Research Reports (MU)
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Item The dynamics and power of micro enterprises at the household level: The experience of pride customers in Morogoro - Tanzania(Mzumbe University and Agder University Collage, 2002) Itika, Josephat StephenThis work is a result of a case study conducted in Morogoro Municipality in Tanzania from July 1999 to November 2001. The objective was to find out the dynamics and power of PRIDE financed micro enterprises at the household level. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to solicit opinion from 146 PRIDE customers, the majority being women. Semi structured interviews, focus groups discussions, observations and documentary review were used to explore the nature and dynamics of the enterprise's empowerment processes. Simple Statistics were complemented by qualitative content analysis. PRIDE credit scheme, which is a replica of Grameen- Bank micro finance model, does empower households though the nature and characteristics of such enterprises cannot form the basis for economic growth without macroeconomic policies that promote substantial investment for employment creation.Item Transaction costs embedded in internationalisation of the batik value chain: The case of batic producers and dealers in Dar es salaam(Entrepreneurship and Business Development Research Cluster, 2005) Kamuzora Aurelia N.This research report took into account of the value chain of batik product value chain in Tanzania. The value chain investigation started from cotton harvesting, processing to marketing cotton in the domestic market and international market (cotton export). The cotton industry was the upstream (primary) activities of batik production including textile and importation of other batik processing chemicals. Upstream (secondary) batik value chain activities were mainly promotion, marketing and selling batik products internationally. The main investigation was the study of the transaction costs encountered in the Batik value chain. The transaction costs of women entrepreneurs’ home market explained interaction with foreign partners. The home market is expected to have a continuous influence, even when the entrepreneurs’ business environment becomes global. Transaction costs and internationalization of batik fabric value chain in Tanzania was studied in this research to investigate the impact of domestic transaction costs in the domestic market on internationalization of the batik value chain. The study investigated the cause of uncertainties on entrepreneurs’ activities. The uncertainties emanated from taxation policies, lack transparency, credit policies, high input price, unreliable sources of raw materials, weak bonds among entrepreneurs, robbery, unfaithfulness of workers and weak business protection policies. Such uncertainties have resulted into high transaction costs, hence slow pace to internationalization of batik value chain as indigenous knowledge.Item Women and the labour market in Tanzania: Impacts on gendered lives(Mzumbe University, 2000) Mahigi Bella; Mbughuni Anne; Ryen Anne; Stokken Anne MarieThe report focuses on the present changes at the Tanzanian labour market after implementation of the Structural Adjustment Programs. In particular, focus is directed towards the impact on women of the retrenchment processes that are implemented as part of the Civil Service Reform. The fieldwork was conducted in Kibaha and Morogoro and consists of qualitative interviews with retrenched women and with managers in the two local governments referred. The data points to general effects of retrenchment to women in general, but also to the need to differentiate between women. The data also highlights special issues regarding local government. As conclusion the study invites to more research on gender roles, women’s economic activities and to social implications of this present political and economic context. Within The Gender Cluster priority is given to research with a gender perspective.Item Institutional framework for entrepreneurial endeavour: The case of small enterprises in Tanzania(Entrepreneurship and Business Development Research Cluster, 2005) Nkya Etomih J.The objective of the chapter is to analyse the role of institutional arrangements in entrepreneurial endeavour. An entrepreneur identifies a market opportunity and transforms it into a profitable economic value. Institutions are the humanly devised constraints that shape human interaction to determine transaction and transformation costs. Behavior of an entrepreneur depends heavily on the reward structure given by an institutional framework. Qualitative case study methodology was adopted and fifteen cases of small business enterprises were studied in Tanzania. The pattern of evidence from the case studies was matched with propositions developed from the theoretical framework. The study found out that entrepreneurial endeavour in small enterprises in Tanzania was taking place in the context of a mismatch between a slowly changing institutional framework and fast moving economic policy reforms. This mismatch constrains entrepreneurial endeavour and raises transaction costs. A favourable institutional framework is characterised by clear property rights and low transaction costs.Item An assesment of the prevelance and impact of crime entrepreneurship and small business