An evaluation of the implementation of decentralization of the World Bank's operations of poverty reduction in Uganda
- Authors: Okiria-Ofwono Jacqueline Jane
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Decentralization in government -- Uganda , Poverty -- Africa, Sub-Saharan , Sustainable development -- Africa, Sub-Saharan , Poverty – Uganda -- International cooperation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: vital:9105 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1012605 , Decentralization in government -- Uganda , Poverty -- Africa, Sub-Saharan , Sustainable development -- Africa, Sub-Saharan , Poverty – Uganda -- International cooperation
- Description: Continued debates on economic development, poverty eradication and the growing skeptism concerning the paradigms proposed through many decades, has led to a continued search for a paradigm that would, finally, resolve the issue of pervasive poverty in the Sub-Saharan Africa. Having implemented decentralization within government entities without any significant contribution to poverty eradication, the focus has now turned to the development agencies themselves. What are the inefficiencies in these agencies which if addressed might enable them deliver development aid more efficiently thus, providing more resources for development from being lost in the attrition of overheads? It is, therefore, argued that decentralization of development agencies will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of IFIs in delivering development aid. At the same time, decentralization reforms have been proposed as a response to the failures of highly centralized states (or organizations in this case). Empirical evidence, strongly, suggests that physical proximity and more "face-time", promotes better results-on-the-ground, delivered by staff who are better attuned to local conditions and have a better understanding of the client and their development agenda. But, will decentralization alone solve the issue of pervasive poverty? This research recognises that the factors affecting poverty are diverse and intricate and isolating just one part of the puzzle is not enough. Nevertheless, it is argues that decentralization, has a positive impact on poverty reduction thus, this study presents both practical and theoretical considerations from which policy measures can be derived. This thesis focused on establishing how the World Bank, changed its strategies through the implementation of decentralization of its operations as proposed in the ‗Strategic Compact‘, renewed the way it worked in order to maintain its relevance in the development world. The World Bank President, James Wolfensohn, proposed the Compact as a solution to the organization‘s self diagnosis that it was in distress, in a state of possible decline and was not fulfilling its mission of poverty eradication. This research, using Uganda Country Office as a case study, undertook, mainly, a qualitative review of the overall strategy of decentralization and its implementation organization wide and specifically, in Uganda. The research examined how the implementation of the strategy impacted on poverty trends in Uganda. This research found that the decentralization strategy was, fundamentally, the right one to deliver better results of the Bank‘s mission of ‗fighting poverty for lasting results‘ and its vision of ‗A World Free of Poverty‘. Contrary to the popular notion that the World Bank has been, largely ineffective in the delivery of its mission and its decentralization strategy just another one of its 'shams‘, this research established that the implementation of the strategy, although not having a direct or causal relationship, did have positive impact on poverty alleviation in Uganda. This study, therefore, makes a case for decentralization of donor organizations as a means of better delivery of the poverty eradication agenda in the developing world. The benefits though hard to measure in monetary terms are, nevertheless, real in terms of faster and better quality engagement with the clients which in turn, result into better delivery of services and programmes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Corporate social responsibility: a competitive strategy for small and medium-sized enterprises in Uganda
- Authors: Turyakira, Peter
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Competition , Social responsibility of business -- Uganda , Corporate culture -- Uganda , Corporations -- Moral and ethical aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: vital:9295 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1012648 , Competition , Social responsibility of business -- Uganda , Corporate culture -- Uganda , Corporations -- Moral and ethical aspects
- Description: In view of the important role small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) universally play as the backbone of national economies and the survival and competitiveness challenges that they face, the purpose of this study was to develop specific models of corporate social responsibility (CSR) for SMEs in Uganda as an avenue to enhance their competitiveness and foster economic development. The primary objective was to gain insight into the deployment of CSR in SMEs, including investigating CSR factors and their potential impact on competitiveness. This study integrates previous findings and theories on CSR activities and SMEs‟ competitiveness into a comprehensive hypothesised model. A comprehensive literature study revealed potential factors that could influence the Increased competitiveness of SMEs in Uganda. Four independent variables (Workforce-oriented, Society-oriented, Market-oriented and Environmental-oriented CSR activities) and three mediating variables (Employee satisfaction, Business reputation and Customer loyalty) were identified as variables influencing the Increased competitiveness (dependent variable) of SMEs. Independent variables were categorised as CSR factors while mediating and dependent variables were categorised as outcomes factors. Furthermore, hypotheses were formulated for possible relationships between the independent, mediating and dependent variables. All the variables in the study were clearly defined and operationalised. Reliable and valid items sourced from various measuring instruments used in other similar studies, were used in the operationalisation of these variables. Furthermore, several items were generated from secondary sources. A structured self-administered questionnaire was made available to respondents identified using the stratified and purposive sampling techniques, and