COOPERATIVE STRATEGIES: THE ULTIMATE BUSINESS SOLUTION FOR STARTUPS AND SMALL & MEDIUM BUSINESSES (SMEs) IN BOTSWANA

The purpose of this paper is to explore the feasibility and relevance of various cooperative strategies for new business development (start-ups) and SMEs in Botswana. Further to examine the relationship between strategic collaborations and these businesses' competiveness and sustainability. The paper attempts to answer one critical question: Are cooperative strategies (strategic collaborations) the ultimate solution to startups and SMEs in Botswana? The paper also explores cost implications or risks associated with using these strategies, and the potential benefits that will flow to both the startups and the existing small businesses. This is done through in-depth review of all relevant literature and descriptive data analysis collected from different online database sources. The paper also adopts (Murray 2001) conceptual framework, “An Integrated Framework of Strategic Alliance-Based Global Sourcing for Competitive Advantage”. This conceptual framework presents the relationships among the various variables with an ultimate goal of obtaining a competitive advantage. Hopefully the findings will be of benefit to government decisions on business development policies reforms, less innovative prospective entrepreneurs and also provide some input to the future related research studies.