文章基本信息

标题：Procurement Best Practices, A Potential Solution to Kenya’s Supermarket Performance Problem
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作者：Beverlyne Awinja. Ingari ; Robert Kisavi Mule ; Charles Omondi Ondoro 等
期刊名称：Business and Management Review
印刷版ISSN：2047-0398
电子版ISSN：2047-0398
出版年度：2012
卷号：2
期号：5
页码：48-60
出版社：Global Research Society
摘要：Supermarkets play a significant role in Kenya’s economy. They have generated employment to thousands of Kenyans. According to Kenya Economic Survey 2012, wholesale and retail trade sector which supermarkets are part of was second in driving Kenya’s growth in the last five years with 18.5 % only second after transport with 20%. There is need to ensure the supermarkets growth and continuity. However in recent times there have been reports of supermarkets facing market challenges resulting to low returns and closure. Their performance is dwindling and this has been attributed to competitive pressures. Uchumi Supermarket in Kenya is one such example. One way to address this issue may be to address the issue of procurement best practices as these are argued, accrue benefits directly to the bottom line of organizations. Studies in this direction for Kenyan Supermarkets are lacking. This study addressed this gap. It investigated the best practices embraced in the procurement sector using information from supermarkets in Kisumu city and how this affected their performance. Specifically the study sought to; determine the effect of establishing good supplier relationships, use of team based approach in procurement, incorporating technology in the procurement and; strong support from the top management for procurement process on performance of these supermarkets. The design used in this research was descriptive survey. The target population was 280 employees of the leading supermarkets in Kisumu city directly involved in the procurement process. A random sample size of 164 respondents was used. Primary and secondary data was used. Primary data was collected through a series of interviews and questionnaires that were issued to the procurement team and top management of the supermarkets. Secondary data was obtained from relevant journals and articles. The data collected was be analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis and presented through graphs and tables. The research aimed at shedding light on the significance that comes with embracing procurement best practices in terms of their cost structures, long-term profitability and the organizational viability of the practices for the supermarkets in Kisumu. Results of the study indicated significant relationship between best practices of procurement and performance of the supermarkets. Specifically, the results showed that best practices in procurement substantially improved profits and customer satisfaction. An average of 50% of respondents strongly agreed that buyer-supplier relationship or consultative approach to procurement had effect on supermarket’s performance. Use of technology and top management support had the same at 25% and 100% respectively. These results will be useful to policy makers within the supermarkets and other industries. It recommends that these practitioners emphasize best practices in procurement as these have shown a positive relationship with organizational performance. It further recommends that investigation be carried out on the relationship of these practices with performance of organizations in other industries.
关键词：Procurement; Procurement Best Practices; Performance; E-Procurement; Supplier Relationships; Team-Based Approach; Supermarkets