Abstract

NANI, GV. Business imitations: the dearth of creativity and/or innovation? A case study of the Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe. JCMAN [online]. 2017, vol.14, n.1, pp.60-83. ISSN 1815-7440.

This article which is from a larger study originally conducted to investigate why businesses in the Bulawayo Metropolitan Province in Zimbabwe tended to imitate one another, sought to find out whether business imitations were an indication of the dearth of creativity and/or innovation. Using purposive and snowball sampling techniques, 30 micro and small business entrepreneurs in the Bulawayo Metropolitan Province were selected to participate in the study. The study employed a qualitative approach which used face to face in-depth interviews for data collection. Thematic coding was employed for data analysis where similarities and patterns from the data around the phenomenon of business imitations were identified. Results revealed that by imitating one another's business ideas, micro and small entrepreneurs showed that they lacked creativity skills which entail coming up with original ideas. However, they were able to add value to the existing business ideas, an indication of innovation. The study recommended that the government should create a conducive environment with adequate infrastructure; formulate appropriate policies on educational and skills development and provide requisite resources for the development of creativity and harnessing of innovation skills, to enable micro and small entrepreneurs to survive the global competition.

Keywords : conducive; creativity; dearth; innovation.

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