Janet Mutanha Attachment Report

ZIMSTAT Central Statistical Office (CSO)
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Chapter 1
1. Historical development of the Central Statistical Office
(ZIMSTAT)
The Central statistical office was established in 1894 when the British South African
Company (BSAC) first established a record and statistical department The
department was under the control of !ebert !ar"ey upon its establishment !erbet
then died in #atopos area$ and the Ci"il Commissioner based in !arare (the then
Salisbury) too% o"er his functions The first censuses were carried out in 189& in
Bulawayo for which the #inin' and ci"il commissioners supplied estimates of the
minin' and urban population respecti"ely (n 189)$ another census was conducted
throu'h the office of the actin' ma'istrate
By 19*4 a "ariety of independent sections was set up to en'a'e in the collection of
statistics A recommendation was made that 'reater efficiency would be achie"ed if
these duties were centrali+ed in a department under ,ualified statisticians A monetary
pro"ision was made$ upon recommendations for the establishment of a Statistical
Bureau under the #inistry of !ome Affairs The Bureau was tas%ed with
Carryin' out any census
Collectin'$ compilin' and analysis of statistical information for the
commercial$ industrial$ a'ricultural$ minin'$ social spheres of the economy
Collaboratin' with -o"ernment in collection$ compilin'$ coordinatin'$
analysis and publication of statistical records of administration
(n 19./$ the office came under the #inistry of economic Affairs and subse,uently
chan'ed its name to Central Statistical 0ffice (CS0) (n 1981 it was transferred to the
#inistry of 1inance and 2conomic 3e"elopment 1ollowin' the splittin' of the
#inistry in April *//&$ the department was transferred to the #inistry of 2conomic
3e"elopment
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Bindura University of Science Education
Janet Chido Mutanha B0!!"#$
Bachelor of Co%%erce in &inancial Intelli'ence (onours )e'ree
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!owe"er$ the or'ani+ation operated under the #inistry of 1inance effecti"e from
0ctober *//.The 3epartment was under the control of a 3irector appointed by the
#inister The director reported to the #inister throu'h the principal 3irector in the
#inistry The 3irector was the Chief 25ecuti"e 0fficer of the department so he was
tas%ed with the day to day runnin' of the a'ency The operations of the department
were 'o"erned by the census and statistics act The CS0 now %nown as 6(#STAT has
a semi4autonomous status (t was renamed 6imbabwe 7ational Statistics A'ency
(6(#STAT) in *//9 but the name effected in 8uly */1/ (t is now e5pected to ensure
efficiency and accountability
1. Stat!tor" information
The or'anisation is now a semi autonomous meanin' it is no lon'er wholly owned by
the -o"ernment of 6imbabwe and its operations are 'o"erned by the pro"isions of the
Census and Statistics Act (Chapter 1/9*9) 7o1 of *//) effect 1 8uly */1/ The Act
pro"ides for the office of the 3irector4-eneral appointed by the board and appro"ed
by the #inister of 1inance or any #inister the :resident may assi'n to administer the
Act from time to time The 3irector4-eneral is responsible for appointments of other
staff members and the day to day administration of or'anisation !e submits a report
to the #inister after the ;/
th
of 8une each year detailin' the operations underta%en in
the precedin' year
(t is a criminal offence under the Act to disclose information to outsiders without the
necessary authority from the 3irector (n some cases$ the 3irector cannot without the
appro"al of the #inister$ disclose any information to those outside the or'anisation
The pro"isions of the Act are mainly there to enforce a hi'h le"el of confidentiality
and pri"acy as statistical information is a "aluable asset especially for in"estors and
plannin' a'encies of both the public and pri"ate sectors
1.# $ision
To be the leadin' world class producer of national statistics
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1.% Mission Statement
To contribute to national de"elopment throu'h the production and dissemination of
timely and accurate national statistics that facilitate9
:olicy formulation
:lannin' and decision ma%in'
2"aluation and research
Transparency and 'ood 'o"ernance
This will be achie"ed usin' automated technolo'y with hi'hly s%illed and moti"ated
staff
1.& Core val!es
(n pursuit of the mission$ the office holders shall be respectful$ courteous$ open$
transparent and responsi"e to both users and suppliers of data This will ensure hi'h
le"el of confidentiality of information in producin' a hi'h ,uality statistical ser"ice
with professionalism and inte'rity
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Chapter
.1 The principal services and characteristics
!a"in' a pool of hi'hly educated tas% force$ coupled with a comprehensi"e data base
and a wide ran'e of ad"anced technolo'y$ 6(#STAT has a wide ran'e of ser"ices to
boast of Below are some of the ser"ices offered by 6(#STAT and their
characteristics

'isseminatin( official statistics
6(#STAT is responsible for the production and dissemination of timely and accurate
national statistics such as inflation fi'ures and po"erty datum lines Sta%eholders also
obtain statistics such as -3: statistics$ !ealth statistics$ <abor statistics$ A'riculture
statistics and Crime statistics amon' other ser"ices The accounts section participates
in the dissemination of statistics by sellin' them to the users throu'h the publications
office at low prices 'a+etted by the 'o"ernment
Carr"in( o!t s!rve"s
The Central Statistical 0ffice now %nown as 6(#STAT carries out sur"eys for other
or'anisationsTa%in' for e5ample 7on -o"ernmental or'ani+ations such as the
(nternational #onetary 1und$ =nited 7ations$ >orld Ban% and =7(C21 often assi'ns
6(#STAT to carry out sur"eys for them
'ata capt!rin( services
6(#STAT also offers the ser"ices of data entry to other -o"ernment departments$
7on -o"ernmental or'anisations and other institutions$ with its pool of technolo'y
and its well e5perienced and hi'hly educated staff
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Trainin( services
The or'ani+ation also offers trainin' ser"ices to its members of staff$ parastatals such
as the #eteorolo'ical members of staff$ Tobacco ?esearch or'ani+ations and the
6(#STAT offers trainin' in areas such as mathematics$ statistics$ computin' science
and economics up to diploma le"els
'ata processin( services
The 6(#STAT has data processin' ser"ices on offer The or'anisation processes data
for other institutions since it has a wide ran'e of efficient technolo'y$ a hi'hly
e5perienced and competent staff 6(#STAT can carry out a sur"ey for an
or'anisation$ enter the resultin' information from the sur"ey into a computer usin' a
rele"ant software pac%a'e and proceed to process the data
Advisor" services
The 6(#STAT also has ad"isory ser"ices in place usin' its comprehensi"e data base$
hi'hly educated and e5perienced staff Ta%in' for e5ample the :rices Statistics
Section offer ad"isory ser"ices such as the re"aluin' of money balances$ prices$
salaries and assets usin' the Consumer :rice (nde5
Sample desi(n services
The or'anisation also offers sample desi'n ser"ices (n this case$ the or'ani+ation
helps other institutions in determinin' the sample si+e and the sample frame for the
sur"eys that they would want to e5ecute
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. The main mar)ets*clients served +" ZIMSTAT
6(#STAT has many sta%eholders and a wide mar%et for its products and
ser"ices Almost e"eryone in the economy of 6imbabwe is interested in the
operations of 6(#STAT
The -o"ernment
1inancial (nstitutions
Business fraternity
7on -o"ernmental 0r'anisations
(ndi"iduals
The ,overnment
The 'o"ernment is the ma@or user of official statistics and therefore the main mar%et
ser"ed by 6(#STATThe 'o"ernment obtains statistical information from 6(#STAT
which it then uses in plannin' and policy formulation$ throu'h its departments and
ministries Ta%in' for instance$ the 'o"ernment throu'h the ministry of finance uses
the C:( which is a product of 6(#STAT$ in determinin' the ta5 brac%et The ministry
also ma%es the national bud'et usin' the C:( (inflation fi'ures)
The 'o"ernment$ throu'h the ?eser"e ban%$ also ma%es and announces the monetary
policy and the fiscal policy with the aid of the C:(The monetary authorities set the
interest rates and the e5chan'e rates by use of C:(-o"ernment also 'et health
statistics$ employment statistics$ -3: statistics$ criminal statistics etc from 6(#STAT
to use in macro economic policy formulation
The -inancial instit!tions
25amples of financial institutions are commercial ban%s$ merchant ban%s$ buildin'
societies$ and discount houses The financial institutions obtain statistical information
of "ital use from 6(#STAT$ in particular the C:( to determine the interest rates and
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the e5chan'e rates (n principle the e5chan'e rate between two currencies should
e,ual the inflation rate (n"estors use the C:( as a benchmar% on what they should
e5pect on their portfolios They also use the C:( to allocate funds to those assets that
beat inflation so as to preser"e their wealth
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The +!siness fraternit"
The business or'ani+ations in form of pri"ate and public companies all use statistical
information pro"ided by the 6(#STAT to ad@ust prices for their products and also to
ad@ust wa'es and salaries for their employees Companies also "alue their assets usin'
the C:( (n most cases assets ha"e to be ad@usted in line with the inflation trends so as
to at least maintain the purchasin' power
The .on ,overnmental Or(ani/ations (.,Os)
The international or'ani+ations and the 7-0s such as the (nternational monetary
fund((#1)$ =7(C21$=nited 7ations(=7) and the >orld ban%(>B) etc$ also ser"es as
mar%ets for products from the 6(#STAT>e find that these international boards
obtains "ital statistical data from 6(#STAT which they use in assessin' thin's li%e
standards of li"in' for countries and also comparisons between countries They 'et
-3: statistics from 6(#STAT which determines if the economy is 'rowin' or not and
also 'i"es income per head Statistics would then help these boards to the areas in
need of aid
The Individ!als
The people also needs products pro"ided by 6(#STAT$ meanin' that they are one of
the main sta%eholders of the or'anisation>e find that people are %een to %now the
inflation rate and the :o"erty lines for "arious reasons :eople would want to %now
health statistics$ for e5ample the number of people dyin' of !(ABA(3S on a wee%ly
or monthly basis$ etc:eople would also want to %now the crime rate$ the rate of
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unemployment$ -3: statistics and many other statistics Amon' others$ colle'e and
uni"ersity students use the statistics in carryin' out their researches and studies
.# The ind!str" in 0hich ZIMSTAT operates.
The or'anisation operates in the ser"ice industry and has the responsibility of carryin'
out sur"eys$ measurin'$ communicatin' and timeously disseminatin' information
nationwide This is a "ery e5pensi"e business for indi"iduals and small companies to
"enture Therefore$ the 6imbabwean -o"ernment finances acti"ities within the
or'ani+ation to'ether with some donors
3espite hu'e cash outflows encountered in producin' all sorts of statistics$ the
or'anisation is none profit ma%in' but is there to pro"ide information to the public
and businesses so as to ensure consistence in policy formulation$ plannin'$ bud'etin'$
pricin' and "aluin' assets
0perations at 6(#STAT are based on the belief that one can only mana'e that he can
,uantify Thus$ 6(#STAT is there to ensure that public and pri"ate businesses are
mana'ed properly so as to achie"e economic 'rowth and the so needed hi'h standard
of li"in'
3ata is obtained throu'h sur"eys carried out from the countryCs ten pro"inces
Sur"eyin' is the process of collectin' data$ which re,uires 'ood public relations and
ideal ,uestionnaires Since sur"eyin' is "ery e5pensi"e$ not e"ery outlet is sur"eyed
but a sample (part of the population) of which must represent the total population
Therefore$ the industry re,uires s%illed personal to determine a sample that represents
the total population
.% The principal prod!cts or services.
These are the outputs of 6(#STAT $ and these come mainly in the form of official
statistics$ s%illed manpower$ di'itali+ed maps$ consultancy ser"ices and the sample
frames or business re'isters !owe"er official statistics "ary with each and e"ery
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department and section$ so student is 'oin' to e5plain official statistics in accordance
with departments
.%.1 The principal prod!cts from the 1rices Statistics Section

