




































American International Journal of Business and Management Studies  

Vol. 2, No. 1; 2020 

ISSN 2641-4937   E-ISSN 2641-4953 

Published by American Center of Science and Education, USA 

 

25 

 

The Factors Affecting Supplier Relationship Management in the 

Food Manufacturing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Dar 

es Salaam Tanzania 

 

 
Jesca Mhoja Nkwabi 

Doctoral Candidate 

University of the West of Scotland, United Kingdom 
E-mail: jesyoncy77@gmail.com 

 

Julia Fallon PhD 

Principal Lecturer  

Cardiff Metropolitan University, United Kingdom 

E-mail: jfallon@cardiffmet.ac.uk 

 
Abstract 
The Tanzanian food industry is one of the most critical sectors in the country. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) 

are the largest processors of food. Although SMEs mostly deal with processing food, they still face challenges, 

especially with their suppliers. Though previous researchers have investigated partnership issues in SMEs, little has 

been reported on the factors that impact the supplier relationships found in food manufacturing SMEs. This study 

employed a qualitative design where semi-structured interviews with 13 experts were conducted to identify the 

factors that impede SRM in Dar es Salaam. The findings reveal that poor relationship management, poor storage 

facilities, poor transportation and inadequate production capacities are the main challenges affecting SRM within 

these firms. To overcome these challenges, it has been recommended to improve the supplier relationships through 

being transparent, fostering trust and sharing quality information with the suppliers on time. Furthermore, 

investment in technology has been recommended to reduce costs and to enhance the information sharing between 

suppliers and SMEs. Government support is required with regard to financial aid and the improvement in the 

infrastructure to facilitate the easier flow of goods from SMEs to the customers. 
 

Keywords: Supplier Relationship Management (SRM), Food Processing, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), 

Supply Chain Management (SCM). 

1. Introduction 

1.1 Background of the Study 

SRM is the process where a company interacts with its suppliers. SRM is vital in firms as without effective SRM, it 

becomes hard for a firm to attain customer responsiveness. SRM plays a significant role in better SCM 

implementation in organisations. Through SRM, firms can derive numerous benefits. Onyango et al (2015) found 

that the components of SRM such as open communication and joint decision making positively impact on the 

internal operational performance of a firm. Oghazi et al. (2016) reported improved supply integration due to 

effective SRM implementation. Teller et al. (2016) suggests that SRM leads to an increased collaboration between 

the members of a supply chain which leads to superior supply chains and improved SCM. Academics (Dubey et al. 

2019; Li et al., 2019; La Rocca et al., 2019) have also reported increased visibility, reduced lead times and increased 

customer responsiveness to be other key benefits of SRM. Despite the numerous benefits that have been associated 

with SRM, the Tanzanian food processing sector seems to be increasingly affected by poor SRM. Previous 

researchers in the Tanzanian sector have reported SRM issues to be the major challenge preventing effective SCM 

implementation. For instance, Ruteri and Xu, (2009) highlighted that poor quality raw materials are a major factor 

that impedes efficient SRM in Tanzania. This is as it prevents the food processors in Tanzania from consistently 

supplying quality products to customers. This results in the customers preferring imported goods or products from 

mailto:jesyoncy77@gmail.com
mailto:jfallon@cardiffmet.ac.uk


www.acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijbms     American International Journal of Business and Management Studies   Vol. 2, No. 1; 2020 

26 

 

multinational companies (MNCs). In their study, Katunzi and Zheng (2010) reported that Tanzanian SMEs are 

reluctant to share information with their partners due to a lack of trust. Similarly, a review by Nkwabi (2019) 

revealed that SRM in the Tanzanian SMEs is weak due to the poor coordination between suppliers and their focal 

firms. These researchers have highlighted issues prevalent in SRM in Tanzania. None of these studies, however, 

have specifically focused on the issues impeding SRM implementation in the food manufacturing SMEs in Dar es 

Salaam. The aim of this study is to identify the factors that impede effective SRM in Tanzanian food manufacturing 

SMEs and to provide recommendations on how SRM can be improved.  