the data collected from 383 usable questionnaires was subjected to several statistical analyses. The validity and reliability of the measuring instrument was ascertained using an exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach-alpha coefficients respectively. An exploratory factor analysis using SPSS 18 for Windows was conducted to identify the unique factors available in the data before applying structural equation modelling (SEM). The data were categorised into models of independent variables (CSR factors) and the mediating variables (Outcomes factors). The items measuring Market-oriented CSR activities and Workforce-oriented CSR activities loaded as expected. The items measuring Environmental-oriented CSR activities loaded onto two separate factors which were renamed Environmental-oriented CSR activities and Regulated CSR activities. One of the items originally expected to measure the construct Society-oriented CSR activities loaded onto Environmental-oriented CSR activities, leaving three items which loaded together onto the Society-oriented CSR activities factor. Four factors constituted the outcomes submodel, namely Customer loyalty, Stakeholder trust, Business reputation, and Employee satisfaction. In this study, SEM was the main statistical procedure used to test the significance of the relationships hypothesised between the various independent and dependent variables. Owing to the sample size limitations, the hypothesised model could not be subjected to SEM as a whole. Consequently, six sub-models were identified and subjected to further analysis. The following independent variables were identified as influencing the dependent variables in this study: Workforce-oriented CSR activities, Society-oriented CSR activities, Market-oriented CSR activities, Environmental-oriented CSR activities, Regulated CSR activities. To establish the influence of the various demographic variables on the mediating and dependent variables, an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) analysis were conducted. The respondent‟s position/title in the business, form of enterprise, branch/sector of business, level of education, and the size of business were found to have an influence on the mediating and dependent variables of this study. This study has therefore added to the underdeveloped body of business research in Uganda by investigating a particularly limited segment of the literature, namely SMEs. The study has also identified and developed various models that explain the most significant CSR factors that influence the competitiveness of SMEs. Consequently, this study has put forward several recommendations and suggestions that can enhance the competitiveness of SMEs locally and globally. Further research is encouraged on action-oriented areas such as: the success of different policies and techniques to increase the uptake of CSR amongst SMEs; the economic, social and environmental impact of CSR at sector level; and a typology of SMEs with regard to their engagement in CSR.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
The relationship between work place well-being, psychological capital and work place trust
- Authors: Schoeman, Johannes Dames
- Subjects: Well-being , Trust , Work -- Psychological aspects , Job satisfaction
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: vital:9406 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1013044
- Description: A study of the available literature on Workplace Well-being, Positive Organisational Capital and Workplace Trust revealed that enormous potential existed for further research. This is a relatively new field with limited literature and research evidence available. It became very clear from the beginning that the relationships between these constructs could successfully be researched. It was therefore decided to embark on an academic research journey in order to contribute to the existing knowledge available on these constructs within the South African business scenario. This quantitative research was used to obtain more clarity about the relationships between the three constructs and to gather the responses from the research population. This research group consisted of 228 managers from the manufacturing operation of a motor vehicle production company and 224 managers from their National Dealership network. The research sample consisted of 452 managers. Three questionnaires were integrated to develop the composite Workplace Wellbeing Questionnaire and consisted of i) Workplace Well-being questionnaire developed by Parker and Hyett (2011), ii) PSYCAP Questionnaire developed by Luthans, Youssef and Avolio (2007), and iii) Workplace Trust Survey developed by Ferres (2001). The managers (n = 452) responded to a 91–item electronic questionnaire. Seven research questions were formulated and covered areas such as: The content, validity and portability of the measuring instruments; The configuration of the various constructs; Relationships between some of the variables; The effect of demographical data on the research variables and; The building of a research model. The content and the structure of the measuring instruments were assessed by means of Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Exploratory Factor Analyses (EFA). These assessments showed that the original measuring instruments are not portable to a culture which is different to the one where they were originally developed. The relationships between the variables were determined by: Pearson product moment correlation; Multiple Regression co-efficient; ANOVA and Cohen’s d Test. The relationship between aspects of Workplace Well-being (Job satisfaction) and trust is a significant finding; so are some aspects of PSYCAP (sense of achievement and optimism) and Trust and Well-being. Trust has shown a definite relationship with Work- place well-being. A structural equation model was built to test the relationships between the elements of Workplace Well-being, PSYCAP and Workplace Trust. No satisfactory fit of the model on the data was obtained, although strong correlations between some of the variables existed. The significance of the findings of this study and the contribution that it makes to the existing theory is seen in the importance of the portability of measuring instruments. Recommendations in this regard have been made in Chapter 5. Various findings have also highlighted the relationships between Workplace Well-being, PSYCAP and Work-place Trust. The importance of future research topics has been recommended and a proposal has been made to consider a longitudinal well-being research study.
- Full Text: