Sarah Eyaa

Collaborative relationships and SME supply chain performance

SMEs especially those in developing countries face a number of challenges that affect their performance and survival in the long run. One of the challenges that has not been widely explored is that of SME supply chain performance. This study attempts to examine the relationship between collaborative relationships and SME supply chain performance in Uganda. SME supply chain performance is an important area because SMEs account for a large percentage of the private sector. Our study established that collaborative relationships explained 29.5 per cent of the variation in SME supply chain performance. Information sharing and incentive alignment were found to be significant predictors of SME supply chain performance while decision synchronization was not a signification predictor. These findings are important and raise implications for theory and managers of SMEs in Uganda.

Psychological climate, catharsis, organizational anomie, psychological wellness and ethical procurement behaviour in ugandaʼs public sector

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between psychological climate, catharsis, organizational anomie, psychological wellness and ethical procurement behaviour in Ugandaʼs public sector, in order to understand better the conditions that foster or diminish procurement ethics in a developing country. Data for this study were collected from a sample of 1100 respondents out of which 460 usable questionnaires, representing a 42% response rate were received and analyzed. Results reveal that psychological climate, procurement planning and organizational anomie were significant predictors, accounting for 64% of the variance in ethical procurement behaviour. These results have both policy and managerial implications which we present and discuss in this paper.

Ethical Culture of SMEs and Perceived Contract Enforcement in Ugandan Buyer-Supplier Contractual Arrangements

The study examined the relationship between ethical culture, organizational memory, bargaining power of buyers/suppliers, subjective norms, attitudes and contract enforcement in the developing world context of Uganda. Using a proportional stratified random sampling approach, a sample of 1500 employees was drawn from SMEs in Uganda. Five-hundred and ninety-four (594) fully-filled questionnaires were returned, giving a response rate of 39.6 per cent. Ethical culture, organizational memory, bargaining power of buyers/suppliers, subjective norms and attitudes were found to significantly predict 51.2 per cent of the variance in contract enforcement behaviours in Ugandan SMEs. This finding has both policy and managerial implications which we present in the paper.

SUPPLIER DELIVERY PERFORMANCE IN UGANDAN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT CONTRACTS

The purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive framework of achieving supplier delivery performance based on contract governance mechanisms, justice perceptions and ethical behavior using cross sectional survey data from public procuring and disposing entities (PDEs) in Uganda. Public procurement contract governance covers the design, development, implementation and enforcement of contracts. It serves to align interests of the contracting parties, reduce opportunistic behavior, lower transaction costs, promote justice perceptions, improve ethical behavior and achieve value for money procurement. Poorly managed procurement contracts result in conflicts, yet in many developing countries only rich suppliers can afford to resolve disputes through courts. For other suppliers, justice is out of reach. While it has been assumed that contracts result in good performance, little research has been carried out to corroborate this assumption. In this paper we provide theoretical, empirical and policy implications of supplier delivery performance.

Social cohesion, groupthink and ethical behavior of public procurement officers

Whereas social cohesion has been widely studied and researched by sociologist and psychologists, its application to public procurement is sparse. This study explores the connection between social cohesion, groupthink, ethical attitudes and ethical behavior of procurement officers. The study is based on a survey of 405 public procurement officers in central government. A cross-sectional survey design was used and a response rate of 58.5% attained. Self report items were used to study all the constructs. All the hypothesized relationships were found to be significant. Social cohesion, groupthink, and ethical attitudes were all significant predictors of ethical behavior, accounting for 56% of the variance. The strength of this prediction suggests the need for concerted policy intervention for dealing with unethical conduct and behavior of the procurement professionals.