2. Literature Review 

2.1 Definition of SRM 

SRM is how firms manage their supplier base to keep the resources flowing in the company (Forkmann, Henneberg, 

Naudé and Mitrega, 2016). SRM is a strategy-oriented approach in which a firm incorporates information-sharing 

technologies, cooperation and partnerships with the suppliers to manage their relationships (Lechner and Reimann, 

2019). For successful SSRM to take place in an organisation, there needs to be mutual trust, coordination and the 

sharing of responsibilities among the firm members. Kosgei and Gitau (2016) point out that trust, mutual goals, 

communication and commitment are important features of effective SRM. The same is supported by Onyango et al. 

(2015) who suggest that trust, open communication and collaboration with a few suppliers is key when managing 

long-term supplier relationships.  

2.2 Importance of SRM 

SRM is important for many reasons as discussed in the following section: 

 Visibility in the supply chains:- SRM allows the supply chain partners to achieve transparency by fostering 
trust and the sharing of vital information on time. When SRM is effectively managed in the supply chain, 

the firm and its suppliers can coordinate better. Moreover, through efficient SRM, a company can monitor 

and track supplier interactions. These are crucial in supply chain management (Sodhi and Tang, 2019). 

Recently, the use of blockchains in managing SRM has gained much attention as suppliers and focal 

companies can interact on time and a company can easily track down defective raw materials supplied by 

suppliers. This reduces the supply chain risks such as producing defective products (Pournader et al., 2019).  

 Reducing Lead times:- Lead time is measured from when the goods are produced up until they reach the 

final consumer. Through SRM, companies can speed up production by procuring raw materials on time and 

speeding up the entire production, which minimises the lead times (Annamalah and Pertheban, 2019). The 

inefficient management of SSR leads to various supply chain-related issues such as a delay in customer 

demands. This affects the SCM of the company as they are not able to meet the customer demands and fail 
to add value for the customers. This further leads to customer retention problems.  

 Improving procurement performance:- SRM leads to improved procurement performance through close 

monitoring and collaboration. A company can select a few reliable suppliers from which it procures goods 

on time to meet the ongoing demands (Rane, Narvel and Bhandarkar, 2019). 

2.2.1 Benefits of SRM 
Various researchers have documented the benefits of SRM in organisations as shown in Table 1. 

    Table 1. Benefits of SRM 

Author Benefits of SRM 

Teller et al. (2016) 

 
 Supply chain integration. 

 Availability of raw materials. 

Kharade and Pataskar (2016) 

 

 

 Reducing the logistical costs 

 Customer satisfaction 

 Decreased lead times 

Mukura et al. (2016) 

 
 Procurement performance. 



www.acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijbms     American International Journal of Business and Management Studies   Vol. 2, No. 1; 2020 

27 

 

Stentoft and Rajkumar (2017) 

 

Verghese et al (2019) 

 

 Long-term relationships between 

suppliers and buyers. 

Dash et al (2018) 

 
 Open communication. 

 Mutual trust. 

Amoako-Gyampah et al. (2019) 

 
 Flexibility in the supply chain. 

 Increased collaboration. 

 Improved operational 
performance. 

Kaufmann et al. (2018) 

Dubey et al. (2019) 
 Improved buyer-supplier 

collaboration. 

 

Source: Literature review 2020 

 

Table 1 shows the various benefits of SRM to firms which includes supply chain integration, reducing 

costs, fostering long-term relationships with their suppliers and improving the procurement performance. 

 The next section will discuss SRM implementation in SMEs. 

2.2.2 SRM in SMEs 

When compared to large enterprises (LEs), SMEs often find it difficult to maintain long-term relationships with their 

suppliers. SMEs usually do not take into consideration the importance of reducing SRM risks (Annamalah and 

Pertheban, 2016). As a result, SMEs are more vulnerable and they tend to fail in the long run due to a failure to 

prioritise SRM. On the other hand, LEs understand the importance of maintaining better relationships with their 

suppliers which works in their favour. Most LEs invest in opportunities with their suppliers and mutually share 

benefits. This is usually not the case in SMEs. SMEs fail to manage SRM due to the numerous issues in their firms. 

