Faculty of Science and Technology

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://192.168.30.20:4000/handle/123456789/8

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Start date: 2010

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 106
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    Teachers' perceptions of public employees' performance management Information system effectiveness in government secondary schools in Mzumbe Ward, Tanzania
    (African Quarterly Social Science Review, 2024) Komba, Mercy M.
    The Public Employees' Performance Management Information System (PEPMIS) was the focus of this study, which evaluated its effectiveness in government secondary schools in Mzumbe Ward, Tanzania. The expectancy theory guided the study, which provided a framework for understanding employee motivation and behaviour. A qualitative case study design was used, involving qualitative interviews with 13 teachers purposively sampled from Mongola and Mzumbe Secondary Schools. Data saturation determined the sample size. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data. The findings reveal that while PEPMIS enhances administrative efficiency and supports professional development, its effectiveness is hindered by challenges related to fairness, transparency, training, technical functionality, and network reliability, necessitating improvements for greater usability and satisfaction. Addressing these challenges through targeted interventions can enhance the system's effectiveness, user satisfaction, and overall impact on organizational performance. The study recommends training programs for teachers and school administrators, addressing technical infrastructure issues, and incorporating feedback mechanisms into PEPMIS to make it more responsive to teachers' needs and expectations. This paper contributes to the understanding of PEPMIS from teachers' perspectives. It highlights important insights for policymakers and educators in improving PEPMIS implementation and its impact on the country's education sector.
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    Usability and challenges of cloud storage: Perspectives of academic staff at Mzumbe University, Tanzania
    (East African Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 2024) Komba, Mercy Mlay; Komba, Gabriel Vitus
    This study aimed to explore the perspectives, preferences and challenges of Mzumbe University faculty regarding cloud storage adoption. Utilizing a case study design, the researchers conducted semistructured interviews with a purposive sample of 15 faculty members to capture diverse viewpoints. The study used the thematic analysis approach to analyse the data retrieved from interviews. Based on the findings, the study concluded that cloud storage systems have several advantages, such as easy accessibility features, robust security protocols, service compatibility and intuitive user interfaces. These benefits encourage academic personnel to collaborate and increase productivity. However, some challenges existed. These are related to internet access, cost, lack of formal training and security. The study recommends that enhancing the university internet infrastructure is critical to guaranteeing reliability and fast connectivity for effective utilization of cloud storage. The university may also think of offering financial assistance for supplementary storage requirements to academic staff.
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    Role of energy resources to production output in cement organizations in Tanzania: Evidence from selected energy resources
    (International Journal of Economics, Business and Management Research, 2020) Sugnau, Joseph; Mandara, Isack
    In a country, energy is an important resource to be considered for the development of the Nation. The total country's energy consumption determines the level of development of a nation. Countries and organisations should be provided with empirical evidence on how energy resources affect production output. However, little has been researched in this area to explain the effect of energy resources on production output. Therefore, this paper aimed to determine the role of energy resources to production output in cement organizations. The study was conducted in Tanzania and used time series data for ten (10) years, from year 2005 to year 2014. To assess the effect of energy resource on production output, the study used multiple linear regression model to analyze the data. From the findings of the study, it was revealed that energy resources have positive and significant effect on production output in cement organizations. Being the case, cement organizations should consider energy resources as a key and important resource in the production of cement.
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    Business process re-engineering: A panacea for reducing operational cost in service organizations
    (INDEPENDENT JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & PRODUCTION (IJM&P), 2015) Sungau, Joseph; Ndunguru, Philibert C.
    Organizations in today’s business environment struggle on how to reduce operation cost to generate reasonable profit. In order to reduce Operational Costs, service organizations have been working hard to identify techniques that facilitate business processes improvement. In so doing, the global literature indicates that service organizations adopt BPR technique as a panacea of reducing Operational Cost. Despite the documented potentiality of the BPR technique, a mixed empirical results, findings and conclusions regarding the effect of BPR on Operational Cost have been reported. Therefore, this paper aimed at assessing and explaining the effects of BPR on Operational Cost. The study used cross-sectional survey design to investigate the effect of BPR on Operational Cost. Intensive literature review enabled the construction of structural measurement model, formulation of testable hypotheses and operationalization of constructs. To test the model and hypotheses, data were collected from ninety five (95) service organizations in Tanzania. Results of the study reveal that BPR and delivering speed have no direct effects on Operational Cost; they indirectly affect Operational Cost through the mediations of service quality. Therefore, BPR influences first both service quality and delivery speed in affecting Operational Cost of service organizations. It is now recommended that service organizations should use BPR as panacea of reducing Operational Cost.
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    Business process re-engineering: The technique to improve delivering speed of service industry in Tanzania
    (INDEPENDENT JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & PRODUCTION (IJM&P), 2013) Sungau, Joseph; Ndunguru, Philibert C.; Kimeme, Joseph
    Problem statement: Time spent by customers at a service organization is very critical in today’s business environment. Service organizations must change to provide services to customers within the minimum time possible. Business process re-engineering is one technique that improves business processes. However, despite documented advantages, most organizations have not adopted the technique. Purpose: The paper aims to determine and explain the effect of business process re-engineering on delivering speed for enhanced organizational performance. Methodology: The study used a cross-sectional survey design that included a sample of ninety-five (95) service organizations. Focused intensive literature review enabled to construction structural measurement model, formulation of testable hypotheses and operationalization of constructs. Results: From the study, it is revealed that BPR positively improves delivering speed of service organizations. Conclusion: The adoption of the BPR technique for improved business processes enhances delivery speed in service organizations.
