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This study aims to examine the instructional preferences exhibited by students in an Australian and a Zimbabwean setting and how cultural conditioning can reflect in the instructional design choice and the effect on the learning process.

Using graphical and textual presentations of an experiment with three instructional designs and 217 undergraduate students, this study empirically examines student understanding of financial accounting in the two countries. Students’ performance scores and reported mental effort ratings were used to determine the instructional preference.

The findings of this comparative study show that Australian accounting students prefer graph and text designs aligned with a low power distance, (PD) while Zimbabwean students prefer graph and text designs associated with a high PD. Deep-rooted cultural values and modes of thinking need to be considered in the learning processes.

The sample used in this study came from first-year undergraduate students studying introductory accounting at two different universities from two different countries (Australia and Zimbabwe). The results may not be generalisable to other universities, although similar patterns were found to be consistent with students’ cultural orientations. In addition, there may be other factors that motivate students’ learning and affect their performance, and those should therefore be considered.

The results suggest that students learning in different cultural contexts learn better with different instructional formats, requiring educators to consider different formats of instructional material.

This study is the first to offer accounting educators insights on one major dimension of cultural variation, using instructional material designed according to cognitive load theory principles in a cross-cultural context.

This paper explores how ethnicity is implicated in an etic–emic understanding through day-to-day practices and how such practices meet external accountability demands. Addressing the broader question of how ethnicity presents in an accounting situation, it examines the mundane level responses to those accountability demands manifesting an operationalisation of the ethnicity of the people who make those responses.

The study followed ethnomethodology principles whereby one of the researchers acted both as an active member and as a researcher within a Salvation Army congregation in Manchester (UK), while the others acted as post-fieldwork reflectors.

The conceivers and guardians of an accountability system relating to the Zimbabwean-Mancunian Salvationist congregation see account giving practices as they appear (etic), not as they are thought and interiorised (emic). An etic–emic misunderstanding on both sides occurs in the situation of a practice variation in a formal accountability system. This is due to the collision of one ethnic group's emics with the emics of conceivers. Such day-to-day practices are thus shaped by ethnic orientations of the participants who operationalise the meeting of accountability demands. Hence, while ethnicity is operationalised in emic terms, accounting is seen as an etic construct. Possible variations between etic requirements and emic practices can realise this operationalisation.

The authors’ findings were based on one ethnic group's emic construction of accountability. Further research may extend this to multi-ethnic settings with multiple etic/emic combinations.

This study contributed to the debate on both epistemological and methodological issues in accountability. As it is ill-defined or neglected in the literature, the authors offer a working conceptualisation of ethnicity – an operating cultural unit being implicated in both accounting and accountability.

It is important to note that insider trading is currently outlawed under the Securities Act 17 of 2004 (Chapter 24: 25) as amended (Securities Act) in Zimbabwe. This Act enumerates some practices that may give rise to insider trading liability in the Zimbabwean financial markets. Nonetheless, numerous challenges, such as the lack of adequate financial resources, the lack of sufficient persons with the relevant skills and expertise on the part of the enforcement authorities, lack of political will, inadequacy of insider trading provisions, poor cooperation and collaboration between the relevant authorities and the ongoing coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic have negatively impeded the effective regulation and combating of insider trading in Zimbabwe. To this end, the author explores the stated challenges and recommend measures that could be used by regulatory bodies and other relevant enforcement authorities to enhance the regulation and combating of insider trading in the Zimbabwean financial markets. This study aims to enhance the detection and combating of insider trading in Zimbabwe.

A qualitative research methodology is used through the analysis of relevant legislation and case law.

It is hoped that the findings and recommendations made in this study will be considered by the Zimbabwean policymakers.

The study does not use empirical research methodology.

The findings and recommendations made in this study could enhance the combating of insider trading activities in Zimbabwe.

The study seeks to curb insider trading in the Zimbabwean financial markets and financial institutions in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic-related regulatory and enforcement challenges.

The study provides original research on the regulation and combating of insider trading activities in Zimbabwe.

The purpose of this paper is to examine support needs of African refugee new parents in Canada, and identifies support preferences that may enhance the mental health of refugee parents and children.