Annamalah and Pertheban (2016) found that Malaysian SMEs are unable to manage SRM due to issues such as poor 

technology, poor quality materials and late deliveries. Szegedi et al (2019) pointed out that Hungarian SMEs find it 

difficult to maintain a spirit of cooperation with their suppliers. The same has been reported by Therakorn (2014) 

who found that the inability to manage SRM is a major obstacle impacting SMEs in Thailand. In Tanzania Katunzi 

and Zheng (2010) found that Tanzanian SMEs fail to effectively implement SRM due to the lack of trust among the 

partners. Nkwabi (2019) reported that poor coordination was a major factor impacting SRM in the Tanzanian SMEs. 

Although previous researchers have identified SRM issues in the SMEs, there is a dearth of literature in the 

Tanzanian context, particularly in the food processing sector. 

2.3 The Tanzanian Food Sector 

The Tanzanian food sector is mostly comprised of SMEs engaged in processing products such as confectionery 

items, tea, coffee, cashew nuts, rice, flour, milk, spices, fruits and vegetables (Mollel, 2015). Despite processing 

various items, food processing SMEs underperform when compared to MNC’s due to the various challenges that 

they face such as capital constraints, using outdated technologies, poor facilities and a lack of R and D. Mollel 

(2015) highlighted that the Tanzanian food processing sector still lags behind as the processing firms in the country 

fail to produce quality products. A recent study by Nkwabi et al. (2019) pointed out that the food processing sector 

in Tanzania faces challenges such as technological difficulties, bureaucracy, a lack of raw materials and financial 

problems. 

3. Research Methodology 

Semi-structured interviews were adopted in this study. In total, 13 supply chain and SCM experts from Dar es 

Salaam were purposively and conveniently selected to participate in the study. Semi-structured telephone interviews 

were conducted from October to December 2018. This research design was deemed to be suitable by the researcher 

as it allowed the researcher to gather information on SRM. This has been previously understudied in the food 



www.acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijbms     American International Journal of Business and Management Studies   Vol. 2, No. 1; 2020 

28 

 

processing sector in Tanzania. The 13 informants were found to be suitable as has been suggested by previous 

researchers Nkwabi (2019) and Dai et al (2019). They also suggest that a minimum of 12 informants is sufficient for 

a researcher to reach saturation. 

4. Findings 

In total, 13 interviews were transcribed and analysed in NVIVO. Three themes were generated from the interviews 

conducted by experts who have been explained below: 

 SRM implementation in food manufacturing SMEs in Dar es Salaam 

The informants were asked to explain the current implementation of SRM in the food manufacturing SMEs. 

 SRM issues in food manufacturing SMEs 

The respondents were asked to detail the challenges affecting SRM in the food processing SMEs in Dar es Salaam. 

 Measures to overcome the SRM issues. 

The interviewees were asked to provide measures to enable effective SRM implementation within the organisations. 

 
The findings from each of the themes mentioned above have been discussed. 

4.1 Theme 1: SRM Implementation in the Food Manufacturing SMEs in Dar es Salaam 

According to the informants, SRM in the food manufacturing SMEs of Dar es Salaam is weak and needs further 

development. Most of the interviewees stressed that the SMEs pay more attention to the downstream members while 

the upstream members are ignored. Consequently, some of the informants suggested that SRM was weak in the food 

processing SMEs due to the lack of trust, the untimely sharing of information, the lack of professionalism when 

dealing with relationships and poor infrastructure. 

 Some of the views of the respondents have been highlighted below: 

“There [are] no[t many] strategic supplier relationships from both ends of the supply chain… that is on the vertical 

and the other [on] th[e] supplier side.” (Respondent 1) 

Another response was: 

 “Most SMEs focus more on the downstream relationships and pay less attention to [the] supplier relationships. This 

is mainly [a] result due to [the] poor integration that exists between the supply chain partners. Another cause for 

poor strategic supplier relationships is the lack of trust and untimely sharing of information largely caused by 

technological problems.” (Respondent 3) 

Respondent 4 mentioned: 

 “In the partnerships, they're not doing that well [in] customer relationship management” (Respondent 4) 

Respondent 10 highlighted: 

No professionalism in managing relationships. SMEs do not apply professional steps in acquiring [their] products. 

