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The purpose of this paper is to analyse how entrepreneurial bricolage empowers smallholder commercial farming, from a family business perspective.

The study employed a multiple case study design to analyse entrepreneurial bricolage in smallholder commercial farming in Uganda. It used multiple data collection methods and applied content analytical tchniques to establish cross-case correlations, patterns and relationships to aid in theory development and testing.

The study shows that entrepreneurial bricolage empowers smallholder commercialization through resource reallocation, improvization and prioritization as interconnected, self-reinforcing bricolage processes in smallholder farming. It provides evidence of how smallholder farms may not enact institutional limits, and overcome constraints imposed by their resource environments. It further reveals that smallholder commercial farms can be construed as family businesses given the interconnected relationship between farming business, family and smallholder farm(er).

The study was conducted in smallholder farms hence results may be used cautiously in other sectors and economies where resource environments are not structurally defined. However, it provides lessons for family businesses in developed countries particularly the micro- and small businesses. It also renders smallholder farming as a lucrative area for family business research.

This study deepens our understanding of bricolage in smallholder farming and provides a springboard for scholarship in enhancing smallholder commercialization. It proposes a model for entrepreneurial bricolage in smallholder commercial farming.

This study aims to investigate the whistle-blowing behaviour in Ugandan public procurement by using whistle-blowing supporting institutions, procuring and disposing entity (PDE) ethical climate and whistle-blowing expectancy.

A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted using a sample of 118 drawn from a population of 179 central government (PDEs). Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires, resulting in 222 usable questionnaires from 70 PDEs, representing a response rate of 62.71 per cent.

The results reveal that the whistle-blowing supporting institutions and PDE ethical climate are significant predictors of whistle-blowing intentions and behaviour, accounting for 30.2 per cent of the variance. The authors therefore recommend that whistle-blowing supporting institutions, like the Whistle Blowers Protection Act, should be reviewed and strengthened to promote whistle-blowing intentions and behaviour. This could be done through reviewing the Act to make it enforceable, giving power to the whistle-blowers, strengthening policies, developing safeguards against retaliation by making every chief executive officer in the public sector accountable, increasing whistle-blowing incentives and providing whistle-blowing hotlines for anonymous whistle-blowers. PDEs should also create conducive ethical climates that encourage people to voice their concerns internally or externally, and ethical committees should be established within PDEs and other bodies such as the Inspector General of Government for ensuring that whistle-blowing systems are in place and promoted. There is a need to increase whistle-blowing expectancy through the effective handling of reported cases to their conclusion and the use of role models.

This study investigates the effect of asset specificity, inter-firm ecosystem and firm adaptability on supply chain integration. The study also investigates the mediation effect of firm adaptability on the relationship between asset specificity and supply chain integration and inter-firm ecosystem and supply chain integration.

This research applied a quantitative research methodology to investigate the interdependencies between study variables. A disproportionate stratified simple random sampling technique was used to select the firms that participated in the study. As a result, 103 food processing firms were selected from a total population of 345 firms located in Kampala district.

The findings reveal that the direct relationship between asset specificity and supply chain integration and inter-firm ecosystem and supply chain integration was found positive but insignificant. Both asset specificity and inter-firm ecosystem are associated positively with firm adaptability. A partial mediation was established between asset specificity and SCI while a full mediation effect was found in inter-firm ecosystem and SCI.

The study used perceptual measures to obtain responses on the various constructs investigated and how these constructs relate. To avoid biasing the results, key suppliers and customers were not involved due to multi-level relationships that they maintain with various firms.

This study contributes to existing studies by applying two theories. First, the study applies the Transaction Cost Theory to study the effect of asset specificity on supply chain integration. Secondly, the Complexity Adaptive System Theory was applied to examine the influence of firm adaptability and inter-firm ecosystem on supply chain integration. Few studies have focused on the effect of inter-firm ecosystem in the supply chain; yet, SCI involves network of various player making supply chains complex This study is among the few studies that have focused on adaptability in the food processing sector in a developing country like Uganda.

Globally, health care facilities often fail to respond quickly to health emergencies, resulting in significant deaths. Thus, the study examines the mediating effect of logistics capabilities in the relationship between co-evolution, organization capacity building and operational agility.

SmartPLS 4.0.8.3, variance-based structural equation models (VB-SEM) were used to test direct and indirect hypotheses across 45 health facilities. The respondents were 140 nurses and doctors. Disproportionate stratified simple random sampling was used based on government and private health facilities in Kampala City, Uganda.

A significant and positive relationship exists between logistics capability and operational agility. However, co-evolution and organizational capacity are intimately linked to operational agility via logistics capability.

A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted using self-administered questionnaires. The results did not show any variation in the operational agility of health facilities during emergency management; thus, qualitative approaches are needed.

During emergency management, health facilities need to cooperate by sharing information, building capacity to increase their responsiveness and flexibility. This should be done by sharing equipment, tools, drugs and medical supplies, and we hope to encourage joint medical research.

A complex adaptive systems (CAS) framework is used in this study to examine how co-evolution, organizational capacity building and logistical capability relate to the operational agility of healthcare during times of emergency.

This study investigates how asset specificity, relational governance and firm adaptability relate with supply chain integration (SCI), considering selected food processing firms (FPFs) in Uganda.

This study applies a quantitative research methodology. This research draws on a sample of 103 FPFs that have been selected from a population of 345 FPFs located in Kampala district. Hypothesis testing was done using Smart PLS version 3.

Asset specificity has a significant positive relationship with SCI, and firm adaptability partially mediates this relationship. Also, there is a full mediation impact of firm adaptability on the relationship between relational governance and SCI.

This study focused on perceptual measures to get responses from managers on the level of integration with key suppliers and customers, yet firms deal with a number of suppliers and customers.

