Journal of Purchasing, Logistics and Supply Chain Management system (e-ISSN: 3048-6254)

Outsourcing Contract Practices and Community Road Project Performance in Acoliland, Mid-North, Uganda: An Empirical Analysis

Peter Adoko Obicci — 2026-01-07

Rural road infrastructure in northern Uganda is in poor condition. Delays, cost overruns, and early failures are common. Weak supervision, scattered governance, limited technical skills, poor monitoring, and low accountability hurt community road projects. This study examines how outsourcing contract practices impact community road project performance in Acoliland, Mid-North Uganda. It aims to find out if clear procurement, careful contractor selection, and strong monitoring improve quality, timeliness, and efficiency. A mixed-methods sequential exploratory design. Collected quantitative data from 350 respondents, including contractors, district officials, and community representatives. Descriptive statistics summarized the trends, while regression analysis measured the effects. Clear procurement significantly improved performance (β = 0.42, t = 6.11, p < 0.001). Contractor selection also had a positive effect on outcomes (β = 0.35, t = 5.28, p < 0.001). Monitoring had the strongest impact (β = 0.48, t = 7.02, p < 0.001). Interviews highlighted the importance of contractor skills, supervision, and accountability. Field observations showed that poor oversight caused project delays, and document reviews revealed that contract enforcement was inconsistent. The findings indicate that effective outsourcing greatly improves community road delivery. Strengthening procurement, contractor evaluation, and monitoring practices boosts efficiency, quality, and long-term sustainability. The study offers solid evidence and practical guidance for local governments in post-conflict areas.

Disparity in the Impact of Insider Ownership on the Performance of Companies

N. Karunakaran — 2026-04-22

The ownership structure of companies is the most important part of corporate governance. The way different classes of owners act, the strategies they have come up with, and the results that have been achieved in a company have all been affected by ownership. The importance of corporate governance lies in safeguarding the interests of all stakeholders or a specific group of shareholders. People have been talking a lot about how important independent board members are for good corporate governance. Right now, it is very important for businesses and society as a whole to start working on changing how they run their businesses. The effect of higher levels of insider ownership is a positive impact on performance and commitment of corporations, but higher levels of insider ownership may also cause managers to act opportunistically and therefore create additional bond risk. When managers have some level of equity in a company’s stock, their own interests align with those of the company’s shareholders, or owners. The very high level of manager or insider ownership may offer a type of security for the management from any potential negative consequences in terms of their actions. This could create an environment in which management would make decisions on their own versus the other partners within that company, causing harm to the company’s performance. As the number of insiders continues to grow, it is expected to create less cost of borrowing due to a reduction in the amount of agency cost.

Supply Chain Management Practices and Patients’ Satisfaction in Public Healthcare Centers in Ghana – A Study

Stephen Kuku — 2026-04-28

This study looks into how supply chain management (SCM) procedures affect patient satisfaction (PS) in Ghanaian public health facilities. In particular, it looks at how good SCM practices improve patient experiences, lower service delivery delays, and improve healthcare performance in the public health sector. SCM strategies have been extensively researched in manufacturing and private-sector settings, but there is little empirical data on their application to public healthcare systems in underdeveloped nations, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of earlier research has concentrated on patient care and clinical service quality, frequently ignoring supply chain systems, which constitute the operational foundation of healthcare delivery. By presenting empirical data from Ghana, this paper fills that vacuum by demonstrating how SCM practices have a direct impact on patient happiness and healthcare performance in public hospitals with limited resources. 371 respondents were surveyed using structured questionnaires as part of a quantitative research strategy. A total of 2,600 employees and patients from twelve public hospitals spread throughout three Ghanaian regional capitals made up the responders. To guarantee equitable representation, a straightforward random selection method was used. The collected data were analysed to assess the relationships between SCM practices, supply chain performance, and patient satisfaction in the selected healthcare facilities. The findings showed that public healthcare facilities' operational performance and efficiency are greatly improved by implementing sound and efficient SCM techniques. Supply chain performance and SCM techniques were found to be strongly positively correlated, and this had a major positive impact on patient satisfaction. The results highlight the necessity for legislators and hospital administrators to prioritize the adoption of effective SCM systems. In Ghana's public health sector, strengthening SCM processes can be a strategic lever to improve patient experiences, decrease inefficiencies, and improve healthcare delivery.

The Limits of Compliance: Ethical Integrity in Uganda’s Public Procurement and Supply Chains

Peter Adoko Obicci — 2026-04-29

The persistence of corruption in Uganda’s public procurement and supply chain systems continues to undermine governance effectiveness and weaken development outcomes. This study examines ethical integrity as a normative and institutional mechanism for strengthening corruption control within procurement and supply chain practices. It investigates how ethical values influence operational conduct, with particular attention to moral awareness, accountability, and transparency in shaping institutional behaviour across procurement processes and supply networks. A qualitative research design is adopted, drawing on secondary data from government reports, policy frameworks, and scholarly literature to assess how ethical considerations influence decision-making and oversight within public procurement systems. Findings indicate that ethical integrity plays a central role in promoting fairness, trust, and transparency across procurement and supply chain activities. Where procurement officials and supply chain actors adhere to ethical principles, incidences of favouritism, fraud, and resource mismanagement are reduced. The analysis further shows that compliance-based regulatory frameworks, while necessary, are insufficient in isolation when ethical values are not internalized within institutions and actors. Emphasis is placed on embedding ethical standards into procurement and supply chain governance through leadership commitment, ethical orientation, and strengthened oversight mechanisms. The discussion contributes to governance and supply chain management debates by demonstrating that overreliance on compliance mechanisms limits the effectiveness of corruption control, while ethical integrity provides a deeper foundation for institutional conduct in environments characterized by systemic corruption.

A Conceptual Framework of Blockchain for Reducing Information Asymmetry with Simulation-based Validation

Md. Royel Islam — 2026-05-01

This study adopts a conceptual modeling approach supported by simulation-based validation rather than real-world empirical data. Information asymmetry, characterized by unequal access to relevant data among market participants, often results in inefficiencies such as adverse selection, moral hazard, and, in extreme cases, market failure. To address this issue, this paper develops a comprehensive theoretical framework that integrates insights from signaling theory, agency theory, and information economics to analyze blockchain’s role as a mechanism for enhancing information symmetry. The study conceptualizes blockchain as an institutional substitute for trust, enabled by its core features: decentralization, transparency, immutability, and real-time verification. These attributes are expected to reduce reliance on traditional intermediaries through three key technological mechanisms distributed ledger systems, smart contracts, and consensus protocols that function to enhance data reliability, enforce contractual obligations, and ensure agreement across network participants without centralized authority. By reducing information gaps and increasing the credibility of shared data, blockchain technology has the potential to curb opportunistic behavior and align incentives among stakeholders. The paper further advances a set of testable propositions that link blockchain adoption to measurable economic outcomes, including improved market efficiency, lower transaction costs, and increased firm valuation. These propositions provide a basis for empirical validation and future quantitative research. Overall, this study contributes to the existing literature by bridging technological innovation with established economic theory. It offers a unified analytical model that not only explains how blockchain can alleviate information asymmetry but also highlights its broader implications for financial market performance and institutional design.