The purpose of this article is to provide insights into how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected public procurement operations, and the role of public procurement during the pandemic. The article ...synthesises relevant literature on Covid-19 and public procurement in the African context. A review of literature from 2020 to 2022 was done to enrich the findings of the current article, which shows that the Covid-19 pandemic affected public procurement in the form of delays, malpractice, budget reallocations and supply disruptions. Furthermore, during the Covid-19 pandemic it was recommended that public procurement practices be more strategic through collaboration, and respond more quickly in obtaining vaccines and health supplies, which were critical in the prevention and treatment of related illnesses. The article provides several practical implications in terms of ensuring good governance, implementing regulatory frameworks for emergency procurement, improving collaboration among members of comparable regional organisations, and implementing Covid-19 preventative measures. Finally, because the current study’s scope is limited in terms of the selection of published articles and other relevant literature that give insights about the African continent during this period, future studies could be conducted to include literature from outside the African continent in order to broaden the scope of this current study.
L'objectif de cet article est de donner un aperçu de la manière dont la pandémie de Covid-19 a affecté les opérations de passation des marchés publics et le rôle des marchés publics pendant la pandémie. L'article synthétise la littérature pertinente sur le Covid-19 et les marchés publics dans le contexte africain. Une revue de la littérature de 2020 à 2022 a été réalisée pour enrichir les conclusions de cet article, qui montre que la pandémie de Covid-19 a affecté les marchés publics avec des retards, des malversations, des réallocations budgétaires et ruptures d'approvisionnement. En outre, pendant la pandémie de Covid-19, il a été recommandé que les pratiques de passation des marchés publics soient plus stratégiques grâce aux collaborations et qu’elles réagissent plus rapidement à obtenir des vaccins et des fournitures sanitaires essentiels à la prévention et au traitement des maladies connexes. L'article fournit plusieurs incidences pratiques en ce qui concerne l’assurance d'une bonne gouvernance, de mise en œuvre de cadres réglementaires pour l'approvisionnement d'urgence, d'amélioration de la collaboration entre les membres d'organisations régionales comparables et de mise en œuvre de mesures préventives contre le Covid-19. Enfin, comme la portée de l'étude actuelle est limitée en termes de sélection des articles publiés et d'autres documents pertinents qui donnent un aperçu du continent africain pendant cette période, de futures études pourraient être menées pour inclure la littérature hors continent africain afin d'élargir la portée de la présente étude.
Supplier management practices, such as supplier selection and evaluation, monitoring, and development, are multifaceted strategies aimed at enhancing supplier performance for the benefit of buyers. ...However, their role in explaining buyer satisfaction within the realm of public procurement is not well understood. The study addresses this gap by exploring the predicting role of supplier management practices on public buyer satisfaction. Data obtained through questionnaires from 179 public buyers in Tanzania and was analyzed by using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) so as to test three main hypotheses. The results showed positive and significant relationships between all supplier management practices and buyer satisfaction. Notably, among these practices, supplier selection and evaluation emerged as the strongest predictor on explaining buyer satisfaction. This study offers valuable empirical evidence on the impact of supplier management practices on public buyer satisfaction. Public organizations (buyers) should consider effective implementation of supplier management practices by giving much attention to supplier selection and evaluation, monitoring and development as they are relevant for enhancing buyer satisfaction. The study holds significant implications for policymakers in public procurement undertakings, especially in Tanzania, where robust public procurement practices are essential for the country's development.
AbstractThe research investigates the impact of entrepreneurship education (EE) on green entrepreneurial intentions (GEI) among business students. Additionally, the study conducted a moderation ...analysis to examine whether gender influences the relationship between EE and GEI among female and male business students. Data were collected from 204 Tanzanian business students who had completed an entrepreneurship course as part of their major, using structured questionnaires. Quantitative data analysis and moderation effect testing were performed using PLS-SEM in SmartPLS 4. The findings reveal a significant positive relationship between EE and GEI. Moreover, gender was found to be significantly related to GEI, with males exhibiting a stronger effect compared to females. However, despite this, the study found that gender does not moderate the relationship between EE and GEI. This study offers unique insights into the influence of EE on GEI and the moderating effect of gender in the Tanzanian context. Furthermore, the study contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 4 by addressing the importance of enhancing education quality and ensuring inclusive and equitable learning opportunities for all individuals. The research also carries policy implications for promoting green business initiatives among future entrepreneurs. While the study provides valuable contributions, it is limited by its sample size, which solely consists of business students from Tanzania. Future research should consider expanding the sample to include students from various academic programs and diverse geographical locations to enhance the generalizability of the findings.