This study contributes to existing literature on SCI by applying the transaction cost theory. The study focuses on the influence of asset specificity, relational governance and firm adaptability on SCI in the food processing sector. Literature on relational governance in supply chain using the transaction cost theory remains scanty. Few studies have also focused on firm adaptability as a mediator in the FPS with specific focus on Uganda, yet the sector is highly faced with uncertain events. The uncertain events in the sector and in developing countries call for adaptive strategies. Additionally, this study is the first to use firm adaptability to mediate the influence of asset specificity and relational governance on SCI more so in a developing country like Uganda where the FPS is one of the most important in the economy.

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.

The purpose of this study is to empirically explore the influence of supply chain information integration (SCII) on supply chain innovativeness (SCI) and supply chain resilience (SCRE).

Data from 403 manufacturing companies in Uganda were analyzed using Analysis of Moments of Structures version 27. Unmeasured common latent factors were used to minimize the bias of common methods.

SCII, SCI and SCRE have significant positive relationships. About 41% of SCII and SCRE are partially mediated by SCI.

Considering variations in perception of SCRE, the cross-sectional nature of the study limits generalizability and transferability. Experiments and interviews are recommended to explore differences between firms in SCRE.

SCII and SCI capabilities buffer a firm’s SCRE.

This study establishes SCI as a mediator between SCII and SCRE by studying manufacturing firms in a developing country context.

Despite the advancement of the assumptions of agency and institutional theories whereby monitoring structures and controls form the basis of management, inadequate public finance regulatory compliance among public entities has continued to be a challenge. The purpose of this paper is to examine how to break out of the apparent cycle of failures to comply with public finance regulations.

A cross-sectional study that integrates two approaches (cooperative and coercive models) drawing from the view that in central government agencies, there may be stewards and also agents motivated by self-interest, suggesting that the most promising framework is that which renders the traditional ways of achieving regulatory compliance to be supplemented with the stewardship model. Thus, the authors focus on four variables: management mechanisms, ethical climate, deterrence measures and public finance regulatory compliance all drawn from agency, institutional and stewardship theories. The authors collect data from 67 central government agencies in Uganda using a structured questionnaire.

The authors find that management mechanisms dimensions of leadership support and organisational commitment significantly associate with public finance regulatory compliance and so too are deterrence measures particularly oversight organs, penalties and procedural justices.

Public finance regulatory compliance can be improved through management mechanisms and deterrence measures.

The study generates empirical evidence on the applicability of stewardship theory in the management of public entities for regulatory compliance

To coordinate humanitarian organisations with different mandates that flock the scenes of disasters to save lives and respond to varied needs arising from the increased number of victims is not easy. Therefore, the level at which organisations self-organise, network and adapt to the dynamic operational environment may be related to inter-organisational coordination. The authors studied self-organisation, organisational networks and adaptability as important and often overlooked organisational factors hypothesised to be related to inter-organisational coordination in the context of humanitarian organisations.

The study’s sample consisted of 101 humanitarian organisations with 315 respondents. To decrease the problem of common method variance, the authors split the samples within each humanitarian organisation into two subsamples: one subsample was used for the measurement of self-organisation, organisational network and adaptability, while the other was for the measurement of inter-organisational coordination.

The partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) analysis using SmartPLS 3.2.8 indicated that self-organisation is related to inter-organisational coordination. Organisational network and adaptability were found to be mediators for the relationship between self-organisation and inter-organisational coordination and all combined accounted for 57.8% variance in inter-organisational coordination.

The study was cross sectional, hence imposing a limitation on changes in perceptions over time. Perhaps, a longitudinal study in future is desirable. Data were collected only from humanitarian organisations that had delivered relief to refugees in the stated camps by 2018. Above all, this study considered self-organisation, adaptability and organisational networks in the explanation of inter-organisational coordination, although there are other factors that could still be explored.

A potential implication is that humanitarian organisations which need to coordinate with others in emergency situations may need to examine their ability to self-organise, network and adapt.

Social transformation is a function of active social entities that cannot work in isolation. Hence, for each to be able to make a contribution to meaningful social change, there is need to develop organisational networks with sister organisations so as to secure rare resources that facilitate change efforts coupled with the ability to reorganise themselves and adapt to changing environmental circumstances.

The paper examines (1) the extent to which self-organisation, adaptability and organisational networks influence inter-organisational coordination; (2) the mediating role of both adaptability and organisational networks between self-organisation and inter-organisational coordination in the context of humanitarian organisations against the backdrop of complex adaptive system (CAS) theory.

The purpose of this paper is to report on the results of a study carried out to determine the use of Management Accounting Practices (MAPR) in Ugandan secondary schools. The study also sought to determine whether MAPR and governing boards (board size, gender diversity and frequency of board meetings) influence the perceived competitive advantage.

This study is cross-sectional and correlational. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey of 200 secondary schools. The data were analysed through ordinary least squares regression using Statistical Package for Social Scientists.

There are wide variations in MAP in terms of the extent to which the schools employ management accounting techniques. Also, MAP and governing boards have a predictive force on the schools’ competitive advantage. However, governing board’s size has no effect on competitive advantage. In terms of the control variables, the results suggest that while government school ownership has a positive effect on competitive advantage, the school’s size has no effect. There are intertwining relationships of frequency of board meetings, board size and school size.

The present study was limited to the secondary schools in Uganda which limits generalisability. Still, the results offer important implications for secondary schools’ governing boards, owners and for similar African governments who are a major stakeholder in the secondary school education system. The exact mechanism by which intertwining relationships of frequency of board meetings, board size and school size impact competitive advantage is not been explored in this paper. Future researchers may direct research effort in this endeavour.

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate use of MAPR in secondary schools and to provide evidence of their efficacy.