This paper presents a systematic literature review, conducted following the PRISMA 2020 framework, to investigate the role of digital and technological tools in facilitating Circular Economy (CE) adoption within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Despite their critical contribution to global economies, SMEs encounter significant barriers, including financial constraints, technological complexity, and regulatory ambiguities that hinder their transition to circular models. This review synthesises evidence from 45 peer-reviewed journal articles, case studies, and industry reports published between 2018 and 2025. The findings demonstrate how technologies such as AI, IoT, and blockchain enhance resource efficiency, supply chain transparency, and product lifecycle management. Key enablers identified include government subsidies, targeted training programmes, and collaborative innovation networks, which collectively mitigate adoption barriers. Employing a critical analytical lens, this review moves beyond cataloguing tools, synthesising findings into an integrative framework that links SME digital maturity with circular innovation capacity. The study offers a unique theoretical contribution by merging the discourse on digital transformation with circular economy principles within the specific context of SMEs, an area that has not been thoroughly examined. Practically, it offers actionable implications for SME managers, policymakers, and technology developers, advocating for tailored, cost-effective digital solutions and coherent policy frameworks. By mapping the current research landscape and proposing a focused agenda for future inquiry, this review aims to accelerate sustainable innovation and bolster the competitiveness of SMEs in an evolving circular economy.

In today's fast-paced and ever-evolving business landscape, effective risk management and pricing strategies have become crucial for organisations to stay competitive and maximise profitability. In order to effectively manage risks, identify possible threats, and seize opportunities, businesses need to take a proactive and holistic approach to risk management. The current business landscape has left businesses of any size or type, anywhere in the world, facing a wide range of risks which could cause them long-term harm, from financial penalty to reputational damage. Through a systematic review of the literature, this book chapter delved into the ways in which technology is being leveraged to ensure business resilience in risk management, exploring insights from different perspectives and providing an in-depth understanding of the options available. This book chapter also proposed strategic approaches to leveraging and integrating these technologies and innovations into effective risk management and ensure business continuity and resilience.

This study focused on the effects of strategic planning capabilities on organizational performance in Zimbabwean State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). The extant literature and empirical evidence on strategic planning capability variables, environment scanning, strategy formulation, strategy implementation, strategy monitoring and evaluation, and strategy control were reviewed. The study used a mixed method approach, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data from respondents drawn from SOEs. Quantitative data were collected from a sample of 312 senior executives in Zimbabwean State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and analyzed using SPSS Version 21 and AMOS version 21. Quantitative data were complemented by qualitative data collected through interviews with 15 managers from different state-owned enterprises. The results indicate that strategic planning capabilities, individually and collectively, have a significantly positive relationship with organizational performance. While the importance of strategic planning capabilities in improving SOE performance was acknowledged, the study findings reflect that in most SOEs, managers lacked these capabilities, resulting in poor performance in some of the organisations. The findings further reflect that that macro-environmental factors moderate the effect of strategic planning capabilities on the performance of SOEs, implying the need for enhancing SOE managers’ capabilities to effectively analyse the macro environment and astutely manage its impact on the relationship between strategic planning capabilities and organisational performance. Against this background, this study recommends that organizations invest resources in equipping managers with the requisite skills for effective environmental scanning, strategy formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and control so that they contribute towards performance improvement by effectively managing the strategic planning process. The implications for the research findings to industry, academia, and policymakers are articulated, and recommendations for further study are also provided.

The main purpose of this research is to examine the challenges facing displaced small-scale mining entrepreneurs once mineral resources are discovered in their area. A qualitative study was conducted on the affected populace of Chiyadzwa in the Manicaland province of Zimbabwe. Data were collected through interviews with 35 former small-scale mining entrepreneurs who are now employed in various sectors of the economy. Interviews were used to collect data from respondents, and the major theme approach was used to analyse and present the data. The study established that former smallscale mining entrepreneurs face various challenges such as loss of livelihoods and market disruptions, lack of access to resources, social and cultural displacement, legal and regulatory barriers, lack of support services, and psychological and social stigma. These challenges hinder the sustainability of their newfound small-scale entrepreneurial initiatives. The study highlights that there is a compelling need for integrated relocation policies, strengthened legal and regulatory frameworks, supportive business environment, capacity building and skills development, a comprehensive needs assessment, access to resources and finance, social support and integration to sustain small-scale entrepreneurship in Zimbabwe. The study points to the urgent need for gender-sensitive rural development strategies. Policy responses that target support for women’s businesses and cooperatives by accessing microfinance through institutions like Women’s Bank address the lived realities of those most affected by displacement and informality.