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The purpose of this paper is to propose and validate a theoretical model to investigate the relationship between self-organisation, information integration, adaptability and supply chain agility in humanitarian organisations.

A theoretical model was developed from extant studies and assessed through a structured questionnaire survey of 86 humanitarian organisations operating in South Sudan. The data were analysed using partial least square structural equation modelling.

The study found that self-organisation has a discernible positive influence on supply chain agility not only directly but also indirectly through adaptability. Further, information integration does not significantly influence supply chain agility directly but is fully mediated by adaptability. Together, the antecedent variables account for 53.9% variance in supply chain agility.

This study contributes to providing an empirical understanding of a humanitarian supply chain as a complex adaptive system and hence the need to incorporate self-organising and adaptive dimensions in supply chain management practice. Furthermore, it confirms the centrality of the complex adaptive system feature of adaptability when building supply chain agility through self-organisation and information integration.

The findings provide a firm ground for managerial decisions on investment in self-organisation and information integration dimensions so as to enhance adaptability and improve supply chain agility in humanitarian organisations.

This study is distinctive in the sense that it uses the complex adaptive system variables to empirically validate the relationships between self-organisation, information integration, adaptability and supply chain agility in humanitarian organisations in the world’s youngest developing economy with a long history of conflict and humanitarian intervention. The mediating influence of adaptability examined in this study is also novel.

Organisations involved in relief delivery tend to have cross-boundary mandates, which cause ambiguity of roles during delivery of relief services to the targeted victims. Having no clear role, specialisation affects service timeliness and increases resource duplication among the relief organisations. The objective of this study is to understand how organisational networks and organisational learning as complex adaptive system metaphors improve both organisational adaptability and role clarity in humanitarian logistics.

Using ordinary partial least squares regression through SmartPLS version 3.3.3, the authors tested the study hypotheses basing on survey data collected from 315 respondents who were selected randomly to complete a self-administered questionnaire from 101 humanitarian organisations. Common method bias (CMB) associated with surveys was minimised by implementing both procedural and post statistics methods.

The results indicate that organisational networks and organisational learning have a significant influence on organisational adaptability and role clarity. The results also show that organisational adaptability partially mediates in the relationship between organisational networks, organisational learning and role clarity.

The major limitation of the study is that the authors have used cross-sectional data to test this research hypotheses. However, this was minimised following Guide and Ketokivi's (2015) recommendation on how to address the limitations of cross-sectional data or the use of longitudinal data that can address CMB and endogeneity problems.

Managers in humanitarian organisations can use the authors’ framework to understand, first, how complex adaptive system competence can be used to create organisational adaptability and, second, how organisational adaptability can help organisational networks and organisational learning in improving role clarity among humanitarian organisations by collaboratively working together.

This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge in humanitarian logistics and supply chain management by empirically testing the anecdotal and conceptual evidence. The findings may be useful to managers who are contemplating the use of organisational networks, organisational learning and organisational adaptability to improve role clarity in disaster relief-related activities.

This study examines the mediating role of self-organization and entrepreneurial learning behaviors in the relationship between entrepreneurial networking and sustainability of women owned micro-enterprise performance.

We tested our model based on a sample of 518 women-owned micro-enterprises in Eastern Uganda using ordinary partial least squares regression through Smart PLS version 3.3.3.

The results show a direct relationship between entrepreneurial networking, entrepreneurial learning behavior, self-organization and sustainability of women owned micro-enterprise performance. In addition, self-organization mediates the relationship between entrepreneurial networking, entrepreneurial learning behavior and sustainability of women owned micro-enterprise performance. Furthermore, entrepreneurial learning behavior mediates the relationship between self-organization and sustainability of women owned micro-enterprise performance.

The study was cross-sectional; it is possible that the views held by individuals may change over the years.

This research contributes to gender-based sustainability of micro-enterprise performance by empirically testing the anecdotal and conceptual evidence.

This paper aims to examine the interconnectedness between stakeholder expectations (SE), inter-organizational coordination (IOC) and procurement practices within humanitarian organizations (HOs) based in Uganda.