No formal procedures are followed. Also due to the number of SMEs that are producing food, competition is low 

and therefore they feel that they do not need to push themselves to manage [their] relationships.” (Respondent 10) 

A similar view was: 

“Very few are strategic. Mostly they are not the strategic. [The] majority are still trying due to the nature of the 

business they are constrained. Few have tried. Most are still lagging.” (Respondent 11) 

 

 



www.acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijbms     American International Journal of Business and Management Studies   Vol. 2, No. 1; 2020 

29 

 

Respondent 12 accentuated: 

"SSR is not conducted [much] because most of the food manufacturing SMEs, when they need materials, purchase 

[them] and they do not establish any long-term relationships." (Respondent 12) 

 “It’s going good. Most try to segment [the] suppliers based on [the] products produced. [For] example, if it is 

biscuits or beverages, then they get the suppliers [that] they need. Although long-term relationships usually don’t 

last due to mistrust and pricing.” (Respondent 2) 

 “Most SMEs focus more on the downstream relationships and pay less attention to [the] supplier 

relationships.”(Respondent 8) 

A few of the respondents (7 and 9) highlighted that the SRM was good as shown in the next section: 

 “They are adequate. Most of the industries have been trying to come up with new techniques and even the suppliers 

so I can say it's of high quality.” (Respondent 7) 

“My opinion is [that] I think it's good because they have learnt and have a discipline on how to interact and manage 

strategic planning [in order] to manage their supplier relationships. There is an improvement in [the] supply 

relationships.” (Respondent 9). 

Based on the views from the informants, it is evidenced that SRM is weak in the food manufacturing SMEs 

in Dar es Salaam mainly because of the issues resulting from poor supplier relationships. Most of the informants 

stressed that more focus is provided to the downstream members while the upstream members like the suppliers are 

ignored. As a result, the SMEs have weak relationships with their suppliers due to issues such as a lack of trust, poor 

integration, the poor management of relationships and the inability to maintain long-term relationships with their 

suppliers. 

The SRM challenges will be discussed in the next section. 

4.2 Theme 2: SRM Challenges 

The respondents were asked to provide their views on the challenges impacting SRM in the food manufacturing 

SMEs of Dar es Salaam. The responses are shown in Table 2. 

 

Table 2. SRM issues in the food manufacturing SMEs 

 

S/NO Informant SRM issue 

1 (Informant 1)  No good plans for resources or 

materials - they just buy from the 
local markets. 

 Issues in production capacity, 

sources of supply capacity and 

capability. 

 Poor coordination. 

 Unreliable sources of supply, 

fluctuations in the prices of 

commodities. 

2 Informant 2  Mistrust. 

  Pricing. 

3 Informant 3  Poor integration that exists 

between the supply chain partners. 

 Lack of trust and the untimely 
sharing of information. 



www.acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijbms     American International Journal of Business and Management Studies   Vol. 2, No. 1; 2020 

30 

 

4 Informant 4  Poor movement of goods from the 

supplier to the customers. 

5 Informant 6  Poor quality materials. 

 Poor structures. 

6 Informant 7  Lack of trust among partners. 

7 Informant 8  Poor integration. 

 Lack of trust. 

8 Informant 9  Poor storage facilities. 

 Lack of packaging. 

9 Informant 10  Unreliable suppliers. 

 Poor communication between the 
SMEs and their suppliers. 

 Managing many suppliers at a 

time. 

10 Informant 12  Failure to maintain long-term 

relationships with their suppliers. 

11 Informant  13  Transportation issues. 

 

Source: Study Interviews, 2018 

 

With reference to the Table 2, the respondents highlighted the major issues affecting the food processing 

SMEs in Dar es Salaam as follows: 

 Relationship issues: Most of the informants suggested that the SMEs had issues managing long-

term relationships with their suppliers due to coordination problems, a lack of trust, poor quality of 

information, integration problems and pricing issues. 
 Quality of materials: The interviewees stated that the quality of information was another main 

issue impacting SRM. 