In all, 72 refugee new parents from Zimbabwe (n=36) and Sudan (n=36) participated in individual interviews. All had a child aged four months to five years born in Canada. Refugee new parents completed standardized measures on social support resources and support seeking as a coping strategy. Four group interviews (n=30) with refugee new parents were subsequently conducted. In addition, two group interviews (n=30) were held with service providers and policy influencers.

Separated from their traditional family and cultural supports, refugee new parents reported isolation and loneliness. They lacked support during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum and had limited interactions with people from similar cultural backgrounds. Refugees required support to access services and overcome barriers such as language, complex systems, and limited financial resources. Support preferences included emotional and information support from peers from their cultural community and culturally sensitive service providers.

Psychometric evaluation of the quantitative measures with the two specific populations included in this study had not been conducted, although these measures have been used with ethnically diverse populations by other researchers.

The study findings can inform culturally appropriate health professional practice, program and policy development.

The study bridges gaps in research examining support needs and support intervention preferences of African refugee new parents.

Insider trading is treated as a punishable offence in many jurisdictions and countries. In relation to this, various theories were developed to justify and enhance the regulation of insider trading in such jurisdictions and countries. For instance, regulatory bodies and the relevant courts in jurisdictions such as the Commonwealth and the European Union as well as in countries such as the USA and the UK have to date developed and consistently applied theories such as the classical theory, misappropriation theory, fiduciary theory, unified theory and equal access theory in their quest to detect, prevent and combat insider trading activities. For the purposes of this article, the aforesaid theories are discussed so as to recommend possible measures that could be adopted by the policy makers to effectively curb insider trading activities in the Zimbabwean financial markets. It is against this background that some theoretical aspects of the insider trading regulation as adopted by the Zimbabwean policymakers, regulatory bodies and the relevant courts are scrutinised in this paper. This is done to, inter alia, investigate possible flaws and the rationale for such direct and indirect application of certain insider trading theorem in Zimbabwe. Thereafter, some recommendations in respect thereof are provided.

A qualitative research methodology is used in the entire paper.

It is hoped that the recommendations in the paper will be used by the relevant policymakers to enhance the curbing of insider trading in Zimbabwe.

The paper does not use an empirical research.

It is hoped that the recommendations in this paper will be used by the relevant policymakers to enhance the curbing of insider trading in Zimbabwe.

It is hoped that the recommendations in this paper will be used by the relevant policymakers to enhance the curbing of insider trading in Zimbabwe.

This paper is original research on the theoretical aspects of the regulation of insider trading in Zimbabwe.

The first prison system case in Zimbabwe was notified in July 2020 shortly after State declaration of disaster. A legal-realist assessment was conducted of the Zimbabwean correctional system response to COVID-19 during state disaster measures, with a focus on assessing right to health, infectious disease mitigation and the extent to which minimum state obligations complied with human and health rights standards.

The Zimbabwean correctional system operations during COVID-19 disaster measures are scrutinized using a range of international, African and domestic human rights instruments in relation to the right to health of prisoners. This study focused particularly on standards of care, environmental conditions of detention and right of access to health care.

Systemic poor standards of detention are observed, where prisoners experience power outages, water shortages and a lack of access to clean drinking water and water for ablution purposes, a severe lack of safe space and adequate ventilation, poor quality food and malnutrition and a lack of sufficient supply of food, medicines, clothing and bedding. Whilst access to health care of prisoners in Zimbabwe has greatly improved in recent times, the standard of care was severely stretched during COVID-19 due to lack of government resourcing and reliance on non-governmental organisation and faith-based organisations to support demand for personal protective equipment, disinfection products and medicines.

Prison conditions in Zimbabwe are conducive to chronic ill health and the spread of many transmissible diseases, not limited to COVID-19. The developed legal-realist account considers whether Zimbabwe had a culture of respect for the rule of law pertinent to human and health rights of those detained during COVID-19 disaster measures, and whether minimum standards of care were upheld.

The purpose of this paper is to develop and test an accessible and culturally appropriate social support intervention designed to meet the support needs and preferences identified by African refugee parents of young children.

The study was built on the research team’s preceding study assessing social support needs and intervention preferences of Sudanese and Zimbabwean refugee parents of young children. Face-to-face support groups led by peer and professional mentors were conducted bi-weekly over seven months. Qualitative data collection methods were employed through group and individual interviews.