Employing a quantitative cross-sectional design, data were gathered from 43 HOs and analyzed using SmartPLS 4.0.8.3. Variance-based structural equation models (VB-SEMs) were employed to examine both direct and indirect effects.

The findings show a significantly positive relationship between SE, IOC and procurement practices. Additionally, the mediating role of IOC in the relationship between SE and procurement practices is evident.

While this study offers insights into procurement practices in HOs, the use of a quantitative approach might limit capturing dynamic changes over time. Future research could benefit from a nuanced approach involving interviews and longitudinal studies to uncover incremental changes.

During relief management, HOs need to understand their SE through information sharing and capacity building. This understanding can aid in selecting procurement practices that align with SE and ensure the delivery of relief.

Leveraging stakeholder theory, this research contributes to the understanding of how SE and IOC influence the adoption of procurement practices in HOs during relief delivery.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between geographical traits consisting of institutional traits and cultural traits, and supply chain agility in third-party logistics providers.

A theoretical model was developed and assessed through a structured questionnaire survey using cross-sectional data from 170 third-party logistics providers registered in Uganda. To validate the suggested model, data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis, correlations and regressions.

Correlation results revealed that all institutional and cultural geographical traits in the model, i.e. infrastructural frameworks, regulatory frameworks, organisational culture and national culture are positively and significantly associated with supply chain agility. However, a further analysis using regression revealed that regulatory framework and organisational culture are the only significant predictors of supply chain agility and together, all the four traits account for 28.1% variance in supply chain agility.

This study applies the institutional theoretical framework to provide an empirical understanding of the role of institutional and cultural factors in supply chain management practice. Furthermore, it confirms and expands on the existing theories about supply chain agility.

The findings provide firm ground for managerial decisions regarding emphasis on external factors in building firms' supply chain agility. Managers should scan the macro-environment and make conscious firm decisions regarding institutions and culture in certain geographical locations. The host countries should also be aware of their role in building firms' supply chain agility.

Distinctive from the literature on antecedents of supply chain agility, which predominantly focuses on the firm and supply chain capabilities, this study utilises the paradigm of institutional fit to empirically show how managers in a developing country wishing to build supply chain agility should not only focus on their supply chains and internal operations, but go beyond and consider geographical traits when making firm location and/or operational decisions for certain geographical contexts in order to achieve fit.

The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it intends to explore the link between internal social capital, logistics capabilities, supply chain risk management (SCRM) capabilities and supplier performance. Second, the mediating effect of logistics capabilities between internal social capital and SCRM capabilities, and that of SCRM capabilities between logistics capabilities and supplier performance are also examined.

A theoretical model developed from the extant literature was empirically validated through a cross-sectional survey of 122 respondents in 52 public healthcare facilities in Uganda. The data were analysed using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

The study found that internal social capital and SCRM capabilities are significant predictors of supplier performance. Internal social capital is positively and significantly related to logistics capabilities, and logistics capabilities are positively and significantly related to SCRM capabilities. The authors also found non-significant relationships between internal social capital and SCRM capabilities, and between logistics capabilities and supplier performance. Furthermore, it was revealed that logistics capabilities play a partial mediating role in the relationship between internal social capital and SCRM capabilities, while SCRM capabilities fully mediate between logistics capabilities and supplier performance.

Further to providing empirical evidence of the antecedents of supplier performance in the public healthcare in a developing economy, which has been evidently scant, this study provides initial empirical evidence of the mediating role of logistics capabilities in the relationship between internal social capital and SCRM capabilities and that of SCRM capabilities in the relationship between logistics capabilities and supplier performance. This is important for understanding the mechanism through which supplier performance can be enhanced.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between supply chain management practices, logistics capabilities, logistics integration and competitive advantage of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in a developing country.

Using a structured questionnaire survey, cross-sectional data collected from 204 SMEs in Kampala – Uganda were analysed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using AMOS version 26 to validate the theorised relationships.

