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This article investigates the establishment of commitment in developing economies between suppliers and retailers. Previous studies in supplier–retailer commitment relationship used data only from one side. Furthermore, knowledge of institutions governing relational exchanges was limited. Network relationship theory and cross-case analysis of sixteen cases that comprised retailers and suppliers were used. The study shows that affective and behavioural commitments are important in understanding the level of relationship between retailers and suppliers in Tanzania. Implications of the study and areas for further research were provided.

This paper explores factors that constrain the flow of innovation ideas among downstream actors in the food value chain in Tanzania. Prior focus was on the improvement of products, but the influenc...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of an exploratory qualitative study of the evolution of modern food retailing in Tanzania (from both retailers and suppliers’ perspectives). Design/methodology/approach The qualitative case approach was used in this study. Participants were drawn from three sets of actors: retailers, local food suppliers, and government institutions. Data were collected using semi-structured interview format. Thematic qualitative analytical technique was used for the data analysis. Findings According to the results of the study, seven major factors that account for the evolution of modern food retail in the country were identified. These are availability of suppliers, acceptance of trade credit, innovation, lifestyle change, institutional support, convenience, and availability of consumers. Originality/value The study has expanded the knowledge of the evolution of modern food retail in developing economies by using the relationship marketing theory. Furthermore, the study employed some major actors in the food value chain to understand determinant factors that accelerated the evolution of supermarkets in Tanzania.

By October 2017, the East African Community’s (EAC) largest retailer was declared bankrupt. All stores within and outside Kenya, namely Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania were closed. Many suppliers in EAC took the retail company to court after having suffered huge losses. Some few suppliers looted the stores with the aim of compensating themselves for the incurred losses. Simply put, Nakumatt’s reputation was in the mire and the company headed for a total collapse. Everyone in the region was asking himself/herself, what might have gone wrong to Nakumatt supermarket. In general, the current case is a lesson that sheds light on the rise and collapse of one of the largest household names of retail stores in EAC.

Numbers of universities are increasing in developing economies. With a rise on the universities in developing economies, there is a call for more research on the role of universities in developing entrepreneurs. This article aimed at understanding the kind of support, which university students in developing economies need to engage in self-employment. The study recruited 230 students, who were provided with questionnaires during class sessions. Students were allowed to carry questionnaires and fill them in their hostels. After two weeks, the questionnaires were collected through the assistance of class representatives. Likert scale was used in the questionnaire with 5-point itemized scale. Factor analysis technique and varimax rotation method were employed for data analysis. Scree plot was used to evaluate the number of factors significant for the study. Four factors namely business education support, compulsory training, resource support and moral support loaded significantly. The results of the study can inform the ways in which university students want their institutions to assist them to become entrepreneurs.

The present chapter offers a preliminary exploration of the CSR issues being addressed and reported by five commercial banks in Tanzania. These issues are illustrated through an examination of how CSR is operationalized within the commercial banking industry within Tanzania. The commercial banking industry is chosen for review because its operations affect all aspects of the country’s economy and citizenship. Moreover, the regulatory and reporting requirements of commercial banking allow for ample documentation that can be reviewed to assess the industry’s approach to CSR.

The rise of modern food retailing in developing economies is criticised for marginalising the small scale agribusiness actors. The marginalisation is due to high requirements on delivery and set food standards which are obstacles to most of small scale actors. The current project explores the CSR practices of agribusiness entrepreneurs in Tanzania in improving the underdeveloped value chain of fresh meat and processed peanut butter. Interviews were conducted in Arusha and Morogoro in Tanzania with managers, owners and beneficiaries of the practices. By using thematic qualitative case studies of the interviews, the study reveals that trust, regular supply of the products and relationship are very important for the CSR supply chain establishment. Furthermore, the study shows that reduced credit facility and rudimentary technology are major challenges that threaten the practices of linking small scale farmers to modern food distribution in Africa. The recommendations are offered regarding the steps for further improved underdeveloped supply chain. This study adds value on the CSR practices of agribusiness entrepreneurs from developing economies.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore modern food retail buyers’ behaviour in developing economies using the case of Tanzania. This paper provides an insight into the decision-making practice of modern food retail buyers’ behaviour in emerging modern food distribution systems, where the buying task involves balancing the retailer's commercial interests with more stringent government regulations that shape food business in the region. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative case study approach was used for the study. The researcher used semi-structured interviews with retailers for data collection and corroborated them with secondary data. Data were thematically analysed. Findings The study shows that the criteria used by modern food retailers in the selection of local food suppliers are reliability, quality, trade credit and legal certification. The task is further complicated by the overlapping food certification requirements of various government agencies, which impose limitations on the buyers’ decision. Due to the exploratory nature of the study and its focus on the context of a particular geographical marketplace, the findings may not be generalizable to other countries. Originality/value This is the first academic study of the criteria used by modern food retailers in the selection of local food suppliers in Tanzania.

In the last decade, the economy of African continent and Tanzaniain particular has witnessed a business boom of the tourism sector.While the sector has continued to grow and become a dependablesource of direct and indirect employment to youths in urban andrural areas, the sector has been awash with challenges. Thesechallenges include terrorism attacks, energy crises and poor infrastructure.However, the impact of these challenges on the image of Tanzania as a tourist destination has not received the deserved attention. This study explores the perception of visitors towards Tanzania as a tourist destination after they have completed their tourist visit. This study employs factor analysis technique to explore country destination image. Questionnaires were administered tovisitors at some of the tourists’ hotels and Julius Kamabarage Nyerere International Airport (as a major exit point) in the country. Front line employees, various tourist sites and access to services emerged to be strong tourist destination image factors. This implies that the efforts of marketing tourism destination should focus on promoting all the sites the country has.

In absence of effective state institutions, informal and private sector operations tend to govern the market.This problem is evident in the petroleum industry in Tanzania. However, little is known about howplayers in petroleum industry operate in those business environments. The purpose of this chapter is toexplore establishment of a relationship between supplier-logistic firms in a post planned economy. Thestudy employed case study interview with two petroleum products distributors in Tanzania to achieve itsobjective. Data were analyzed by thematic analytical techniques. Three major findings regarding buyersuppliersrelationships in developing economies are presented: actors do not prefer to enforce contractthat they sign, discretional relationships exist in petroleum business among actors and ‘undugunization’is the strongest criteria in selection of actors. Study implies that for a supplier-logistic relationship toexist government has a great role to play in enforcement of laws.

There is a general consensus among scholars that the HR practices by corporate companies cannot be imitated by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Even though it is a neglected sector, SMEs in Tanzania are considered to be a major contributor to the national economy in terms of tax payment and job creation. Using a case study, this chapter investigates human resource practices in the recruitment process among the SMEs in a car maintenance sub sector. The nature of doing business is more informal, whereby a customer can bring a car to the garage and the technicians work on the car without bargaining for the cost of the work. Accordingly, there have usually been complaints from customers regarding over charging for the services offered and lack of trust among technicians, especially on matters relating to falsification on spare parts. In addressing this problem, garage owners have to make sure that they employ people with good character; those who cannot temper with customers’ property tarnish the image and reputation of the company.