 Transportation issues: The failure to deliver goods on time due to transportation issues was 

highlighted as a significant challenge impacting SRM. 

 Storage issues: Furthermore, the respondents stated that the SMEs encountered issues in relation 

to the storage facilities and packing goods. 

 Production capacities: The informants highlighted that production issues are another major factor 

impacting SRM. 

 

From the views of the informants, food processing SMEs in Tanzania need to improve their relationship 

with their suppliers through fostering trust and working together with the suppliers to improve the quality of the raw 
materials supplied in order to improve productivity. In addition, good storage facilities are vital to help the SMEs to 

retain the quality of the products produced. 

Having discussed the issues, the respondents suggested measures to use to overcome the SRM challenges 

as explained in the following section: 

 

4.3 Theme 3: Measures to Achieve SRM 

The interviewees provided the following measures to effectively implement SRM in food processing SMEs. The 

opinions from the informants are as follows: 

“Build strong relationship with suppliers.” (Interviewee 1) 

“SRM training.” (Interviewee 2)  

“I think [that] the communication between the suppliers and customers should be of a good quality. I also think 

[that] the partnership issue there should be a good link between the partners of the supply chain to ensure that they 

provide quality and adequate goods to the customers. Without a strong partnership, each member focuses only on 

profiting themselves and not the customers. In other words, there should be an integration of the activities to make 

[sure that] the goods reach the customers on time." (Interviewee 4) 



www.acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijbms     American International Journal of Business and Management Studies   Vol. 2, No. 1; 2020 

31 

 

“SSR [needs] to be improved. More focus has to be given on [the] integration of companies so [then] they work 

together and improve [the] supply chains.” (Interviewee 7) 

“Improve [the] technology and [allow for the] employment of experts to enable [the] suppliers to be well-

established. The reasons behind the poor supplier establishments have mainly been caused by a lack of the latest 

technology [and] no investments from shareholders because they aren't sure because of a fear of a low rate of 

return. T[he t]raining of [the] SMEs and suppliers to have a well-established SCM [means that] the challenges 

might be reduced.” (Interviewee 10) 

From the observations of the informants, the food processing SMEs in Dar es Salaam need to work on 

building strong relationships with their suppliers through strengthening trust and by sharing reliable information 

with suppliers. Moreover, to ensure that the distortion of information is avoided, improvements in technology are 

essential to facilitate the timely sharing of information. As suggested by Kembro, Näslund and Olhager (2017), 

technology helps the partners to share real time information with each actor in the supply chain. The same is 

supported by Bian, Shang and Zhang (2016) who found that sharing real time information with their business 

partners helps to minimize real times problems, reduce costs, improve productivity and enhance the firms’ 

profitability. 

5. Discussion of the Findings 

The findings from the interviews reveal that the food manufacturing SMEs in Dar es Salaam face difficulties in five 

areas. These areas are the failure to maintain long-term relationships with their suppliers, poor quality materials, 

poor transportation, and issues in storage and production capacities. These will be elaborated on in the section 

below: 

 Relationship issues: The majority of the interviewees suggested that food processing SMEs have 

difficulties managing long-term relationships with their suppliers due to a lack of transparency, trust, poor 

coordination and the untimely sharing of information between partners. The same was reported by Katunzi 

and Zheng (2010) who found that the SMEs were reluctant to share information with their partners due to a 
fear of competition. Furthermore, Mollel (2015) reported poor quality information and untimely 

information sharing to be the major issues impacting on the partner relationships. 

 Poor transportation: The interview informants emphasized that SMEs had difficulty when it came to deliver 

the goods to the customers on time due to transportation issues. This finding is consistent with that of 

Ruteri and Xu (2009) who reported that poor transportation infrastructure stood in the way of meeting 

customer demands. 

 Storage issues: The interviewees suggested that the storage facilities were poor in the food manufacturing 

SMEs of Dar es Salaam. Having poor storage facilities is dangerous as it puts the consumers’ health at risk. 

