GETs is only moderate. The results revealed scores which were slightly above average on tendencies related to need for achievement (60.3%), independence (51.0%) and drive and determination (57.5%). However, the scores were below average on tendencies related to innovation and creativity (44.5%) and calculated risk taking (46.2%). These findings imply that the causes of below average GETs scores and hence poor motivation self-employment motives amongst graduates are attributable to weak entrepreneurship teaching and learning processes, perceived unfriendliness of the Tanzanian business environment to MSME entrepreneurs and the culture of graduates and their parents/guardians respecting employment in the public sector than in MSMEs. The paper recommends that in order to enhance graduates’ appreciation of self-employment and operations of MSMEs, the above mentioned issues have to be addressed.
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    Allan, I. S. (2018) The effects of experiential entrepreneurship learning programmes on performance of trainees’ enterprises: Empirical evidence from small businesses in Tanzania. Business Management Review. Vol 31, Issue 2, pp. 66-78.
    (University of Dar es Salaam, Business School., 2018) Allan, Issack Shimba
    Informed by experiential learning and entrepreneurship theories, this study explored the effects of an entrepreneurship and small business development training programme on performance of the trainees’ enterprises. Pedagogically, the training adopted an experiential learning approach and involved a group of 24 adult trainees who were owner-managers of micro and small enterprises located in Morogoro Region, in Tanzania. Three months after the training, a monitoring and evaluation process was carried out, through which the trainees were followed-up in their respective areas to examine the extent to which they had put into action what they had learnt during the training and thereby enabling the researcher to deduce the effects of the training. The findings show that the trainees had undergone positive changes, both quantitatively and qualitatively. These included increases in the volume of operations, number of employees, sales levels, quality of the products offered, market coverage, methods of distribution and improvement in management of their enterprises. The findings imply that if well-designed and implemented, the use of experiential learning in entrepreneurship and small business development training programmes can significantly enhance trainees’ internalisation of the appropriate knowledge, skills and thereby improve performance of their enterprises.
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    Allan, I. S. (2019) Entrepreneurship training and innovative pedagogies of mitigating perceived challenges of business start-up capital to university graduates. Papers in Education and Development. Vol.2, pp 161-182
    (University of Dar es Salaam, School of Education, 2019-11-30) Allan, Issack Shimba
    This article presents findings from an experimental research design about entrepreneurship training and innovative pedagogies of mitigating the challenges of university graduates to acquire business start-up capital. The study was motivated by observations that although entrepreneurship training has gained potency in many universities, still many university graduates are not becoming job creators. The experiment involved 800 undergraduate students at the University of Dar es Salaam, from 2016 to 2018, using both quantitative and qualitative data. Findings demonstrate that at the end of the experiment, the innovative pedagogy had positively leveraged the students’ motives to go for self-employment. The findings imply that the use of innovative pedagogies in teaching entrepreneurship can minimise students’ fear of going for self-employment upon graduating. The article contributes in enhancing the theory of innovation, practice of entrepreneurship, jobs creation and informs on policy regarding entrepreneurship training. Keywords: business start-up capital, entrepreneurship training, innovative pedagogies, self-employment, university graduates