This section is responsible for the calculation of indices that measure chan'es in cost
for consumers$ producers$ contractors and others The ma@or publications from this
section are the consumer price inde5$ producer price inde5$ po"erty datum lines$ ci"il
en'ineerin' price inde5 and the buildin' materials price inde5 The section also
conducts the (nternational Comparison :ro'ramme on behalf of the 6imbabwean
-o"ernment
The section has the responsibility of collectin' data$ editin'$ analysis and computin'
the indices accordin'ly The section also carries the responsibility to 'i"e e5planations
about the computation and the use of any of the abo"e4mentioned indices to any
interested party (n 'eneral$ the indices are positi"ely correlated since they all measure
chan'es in cost of 'oods and ser"ices
The Cons!mer 1rice Inde2 (C1I)
The Consumer :rice (nde5 is considered the most widely measure of inflation which
is the rate at which the purchasin' power of consumers is fallin' ie increase in
prices The consumer price inde5 (often referred to as the all items inde5) measure
how much more e5pensi"e or cheaper is it to consume the same amount of 'oods and
ser"ices as were consumed in another year by an a"era'e household
(t is thus re'arded as an effecti"e indicator of fiscal and monetary policies pursued
The C:( consists of a bas%et of 'oods trac%ed from month to month The result of the
calculations is an a"era'e at which the rate of 'oods and ser"ices will be 'oin' up
The collection points are widely distributed (in both the rural and urban areas) o"er
the country to e"en out price fluctuations in pro"inces
!owe"er the main disad"anta'es of the Consumer :rice (nde5 (C:() are that it
assumes no chan'e in consumption patterns as the le"el of income chan'es in the
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short to medium term The assumption is that consumers will continue to buy the
product at the inflated prices but this only holds in stable economies and not
hyperinflationary en"ironments li%e the one pre"ailin' in 6imbabwe (t does not ta%e
co'ni+ance of e5istence of substitutes out of the product class which consumers can
easily switch to (t may also ta%e a lon' time for a new product to be captured in the
C:( despite it ha"in' an impact on the consumersC spendin' patterns
The 6imbabwe C:( is calculated usin' the modified <aspeyeres formula which allows
for wei'hts to be assi'ned and chan'ed to each product as the base year chan'es (t is
dynamic rather than static when it comes to alteration of wei'hts The method also
drops the wei'hts of products which would ha"e not been recorded in the particular
month so that the o"erall inde5 is not affected The products ha"e been put into two
ma@or sub'roups namely food and non-alcoholic beverages and non-food items The
wei'hts are ;19 D and .81 D respecti"ely To 'et the contribution of each 'roup
towards o"erall inflation$ the particular 'roup inflation rate is multiplied by its wei'ht
The hea"ier the wei'ht$ the more the impact on the o"erall rate and "ice "ersa
3ses of the C1I and inflation rates
a. (t is a measure of inflation as it affects households and thus pro"ides a benchmar%
on what in"estors should e5pect on their portfolios The aim is to allocate funds to
those assets that beat inflation so as preser"e oneCs wealth =nfortunately for
6imbabweans$ most of the le'al in"estments are 'i"in' returns below inflation
resultin' in the wealth of many bein' reduced This also e5plains why most
people ha"e turned to real estate in"estments as such in"estments are able to
preser"e wealth Assets ha"e to beat inflation in order to be considered profitable
+. The C:( is used as an ad@ustment factor for inde5ation of prices$ wa'es and
salaries and "aluation of assets (n most cases assets ha"e to be ad@usted in line
with the inflation trends so as to at least maintain the purchasin' power (n
accountin'$ financial statements ha"e to be ad@usted in accordance with inflation
which pre"ailed in the period under re"iew in hyperinflationary en"ironments as
the one currently obtainin' in 6imbabwe (n accordance with the pro"isions of the
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(AS *9$ accounts in hyperinflationary en"ironments ha"e to be ad@usted for
inflation (t is therefore important that the 6(#STAT publishes reliable fi'ures
which would allow for accountin' statements to be true
c. The C:( is also used as a deflator of series in nominal terms to deri"e "alues in
real terms (n this re'ard$ it is mainly used for deflatin' -3: fi'ures to come with
constant prices compared to one base year
d. (t is also an important instrument for formulation of monetary and fiscal policies
#onetary authorities set interest rates and e5chan'e rates by use of inflation
fi'ures deri"ed from the C:( (n principle$ the e5chan'e rate between two
currencies should be e,ual to the inflation differential o"er the period 1iscal
authorities use it to determine ta5 brac%ets The purpose of any policy is to create
a stable macro en"ironment so that inflation remains low (n a world of little or no
-o"ernment interference$ the inflation rates should sa"e as a barometer as to what
the e5chan'e rate should be This is in line with the theory of ?elati"e :urchasin'
:ower :arity which states that e5pected inflation differentials between two
countries should be e,ual to the future e5chan'e rate This means that the
currency with the hi'her inflation should depreciate a'ainst the low inflation rate
currency 25chan'e rates should ad@ust accordin' to trends in inflation 3ue to
-o"ernment interference throu'h the ?B6$ the e5chan'e rate is bein' held
constant defyin' the basic economic fundamentals This is another factor which
has dri"en inflation due to speculation throu'h the blac% mar%et where the
e5chan'e rate is allowed to depreciate in accordance with the obtainin' inflation
rates #ost de"elopin' countries use a crawlin' pe' in e5chan'e rate mana'ement
and these are arri"ed after factorin' in inflation mo"ements
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The 1rod!cer 1rice Inde2 (11I)
The ::( is a ,uarterly inde5 that measures chan'es in the cost of production or in
other words is the inflation e5perienced by producers (t measures chan'es in the cost
of inputs or raw materials used in the production process and sometimes ha"e
corollary effects to the Consumer price inde5 This is because producers ha"e the
tendency to pass o"er the burden to the final consumer To calculate the ::($ we find
the price relati"e and multiply it by the pre"ious inde5 which is used as the wei'ht
The ::( is most widely used by producers in ad@ustin' their prices bud'etin' so as to
ensure sustainability and consistence in supply and thus protectin' their reputation
1overt" 'at!m 4ines (1'4)
The :o"erty 3atum <ine (:3<) is defined as the cost of a 'i"en standard of li"in'
that must be attained if a person is deemed not to be poor The :3< can be bro%en
into two parts namely
(a) The 1ood :o"erty 3atum <ine (1:3<)
(b) The Total consumption :o"erty <ine (TC:<)
The 1:3< represents the minimum consumption e5penditure necessary to ensure that
each household member can (if all e5penditures were de"oted to food) consume a
minimum food bas%et representin' *1// %ilo calories This therefore implies that an
indi"idual whose total e5penditure does not e5ceed the food po"erty line is deemed to
be poor The total consumption po"erty line represents the minimum consumption
e5penditure for all the e5penditures (food and non food items) necessary for a family
of fi"e to be deemed not poor The TC:< is always a fi'ure abo"e the 1:3< since the
food po"erty line constitutes part of the total consumption po"erty line Therefore the
two are positi"ely correlated
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Civil 5n(ineerin( 1rice Inde2 (C51I)
The ci"il en'ineerin' price inde5 is a non4wei'hted inde5 that measures chan'es in
the cost of hea"y machinery and hea"y and hea"y machinery parts The machinery
included under this inde5 is specifically those that are used in road construction$
constructin' buildin's and minin' The C2:( is a "ery useful inde5 to contractors to
ad@ust their prices in tandem with chan'es in the cost of machinery or parts The
C2:( is calculated usin' the a''re'ate simple inde5
6!ildin( Material 1rice Inde2 (6M1I)
This is a ,uarterly produced inde5 (t measures the cost e5perienced in the production
of buildin' materials from one ,uarter to another Sur"eys are carried out from
selected outlets This inde5 is mostly used to "alue e5istin' houses and helps those
who are plannin' to build houses to prepare fle5ible bud'ets and incorporate price
chan'e
International Comparison 1ro(ramme( IC1)
The (C: is an international pro'ram bein' carried out in 1&/ countries in all the
continents !owe"er$ not all countries are participatin' in the e5ercise (t is bein'
administered by the =nited 7ations and >orld Ban% throu'h "arious continental
bodies for easy coordination The two bodies are also responsible for fundin' the
pro@ect$ as some of the countries do not ha"e the capacity to ban%roll it on their own
(n Africa$ the African 3e"elopment Ban% (A3B) is coordinatin' it and countries ha"e
been 'rouped accordin' to the official lan'ua'es used to allow easy e5chan'e of
notes
The pro'ram came into bein' because of the difficulties inherent in inter4country
Comparisons usin' the traditional -ross 3omestic :roduct (-3:) Approach
Therefore$ the pro'ramme see%s to enable the calculation of a special type of
e5chan'e rate %nown as the :urchasin' :ower :arity (:::) which is based on the
comparison of prices and thus reflectin' the mar%et reality This would also allow
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economists to compare wealth in participatin' countries to determine countries where
donor funds can be allocated
The main aim is to come up with an a"era'e price from the bas%et of the 'oods and
ser"ices that was constructed after wider consultations with country representati"es
The bas%et is similar across countries in one re'ion and has strict product
specifications to be followed
:rices of products in the bas%et list are collected e"ery month from selected outlets in
all the countryCs ten pro"inces Speciali+ed ,uestionnaires are used to collect data and
they show all the products attributes needed Collected data is captured into the
rele"ant software ready for "alidation The "alidation boo% is used to trac% errors to
their ori'inal pro"incial files from where corrections are made All products with the
same code are 'rouped to'ether Typical outliers are indicated and these ha"e to be
"erified (n the e"ent that a wron' unit of measurement was used$ the product code
will be hi'hli'hted in red to draw the attention of the data "erifier The process of
"alidation continues until the records show consistency
O+7ectives of IC1
To calculate the :urchasin' :ower :arity of the currency combinations in the
bas%et and this shall be used for con"ersion of -3: fi'ures to one currency
for comparison sa%e which is normally the =S 3ollar(=S E) Currently there
are difficulties in comin' up with an e5chan'e rate for two currencies that not
are hea"ily traded
The information produced will be used to calculate and update po"erty datum
lines in each re'ion The e5ercise is bein' used to identify needy areas where
donor funds should be apportioned The :o"erty 3atum <ines for each country
will be con"erted into the =S dollar usin' the purchasin' power parity of the
(C: results
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To assist in decomposin' the -3: and its sub4a''re'ates as use of multiple
currencies does not assist in ma%in' inter4country comparisons (n this re'ard
the -3: fi'ures of the participatin' countries are con"erted to one currency
usin' the recalculated :::Cs (t becomes easier to directly compare the
standards of li"in' across countries under the different sub4'roups namely
food$ be"era'es$ tobacco and narcotics$ recreation and entertainment ser"ices$
health products$ furniture and operations$ clothin' and footwear and transport
and communication
.%. 1rod!cts from the .ational Acco!nts Section
This section is responsible for underta%in' sur"eys and calculatin' indices such as
Calculatin' -ross 3omestic :roduct by industry of ori'in namely a'riculture$
1inance and (nsurance$ 2ducation$ Ci"il 2n'ineerin'$ #inin' and Fuarryin'$
2lectricity and >ater$ !ealth and others
Calculatin' -ross 1i5ed Capital 1ormation G this see%s to assess the chan'e in
the fi5ed assets in the economy from the pre"ious period ?e"aluations are
also included in the calculations
Conductin' (ncome$ Consumption and e5penditure Sur"eys
Compilation of the Central -o"ernmentCs transactions
,ross 'omestic 1rod!ct (,'1)
The -3: is a measure of the total domestic economic acti"ity (production of 'oods
and ser"ices) in a period$ which is normally one year to allow for comparisons (t is
the sum of all income earned by the production of 'oods and ser"ices on the
6imbabwe economic territory$ where"er the earner of income may reside and is a
"aluable economic barometer -3: is e,ui"alent to the "alue added to the economy
by this acti"ity Aalue added can be defined as income less intermediate costs
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1&
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7ominal -3: 'rowth reflects both chan'es in the economy and price chan'es
(inflation) o"er the accountin' period
The -3: is calculated at both the mar%et and constant prices in order to eliminate the
impact of inflation
,ross -i2ed Capital -ormation (,-C-)
(t is the total "alue of a producerCs ac,uisitions less depreciation and disposals
of fi5ed assets within an accountin' period plus certain additions to the "alue
of non4produced assets reali+ed by the producti"e acti"ity of institutional
units (t simply measures the chan'es in "alue of fi5ed assets inclusi"e of
re"aluations
Chan(e in Stoc)s
(t is e,ual to the "alue of stoc%s ac,uired less the "alue of in"entories disposed
of durin' the year Chan'es in in"entory relate to finished 'oods$ wor% in
pro'ress as well as materials ac,uired for production of 'oods and ser"ices
The -ross Capital 1ormation 'i"es an indicator as to which direction the economy is
headed$ as its components are the mainstay of the economic acti"ities (n a 'rowin'
economy$ it has to show an upward trend and in times of recession it usually 'oes
down or the rate of 'rowth is stifled (n the 6imbabwe case$ it is declinin' in real
terms due to company closures$ problems faced in sourcin' wor%in' capital and fi5ed
assets and the capital fli'ht as some forei'n in"estors are relocatin' to other countries
(n de"elopin' countries$ policies are drafted to stimulate its upward 'rowth by ma%in'
cheap funds a"ailable to impro"e the infrastructure
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1.
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.%.# 1rod!cts from the -inance Section
The finance Section is responsible for compilin' all finance statistics ran'in' from
interest rates$ e5chan'e rates$ <ocal and Central 'o"ernment e5penditures @ust to
mention a few 1inance Statistics are a''re'ates that try to measure and ,uantify
monetary flows (income and e5penditure) and stoc%s such as assets and liabilities in
the economy The monetary flows are measured o"er the period of time$ for e5ample$
a year while stoc%s are 'i"en at a point in time 1inancial statistics are essential for
plannin'$ monitorin'$ e"aluation and control The 1inance Section collects processes
analyses and disseminates data on financial statistics co"erin' issues from "arious
sectors of the economy namely9
1inancial (nstitutions
<ocal -o"ernment
Fuoted Companies
:arastatals
7on :rofit #a%in' 0r'anisations
Central -o"ernment
6an)in( Statistics
a) (n order to compile the :roduction Account$ 0utlay Account and the Capital
Accumulation Account$ the section send 7ational (ncome Fuestionnaires to all ban%s$
that is$ all Commercial Ban%s$ Acceptin' !ouses$ 3iscount !ouses$ Buildin'
Societies$ 1inance !ouses re,uestin' the details of their (ncome and 25penditure and
their Capital Account This information is also re,uested so as to facilitate the
production of the 1low of 1unds and the -1C1
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1)
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>hen Fuestionnaires are returned 6(#STAT will a''re'ate the (ncome and
25penditure of indi"idual ban%s into their respecti"e sectors After this they are then
a''re'ated a'ain so as to determine the (ncome and 25penditure of the entire Ban%in'
Sector The 7ational Accounts Section will also use these fi'ures when they compile
-3: and other a''re'ates
+) The Section also obtains data that is used to compile the Statistics 3i'est from the
?eser"e Ban% of 6imbabweCs #onthly ?e"iew The information that we obtain from
the ?B6Cs #onthly ?e"iews is on9
Assets and <iabilities of Commercial Ban%s
3emand 3eposits of Commercial Ban%s cate'orised by Sector and by type of
0r'anisation
Ad"ances of Commercial Ban%s cate'orised by Sector and by type of
0r'anisation
Assets and liabilities of Acceptin' !ouses
Assets and liabilities of Buildin' Societies
Assets and liabilities of 0ther Ban%in' (nstitutions
Assets and <iabilities of the :0SB
Assets and <iabilities of 1inance !ouses
#oney Supply
(nterest rates and so on
Interest 8ates9 52chan(e 8ates and Mone" S!ppl" Statistics
This information is also obtained in the #onthly ?e"iew of the ?B6 >hat 6(#STA
does @ust is to %eep a soft copy the fi'ures so that we stay with the statistics of those
a''re'ates but 6(#STAT does not determine them in their settin'
. & The s!ppliers of the main inp!ts
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18
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The main inputs to the production of products or ser"ices at 6(#STAT are primary
and secondary data$ financial resources$ material resources$ human resources and
le'islation The suppliers of primary data and secondary data depend on the sur"ey
bein' carried out and the indices aimed to be produced Below is a list of the main
suppliers of the main inputs9
The s!ppliers of main inp!ts
The -o"ernment
7on -o"ernmental 0r'anisations
!ouseholds
?etail outlets
>holesalers
:risons and police offices
!ospitals and clinics
2ducation institutes
Ban%s and other financial institutions
.&.1 The ,overnment
The -o"ernment has a certain percenta'e of the financial resources that it 'i"es to
6(#STAT 1unds re,uired by the or'anisation for data collection$ data processin'$
and dissemination of 0fficial statistics are pro"ided for by the -o"ernment in the
7ational Bud'et and donations 1inancial resources would then be accessed by the
or'ani+ation throu'h the #inistry of 1inance which 6(#STAT reports to
.&. .on ,overnmental Or(anisation
The 7-0s pro"ide donor funds and material resources to finance the operations of
6(#STAT The loans$ donations or 'rants are accepted by the or'ani+ation with the
appro"al of the #inister
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19
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.&.# Ho!seholds
!ouseholds are one of the ma@or suppliers of inputs in the form of information to
6(#STAT They supply information dependin' on the sur"ey at hand and the
,uestionnaire bein' administered Ta%in' for instance when 6(#STAT is carryin' out
a Census sur"ey$ households supply information on the number of people dwellin' in
a housin' unit >hen 6(#STAT conducts an A'riculture and <i"estoc% sur"ey
!ouseholds 'i"e information on the number of li"estoc% they ha"e$ the inputs they
put on their land and the output they yield per hectare of land