Purpose The study investigates the effect of behavioural uncertainty on the environmental sustainability of restaurant businesses in Tanzania. Also, the study examines the moderating role of ...purchasing technical knowledge on the main relationship between the study variables. Design/methodology/approach The quantitative approach was used and cross-sectional data were collected at a specific time from restaurant businesses in Dodoma, Tanzania. The PROCESS macro was used to analyse the relationships between behavioural uncertainty, purchasing technical knowledge and environmental sustainability. Findings Behavioural uncertainty has a significant and negative effect on the environmental sustainability of restaurant businesses. Purchasing technical knowledge, on the other hand, has a positive and significant effect on the environmental sustainability of restaurant businesses. Finally, purchasing technical knowledge has a positive and significant moderating effect on the relationship between behavioural uncertainty and environmental sustainability such that the negative effect of behavioural uncertainty is reduced with increasing purchasing technical knowledge. Research limitations/implications This study considers purchasing skills in terms of purchasing technical knowledge as a moderating variable; hence, other studies may take into account other moderating variables to extend this study. Also, the study considered only environmental sustainability and hence is limited in terms of other dimensions of sustainability and provide an avenue for further research in social and economic sustainability. Practical implications Since purchasing technical knowledge reduces the negative effect of behavioural uncertainty on the relationship with environmental sustainability, restaurant managers should be encouraged to improve their purchasing technical knowledge by attending short- and long-term training on purchasing functions in the restaurant industry. Social implications The social implications of the investigated link between behavioural uncertainty, purchasing technical knowledge and environmental sustainability in the restaurant industry include raising awareness, promoting sustainable practises and fostering an environmentally responsible culture. By addressing behavioural uncertainty, leveraging purchasing technical knowledge and embracing sustainability the industry can contribute to a more environmentally conscious society. Originality/value By providing empirical evidence from Tanzania, the study extends literature on examining the environmental sustainability of restaurant businesses. The study also establishes the interaction effect of purchasing technical knowledge as an important skill in reducing the negative effect of behavioural uncertainty on enhancing environmental sustainability in restaurant businesses.
Small and medium-sized enterprises are increasingly promoting environmental sustainability, a trend that has raised environmental awareness and inspired individuals and organizations to work together ...to create a more sustainable and greener future by implementing environmentally friendly practices. This study examines the influence of strategic green marketing orientation on environmental sustainability. Also, the study examines the moderating effect of green absorptive capacity on the relationship between strategic green marketing orientation and environmental sustainability. We used partial least squares structural equation modelling to test hypotheses with data obtained from 391 manufacturing enterprises in Tanzania via structured questionnaires. Our study's main findings show that strategic green marketing orientation has a significant and positive influence on environmental sustainability, and green absorptive capacity strengthens the positive effect of strategic green marketing orientation on environmental sustainability. Although there is scholarly interest in incorporating environmental considerations into business endeavors, there is little evidence on ways that a strategic green marketing orientation promotes environmental sustainability in a manufacturing context. Thus, our findings add to the literature on understanding environmental sustainability for manufacturing enterprises by revealing the role of strategic green marketing orientation and green absorptive capacity in explaining environmental sustainability. The study suggests that manufacturing enterprises should integrate environmental considerations into their strategic resources and endeavors to improve eco-friendly outcomes.
PurposeThis paper analyzes procurement negotiators' skills and attributes by considering perceptions of procurement professionals in Tanzania.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed a ...cross-sectional research design in which procurement professionals' opinions were collected through questionnaires. The study proposed that the skills and attributes of procurement negotiators are necessary for negotiation proceedings, and they were tested through confirmatory factor analysis.FindingsFindings suggest that listening skills, persuasion skills, communication skills and planning skills are all important skills that contribute to overall procurement negotiation skills. Furthermore, trust, flexibility, honesty and emotion are statistically determined to be necessary attributes for procurement negotiators. All of the observed variables were statistically significant (p < 0.001) and contributed positively to explaining the skills and attributes of procurement negotiators.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample included only respondents from a single country. This may affect the generalization of results as there is a variation in institutional regulatory compliance governing public procurement undertakings in different countries. Also, the study did not include the outcome of negotiation proceedings and relied only on opinions collected from the procurement professionals in Tanzania.Practical implicationsThis study's findings provide suggestions for practitioners on the necessary skills and attributes of procurement negotiators that might be well considered when appointing members of negotiation teams for procurement deals.Originality/valueThis paper adds value to the existing literature on the necessary skills and attributes of members of negotiation teams for procurement undertakings in the public sector.