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    On IT enabling of business process reengineering in organizations
    (Advanced Materials Research, 2014) Sungau, Joseph; Msanjila, Simon Samwel
    Business Process Reengineering (BPR) is a management approach used to improve organizational performance through restructuring production activities of the core services to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness. Although BPR improves the efficiency of processes, it can hardly be applied in its own and thus it needs to be complemented with other concepts from other disciplines. Information technology (IT) tools are seen as accurate and effective enablers of the BPR approach in restructuring activities. This paper focuses on analyzing how IT can be an enabler of the BPR approach to restructuring processes in an organization to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of processes. It presents the roles of IT in BPR for organizations. It also presents challenges for organizations when implementing the BPR.
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    Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for industrial development: Challenges and opportunities
    (IGI Global, 2017) Lyakurwa, Felichesmi Selestine; Sungau, Joseph
    The applicability of ICT has gained high research interests in both developed and developing countries due to the perceived social and economic benefits. With the increased benefits of ICTs, many governments have invested heavily in emerging technologies to gain a competitive advantage over others in the business. Despite the high investment by many countries around the world, there are inadequate documentation about the cost-benefits of the massive ICT investment in developing countries, especially Africa. Hence, developing an empirical study to reveal the perceived cost-benefits of ICT investment for industrial development is critical. This chapter presents a comprehensive review of various studies conducted in different countries of the world detailing the extent of ICTs, barriers hindering its use and the potential benefits. To date, there is existing empirical evidence to support the role of ICTs for industrial development in developing countries, while the benefits of ICTs for industrial development in developing countries of Asia and Africa are not well documented.
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    Social life cycle assessment in solar dryer house for postharvest loss management technology: Application of UNEP / SETAC in Tanzania
    (Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review (Kuwait Chapter), 2024) Sungau, Joseph; Mkuna, Eliaza; Abeid, Ashiraf; Lyakurwa, Felichesmi; Manouchehr, Shokri
    Social Life Cycle Assessment is inherently an extension of sustainability assessment that is limited to environmental and economic pillars. Social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) on the other hand is a methodology used to cover the social aspects of sustainability. This article integrates three pillars of sustainability; economy, environment and society on Solar Dryer House technology for reduction of post-harvest losses. The purpose of the article is to examine the extent of sustainability of Solar Dryer House technology by exploring the environmental, economic and social pillars. A textual analysis was undertaken on United Nations Environment Program/Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (UNEP-SETAC) Life Cycle Initiative to examine the social life cycle assessment of SDH manufacturing technology on major categories of producers, workers, distributors, consumers. Analysis of social indicators were developed with the scoring system to describe the potential positive and negative social impacts on related stakeholders within life cycle stages. Lack of clarity in conceptualizing of UNEP-SETAC Life Cycle Initiative to examine the social life cycle assessment of SDH manufacturing technology limit the application of sustainability assessment on manufacturing technologies in Tanzania. Social Life Cycle Assessment supports social and labour policies as well as Sustainable Development Goal 8 which entails that people should have jobs that pay decently to support their livelihoods while other social welfare aspects and labour rights are considered. Manufacturing technologies that adhere to S-LCA principles guarantee sustainability.
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    Factors for e-government adoption: Lessons from selected African countries
    (UNISA Press, 2012) Komba, Mercy Mlay; Ngulube, P
    This article discusses various problematic issues of providing access to, and promoting the wider utilisation of government information as important factors in e-government adoption. The Tunisian, Mauritian and Egyptian e-government experiences are examined in this article in order to highlight both good practices and remaining challenges in e-government adoption. Some of the good practices that we can benefit from, may be summarised as: formulating a viable national information and communication technology strategy (ICT-based) for modernising the telecommunications infrastructure, developing a regulatory framework for the deployment of a digital economy, obtaining international cooperation in ICT, developing skilled human resources management in ICT, developing a national digital culture in order to overcome the problems of low individual usage and adoption of ICT, establishing an information infrastructure to connect the various local government authorities, and establishing security standards in order to address threats. The study concludes that overcoming the obstacles of providing access to, and promoting the wider utilisation of government information, remain some of the biggest challenges for any government planning to adopt and implement e-government.
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    Government information seeking behaviour of citizens in selected districts of Tanzania
    (Journal of Library & Information Science, 2016) Komba Mercy Mlay; Lwoga Edda Tandi
    The study assessed the information needs and information-seeking patterns of citizens in Tanzania, focusing on three districts: Morogoro town, Njombe and Kinondoni districts. A questionnaire survey was self-administered to 450 citizens in selected districts, with a rate of return of 99.6 per cent. Findings revealed that citizens mainly required information on national examination results, followed by information on birth, death and marriage certificates, land, and health. Citizens relied on electronic sources and interpersonal communication with neighbours and friends more than explicit sources of information. Certain demographic factors related to education level and respondent’s age determined the use of various types of information sources. Common barriers of citizens’ information seeking behaviour were related to poor ICT infrastructure, difficulty in retrieving information, distant location and high costs of information sources. This is a comprehensive study that provides findings which might help the government in Tanzania and other countries with similar conditions to provide effective government information and services to their citizens.