.&.% 8etail o!tlet
Selected retail outlets supply information on prices of 'oods and ser"ices in the
consumer bas%et Some of the supermar%ets selected in !arare are T#$ 0H$ etc The
other outlets include newspaper companies$ insurance companies$ etc The prices
information enables 6(#STAT to compute the Consumer :rice (nde5 ((nflation rate)
and the :o"erty 3atum <ines
.&.& :holesales
>holesales also supply information to 6(#STAT in the form of prices of
commodities 0utlets on the sample include 8a''ers$ #ohamed #ussa and ?ed Star
wholesalers The prices 'i"en by wholesalers enable computation of C:( and :3<
.&.; 1risons
The prisons supplies 6(#STAT with fi'ures on the number of prisoners in prisons$ the
number of "arious crimes committed in different parts of the country each day$ in a
wee% or in a month These fi'ures enables the or'anisation to calculate the number of
cases committed for e5ample $ how many people are committin' suicide$ how many
people are committin' suicide or homicide etc to come up with prison and crime
statistics
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*/
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.&.< Hospitals and clinics
!ospitals and clinics supply the or'anisation with important information which when
compiled leads to health statistics which shows "ital information li%e the rate at
which people are contractin' !(ABA(3S e"ery month$ the number of people dyin' of
!(ABA(3S e"ery month and the infant mortality rate etc
.&.= 5d!cation instit!tes
Schools and colle'es supply 6(#STAT with information on the fi'ures of school fees
they would be char'in' per pupil and these are used in the calculation of C:( and
:3<
.&.> 6an)s and other financial instit!tions
#erchant ban%s$ Commercial ban%s$ buildin' societies and discount houses supply
"ital primary and secondary data which is of 'reat importance in the production of
finance statistics #ost of the information is obtained from the published end of year
accounts and the ?B6C monthly re"iews which shows Assets and <iabilities of
commercial ban%s and demand deposits of commercial ban%s etc (nformation would
be on (ncome and 25penditure (:rofit and <oss) and the Capital Account (Balance
sheet)The information is also "ital in production of -ross 1i5ed Capital 1ormation
which is a main element in the production of -3: fi'ures
.; Main so!rces of competition and the compan"?s position in
rivalr"
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*1
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6(#STAT as a non profit ma%in' or'anisation which re,uires a "ast capital outlay
initially in its formation and in its day to day operations$ it faces little competition
from other or'anisations 6(#STAT is second to non in the pro"ision of official
statistics
!owe"er there are some or'ani+ations which carry out sur"eys and produce products
or statistics similar to that of 6(#STAT 0r'ani+ations such as The CC6 conduct
sur"eys to produce a measure similar to the :3< produced by 6(#STAT The
difference lies in the nature$ items and content of the consumer bas%et The CC6 li%e
6(#STAT produces its :3< on a monthly basis
The other sources of competition stems from the other 'o"ernment ministries which
produces statistics of their acti"ities Ta%in' for e5ample$ the #inistry of health
produces some health statistics$ while in another e5ample the #inistry of Trade
produces statistics on tradin' acti"ities of the country >e also ha"e or'ani+ations li%e
the 6imtrade which is in the business of trade$ producin' statistics at the end of a
certain period 6(#STAT
on the other hand would be producin' such statistics
The Central ban% on the other hand produces ban%in' and finance statistics @ust li%e
6(#STAT So as a result we can see that the or'ani+ation e5periences some
competition thou'h not "ery stiff one$ maintainin' the first position in the ri"alry
.< Impact of the chan(in( environment9 social attit!des9 the
econom" and (overnment policies !pon@
a) The mar)et served
There is a mutual relationship between 6(#STAT and the mar%et that it ser"es The
society lar'ely depends on 6(#STAT for the satisfaction of its needs$ such as products
and ser"icesI con"ersely$ 6(#STAT depends on its en"ironment for such resources as
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**
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raw materials (in the form of data) and the mar%et for its products in the form of
statistical information$ and indices
The mar%et ser"ed by 6(#STAT consists of institutions such as the -o"ernment and
its departments$ the ?eser"e ban% of 6imbabwe$ the business fraternity$ the 7-0s$ the
financial institutions and academic institutions
5ffects of the technolo(ical environment !pon the mar)et
Chan'es in the en"ironment is 'enerally a manifestation of technolo'ical inno"ation
or the process throu'h which manCs capabilities are enlar'ed Technolo'ical inno"ation
ori'inates in research and de"elopment by business and the 'o"ernment$ and it results
not only in new machinery or products but also in new processes$ methods and e"en
approaches to mana'ement that brin's about chan'e in the en"ironment
+) 5ffects of technolo(ical innovation !pon ZIMSTAT
The most outstandin' characteristic of technolo'ical inno"ation 6(#STAT is that it
constantly accelerates the rate of chan'e Technolo'ical inno"ation at 6(#STAT has
led to hi'her producti"ity of statistical series 3urin' the past few years$ 6(#STAT
used to produce official statistics usin' manual methods usin' calculators and
typewriters !owe"er this was not "ery efficient$ but than%s to technolo'ical
inno"ation$ the or'ani+ation can now use efficient technolo'y$ in the form of
computers$ printer etc$ in the production and dissemination of national statistics
#oreo"er$ ad"ancement in technolo'y led to the creation of comple5ity that is
comple5 products can now be produced usin' comple5 production processes$ which
ma%e new demands on the mana'ement of 6(#STAT >ith better technolo'y
6(#STAT can now present their products in a better way >ith the aid of hea"y duty
printers$ mass production of leaflets for publication is now possible
The website of 6(#STAT as part of technolo'ical inno"ation has many ad"anta'es
>e find that usin' the website$ 6(#STAT can easily obtain the "iews and commends
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*;
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from the public and the other 'o"ernment departments from the emails send to the
or'anisation "ia the website These commends helps the mana'ement to impro"e their
products or production processes
(n most cases technolo'ical inno"ation means more pressure upon the mana'ement
and the 'o"ernment to facilitate the adoption of the new technolo'y$ which mi'ht end
up strainin' the resources of the or'anisation and the 'o"ernment !owe"er in a
country li%e 6imbabwe with limited capital$ mana'ement may ha"e to 'i"e constant
attention to the use of labour intensi"e technolo'y not only to easy the pressure on the
demands for capital but to pro"ide more employment too
Technolo'ical pro'ress therefore affects the business as a whole$ includin' its
products$ its life cycle$ its supply of materials$ its production process and e"en its
approaches to mana'ement
5ffects of the economic environment !pon ZIMSTAT.
The economy is influenced by technolo'y$ politics$ social and the international
en"ironment while itself assertin' some influences on these "ariables The most
important interfaces between the economic en"ironment and the business concern the
economic 'rowth rate$ consumer incomes$ inflation$ monetary and fiscal policy$ and
the fluctuations in these "ariables
The operations of 6(#STAT are to a lesser e5tent affected by chan'es in the
economic en"ironment 0f the "ariables of the economic en"ironment we find that it
is inflation which has a si'nificant impact on the operations of 6(#STAT

