Browsing by Author "Seruma, Andrew"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Between Western hegemony and local appropriateness of CSR practices in developing countries – The process of contextualization in the agricultural industry of Uganda.
    (AGRI-QUEST, 2017) Feldkamp, Niko; Wickert, Christopher; Katamba, David; Tindiwensi, Catherine; Seruma, Andrew
    In the past years, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been developed to be considered as a crucial tool that can significantly enhance development in southern countries. However, CSR has shortcomings, that were recently intensively discussed in research. In this regard, CSR was often associated with western hegemony. However, not only the CSR research is strongly characterized through a western perspective. Also, developed CSR practices in emerging countries are driven by western-hosted multinational enterprises (MNE) or standards as for example ISO 26000, that were developed in a western context. Previous studies have shown, that such understanding did not always lead to indented benefits in emerging countries. Even though previous research emphasized the existing tension between international standards and local appropriateness, an examination of the process of contextualization has not been established yet. Therefore, this work aims on developing a concept, that leads to positive impacts by implementing CSR practices in the developing country context. For that purpose, an explanatory study with a trip of in total three weeks to Uganda has been conducted. Thus, local voices and perspectives could be incorporated that can provide a valuable supplement to the current literature. Finally, the results show a concept of contextualization of western based CSR practices in a developing country context.
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    Codes of Conduct in the Ugandan Coffee Industry: Do They Affect Ethical Behavior?
    (AGRI-QUEST, 2016) Lekkerkerker, Floris; Wickert, Christopher; Katamba, David; Seruma, Andrew
    The adoption and implementation of codes of conduct is an instrument to demonstrate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The incorporation of these codes is often associated with less perceived wrongdoing in organizations. The research objective is to answer: “how does the adoption and implementation of codes of conduct affect ethical behavior in the Ugandan coffee industry, and which tensions occur during this implementation?” To answer this question, thirteen semi-structured interviews have been conducted in the country of origin. The interviewees are different players in the Ugandan coffee industry and value chain (VC), amongst which are members of development organizations, coffee researchers, coffee association members, and rural coffee farmers. Data gathered in this study suggests that adoption and implementation of codes of conduct are positively affected by high levels of VC-integration, civil society pressure, empowerment of VC-players, and when the VC-player was a member of an association or a cooperative. However, the study found that VC-players also experienced tensions which arose from unethical behavior and transaction costs and which had a negative effect on code adoption and implementation. Nevertheless, this study also found evidence that VC-players who incorporated codes of conduct are perceived to behave more ethically. The relationship between code of conduct adoption and ethical behavior is amplified by principles of execution, which are the communication of codes, training and education and the presence of enforcing mechanisms. Furthermore, the role of trust and commitment is not to be underestimated in reinforcing this relationship. Additionally, ethical behavior appears to have a positive effect on productivity and ultimately competitiveness. Based on these findings, a conceptual model is presented.
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    The Creation and Trade of Value in the Coffee Value Chain in Uganda
    (AGRI-QUEST, 2016) Honstede, Merijn L. van; Wickert, Christopher; Katamba, David; Seruma, Andrew
    Stakeholder theory focuses on the creation and trade of value and how stakeholders jointly interact to create this value. What is still largely unexplored however is how stakeholders can create and trade this value? Moreover, how is value given sense to and made sense of and how do stakeholders interpret the concept of value? Method: This was tested through interviewing stakeholders in the coffee value chain in Uganda, alongside supporting documents to triangulate the empirical data found. Findings: Stakeholders seems to enable creation and trade of value by coffee production improvements, farmers’ income enhancement and social environment utilization of stakeholders. Inhibiting factors are suggested to be the characteristics of farmers and resource limitations faced by stakeholders. Most sensegiving efforts of production education, Training of Trainees and example farms are suggested to come from cooperatives and external actors and were either accepted or rejected by chain actors. Stakeholders interpret value differently as cooperatives and external actors’ utility function seem to be driven by economic, social and ecological values whereas chain actors were more driven by economic and social values. Implications: This research has shed more light on how stakeholders create and trade value, the concept of value, and how value is given sense to and made sense of. This has implications stakeholder theory researchers and practitioners active in cooperatives or external roles in agricultural chains as well as wider implications for other sectors and countries.
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    Extending Sustainability Objectives Across Supplier Networks: An Exploratory Study of the Agricultural Industry in Uganda
    (AGRI-QUEST., 2016) Gronheid, Mart; Wickert, Christopher; Katamba, David; Seruma, Andrew
    This study aims to develop a better understanding of how organizations within agricultural supply chains extend sustainability objectives across a network of suppliers. There has been extensive focus in the literature on sustainable supplier management practices focusing on first-tier suppliers, but little is known on how firms reach out to subsuppliers, as one of the main challenges for companies is the identification of its subsuppliers. This study focuses first on the activities of the focal firm, second on the perception sub-suppliers have of these activities and finally on the role of service providers towards the implementation of sustainable initiatives across suppliers in multiple agricultural supply chains. The findings suggest a lack of integration of subsuppliers in the supply chain, and subsuppliers stated a tendency for ‘mandated’ management practices when sustainability efforts were extended to them. These initiatives are characterized by high participation costs for sub-suppliers and uncertain benefits and resulted in not fully committed sub-suppliers. A shared vision by all parties within the supply chain relationship, is developing collaborative management practices that receives full support from all parties involved. Especially the involvement of service providers within the supply chains exhibit these collaborative practices that amplify the adoption of sustainable practices by sub-suppliers. This study addresses the management of sub-suppliers through a sustainable supply chain perspective and provides insights that enhance the understanding of sub-supplier management practices focused on sustainability initiatives that can serve further research and development of theory. Managerial implications, limitations, and opportunities for further research are detailed.