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The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of organisational capabilities on the success of Eritrean wood- and metal-manufacturing firms. Specifically, the paper analyses the effects of owner-managers’ innovativeness, personal relations and employees’ technical skills on the firms’ success.

The study entailed a survey of 287 wood- and metal-manufacturing small and medium enterprises, which were selected using stratified random sampling. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data and generate the findings presented in this paper.

The findings indicate that owner-managers’ innovativeness and personal relations have a significant influence on the firms’ success. However, although employees’ technical skills relate positively to the firms’ success, the relationship is statistically insignificant largely because of the limited participation of workers in designing and developing the products.

The paper can enlighten owner-managers about the value of innovativeness and relational capabilities for the success of their firms. It generates insights that can guide policy makers to promote innovation and relational capabilities in the wood- and metal-manufacturing sub-sector.

The paper contributes to the debate on firms’ success by empirically testing the effect of the specific dimensions of organisational capabilities on the success of SMEs operating in a developing economy context. It widens the understanding of how organisational capabilities influence firm success.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the effect of the regulatory framework on the competitiveness of the dairy sector of Tanzania. More precisely, it attempts to identify the main regulations governing the dairy industry and examines areas in which they overlap. The paper explores the effect of the regulatory framework on the business enterprises operating in the sector and highlights ongoing initiatives for harmonisation of the regulations affecting the dairy sector.

The study that culminated in the paper was qualitative in nature, being based on case studies of two enterprises operating in the dairy industry, secondary data, in-depth discussions with industry stakeholders through personal interviews and focus group discussions. The paper also draws on observations made of the advocacy project that is going on to review regulations in the dairy sector.

The dairy sector in Tanzania is facing significant regulatory challenges, leading to the high cost of doing business. The main regulatory burdens facing the sector are: multiple inspections of premises, multiple testing of products, multiplicity of licences for premises and products, and the use of regulations as a source of revenue. Bureaucratic roadblocks add costs to businesses and reduce the competitiveness of products and services, as well as the potential for business expansion and job creation. While the private sector appears to succeed in creating awareness of the issue, it has not yet succeeded in pressurising the government to take action to bring about policy change.

The findings of the paper will inform policy makers and the private sector on how the regulations affect the competitiveness of the dairy industry. The paper will also aid advocacy initiatives by private sector organisations by providing empirical evidence concerning the damaging effect of the regulatory framework and will contribute some ideas on how to carry forward the ongoing dialogue between the private and public sector.

The paper fills the gap resulting from the lack of empirical evidence regarding the impact of the regulatory framework on the competitiveness of the private sector in the context of a developing economy. It demonstrates how systematic research on advocacy issues raised by the private sector could be used to generate evidence that informs and motivates policy change. The paper also applies the theory of regulation to a specific industry to show how regulatory reforms could be attained.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the various entrepreneurship teaching methods in Uganda and how these methods relate to entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE).

A sample of 522 final year students from selected universities and study programs was surveyed using self-reported questionnaires.

There was a statistically significant positive relationship between ESE and lecturers’ business experience. Interacting with successful people, personal reading and handout notes, class presentations and imaginary case studies had a statistically significant positive relationship with ESE. There was no statistical significance in the relationship between ESE and some teaching methods. A positively significant correlation was also observed between lectures’ business experience and the choice of teaching method(s).

Further research should explore how various methods are used to teach different aspects of entrepreneurship as well as the attitudes and perceptions of entrepreneurship educators about entrepreneurial experience and its relevancy in entrepreneurship education.

Lecturers should seek opportunities for attaining business experience through practice and business networks. Institutions should orient lecturers through different teaching styles and train them on how to relate learning outcomes to learning environments as well as investing in learning aids.

The study provides insights about the most feasible methods of activating ESE in the most practical and efficient ways. It also informs readers about the state of learning technologies from a developing country’s perspective.

This study aims to examine the experiences and lessons from formalisation initiatives in four sub-Saharan African countries. Drawing upon the three main theories that explain the existence of business informality – the exclusion model, rational exit model and dual economy model – the study offers an alternative path to business formalisation.

The researchers adopted a descriptive-qualitative method, and through the triangulation of data, identified emerging themes and patterns.

The findings suggest that the informal sector has a small layer that responds to the simplification of regulations and a larger one that requires a different formalisation framework. This shift in paradigm, indirect or group formalisation, where business associations facilitate traceability (registration), self-regulation, access to resources and services for members was observed in all four of the economies studied: Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda and Tanzania.

As with every qualitative study, subjectivity and interpretation inevitably affect the replicability and generalisability of the findings. However, the rich meanings emerging from the qualitative analysis of the text are critically insightful.

Developing countries should explore indirect formalisation. Provision of workspace and construction of business premises for informal operators should be given high priority. The model for building structures for micro enterprises should change in favour of ownership by the operators through their own associations or other private sector investors.

A pioneering study on cross-country analysis based on sub-Saharan African nations to unearth a new paradigm, a shift towards indirect or group formalisation.

This study aims to examine how women's groups help women to navigate context-related barriers to their engagement in rural entrepreneurship. The paper combines the contextualisation of entrepreneurship framework and the feminist separatist theory to describe how women's groups in patriarchal rural communities enable women to circumvent context-related barriers and actively engage in rural entrepreneurship.

Based on a case study of 12 women's groups engaged in paddy farming, rice processing and marketing in rural Tanzania, this study draws on semi-structured interviews with 46 women, four focus group discussions, four in-depth key informant interviews and non-participant observation.

Rural women face unique context-related challenges that hinder them from effectively participating in rural entrepreneurship. Specifically, limited access to farmlands and profitable markets, lack of business networks, limited time, poverty and insufficient financial resources constrain women's engagement in entrepreneurship. To overcome these contextual barriers, rural women have organised themselves into groups to gain access to business services, business-related training, grants and business networks.

This study contributes to the existing literature on contextualising entrepreneurship by focussing on how rural contexts may constrain women's entrepreneurial engagement while showing how women respond to contextual barriers that enable them to participate in rural entrepreneurship.

This study shows that women with low education can pursue rural entrepreneurship if they are supported through training and access to networks. This will support the performance of these groups of women.

This study offers new insights into the role of women's groups in navigating gender-related constraints that hinder women from participating in rural entrepreneurship within the patriarchal context of low-income countries. Thus, new perceptions for the gender and rural entrepreneurship theory and the policy implications thereof are proffered.