1irstly we find that with a hyper4inflationary en"ironment$ bud'etin' for the
or'ani+ation is difficult :rices for different items are risin' on daily basis As matter
of fact the or'ani+ation would ha"e to constantly ma%e supplementary bud'ets due to
inflation >e also find that due to inflation bi' sur"eys such as the :opulation Census
and the (ncome$ Consumption and 25penditure Sur"ey would be difficult to conduct
>e find the money which would ha"e been allocated for the sur"eys to be conducted
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*4
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in a period of twel"e months end up bein' sufficient to cater for three months$
meanin' that the both 6(#STAT and the #inistry of 1inance would constantly ha"e
to ma%e supplementary bud'ets
#oreo"er$ inflation causes a situation of apparent profit$ while the or'anisationCs
capital is bein' eroded all the time (t ma%es cost accountin' and the financin' of
credit difficult
!owe"er$ to a lar'er e5tent the operations of 6(#STAT are not affected by most
"ariables of the economic en"ironment since it is a non profit ma%in' or'ani+ation
producin' a public utility Since the or'ani+ation is non profit ma%in'$ an upswin' or
downswin' of the economy of 6imbabwe will not ha"e a si'nificant impact on the
operations of 6(#STAT
The mana'ement of 6(#STAT would not ha"e any trouble tryin' to profit by
reducin' its in"entory in 'ood time to %eep the business in a state of li,uidity$
therefore a"oidin' the hi'h costs of interest$ when e5pectin' a recession
2"en if the economy of 6imbabwe were to e5perience an upswin'$ the mana'ement
of 6(#STAT was not 'oin' to bother itself tryin' to find the ri'ht strate'y that would
profit the business since due to the nature of the products
#oreo"er$ an increase or decrease in the incomes of the consumer would not lead to
the e5pansion or contraction in the demand of the or'anisationCs products$ since it
would be senseless for one to increase the number of C:( copies that heBshe would
use because hisB her income has increased This howe"er is a different situation with
other consumer 'oods
The effects of the economic environment on the mar)et served +" ZIMSTAT
The chan'e in the economic "ariables does not ha"e a si'nificant impact upon the
mar%et ser"ed by 6(#STAT The mar%et does not shrin% or e5pand followin'
fluctuations in the economic "ariables such as inflation$ consumer incomes$ and
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*&
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economic 'rowth The mar%etCs demand also does not rise or fall in response to the
fluctuations in the ma@or economic "ariables
An upswin' or downswin' of the economy does not ha"e a 'reat impact on the
mar%etBclientsC demand of statistics (n the case of other 'oods$ ta%in' for instance a
normal 'ood$ we e5pect people to increase demand or the ,uantity purchased of a
'ood durin' the time of an economic boom$ and "ise "ersa !owe"er with statistics$
itCs a different case 0ne can not e5pect people to increase their purchase of statistics
or other products from 6(#STAT durin' an upswin' of the economy$ and
alternati"ely one can not e5pect people to reduce their purchase of statistics durin' the
time of an economic recession
#oreo"er$ the fluctuation in the incomes of the consumers does not ha"e a si'nificant
effect upon the mar%et ser"ed by 6(#STAT and their demand of the statistical series
=nder normal circumstances we e5pect the demand and purchase of a product to
increase with the rise in incomes of the consumers since they would now be able to
buy more >e find that the mar%et ser"ed by 6(#STAT does not e5pand or shrin% in
response to the rise or fall in the consumer incomes
The rise in the rate of inflation also does not cause the mar%et ser"ed by 6(#STAT to
shrin% althou'h inflation reduces the purchasin' power of the consumers The mar%et
ser"ed by 6(#STAT remains relati"ely the same despite the hi'h inflation rate in
6imbabwe
5ffects of the social environment !pon ZIMSTAT.
The chan'e in the social en"ironment affects the mana'ement of 6(#STAT indirectly
throu'h man as a consumer and an employee that its ultimate effect on the business
can not be underestimated
A social trend that would 'reatly affect mana'ement and the operations of 6(#STAT
is the le"el of education of the population 0n one hand it will influence the le"el of
s%ills in both mana'ers and wor%ersI while on the other hand$ hi'her education will
result in new demands for ,uality statistical series and ad"isory ser"ices
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*.
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Better education and trainin' will mean a more sophisticated consumer with definite
demands on mana'ement re'ardin' the ,uality of 'oods$ ad"ertisements and wor%in'
conditions
. = The t"pes of technolo(" !sed at ZIMSTAT.
<ocal Area 7etwor%
>ebsite
:ersonal computers
Software pac%a'es
Scanner
:rinters
1a5 machine
Telephones
:unchers
Staplers
1irstly$ 6(#STAT has a <ocal Area 7etwor% (<A7) which lin%s :ersonal Computers
within the or'anisation The <ocal Area 7etwor% is controlled with two ser"ers
runnin' on windows ser"er *//; operatin' networ% system The >ebsite ser"er is
where 6(#STAT website is sittin' on and the ser"er is runnin' in <inu5 <A7
enables easy communication across sections and departments 3ocuments$ articles
and music can easily be send usin' the <A7
Secondly 6(#STAT has a website www+imstatac+w and an e4mail which facilitates
communication within the or'anisation and with people outside the or'anisation The
clients are able to access some information about 6(#STAT on the website$ and "iew$
comments and ,ueries can be forwarded to the director "ia the e4 mail The website
and email ser"er is runnin' on <inu5 red hat
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*)
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6(#STAT also has personal computers in all the sections These computers are
connected to the <ocal Area 7etwor% and run on an operatin' system called >indows
J: :rofessional and #icrosoft 0ffice such as word$ e5cel$ power point and publisher
6(#STAT also uses "arious software pac%a'es for data entry and data processin' The
pac%a'e differs and "aries across sections Ta%in' for e5ample 6(#STAT uses the
CS:ro for data entry$ editin'$ tabulation and dissemination of data from census and
sur"eys CS:ro combines features of (#:S and (SSA