Purpose
Human resource development (HRD) has been considered in enhancing organisational operations as human resources are vital for organisational performance. This study aims to examine the role of ...HRD on the effectiveness of public procurement in Tanzania.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed a cross-sectional research design under which data was collected from 168 procurement professionals in Dodoma city, Tanzania. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to analyse the collected data and examine the structural relationships between HRD and the effectiveness of public procurement in Tanzania.
Findings
The findings revealed that all the variables of human resource development; career development, training and performance appraisal, are statistically significant and positively related to the effectiveness of public procurement. Therefore, the findings reveal that career development, training and performance appraisal as HRD practices play an important role in enhancing the effectiveness of public procurement in the surveyed public procuring organisations in Tanzania.
Research limitations/implications
This current study divides HRD into three main practices: career development, training and performance appraisal. This limits the study's applicability to other HRD practices that organisations may institutionalize to public procurement professionals who work in various public organisations in Tanzania.
Originality/value
This paper integrates the concept of HRD and public procurement effectiveness. Therefore, the study adds value to the literature on human resource management and public procurement management.
PurposeDespite the fact that students in higher education contributes significantly to the number of professionals, little has been done to incorporate the students’ perspectives on the status of ...procurement and supply professions in Tanzania. This study examined the challenges confronting the procurement and supply professions from the perspective of future procurement professionals enrolled in Tanzanian higher education.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional design was used to collect data from undergraduate students majoring in procurement and supply chain management in Tanzanian higher education using a structured questionnaire.FindingsThe findings revealed that the challenges affecting the procurement and supply professions were buyer- and supplier-related challenges as perceived by Tanzanian higher education students.Research limitations/implicationsThe study's findings should be generalized with caution because the findings represent the perspectives of Tanzanian procurement and supply undergraduate business students. Furthermore, the included sample of procurement and supply undergraduates cannot represent all students' perceptions; thus, other studies may broaden the sample by including the opinions of other higher education students.Originality/valueThis is the first study that looks at how students in higher education institutions, who are considered future procurement and supply professionals, perceive the challenges of the procurement and supply professions in Tanzania.
The study investigated the moderating effect of staff competency on the influence of communication on the effectiveness of force account approach (FAA) in construction projects in Tanzania. This ...study proposed three hypotheses, which were tested by using PROCESS macro from data obtained from 229 members of projects under FAA in local government authorities (LGAs) in Dodoma, Tanzania. The findings unveiled that communication and staff competency contribute in a meaningful manner in influencing the effectiveness of FAA in construction projects. Lastly, the study established a moderating effect of staff competency in the relationship between communication and the effectiveness of FAA. Based on the main findings, it was concluded that communication and staff competency are significant factors for the FAA effectiveness in construction projects in LGAs. Furthermore, the role of communication on the effectiveness of FAA in construction projects varies across different values of staff competency, with a stronger influence when staff competency is high compared to when it is low. Therefore, staff competency strengthens the influence of communication on the effectiveness of FAA. Despite its limitations, our study provides significant implications for practice and theory.
Skills are important qualities that procurement practitioners should have because they are relevant to procurement activities. Given its significance, this study investigates the influence of ...procurement skills on procurement performance in public organizations in Tanzania. Furthermore, the study investigates the mediating effect of procurement planning on the relationship between procurement skills and procurement performance. A cross-sectional study was conducted, with data collected from public procurement practitioners in Dodoma City, Tanzania, using a structured questionnaire. To ascertain the hypothesized relationships, structural equation modeling was used. The findings indicate that procurement skills have a positive and significant influence on procurement performance in Tanzanian public organizations. Furthermore, procurement skills and procurement planning are significant and positively related and procurement planning significantly influences procurement performance. Finally, procurement skills have an indirect influence on procurement performance through procurement planning. The study concludes that procurement planning mediates the relationship between procurement skills and procurement performance. Therefore, procurement skills should be used to improve procurement planning in public organizations and procurement performance. In this regard, public organizations should ensure that practitioners are adequately trained to improve their skills in preparing and implementing procurement plans for improving procurement performance in their respective organizations.
