Marketing, Procurement and Supply Management

From consortium tendering to SMEs’ participation in publicprocurement markets: do procedural capabilities intervene?

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

From consortium tendering to SMEs’ participation in publicprocurement markets: do procedural capabilities intervene? Israel, Baraka.; Ismail, Ismail J.; Mchopa, Alban D. This study examines the effect of consortium tendering (cst) on the participation ofsMe in public procurement markets (ppM) with a particular focus on the mediating roleof procedural capabilities (prc). Data collection was done using a structuredcross-sectional questionnaire survey that was randomly distributed to 283 sMes withinthe context of tanzania. the proposed model hypotheses were tested using hayesprOcess macro. the study results showed a significant positive effect of cst on sMe’sprc and their engagement in ppM. Further, prc revealed a significant positive effect onsMe participation in ppM. the notable finding of the study is that prc serve as amechanism through which cst influences sMe participation in ppM. accordingly, thestudy suggests designing digital platforms that can connect sMes with large companiesand their peers, offer specific training and mentorship programmes on the aspect ofcst and the procedural nature of ppM. the study makes a novel contribution toliterature on public procurement and competitiveness by integrating insights of cstand prc to explain sMes’ involvement in ppM. the study findings hold relevance forpolicymakers, oversight authorities and support institutions seeking ways to enhancestrategies towards inclusive participation of sMes in ppM. This is Research Article

The relationship between market orientation and firm innovativeness:

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

The relationship between market orientation and firm innovativeness: Kisamo, Ansila.; Kayunze, Kim.; Allan, Tumaini. Food-processing enterprises contribute significantly to the global economy. Yet, many struggle in their growth and face early failure. Innovation, therefore, becomes critical to their survival. This paper investigates how market orientation (MO) influences innovativeness in Tanzanian food-processing firms and tests whether gender roles moderate that relationship. The study is echoed in dynamic capability theory supported by institutional theory. The study employed an explanatory cross-sectional survey design. The simple random sampling technique was used to obtain a sample of 224 food processing firms from the population of 284 registered food processing firms which had updated their business licence in the year 2022/2023. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire which comprised Likert-scale questions. The analysis of the objectives was done by using structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings reveal that all of the MO dimensions had a positive and significant effect on innovativeness. Customer orientation had (β = 0.372, p < 0.001), competitor orientation had (β = 0.404, p < 0.001), and inter-functional coordination had (β = 0.196, p = 0.035). Gender roles moderated customer and competitor orientation links. The findings imply that firms that stay sharply focused on their markets by listening to customers, keeping an eye on competitors and making sure their teams work smoothly together tend to be more innovative. Furthermore, owner/managers should build a routine of gathering customer feedback, track competitor moves, and encourage teamwork. Policy makers offering trainings, networking events and targeted support can help smaller firms develop this market-orientated mindset and spark more innovation across the whole sector. This is Research Article

Exploring the nexus between procurement contract administration and quality attainment of force account construction projects in Tanzania

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Exploring the nexus between procurement contract administration and quality attainment of force account construction projects in Tanzania Mwaiseje, Shadrack S.; Mchopa, Alban D.; Panga, Faustine P.; Nkuhi, Mathias S. Currently, there is an increasing focus on procurement contract administration as among of the key variables in explaining the performance of construction projects. Despite such observations, their relationship with quality attainment of the Force Account (FA) construction projects is not well postulated to cement the observed causal relationship. Therefore, this study assesses the role of procurement contract administration in the quality attainment of FA construction projects in Local Government Authorities (LGAs) in Tanzania. The study employed a cross-sectional research design, and data was collected by using structured questionnaires from primary schools in Dodoma, Tanzania. The study used 318 respondents to analyse data by using Partial least square structural equitation modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings of the study reveal that risk management, relationship management, dispute management, and monitoring and control are positive and significant factors in explaining the quality attainment of FA construction projects. Notably, risk management is the strongest predictor of quality attainment of FA construction projects. It was concluded that the quality attainment of FA construction projects is highly influenced by procurement contract administration. These findings have practical implications, as procurement practitioners and FA committees can use them to make decisions concerning the quality attainment of the projects through the implementation of procurement contract administration practices This is Research Article

Cost efficiency of small scale sunflower processors in Dodoma region in Tanzania

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Cost efficiency of small scale sunflower processors in Dodoma region in Tanzania Mushi, Cuthbert W. This study was undertaken to analyse the cost efficiency of sunflower processing firms in Dodoma Region. The specific objectives were to: (i) analyse the level of cost efficiency, and (ii) determine the factors affecting the cost efficiency in small scale sunflower processors. Simple random sampling was employed to select 70 sunflower processors from Kongwa and Dodoma urban districts in Dodoma Region who were then interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data analysis techniques included the collating field data and decomposing it into descriptive statistics and estimating translog cost frontier. Descriptive statistics showed that cost of raw materials accounted for 61.21% of total cost of production (whereby sunflower seed accounted for 94.5% of raw material cost, transport cost (5.1%), and storage cost (0.5%)) followed by cost of fixed assets (22.68%), overhead costs (11.45%), and labour (4.67%). The sunflower processing sub-sector is dominated by male (92.7%) compared to 7.8% of their female counterpart. Empirical results also indicate that the average cost efficiency of sunflower processors was 112%; however, this ranged from 110% to 129%. Additionally, the output elasticity and cost elasticities due to materials, energy and transport significantly affected the total cost of sunflower oil production. Formal education, type of machine used by processors, access to finance had positive effect on the Cost Efficiency (CE) while membership to processors’ association had negative effect on CE. In general, the study found that the high cost of production of sunflower oil was due to high sunflower seed prices and unreliable power supply which significantly affect sunflower processors’ in Dodoma Region. The study recommends a number of measures to enhance sunflower processing efficiency in the study area to include: improving processors’ skills through capitalizing on specific efficiency-enhancing trainings e.g. KAIZEN’s and TFDA’s; upgrading the type of machinery i.e. integrating the currently in use Chinese technology with the up-coming iii Indian technology; improvement of individual processor’s credit rating through relocation of plants to the municipality’s planned industrial area which well versed with requisite infrastructure (building, electricity, water etc.), expanding creditor base to include also non-bank and other informal lenders, building internal competencies for processors in developing their business plans in a manner that enables them to have better appraisal of their financial transactions This is Research Article