There is also the SAS which is used for the production of tables and chec%in' of
errors$ in which case the final tables are produced in e5cel format$ for report writin'
The or'ani+ation also has printers in all the sections and departments$ as part of the
technolo'y used in its production process 2ach section prints ,uestionnaires for
different sur"eys$ and also the leaflets$ and boo%s of indices for publication Ta%in'
for e5ample$ in the :rices Statistics Section$ ,uestionnaires for C:S$ C2:($ B#:( and
(C:$ amon' others are printed After data processin'$ the section then prints the
leaflets with indices such as the C:( and the :3<
The or'ani+ation also uses the fa5 machine$ to send documents to other or'anisations
and also to recei"e documents from other or'ani+ations (t is also used to send
documents to 6(#STATCs pro"incial offices$ and "ice "ersa The ad"anta'e is that it
wor%s fast in sendin' documents to the desired destinations
The or'ani+ation also uses telephones in its operations 6(#STAT has telephones in
e"ery office to facilitate easy and ,uic% communication across sections and
departments (nstead of one 'oin' to the ne5t office to in,uire about somethin'$ one
can sa"e scarce time by simply pic%in' up the recei"er$ and dialin' the rele"ant
number 0ne can also dele'ate wor% or 'i"e directions as to how a tas% can be
e5ecuted usin' the telephone$ instead of himBher wal%in' to that office Since
6(#STAT has pro"incial offices in the ten pro"inces of 6imbabwe$ telephones ma%e
communication with them easier
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*8
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1urthermore$ 6(#STAT uses staplers to @oin sheets of papers$ such as C:($ and :3<
leaflets to'ether (t also uses punchers in the production process$ especially when one
wants to file ,uestionnaires in a file
Chapter #
#.1 Or(ani/ational Str!ct!re
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*9
5conomic Statistics
Mr. A.8... Shonhi0a
('ep!t" 'irector)
:opulation and Social Statistics
#r C :arirenyatwa
(3eputy 3irector)
Income Anal"sis
Mr. .. Tar!vin(a
(Assistant 'irector)
:roduction Statistics
#r ? #pofu
(Assistant 3irector)
(ndustrial Statistics
(Statisticians)
(Cler%s)
-inance
(Statisticians)
(Cler)s)
.ational Acco!nts
(Statisticians)
1rices
(Statisticians)
(Cler)s)
!ousehold sur"eys
Aacant
(Assistant) )
3irector)
Administration
!uman ?esources
?e'istry and 1inance
:ri"ate Secretary
3emo'raphy and social
Statistics
#s #un'ate
#s #un'ate
(Assistant 'ep!t"
3irector) Carto'raphy
(Statisticians)
(Cler%s)
2n"ironment !ealth
(Statisticians)
(Cler%s)
Social stats
Census
(Statisticians)
(Cler%s)
A'ricultural
Statistics
(Statisticians)
(Cler%s)
1orei'n Trade
(Statisticians)
(Cler%s)
#appin'
(Statisticians)
(Cler%s)
-ender
(Statisticians)
(Cler%s)
2mployment
(Statisticians)
(Cler%s)
8udicial
(Statisticians)
(Cler%s)
Social indicators
(Statisticians)
(Cler%s)
(#T
(Statisticians)
(Cler%s)
Census
(Statisticians)
(Cler%s
'I85CTO8 O- C5.S3S A.' STATICS
M8. M. .BO.I (Actin( 'irector)
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#. S!mmar" of the Ma7or 'epartments
0perationally$ the 0r'anisation is di"ided into two main branches which are the
2conomic Statistics and :opulation and Social Statistics The di"isions are supported
by centrali+ed ser"ices of Administration and 1inance and other departments The
Administration and finance section consists of two units$ one dealin' with
Administration and the other dealin' with 1inance
#..1 -inance (Acco!nts) Section
The finance (accounts section) is one of the sections that offer centrali+ed ser"ices
to the or'anisation with its ma@or functions of94
To comply with all laid down financial procedures and re'ulations
:rocessin' of payments for 'oods and ser"ices recei"ed
:rocessin' of ad"ance re,uest and claim forms for tra"elin' and subsistence
allowances
Sellin' and distribution of publications
:reparation for estimates of e5penditure
Timeous processin' of re,uisitions and payment "ouchers
:roducin' financial returns to be submitted to the Comptroller and Auditor G
-eneral and #inistry of 1inance
?espondin' to all audit obser"ations raised by the e5ternal and internal
auditors Timeously and follow up on recommendations
2liminatin' ad"erse audit obser"ations by ensurin' efficiency and
effecti"eness
#a%in' sure that all payment "ouchers are submitted with the necessary
attachments
Committin' all e5penditure incurred by the department
(dentifyin' areas capable of 'eneratin' re"enue
Controllin' the departmentCs allocation
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?econciliation of suspense accounts and implementation of effecti"e follow
up action
?espondin' to all accountin' ,ueries
#.. Administration and H!man 8eso!rces
The Administration section also offers centrali+ed ser"ices to the or'anisation throu'h
impro"in' conditions of ser"ices by re"iewin' 'radin' and salary structures$
attractin' and retainin' s%illed and ,ualified staff and impro"e staff performance and
producti"ity This section is also responsible for introducin' monetary and non4
monetary benefits to moti"ate staff
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Chapter %
%.1 The :or) roles9 tas)s and responsi+ilities
The studentCs wor% related learnin' e5perience at 6(#STAT co"ered a lot of wor%
roles$ tas%s and responsibilities (n order for 6(#STAT to carry out its functions there
is amon' all the departments the accountin' department which mana'es all the funds
for the or'ani+ation (t is a'ainst this bac%'round that the student is 'oin' to 'i"e a
brief description of her wor% roles$ tas%s and responsibilities of the wor% related
learnin' e5perience at 6(#STAT
%.1.1 *ecei+tin' and Ban,in'
The student receipted all moneys and cash donations recei"ed by the department on
official receipts purchased from the department of :rintin' and Stationery The
receipts were produced in triplicate$ duly si'ned and date stamped The first copy of
the receipt was forwarded to the payer$ second copy was used as a postin' media and
the last copy left in the boo% as a fast copy
All receipts were to be ban%ed by a different officer from the one who receipts She
also maintained a ban%in' re'ister to ensure that all funds are safe'uarded the copies
of the deposit slip and receipt boo% were passed on to the super"isor for "erification
and certification that the amount ban%ed is correct
%.1. -re+arin' -ay%ents
The documents that were used when preparin' a payment are payment "ouchers$
che,ues leaf and stubs$ supportin' documents (which in this case could be in"oices$
deli"ery notes$ returned order form and memos) and indemnity forms used in the case
of an open che,ue
0n recei"in' in"oices$ payment "ouchers were prepared by the students which were
numbered se,uentially for each payment processed The accounts cler% would then
forward the "oucher to the e5ecuti"e officer for certification who in turn forwards
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them to the senior e5ecuti"e officer for passin' for payment >hen the payment
"ouchers ha"e been duly certified by the e5ecuti"e officer and passed for payment by
the senior e5ecuti"e officer the respecti"e attached che,ue could then be to the
authori+ed si'natories for si'natures
%.1.; Bank Reconciliation
%.1.% Cash.oo,
The student made entries in the cashboo% on a daily basis and update at the end of
each month and reconcile a'ainst the ban% statement
%.1.& ?econciliation -rocedure
1irstly$ the student would ensure that all receipts were entered in the cashboo%
correctly She would then tic% off all deposits entered in the cashboo% a'ainst
reflected on the ban% statement and ta%e note of deposits shown on the ban% statement
but not recorded in the cashboo% and issue separate receipts for each one of them
She would then record all direct paymentsBtransfers shown on the ban% statement but
not recorded in the cashboo% includin' interest or ban% char'es made by the ban% and
record deposits in the cashboo% and not reflected on the ban% statement as a ban%
reconciliation item under deposits in transit She then record che,ues in the cashboo%
not shown on the ban% statement as a ban% reconciliation item under unpresented
che,ues !a"in' completed the abo"e action she would prepare the ban%
reconciliation
%.1.; -re+aration of &inal Accounts
The student prepared the followin' financial accounts for the years *//) to *//9 for
S31 and ACB1 which should be prepared at each year end and submitted to the
Comptroller and Auditor 'eneral for audit purposes
(i) (ncome and e5penditure Account
(ii)Balance Sheet
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(iii)Cash flow Statement
%. & -rocessin' Advance *e/uest and Clai% &or%s for Travellin' and Su.sistance
Allo0ances
The student processed applications for ad"ance payment of tra"elin' and subsistence
allowances when duty re,uires staff members to away from the home station >hen
the staff member returns from his duties$ he completes a tra"elin' and subsistence
claim form to account for the cash ad"anced (f the e5penses incurred are not e,ual to
the amount ad"anced$ then either the indi"idual is reimbursed or as%ed to pay the
difference
%. ; )isse%ination of Statistics
She was also entitled to the dissemination of official statistics to the sta%eholders The
main method was by sellin' them to the user at an affordable price 'a+etted by the
or'anisation( would also ad"ice the users of statistics on the ri'ht publication to use
dependin' on the type of information they need
%. < Attendin' )e+art%ental %eetin's
3urin' the wor% related learnin' e5periencethe student attended "arious departmental
meetin's where she leant a lot includin' the importance of participatin'
%.= )ata Ca+turin'
She was also entitled to capturin' the daily e5penditure for the 6(#STAT account and
produce the daily e5penditure reportShe also captured e"ery e5penditure for the
#inistry funds
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Chapter &
&.1 The or(anisation?s stren(ths
S)illed*Committed staff
The mandate of 6(#STAT is to produce official statistics and this re,uires a hi'hly
s%illed tas% force$ which is well "ested in mathematical$ economical and
econometrical concepts At 6(#STAT the statistical cler%s and the statisticians ha"e
3iplomas and de'rees in "arious disciplines such as economics$ statistics and
mathematics 6(#STAT produces world class official statistics with the aid of its
s%illed and committed staff
5sta+lished 'ata Collection Infrastr!ct!re
6(#STAT can boast about an established data collection infrastructure This is so
because it has a master sample for the whole country of 6imbabwe The whole
country has been di"ided into "arious enumeration areas which ma%e it easier for
data to be collected The households section has the maps$ list of all structures and
households in 6imbabwe The maps$ the list of households and the list of names
entails that 6(#STAT has an established data collection infrastructure
In-service trainin(
6(#STAT has the stren'th of an in4house trainin' facility which offers certificates
in disciplines such as statistics$ mathematics$ economics and computin' science
The Trainin' section also trains staff in methods of data collection$ "alidation$
stora'e retrie"al$ display and analysis6(#STAT trains its wor%ers as well as people
from other 'o"ernment departments to impro"e their wor% performance The in4
house trainin' is also bein' successful in moti"atin' staff to 'reater efficiency by
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creatin' an interest in their wor% and the sub@ect matter of statistics$ mathematics$
economics and computin'