Ruteri and Xu (2009) reported a similar account and emphasised that good storage facilities are necessary 

to avoid putting the health of the consumers as well as the processors at risk. 

 Production capacities: The respondents concurred that the production capacities are poor in the food 
processing SMEs of Dar es Salaam. This could be a result of having unreliable suppliers which makes it 

hard to have a continuous line of production. In addition, due to the outdated technologies being used by 

the processors extensively, it becomes hard to achieve a higher level of productivity. This is as most 

processors rely heavily on manpower-based machines which result in difficulties in production. This result 

concurs with that of Ruteri and Xu (2009) who reported that the extensive use of manpower was the reason 

for the impecunious production in the Tanzanian food sector. 

 

Having detailed the findings, the next section will provide the study recommendations, limitations, 

implications and conclusions. 

6. Recommendations, Limitations, Implications and Conclusion 

6.1 Recommendations 
Based on the above findings, food processors must improve the SRM in their firms by maintaining long-term 

relationships with their suppliers. This can be achieved through being transparent, improving information flow and 



www.acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijbms     American International Journal of Business and Management Studies   Vol. 2, No. 1; 2020 

32 

 

having quality suppliers. Through long-term relationships with their suppliers, issues such as inferior raw materials, 

increased lead times, excessive production cost and the bullwhip effect can be avoided. Al-Shuaibi (2016) 

recommends that long-term relationships with their suppliers improve their supply chain performance by obtaining 

quality materials which enhances both their productivity and customer satisfaction. 

Additionally, processors need to adopt the latest technology which will improve their production capacity, 

the storage of goods and result in a reduction in costs by eliminating the excessive use of manpower. Sophisticated 
technologies such as blockchains help firms to enhance their product safety, advance inventory management and 

reduce the unwanted costs that enhance the supply chain effectiveness of firms (Cole, Stevenson and Aitken, 2019). 

In terms of transportation issues, the government of Tanzania needs to address infrastructure issues to help the 

SMEs to move their products swiftly to the customers in order to meet their demands on time. 

 

6.2 Limitations of the Study 

This study has investigated an area that has been inadequately documented in the food processing SMEs in 

Tanzania. The findings are limited to only food processing SMEs in Dar es Salaam and thus the results cannot be 

generalised to other regions of Tanzania. Further examination of the factors impacting SRM needs to be conducted 

in other regions of Tanzania. This research used only interviews to obtain views from SCM and SME experts. The 

use of a mixed method approach can help researchers to achieve triangulation by comparing views from multiple 

sources such as experts and SME owners. Due to the time limitations, only a few participants were able to 

participate in the study. A higher sample size can assist the researchers in getting auxiliary views about the SRM 

problems which will enhance the overall understanding of SRM issues. 

6.3 Implications of the Study 

This study has implications related to practitioners, policymakers and future researchers. For practitioners, the 

findings of this study reveal that SRM is weak in the food processing SMEs in Dar es Salaam and areas such as 

information quality, relationship management and product quality have to be improved. For policymakers, this study 

reveals that support is needed from the government in terms of financial aid and improving the infrastructure to 

enable the SMEs to function well. For researchers, this study reveals the issues that the food processing SMEs in 

Dar es Salaam face. It will be interesting for researchers to conduct a quantitative study and to extend to other 

regions outside of Tanzania as this study was only based in Dar es Salaam. 

6.4 Conclusion 

In this research, a clear picture of the implementation of SRM in food manufacturing SMEs in Dar es Salaam has 

been provided. Issues, as well as recommendations, have been provided to help SMEs to overcome SRM related 

issues. This study, therefore, serves as a useful reference for SMEs and SCM experts in Tanzania on how to 

implement SRM and improve SCM performance efficiently. 

