Managerial competencies and performance appraisal practices are often ignored when considering the performance of Small-to-Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Yet, these competencies and practices are fundamental for the survival of the SMEs. SMEs are critical for economic growth and job creation in many economies. The current study sought to establish whether managerial competencies and performance appraisal practices correlate with SMEs’ performance in South Africa. Firm performance was measured using two variables: innovation and return on investment (ROI). The study adopted a structural equation modelling analytical approach. Interpersonal competencies were found to be a significant factor of managerial competencies, but conceptual and political competencies were not. The study also found that managerial competencies, and not performance appraisal practices, significantly correlated with both innovation and ROI. The study recommends that performance appraisal practices be tailored to suit SMEs in the developing countries context.

Orientation: Regardless of the contribution done by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in modern economies, and the critical role managerial interpersonal competencies play in sustaining these enterprises, no known comparative study has been conducted in SMEs in developing economies.Research purpose: This study purposed to establish the impact of managerial interpersonal competencies on SME performance as measured by innovation and return on investment (ROI) in both family-owned SMEs (FOSMEs) and non-family-owned SMEs (NFOSMEs) in Zimbabwe and South Africa.Motivations for the study: Efforts at understanding managerial competencies and firm performance among SMEs have taken a holistic approach, using all known managerial competencies; yet, recently, there is acknowledgement that interpersonal competencies are more effective in business sustainability than other competencies. With this observation, the need to extent this finding in other contexts among FOSMEs and NFOSMEs in developing countries becomes apparent.Research approach/design and method: The study whose design was a descriptive comparative case study adopted a quantitative approach.Main findings: The study found a positive and significant relationship between managerial interpersonal competencies and firm performance as measured by innovation and ROI in FOSMEs in both countries.Practical/managerial implications: NFOSMEs may need to focus their training on interpersonal competencies for managers in order to be sustainable. For FOSMEs, continuous enhancement of managerial interpersonal competencies is important as it promotes innovation and business sustainability.Contribution/value-add: The study helps fill the lacuna between research and practice with respect to managerial interpersonal competencies in FOSMEs and NFOSMEs in the two countries.

Orientation: The mining industry is a high-risk industry with demanding work environment. Often times, it encounters a myriad of problems that include failure to retain top talent due to lack of job satisfaction. Productivity of the mining companies usually decrease due to these problems. Research purpose: The study seeks to investigate the relationship between employee engagement, job satisfaction and decent work considering Kwekwe District as a case study. Motivation for the study: There is limited research conducted on the link between employee engagement, job satisfaction and decent work, particularly in the mining sector. Research approach/design and method: This study is quantitative in nature. Using the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Decent Work Scale and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, the data used were gathered directly from 253 miners in the gold mining environment. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to assess the relationship between employee engagement, job satisfaction and decent work and to test the structural model. Main findings: The results of SEM show that employee engagement is positively linked to job satisfaction; decent work is positively connected to employee engagement; and decent work positively influences job satisfaction. Further, the study indicates that decent work fully moderates the relationship between employee engagement and job satisfaction. Practical/managerial implications: The constructs of employee engagement, job satisfaction and decent work are significantly related. Human resource interventions are needed to deal with these constructs. Contribution/value-add: This research contributes to the existing body of literature by revealing the relationship between employee engagement, job satisfaction and decent work.

Orientation: The South African public service faces the challenge of a high labour turnover among its employees. There is a need for strategies to not only keep employees happy at work but also to retain them. Research purpose: The study investigates the determinants of job satisfaction and turnover intention accounting for the role of employee creativity, engagement and decent work. Motivation for the study: There is a need for strategies to not only retain employees within the public service but also to ensure the employees are satisfied with their jobs. Research approach/design and method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a convenience sample of 304 employees working within the South African public service in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) (version 25) and the Linear Structural Relations (LISREL) software packages were used to analyse data. Main findings: It was established that higher ratings of decent work experience relate positively to employee ratings of engagement in the work and that they also influenced outcomes such as job satisfaction and employee turnover intentions. Practical/managerial implications: The findings are a useful precursor in improving not just the work experience for employees but also work related outcomes such as job satisfaction and turnover intention. Contribution/value-add: The study findings give practical interventions to address the challenge of high turnover and the dearth of job satisfaction among public service employees.

Orientation: Chinese-owned businesses in Zimbabwe are affected by high labour turnover. High labour turnover in these businesses reduces productivity, causes low employee morale, and augments recruitment and training costs. Research purpose: The study assesses the association between precarious employment, job engagement and employees’ intention to quit in Chinese-owned businesses considering the Midlands Province in Zimbabwe as a case study. Motivation for the study: There is limited literature on the connection between precarious employment, job engagement and employees’ intention to quit in Chinese-owned businesses. Research approach/design and method: This assessment is quantitative. Employing the Employment Precariousness Scale, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and employees’ intention to quit scale, the data implemented in this study were collected from 211 workers employed by Chinese-owned businesses. Structural equation modelling was adopted to examine the connection between precarious employment, job engagement and employees’ intention to quit and to test the structural model. Main findings: The study results indicate that precarious employment is negatively connected to job engagement, job engagement is negatively connected to employees’ intention to quit and precarious employment positively influences employees’ intention to quit. Practical/managerial implications: Precarious employment, job engagement and employees’ intention to quit are linked. Interventions and strategies are required to address these issues. Contribution/value-add: This assessment adds a voice to the existing discourse by illuminating the connection between precarious employment, job engagement and employees’ intention to quit.

Background: The continued growth in employment creation by small businesses in the hospitality sector necessitates research in organisational behaviour concepts such as turnover intentions that, for a long time, have been associated only with large organisations.Aim: This study investigated the impact of selected individual and organisational factors on turnover intentions amongst employees in bed and breakfast (BB) establishments in a district in the Free State province of South Africa.Setting: There is limited research within the South African context on antecedents of intention to quit amongst employees in BB establishments.Methods: The study was purely quantitative. An ex post facto design was adopted. One hundred and forty four (144) employees were chosen using convenience sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and data analysis was done by way of structural equation modelling (SEM).Results: Human resource practices, quality of work environment and organisational structure, all explained variance in intentions to quit. Human resource practices had a strong relationship with job satisfaction, and the quality of work environment was related to organisational commitment, while organisational structure explained employees’ job stress.Conclusion: The effectiveness of BB establishment owners’ interventions to reduce intentions to quit amongst employees is dependent on the implementation of excellent human resource management (HRM) practices and creating a conducive work environment that promotes employees’ long-term commitment to the business.