Compliance to international standards
The "ision of 6(#STAT is to be the leadin' world class producer of national
statistics$ so as a result 6(#STAT adheres to international standards in the pro"ision
of official statistics 6(#STATCs compliance to international standards are shown in
the methods and formulas that it uses in calculatin' the indices such as the
Consumer :rice (nde5 and the :o"erty 3atum <ines which are the ones
recommended by the (nternational Community and the =nited 7ations 6(#STAT
sometimes in"ites professional consultation persons from other leadin' countries in
the pro"ision of official statistics$ to train and up'rade the pro'rammes used in the
computation of statistics and also to up'rade the s%ills of the staff$ and thus
compliance to international standards
5sta+lished sample frame and +!siness re(isters
(n its mandate to produce official statistics "ital for policy formulation$ we find that
6(#STAT has an established sample frame$ which is a list of all households$
enterprises$ farms and hospitals in the country 6(#STAT also has established
business re'isters The or'anisation has a list of all re'istered companies and their
addresses$ both physical and postal addresses This enables to carry out sur"eys
easily since all those companies and institutions which would ha"e been selected as
part of the sample would be reached easily for data collection
:ider ran(e of statistical information
6(#STAT boasts of a comprehensi"e data base Statistical information datin' bac%
to as early as 189& when the first censuses were conducted is a"ailable at 6(#STAT
>e can also find that 6(#STAT has a wide ran'e of statistical information in that it
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produces information such as health statistics$ prison and crime statistics$
employment statistics$ census statistics$ prices statistics$ ban%in' statistics$ income
statistics$ amon' many others
&. The or(anisation?s 0ea)nesses
.o control or decision ma)in( on conditions of service
6(#STAT currently has no control or decision ma%in' on the conditions of ser"ices
since its still dependin' on the #inistry The or'anisation does not ha"e control on
the wa'es and salaries of its employees at the moment The or'anisation cannot
increase salaries or 'i"e cars to its wor%ers as moti"ation to its wor%ers or a way of
curbin' hi'h staff turno"er Ta%in' for instance$ in some or'anisations when a %ey
wor%er who is "ery important to the or'anisation in terms of hisBher s%ills$ is
attracted and bound to lea"e for another or'anisation that offers of hi'h salary and a
car$ the or'anisation can increase the salary of the %ey wor%er and a'ain 'i"e
himBher the car as a way of protectin' himBher from lea"in' the or'anisation The
:ublic Ser"ice Commission and the Central 'o"ernment decide on the conditions of
ser"ice of 6(#STATCs
Mar)etin( strate("(e.(. prod!ct presentation)
6(#STAT faces challen'e on the presentation of its products =nli%e other
or'ani+ations$ 6(#STAT does not carry out any promotional acti"ities for its official
statistics 6(#STAT ad"ertises itself @ust before and durin' the times of population
censuses which ta%es place once in e"ery ten years to notify the public As a matter
of fact the or'anisation lac%s a "i'orous mar%etin' strate'y for its products

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Internal comm!nication
At 6(#STAT there is "ertical communication$ which is communication between the
mana'ement and the @unior staff
4ac) of control over financial reso!rces
6(#STAT lac%s control o"er financial resources which it uses in the day to day
runnin' of its operations since it is still under 'o"ernment The or'anisation is a
'o"ernment department$ financial resources for its operations are allocated in the
national bud'et by the minister of finance The funds are then released from the
treasury to 6(#STAT throu'h the rele"ant ministry housin' 6(#STAT at that
particular time As a result$ the mana'ement of 6(#STAT can not always carry out
some acti"ities which needs financial resources$ althou'h the acti"ities may be
beneficial to the country$ since at times fundin' of acti"ities depend on the
prioriti+ation of the 'o"ernment

Technolo(ical !pdates
As a non profit ma%in' or'anisation$ mainly in the pro"ision of a public 'ood$ it is
not "ery easy for 6(#STAT to update its technolo'y Althou'h the 'o"ernment and
the 7-0Cs ha"e facilitated and made it possible for the or'anisation to ha"e better
models of computers$ printers and some other machines in almost e"ery department
for use in its operations$ 6(#STATla's behind other countries in terms of
technolo'y The or'anisation does not ha"e scanners to use in the capturin' of data
on ,uestionnaires$ which ma%es it faster for data to be captured The fa5 machine
althou'h it is a"ailable$ it is not easily a"ailable to e"eryone ,uic%ly
4e(islation enforcement
The le'islation that 'o"erns the operations of 6(#STAT is poorly enforced in that it
is not effecti"e enou'h to force e"eryone to 'i"e information or data durin' the
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;8
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sur"eys This 'i"es problems durin' data collection$ leadin' to low response rate$
omission of some "ital information in data processin'$ users doubtin' the ,uality of
data and publications bein' produced late

Timeliness of some statistical series
At 6(#STAT some publications are bein' produced late due to "arious reasons The
or'anisation sometimes e5periences the problem of timeliness of some statistical
series due to lac% of demand for data leadin' to fewer resources made a"ailable for
their production or ,uality control 0n the other hand timeliness of some statistical
series is due to poor moti"ation of the wor%force and la+iness