 

References 

Al-Shuaibi, K. (2016). Reaping the Benefits of Long Term Relationship with Suppliers: An Evidence from the 

Saudi Chemical Industry. International Journal Of Business And Management, 11(8), 203. doi: 

10.5539/ijbm.v11n8p203 

Amoako-Gyampah, K., Boakye, K., Adaku, E., & Famiyeh, S. (2019). Supplier relationship management and firm 
performance in developing economies: A moderated mediation analysis of flexibility capability and 

ownership structure. International Journal Of Production Economics, 208, 160-170. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2018.11.021  

Annamalah, S., & Pertheban, T. (2016). The Effectiveness of Supply Risk Management in Purchasing and 

Operational Performances of SMEs. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2859871 

Annamalah, S., & Pertheban, T. (2019). The Effectiveness of Supply Risk Management in Purchasing and 

Operational Performances of SMEs. SSRN Electronic Journal, 11(1), 571-582. 

https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2859871 

Bian, W., Shang, J., & Zhang, J. (2016). Two-way information sharing under supply chain 

competition. International Journal Of Production Economics, 178, 82-94. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2016.04.025 



www.acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijbms     American International Journal of Business and Management Studies   Vol. 2, No. 1; 2020 

33 

 

Cole, R., Stevenson, M., & Aitken, J. (2019). Blockchain technology: implications for operations and supply chain 

management. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 24(4), 469-483. doi: 10.1108/scm-09-

2018-0309 

Dai, N., Free, C., & Gendron, Y. (2019). Interview-based research in accounting 2000–2014: Informal norms, 

translation and vibrancy. Management Accounting Research, 42, 26-38. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mar.2018.06.002 
Dash, A., Pothal, L., & Tripathy, S. (2018). Factors affecting Supplier Relationship Management: An AHP 

Approach. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science And Engineering, 390, 012056. 

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/390/1/012056 

Dubey, R., Gunasekaran, A., Childe, S., Papadopoulos, T., & Helo, P. (2019). Supplier relationship management 

for circular economy. Management Decision, 57(4), 767-790. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-04-2018-0396 

Forkmann, S., Henneberg, S., Naudé, P., & Mitrega, M. (2016). Supplier relationship management capability: a 

qualification and extension. Industrial Marketing Management, 57, 185-200. doi: 

10.1016/j.indmarman.2016.02.003 

Katunzi, T., & Zheng, Q. (2010). Tanzanian SMEs’ Perceptions towards Adoption of Supply Chain Management 

(SCM) Strategy. International Journal Of Business And Management, 5(10). 

https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v5n10p42 

Kaufmann, L., Esslinger, J., & Carter, C. (2018). Toward Relationship Resilience: Managing Buyer-Induced 
Breaches of Psychological Contracts During Joint Buyer-Supplier Projects. Journal Of Supply Chain 

Management, 54(4), 62-85. https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12181 

Kembro, J., Näslund, D., & Olhager, J. (2017). Information sharing across multiple supply chain tiers: A Delphi 

study on antecedents. International Journal Of Production Economics, 193, 77-86. doi: 

10.1016/j.ijpe.2017.06.032 

Kharade, S., & Pataskar, S. (2016). An Assessment of Factors Affecting on Buyer – Supplier Relationship 

Management (BSRM) in Construction Industry. International Journal Of Commerce & Business 

Studies, 4(2), 1-12.  

Kosgei, R., & Gitau, R. (2016). Effect Of Supplier Relationship Management On Organizational Performance: A 

Case Study Of Kenya Airways Limited. International Academic Journal Of Procurement And Supply 

Chain Management, 2(2), 134-138. Retrieved from 
http://www.iajournals.org/articles/iajpscm_v2_i2_134_148.pdf 

La Rocca, A., Perna, A., Snehota, I., & Ciabuschi, F. (2019). The role of supplier relationships in the development 

of new business ventures. Industrial Marketing Management, 80, 149-159. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2017.12.008 

Lechner, G., & Reimann, M. (2019). Integrated decision-making in reverse logistics: an optimisation of interacting 

acquisition, grading and disposition processes. International Journal Of Production Research, 1-20. doi: 

10.1080/00207543.2019.1659518 

Li, Y., Huang, J., & Song, T. (2019). Examining business value of customer relationship management systems: IT 

usage and two-stage model perspectives. Information & Management, 56(3), 392-402. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2018.07.012 

Mollel, A. (2015). Impact Of Supply Chain Management Practices On Organizational Performance In Food 