In total, 85 refugee parents (48 Sudanese, 37 Zimbabwean; 47 male, 38 female) in two Canadian provinces participated in the social support intervention. Results demonstrated that this intervention increased participants’ social support by: providing information, enhancing spousal relationships, and expanding engagement with their ethnic community. This pilot intervention decreased refugee new parents’ loneliness and isolation, enhanced coping, improved their capacity to attain education and employment, and increased their parenting competence.

Peer mentors who were refugee parents of young children were key to facilitating the support intervention and to enhancing confidence of group members to raise their children in Canada. They acted as role models as they had faced similar challenges. Success of this intervention can also be attributed to its flexibility and participant-centered focus.

This is the first reported study to design and test the impacts of support interventions for African refugee parents of young children.

Despite the inescapable picture of hardships and circumstances in Zimbabwe, there has not been dedicated research focused on understanding the management of household finances, particularly to assess financial distress and how it varies among Zimbabweans. This study aims to use survey data to measure financial distress and ascertain the socioeconomic, demographic and behavioural factors associated with it among Zimbabweans.

A sample of 1,006 survey respondents from five provinces of Zimbabwe was used. The principal component analysis approach was used to create a composite financial distress score. The t-test for the equality of means and analysis of variance were used to test for the difference in financial distress between groups, whilst the ordinary least squares regression was used to determine the factors associated with financial distress after controlling for other factors.

The study found that consumer financial distress was mainly explained by locality (urban/rural and province), frequency and level of income (informality) and age. Having saved in the past 12 months did not significantly differentiate savers from non-savers on financial distress. The study also found that gender, level of education, marital status, role in household financial decision-making and role in household provisioning were not significant predictors of financial distress.

The findings have policy implications, especially for the government of Zimbabwe, its agencies and local authorities. Enacting policies that create opportunities for inclusive and sustainable livelihoods and economic growth should be the priority. In addition, instituting favourable policies that allow informal business to grow, formalise and integrate with the formal economy may help to sustainably grow the economy and alleviate the financial hardships among consumers. For consumers, adopting financial behaviours that ensure that they live within their means cannot be over emphasised.

This is the first paper to profile the socioeconomic, demographic and behavioural factors associated with financial distress during the economic downturn among the impoverished Zimbabweans.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-10-2019-0640.

This research sought to empirically identify context specific dimensions of service quality at Zimbabwean State Universities. The study also sought to measure the ‘university-wide’ overall service quality at National University of Science and Technology (NUST) and to explore differences in service quality perception based on selected students’ demographic characteristics.

A case study strategy was used. Focus group discussions were used to qualitatively identify service quality variables; which were then subjected to quantitative evaluation through the administration of questionnaires on a sample of 294 students. Exploratory Factor Analysis was used to reduce the service quality variables into service quality dimensions.

Five dimensions of service quality were identified, namely: General Attitude, Facilitating Elements, Access, Lecture Rooms and Health Services. Results also showed that most students (48.3 per cent) perceived overall service quality at NUST to be average while 28.6 per cent and 23.1 per cent had a negative and positive perception of overall service quality respectively. Perceived overall service quality at NUST was found to differ significantly based on ‘students’ year of study’ and ‘faculty group’. Differences based on gender were found to be insignificant.

Identification of the five dimensions was a progressive step in developing a relevant service quality measurement instrument for a Zimbabwean State University context; and in so doing, contributing to literature on relevant service quality dimensions and measurement instruments in Zimbabwe and Africa in general. This was the first such study in Zimbabwe to address the context specific literature-gap on relevant service quality dimensions.

The paper seeks to investigate the leading causes of physician migration from Zimbabwe and to highlight the patterns of physician migration over the past‐two decades.

A mixed methods approach, involving a survey and interviews, was used to collect data for the study.

The paper demonstrates that personal networks, not recruitment agencies, are the main drivers of physician migration from the country. However, the importance of recruitment agencies as channels of information about job opportunities abroad has grown substantially over the last decade. The research findings suggest that Zimbabwe will continue losing physicians to other countries until economic and political stability has been restored in the country.

By highlighting the patterns and causes of physician migration from Zimbabwe, the paper makes a contribution to the implementation of policy measures aimed at retaining physicians in the country.