The study findings revealed that both supply chain management practices and logistics integration are positively and significantly associated with competitive advantage. Also, both supply chain management practices and logistics capabilities are positively and significantly associated with logistics integration. Additionally, the authors found that logistics integration partially mediates in the relationships between supply chain management practices and competitive advantage, and logistics capabilities and competitive advantage. Conclusively, the three independent variables collectively account for 11% variance in competitive advantage of SMEs.

Given the general observation that SMEs are fundamental to socio-economic development, yet resource constrained, this study uses Resource-based and dynamic capabilities theoretical perspectives to provide an empirical understanding of the supply chain and logistics resources and capabilities necessary for building competitive advantage of SMEs in the context of a developing economy.

The purpose of this study is to examine how humanitarian organisation size affects inter-organisational coordination and further tested the mediating role of organisational innovativeness, self-organisation in the relationship between humanitarian organisation size and inter-organisational coordination among humanitarian organisations in Uganda.

The study is based on cross-sectional survey; data was collected from 101 humanitarian organisations. The analysis of the proposed hypotheses was done with the help of PLS-SEM using SmartPLS version 3.3.0 for professionals.

The results show that humanitarian organisation size significantly relates with inter-organisational coordination. In addition, self-organisation and organisational innovativeness play a complementary role between humanitarian organisation size and inter-organisational coordination.

The findings of this research provide useful insights into the role of humanitarian organisation size in boosting inter-organisational coordination in humanitarian relief delivery. High levels of self-organisation and organisational innovativeness not only improve inter-organisational coordination in humanitarian relief delivery but also enhance the transformation of humanitarian organisation size benefits into inter-organisational coordination.

This research is one of the few studies that investigated the effect of humanitarian organisation size and inter-organisational coordination. It also brings into the limelight the mediating role of self-organisation and organisational innovativeness between humanitarian organisation size and inter-organisational ordination in humanitarian relief delivery.

The purpose of the study is to examine the role of legitimacy in forming whistleblowing behavior in Ugandan procuring and disposing entities (PDEs).

This study has adopted both a quantitative and qualitative cross-sectional research design to collect data from a sample of 97 out of the population of 129 PDEs in Kampala, which are regulated by the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority.

This paper finds that improvement in the perception of public servants about the appropriateness of the Whistleblowers Act and its enforcers can increase on the reporting of unethical practices in public procurement.

This study has used a cross-sectional survey data. The causal relationships between variables are possibly obscured; as data from all participants are collected at the same point of time, perceptions go on changing over time. Therefore, further studies should use a longitudinal approach. Second, there are no constructs for legitimacy in public procurement and those from law are domesticated.

There should be a promotion of legitimacy of the Whistleblowers Act and the enforcement agencies of the Act. The government should devise means for the public servants to have an obligation to obey the holders of authority, to trust and have confidence in them and to enforce the Whistleblowers Act in an ethical and normative framework.

This study reveals the whistleblowing intentions and behavior of public servants in PDEs. This study would help the Government of Uganda to make the Whistleblowing Act legitimate and its enforcers to increase on the reporting of unethical practices in public procurement.

Procuring relief products and services is a challenging process for humanitarian organizations (HOs), yet it accounts for approximately 65% of relief operations’ costs (Moshtari et al., 2021). This paper aims to examine how procurement internal controls, materials and purchasing procedure standardization influence information integration and procurement performance.

In this study, partial least square structural equation models and multigroup analysis were used to analyze data collected from 170 HOs.

Procurement internal controls and material and purchasing procedure standardization fully mediate between information integration and procurement performance.

The study focuses only on HOs. Since humanitarian procurement projects take place over a period of several years, it is difficult to capture the long-term effects of information integration, procurement internal controls, material and purchasing procedure standardization and procurement performance. In this regard, a longitudinal study could be undertaken, provided that the required resources are available.

Procurement managers should implement information integration practices within acceptable procurement internal controls and standardize material and purchasing procedures to boost procurement performance.

By integrating information through procurement internal controls and standardizing material and purchasing procedures, procurement performance in a humanitarian setting can be systematically optimized.