Processing Firms Of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania (Masters). Mzumbe University.Retrieved from: 
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Impact-of-supply-chain-management-practices-on-in-

Mollel/d02c0600107742a7d4b547ff2627249d37946dac 

Mukura, P., Shalle, N., Kanda, M., & Ngatia, P. (2016). Role of Public Procurement Oversight Authority on 

Procurement Regulations in Kenyan State Corporations. A Case of Kenya Electricity Generating 

Company (KenGen). International Journal Of Academic Research In Accounting, Finance And 

Management Sciences, 6(3). https://ideas.repec.org/a/hur/ijaraf/v6y2016i3p190-201.html 

Nkwabi, J. (2019). Supply chain management constraints in Tanzanian small and medium enterprises. African 

Journal Of Business Management, 13(16), 564-570. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJBM2019.8876 

Nkwabi, J., Mboya, L., Nkwabi, J., & Nkwabi, J. (2019). A Review Of The Challenges Affecting The 

Agroprocessing Sector In Tanzania. Asian Journal Of Sustainable Business Research, 1(2), 68-77. 

http://aiipub.com/journals/ajsbr-191203-031120/ 
Oghazi, P., Rad, F., Zaefarian, G., Beheshti, H., & Mortazavi, S. (2016). Unity is strength: A study of supplier 

relationship management integration. Journal Of Business Research, 69(11), 4804-4810. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.04.034  



www.acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijbms     American International Journal of Business and Management Studies   Vol. 2, No. 1; 2020 

34 

 

Onyango, O., Onyango, M., Kiruri, S., & Karanja, S. (2015). Effect of Strategic Supplier Relationship Management 

on Internal Operational Performance of Manufacturing Firms: A Case of East African Breweries Limited, 

Kenya. International Journal Of Economics, Finance And Management Sciences, 3(2), 115. doi: 

10.11648/j.ijefm.20150302.16 

Pournader, M., Shi, Y., Seuring, S., & Koh, S. (2019). Blockchain applications in supply chains, transport and 

logistics: a systematic review of the literature. International Journal Of Production Research, 1-19. 
https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2019.1650976 

Rane, S., Narvel, Y., & Bhandarkar, B. (2019). Developing strategies to improve agility in the project procurement 

management (PPM) process. Business Process Management Journal, 26(1), 257-286. 

https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-07-2017-0196 

Ruteri, J.,&Xu,Q. (2009). Supply Chain Management and Challenges Facing the Food Industry Sector in 

Tanzania. International Journal Of Business And Management, 4(12). 

https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v4n12p70  

Sodhi, M., & Tang, C. (2019). Research Opportunities in Supply Chain Transparency. Production And Operations 

Management, 28(12), 2946-2959. https://doi.org/10.1111/poms.13115 

Stentoft, J., & Rajkumar, C. (2017). Supplier Relationship Management is important for competitiveness but it is 

difficult to measure its hard benefits. DILF Orientering, 54(3), 10-17. Retrived from 

https://portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk/en/publications/supplier-relationship-management-is-important-for-
competitiveness 

Szegedi, Z., Papp, I., Setyaningsih, S., & Tősi, J. (2019). The Effect Of Supply Chain Cooperation On The Strategy 

Of Smes In Hungary. In Proceedings of the 24th International Symposium on Logistics (ISL 2019). 

Retrievedfromhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/339401715_The_Effect_Of_Supply_Chain_Coop

eration_On_The_Strategy_Of_Smes_In_Hungary 

Teller, C., Kotzab, H., Grant, D., & Holweg, C. (2016). The importance of key supplier relationship management in 

supply chains. International Journal Of Retail & Distribution Management, 44(2), 109-123. 

https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-05-2015-0072  

Verghese, A., Koufteros, X., & Peters, R. (2019). Exploring the dual nature of supplier relationship commitment on 

buyer behaviors. International Journal Of Operations & Production Management, 40(2), 196-220 

https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-03-2019-0226 

 

 

 

Copyrights  

Copyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal. This is an 

open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license 

(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). 

 

https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-07-2017-0196
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-03-2019-0226

