Supply Chain Management Practices and SME Performance in Arua Municipality, Uganda

Abstract

This study focused on the relationship between supply chain management practices and SME performance in Arua Municipality, Uganda. The research axiology is value free and the approach is deductive. Data were sourced using both structured and semi-structured questionnaire survey consisting of 140 SMEs registered with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB).

Research outcomes revealed that supply chain collaboration is a precursor of SME performance. Whereas, internal management, use of information communication technology and innovation were proven to be statistically insignificant predictors of SME performance.

The analysis of the study is deterministic and findings are hypothetical. The research design prohibits studying SME performance using exploratory views. In addition, data collection tool was standardized questionnaire design, and operationalised using quantitative procedures. Application of an in-depth interview could have given profound insights of the studied phenomenon.

The practical effects of this study are that: owners and/or Managers of SMEs should improve performance by engaging in collaborative approaches such as long term contracts and interdependence. Scholarly presentations on the effects of supply chain management practices on the performance of SMEs in Arua Municipality, Uganda have attracted little scholarly attention in the past years. This study is therefore of momentous contribution in this area of research.