development in Dar es salaam city(Entrepreneurship and Business Development Research Cluster, Mzumbe University, 2005) Mfaume Rashid; Leonard WilhelmEntrepreneurship and Small businesses have been increasingly recognised as one of the means of creating employment and reducing object poverty (PRSP, 2002). While many factors are said to be essential for successful prosperity of Small businesses, the questions are on the issues of safety and security to entrepreneurs on one hand, and the efforts taken by city authorities to institute and promote security measures on the other. To explore on these issues, researchers conducted exploratory research to identify the prevalence and extent of security (crime) problem in the city of Dares Salaam and how it inflicted entrepreneurship and Small Business Development endeavours. The findings revealed and indicated that there is modest level of crime in the city of Dar es Salaam and entrepreneurs and small business are suffering an immense loss as a result of escalating rate of crime.Item Decentralisation of power, authority and responsibility for staffing function in primary schools: The experience from Bagamoyo district council in Tanzania(Mzumbe University, 2005) Itika Josephat StephenThis research report describes the reasons and effects of diverse distribution of power, authority and responsibility in the staffing function for primary school teachers in Bagamoyo District Council. The study is based on the premise that improvement in primary education depends on the effectiveness of the staffing function, which is also a function of the effectiveness of the distribution of power, authority and responsibility among various organs in the education system. Data were collected through documentary review, in-depth interviews and meetings from key informants and teachers. It is observed that although the distribution of power, authority and responsibility between TSC, SID, CSD, MOF and MOE helps to have central and coordinated approach to primary education delivery system, and regulation of employment for teachers, there are strong dissatisfactions on teachers appointments, placement, promotion, transfer, benefits, training and development. The reasons for dissatisfactions centre on failure of the responsible organs to make decision and act as stipulated by various regulations, although it was not clear which organ was mostly responsible for the failures because of "finger pointing tendencies" towards one another. It is also noted that although the new Public Service Act 2002 and Public Service Regulations and Scheme of Service 2003 should improve the distribution of power, authority and responsibility for staffing function in local authorities, a brief review of the legislations does not suggest that being the case. There are more organs struggling to share power, authority and responsibility, and pluralist tendencies which concentrate control at the top of the central government bureaucracy. It is anticipated that, there will be more possibilities of conflicts and frustrations in the process of executing staffing function at various levels. The possible outcome is frequent "pass over of the bucket" to each other when it comes to accountability. It appears that the solution to questions to do with power, authority and responsibility in staffing for primary school teachers cannot be obtained from frequent formulation of policies, legislations and creation of new structures. What matters most is willingness of the central government to delegate enough power, authority and responsibility to local authorities not only in terms of policy and statutory provisions but also through sufficient support in human and financial resources.Item Factors that contributed to improvement of performance of e-governance project from stakeholder's perspectives: A case of kinondoni municipal council Dar es salaam, Tanzania(Mzumbe University, 2010) Bea George K.; Matotay Edmund C.This study was set out to examine factors that improved performance of the Kinondoni Municipal Council (KMC) e-governance project, its benefits and challenges as was perceived by stakeholders. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews supplemented by document analysis. A total of thirty five (35) respondents were interviewed. The respondents were selected using purposive sampling procedure. Data were analysed and presented in tables and percentages, using strategies for implementing ICT in organizations which included: Business Process Automation (BPA), Business Process Improvements (BPI) and Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) on one hand, and three domains of e-governance i.e. e-administration, e-services and e-society. The study found six factors which improved performance of the KMC e-governance project. The factors include: funding from the municipality, support from top management and staff, commitment of the ICT staff, increased need to use computers, proximity of computer accessories and customization of the systems. The study also found out nine project’s benefits which included: continuous maintenance of computers by ICT staff, improvement in revenue collection, service delivery and communication, establishing information monitoring systems, computer training to staff, more access to information, increased employment opportunities and increased awareness on