Methodology
A case study was closely followed and monitored in which Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) School of Business
Sciences was involved in collaboration venture creation with five production and mining SMEs, who preferred anonymity
for the purposes of this study. During the evaluation, knowledge transfer barriers of the provider (School of Business) and
seeker (SMEs) were explored based on the characteristics of the knowledge source and the recipient guidelines given by
Chang (2008). Progress on the collaborative projects was monitored and evaluated over a period of five years. During the
period, the School and the respective SMEs were engaged in collaborative consultancy, research and development. The
school provided support to the SMEs in mostly in form of training through seminars and workshops; presentation of
research results and expert advice provision in areas such as production, marketing distribution and finance. In special
cases, human resources were provided to SMEs in need in form of students on work-related-learning.