'isaster recover" plan
The or'ani+ation has a wea%ness in relation to the disaster reco"ery plan The
or'ani+ation does not update its stora'e of data more often (n the e"ent that there is
a fire outbrea% or some other form of disaster at 6(#STAT some of the data will be
lost
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;9
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Chapter ;
;.1 The or(ani/ation?s opport!nities
An opportunity may be defined as a fa"orable condition or tendency in the mar%et
en"ironment of an or'anisation which can be fa"orably e5ploited by means of a
deliberate mana'ement effort Below are some of the opportunities that ha"e been
a"ailable to 6(#STAT$ and the means that the or'anisation a ha"e used to e5ploit the
opportunities
Cons!ltanc"
6(#STAT has an opportunity of consultancy (ts staff members are hi'hly s%illed
and e5perienced in the field of mathematics and statistics to the e5tent that they can
act as consultancy in those fields The or'anisation 'reatly utili+es this opportunity
by offerin' this ser"ice to other 'o"ernment$ departments$ companies indi"iduals
and the 7-0Cs
,overnment decision on semi-a!tonomo!s stat!s*revised le(islation
The or'anisation is also utili+in' the opportunity of 'o"ernment decision on semi4
autonomous status or re"ised le'islation of 6(#STAT
Trainin( services
6(#STAT has trainin' ser"ices at its disposal The main sub@ects offered are
statistics$ mathematics$ economics and computin' science The staff members are
trained in methods of data collection$ "alidation$ stora'e retrie"al$ display and
analysis The or'anisation utili+es this opportunity by trainin' staff members upon
@oinin' the or'anisation$ and whene"er need arises
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8es!lt +ased polic"
This is a policy that has been newly introduced by the 'o"ernment on appraisals
>or%ers are now appraised basin' on their results of their tas%s and responsibilities
This is so because a lot of wor% was bein' done but without comin' up with results
at the end of the day As a result$ 6(#STAT as a 'o"ernment department ta%es and
utili+es this opportunity
Innovation thro!(h technolo(ical advancement
6(#STAT is en@oyin' the opportunity of inno"ation throu'h technolo'ical
ad"ancement Technolo'ical inno"ation ori'inates in research and de"elopment by
both the or'anisation and the 'o"ernmentThis howe"er affects the business as a
whole$ includin' its products$ its life cycle$ and its supply of raw materials$ its
production processes and e"en its approach to mana'ement 6(#STAT is
continuously adoptin' new technolo'y$ and this is seen throu'h the technolo'y that
it has and the software pac%a'es that it uses in data entry and data processin'
6(#STAT has a <ocal Area 7etwor%$ >ebsite$ an email$ personal computers$ di'ital
printers$ hea"y duty printers and software pac%a'es such as CS:ro ;/ and the
!armoni+ed Consumer :rice (nde5
'onor f!ndin(
The or'anisation also has the opportunity of donor fundin' #any 7-0Cs come to
6(#STAT for assistance in carryin' out sur"eys$ for e5ample on children and other
"ulnerable 'roups$ or they en'a'e 6(#STAT to carry out the sur"ey since it has an
established data collection infrastructure As a result 6(#STAT benefits in the form
of finance$ material resources such as computers$ printers and e"en "ehicles
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1rintin( services
6(#STAT has the opportunity of printin' ser"ices at its disposal >e find that the
or'anisation has a print floor$ which is a section that is there to meet all the mass
printin' needs of all the departments and sections in the or'anisation As a result it
uses this opportunity to print leaflets such as the C:( and :3< and boo%s with
reports of statistics such as that of crime statistics or income statistics for
publication
;. The or(anisation?s threats
A threat may be defined as an unfa"orable condition or tendency in the mar%et
en"ironment of the or'anisation that can$ in the absence of a deliberate effort by
mana'ement$ lead to the failure of the business$ its products or its ser"ices Below are
some of the threats that the or'anisation has encountered and the ways that the
or'anisation has adopted to deal with the threats
4imited +!d(etar" allocation*control
Sometimes the or'anisation faces the threat of a limited bud'etary allocation from
the #inistry of 1inance This means there would not be enou'h money to finance
sur"eys To sol"e a situation li%e this 6(#STAT had to as% for a supplementary
bud'et allocation from the ministry$ or the or'anisation had to @ustify itself to the
'o"ernment in order to 'et some more money !owe"er$ at times the or'anisation
and the 'o"ernment would loo% for the users of the final product from the sur"eys$
and these mostly would sponsor the sur"eys Ta%in' for e5ample 7-0Cs such as the
>orld Band (>B)$ African 3e"elopment Ban% (A3:)$ =nited 7ations
3e"elopment :ro'ramme$ ha"e sponsored many sur"eys carried out by 6(#STAT
with financial resources and material resources

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Competition
The e5istence of competition is one other threat that has been faced by 6(#STAT
Althou'h it is the leadin' producer of official$ national statistics adherin' to
international standards$ we find that it faces competition from other or'anisations
which produces statistics Ta%in' for e5ample$ an or'anisation li%e the CC6
produces :o"erty <ines on a monthly basis li%e 6(#STAT$ althou'h the consumer
bas%ets are different CC6( also publishes its :o"erty <ines @ust li%e 6(#STAT >e
also find that there are other ministries that produce their statistics$ for e5ample the
#inistry of !ealth produces !ealth statistics$ while the #inistry of #inin' and
(nternational Trade produces statistics on trade This poses some competition to
6(#STAT As a result$ the or'anisation o"ercomes the competition by impro"in'
the corporate ima'e of the or'anisation and presentation of its products

Statistical illiterac"
>e find that in 6imbabwe statistical illiteracy rate is "ery hi'h #ost people do not
understand statistics and its rele"ance in their li"es Sometimes e"en when the
people 'et the fi'ures they do not %now how to use them correctly or how to
interpret them As a result the or'anisation sometimes the department finds itself
cau'ht in a "icious cycle where national statistics has been under4appreciated$
under"alued and underin"ested To deal with the problem 6(#STAT offers ad"isory
and consultancy ser"ices on how to use the statistics correctly to the members of the
public Ta%in' for instance$ people are tau'ht how to re"alueBad@ust their money
balances$ salaries and assets usin' the C:( !owe"er there is need for the
or'ani+ation to increase statistical awareness to the public

HI$*AI'S *staff t!rnover
The or'anisation li%e many other or'anisations is e5periencin' a hi'h staff turno"er
due to the !(ABA(3S pandemic #any members of staff are dyin' lea"in' "acant
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posts$ while some are bein' absent from wor% for a lon' time to ta%e care for their
sic% relati"es at home$ posin' a threat to the or'anisation
1!+lic perception
>hat the people percei"e about the operations of an or'anisation has a 'reat impact
on the credibility of the or'ani+ation (n the case of 6(#STAT the public has both
positi"e and ne'ati"e perceptionsThe users sometimes doubt the ,uality and
credibility of the national statistics produced thin%in' that the data is manipulated to
suit the desires of the politicians and the 'o"ernment since 6(#STAT is a public
department 3ue to ne'ati"e perceptions6(#STAT has often found itself cau'ht in
a "icious cycle where national statistics has been under4appreciated$ under"alued
and underin"ested The public perception poses a bi' threat to the or'anisation
8esponse rate
The department sometimes suffers from low response rate especially in those
sur"eys in which data is collected usin' postal method Ta%in' for e5ample the
School 1ees and 2ducation Sur"ey$ there has been a low response rate leadin' to
delays in the computation of indices
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Chapter <
<.1 ZIMSTAT?s s!ccesses as meas!red +" its mission and declared
o+7ectives
The successes of 6(#STAT are seen throu'h its ability to contribute to national
de"elopment throu'h the production and dissemination of timely and accurate
national statistics that facilitate policy formulation 3ata and statistics from
6(#STAT ha"e always been of prime importance to the 'o"ernment of 6imbabwe
for policy formulation Ta%in' for instance the C:( is of prime importance in the
calculation of the 7ational Bud'et by the #inistry of 1inance The 'o"ernment$
throu'h the ?eser"e Ban% also uses the C:( in determinin' the monetary and
fiscal policies
6(#STAT has been successful in contributin' to national de"elopment throu'h
facilitatin' plannin' and decision ma%in' (t is "ital for the state and its citi+ens to
%now inflation rate$ the po"erty datum lines$ unemployment rate$ health statistics$
crime rate and the -3: per capita amon' other indices$ all of which are products
of 6(#STAT The indices enable sound decisions which would lead to national
de"elopment Ta%in' for e5ample$ the :3< enables the state to %now the
ma'nitude of po"erty amon' its citi+ens allowin' it to be in a better position to
implement policies on po"erty alle"iation
The or'anisation has also been successful in enablin' e"aluation and research$
throu'h the sur"eys that it carries out The or'anisation has been able to facilitate
e"aluation and research throu'h the comprehensi"e data base which it has Ta%in'
for e5ample 6(#STAT$ has data on (nflation rate$ :o"erty$ Crime statistics$ -3:
and other 7ational Accounts$ 2mployment and <abor statistics etc All these
statistics enables e"aluation and research to be done
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4&
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The or'anisation has been successful in producin' official statistics that facilitate
transparency and 'ood 'o"ernance
Timeous production of some statistics (rate of inflation$ census)
6(#STAT has been successful in producin' some statistics in time Ta%in' for
e5ample$ it has been able to produce the rate of inflation and the :o"erty 3atum
<ine on a monthly basis as re,uired
Compliance to international standards
The or'anisation today boasts of complyin' with international standards in the
production of official statistics used in policy formulation and decision ma%in' by
the republic of 6imbabwe
(n4ser"ice trainin'
The in ser"ice trainin' that is meant to train staff in methods of data collection$
"alidation$ stora'e retrie"al$ display and analysis has been a success 6(#STATCs in
house trainin' has also been successful in moti"atin' staff to 'reater efficiency by
creatin' an interest in their wor% and the sub@ect matter of statistics$ mathematics$
economics and computin' This in turn contributes to national de"elopment throu'h
the production and dissemination of timely and accurate national statistics that
facilitate policy formulation$ plannin' and decision ma%in'
<e'islation (mandate to produce statistics)
The or'anisation has been successful in meetin' its mission and declared
ob@ecti"es$ by carryin' out its mandate to produce statistics in terms of the Census
and Statistics Act KChapter 1/*)L The Act pro"ides for the ta%in' of a census$ for
the collection of statistics and for the publication of statistical informationI and to
pro"ide for matters incidental to the fore'oin' By fulfillin' its mandate$ we can see
that 6(#STAT is indeed contributin' to national de"elopment throu'h the
production and dissemination of timely and accurate national statistics that facilitate
policy formulation$ plannin' and decision ma%in'
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4.
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A comprehensi"e data base
6(#STAT has a comprehensi"e data base with data datin' bac% to 189& when the
first censuses were conducted (t produces prices statistics$ income statistics$ finance
statistics$ a'riculture and li"estoc% statistics$ population statistics$ labour and
employment statistics$ crime statistics$ trade statistics amon' many others This
wide ran'e of data contributes to national de"elopment throu'h the production and
dissemination of timely and accurate national statistics that facilitate policy
formulation$ plannin' and decision ma%in'
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Chapter =
=.1 The Mar)et*Clients? perceptions of ZIMSTAT and its operations
The clients ha"e both positi"e and ne'ati"e perceptions about the or'anisation$ and
these affects the corporate ima'e of the or'anisation and its credibility (n the case of
6(#STAT the clientsC perception has multiple effects on the ima'e of the
or'anisation$ "alidity$ reliability and credibility of its products and ser"ices The
student will start by e5plainin' some of the positi"e perceptions that the public has on
6(#STAT$ and then the ne'ati"e perceptions that they ha"e on the or'anisation
1irstly$ the clients percei"e the or'anisation as efficient in the production of official
national statistics This is seen in the ability of 6(#STAT to meet the needs of the
consumers by producin' "arious statistical series in time Ta%in' for e5ample$ the
or'anisation produces the (nflation rate and the :o"erty 3atum <ines on a monthly
basis as re,uired by the international standards These indices are released on the 1/
th
of e"ery month
6(#STAT has a comprehensi"e data base$ an established sample frame$ a well
established data collection infrastructure$ multi4 s%illed employees and adheres to
international standards in the production of official statistics >ith these$ the
or'ani+ation produces statistics that are used by the public$ central 'o"ernment$
financial institutions$ international or'ani+ations and 7-0Cs such as (#1$ >B and
=7 This shows that the users of statistics ha"e confidence in the operations of CS0