ICT usage. Nevertheless, the study found eleven challenges facing the project, namely: shortage of ICT personnel, inadequate computers and offices, low speed of the internet, lack of computer skills to some staff, lack of electricity in some offices, lack of network between the wards and the municipality, inadequate funds, incomplete automation of data in some departments, fear for computers replacing staff and changes of directors. This study argues that other local government authorities that intend to establish e-governance projects need to learn from the KMC project. They can learn the benefits which may be obtained through e-governance projects; challenges they may face and the things that they may improve their performance, which may help them improve their performance of e-governance projects in their own localities.Item Village government partnership with private institutions: The case of Mlali and world vision (T) in health and education service delivery(Mzumbe University, 2005) Mwaijande Francis; Ngilangwa NelsonThe study has virtually explored the fundamental principles of Public-Private partnership, that is, the involvement of the major stakeholders in the villages where poverty is immersed. The study was conducted in Mlali Division Morogoro District to assess how the private-public partnership functions. The case of religious institutions, and the World Vision (T) was used. The study used Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and questionnaires to collect that, the partnership between village governments and Mlali ADP has significant contribution towards the improvement of health and education service delivery. There are significant reductions in maternal and child mortality rate due to the availability of immunization services and drugs. There is also significant increase of primary school buildings (in terms of quantity and quality), above all, supply of textbooks and financial support to school children through sponsorship arrangements. It was quite understood that the successes in the Mlali ADP partnership were a result of the principles of trust, equality, shared vision and known distribution of roles and responsibilities amongst the stakeholders. The study, therefore, recommends for a holistic Private-Public partnership model which encompasses the above mentioned principle.Item Factors determining access to business credits/loans, by women entrepreneurs in Tanzania: The case of Kilimanjaro and Mbeya regions(Mzumbe University, 2005) Tundui C.; Leonard W.The involvement of women in entrepreneurship in Tanzania has increased tremendously since the mid-1980s and now has become the main source of employment and income for the majority of women in the country. What is evident is that the increased participation of women in entrepreneurship has not only altered women’s access to economic resources and cash incomes, but has also brought about other socio-cultural challenges. Despite their involvement in entrepreneurship, women have difficulties in accessing credit markets necessary for starting, improving and expanding their enterprises, either due lack of knowledge and skills required to access credits or credit conditions. It is from this context that, the study was proposed to explore the factors that determine women’s assess to credit sources in Tanzania. The purpose of this research was to study the factors that determine the likelihood of women enterprises in Tanzania using credits as sources of finance and examine terms of credit, including interest rates, and collateral requirements, to determine whether the lending conditions imposed on women business owners in Tanzania are more stringent and different from those imposed on men. The study was conducted in the regions of Kilimanjaro and Mbeya. The reason why these regions were selected is that these are among the regions, which were earmarked by the Tanzanian government for the implementation of The Rural Financial Services Programme (RFSP). This programme was established by the government as part of the overall Rural Micro-finance Policy, covering all aspects of Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs) in the country. The RFSP effectively started in November 2001.Item Differences in familism and economic decisions between female and male entrepreneurs: The case of fish traders in Dar es salaam, Tanzania(Mzumbe University, 2005) Kimeme Joseph A.Many studies attempting to explain income differences between self employed men and women in developing countries have focused attention on differences in the two sexes to access critical resources such as credit, education, time and networks, factors which are external to the subject. Little, however, have been done in terms of factors ingrained in the subject’s belief system. Although this study is exploratory and views familism as a cultural factor embedded in a person’s belief system it assesses the influence of familism on economic decisions made by men and women fish traders. The study finds that while the level of familism is equally high for men as it is for women, it leads to involvement in longer term expensive projects among men and shorter term ones among married women. The study suggests that effective interventions aimed at Promoting African entrepreneurs should take the entrepreneur’s accepted obligations to the extended family into account.