#oreo"er$ the outside world "iews 6(#STAT employees as multi4s%illed$
professional$ inno"ati"e$ hi'hly ,ualified$ empowered$ %nowled'eable and
professional analysts This is seen in the results of their wor% Ta%in' for instance the
or'ani+ation recruits people with 'ood ,ualifications and 'oes on to train them usin'
the in4ser"ice trainin' facility to up'rade their s%ills in data collection$ "alidation$
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stora'e retrie"al$ display and analysis (t also sends staff abroad to learn further and
also "isits other re'ional offices to study to study how they carry out their duties
!owe"er$ some users also thin% that data is not easily a"ailable to the users This is so
because of its physical location which is in the 'o"ernment premises So the fact that
identity cards are re,uired upon entrance to the buildin' may be the contributin'
factor to the ne'ati"e perception

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Chapter >
>.1 'ifferences*discrepancies +et0een the de(ree pro(ramme and the
0or) practices carried o!t at ZIMSTAT.
There is little di"er'ence between the de'ree pro'ramme and the wor% practices
carried out at 6(#STAT 0ne of the differences between the theory learnt at colle'e
and the wor% practices lies in the practical ways of e5ecutin' tas%s$ duties and
responsibilities usin' computers and different software pac%a'es
Ta%in' for e5ample$ when preparin' some reconciliations usin' #icrosoft e5cel$ the
way formulas are used to automatically post some fi'ures from the cash boo%s to the
ban% reconciliation statements was confusin' at first$ ma%in' it difficult to produce
the reconciliation statements yet when doin' them on paper it is so easy
The writin' of reports and circulars was one another wor% practice carried out in the
:rices statistics section There is howe"er a no differences between the way the
reports and the circulars are desi'ned at 6(#STAT and what was leant at colle'e the
course called Communication
(t can be noted that courses such as Communication$ Business accountin'$
(nformation systems$ (ntroduction to computers and ?esearch #ethodolo'y were
'reatly applicable to the wor% practices carried out at 6(#STAT durin' the period of
attachment
9* 1ersonal 'evelopments
The studentCs e5perience at 6(#STAT helped to appreciate the importance of
teamwor% She used to belie"e in indi"idual effort but throu'h practice$ she reali+ed
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that indi"iduality is a counter producti"e ideolo'y$ so she can now wor% with others
as a team Speed and accuracy are two important factors whichthe student learnt at
6(#STAT$ durin' the first wee%s of her e5perience She 'radually become faster and
more accurate with continued practice The student could now effecti"ely mana'e her
time to meet set tar'ets than before
>.# 85COMM5.'ATIO.S
(t has been an enli'htenin' period in which the student 'ot to understand the
operations and importance of the accountin' section in any or'anisation !owe"er
there are some areas which student feels need to be impro"ed
>.#.1 8ecommendations to the or(ani/ation
a) Invest heavil" in technolo(ical advancements
(n line with the mission statement that the department shall use hi'hly automated
technolo'y to impro"e efficiency$ there is need to in"est in technolo'ical ad"ances
3espite ha"in' a well connected and secure <ocal Area 7etwor% (<A7) at the head
office$ the same cannot be said of the pro"incial offices They la' behind in
technolo'y which at times poses a threat to maintenance of confidentiality They rely
on time consumin' manual systems The resources should be made a"ailable to
procure ad"anced technolo'y for use in data collection such as is done in South
Africa (t allows data to be sent on real time basis from the point of collection to the
head office and ,ueries can thus be resol"ed ur'ently
(n todayCs world of commerce$ or'anisations ha"e to be lin%ed with e4mails and fa5es
so that information can be sent on real time basis The current set4up in which some of
the :ro"incial 0ffices recei"e fa5es throu'h other offices can e5pose some of the
sensiti"e information to outsiders There is need to ensure that confidentiality is
maintained at all le"els to maintain credibility of the or'anisation (t is important that
the office does not lose control of "ital information
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The or'anisation must also speed up the implementation of its website This matter
re,uires ur'ent attention as those that reside out of !arare do not ha"e ready access to
6(#STAT publications as the sellin' point is centrali+ed The website forms an
inte'ral part of present day or'ani+ationsC ability to reach to all corners The other
option would be to decentrali+e the sale of publications to the :ro"incial 0ffices to
allow easy access to those out of the capital so that those in other parts are not
disad"anta'ed while modalities for implementation of a website are bein' wor%ed out
(t is easier to %now what the rate of inflation is in the =SA a country thousand of
%ilometers away at the clic% of a button and it ta%es a'es to 'et one for 6imbabwe
+) 1erformance meas!rement and revisit the H!man 8eso!rces section
This is a critical mission in the current harsh economic climate There is need for the
superiors to occupy themsel"es with performance measurement and mana'ement
This seems to be lac%in' at the moment within the or'anisation There seems to be a
laisse+ faire way of conductin' business ?ewardin' systems should be desi'ned so
that candidates 'et what they deser"e #any of the people are bein' punished for
what they do not ha"e control o"er and others rewarded for what they do not deser"e
The superiors should ma%e sacrifices for those that are not performin' and probably
recommend their employer$ the :ublic Ser"ices Commission$ to ha"e their ser"ices
terminated The other option would be to re4assi'n them to lesser demandin' posts
The !uman ?esources section also needs to be re"isited so as carry out its mandate to
the best of its ability The section must carry out its mandate of hirin' and
implementin' sound in4house trainin' pro'rams for the e5istin' staff and for
'raduates there is need to ha"e a properly desi'ned -raduate Trainee :ro'ram #ost
of the sections are e,uipped with people who do not understand the nature of their
@obs leadin' to them bein' a one man show (t is disheartenin' to note that some
people who were recruited two years a'o cannot e5ecute their basic duties (t becomes
e5cess ba''a'e to the or'ani+ation and should be 'otten rid of #oti"ation is low at
the current moment and the 3irector and his team ha"e to do somethin' in their power
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to impro"e wor%in' conditions =nfortunately he does not ha"e control o"er the
salaries but they must desi'n incenti"e schemes acceptable to e"eryone
>.#. 8ecommendations to the 'epartment of Acco!nts
The 3epartment should continue to maintain the current hi'h standards that ha"e
made its 'raduates the most sou'ht in the industry despite the enormous challen'es
bein' faced The 3epartment must ma%e an effort to put in place some accountin'
pac%a'es so as to ma%e wor% easier for the accountants and increase efficiency This
will help students de"elop and appreciate the accountin' systems and e,uippin' them
with much e5perience for future purposes
>.#.# Concl!sion
The studentCs e5perience with 6(#STAT has been a 'reat period of e5posure and
ac,uaintance to the @ob en"ironment She can now appreciate that theory is meant for
practice !er wor% related learnin' e5perience is actually a reinforcement of the
accountin' theory well fused with the practical part of it and other concepts
The team wor%in' on the commercialisation of the 3epartment must sell their ideas to
e"eryone to reduce resistance of chan'e There is need for open communication so
that e"eryone understands the conse,uence of transformin' to a semi4autonomous
or'anisation =nfortunately li%e any other process of transformation$ there are
possibilities of @ob losses as the A'ency will ha"e to head hunt for the best human
resources on the @ob mar%et and replace underperformers The student wishes the
or'anisation all the best in their future endea"ours
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Compiled by 8anet Chido #utanha in partial fulfillment of the
re,uirements of the Bachelor of Commerce !onors 3e'ree in
1inancial (ntelli'ence
#r : Chi@o%we (Accountant)
Si(nat!reCCCCCCCCCC.'ateCCCCCCCCCCCCC
#r T #utod+aniswa (Assistant Accountant)
#r #A #atsi%a (Senior 25ecuti"e 0ffice
#iss 8 C #utanha (Student)
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&4

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