FACTORS AFFECTING GLOBAL SOURCING EFFICIENCY IN HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATIONS IN KENYA: A CASE STUDY OF UNITED NATIONS CHILDRENS’ FUND
Fridah Karimi Mwirigi
ABSTRACT
Humanitarian organizations play a critical role in Kenya and the rest of the Developing World. Humanitarian organizations contribute significantly in saving lives, alleviating suffering and maintaining human dignity during and in the aftermath of man-made crises and natural disasters. Humanitarian organizations also prevent and strengthen preparedness for the occurrence of such situations. Humanitarian supply chains are the cardinal networks to provide physical aid to beneficiaries. Given such a grand mandate, humanitarian organizations require efficient logistical and procurement network support. Humanitarian organizations operate in developing countries which rely heavily on global sourcing for their operational supplies. The organizations face monumental challenges in their global sourcing chains and these challenges and bottlenecks tend to limit their operations and inhibit their ability to make the required humanitarian impact. This is a pressing concern since the implications of the non-efficient global chains will negatively impact the ultimate beneficiaries: people in need of humanitarian intervention. This research had the overall objective of investigating the factors affecting global sourcing efficiency in humanitarian organizations in Kenya. It investigated the causal influence of supplier specifications interpretation, exchange rate variability, global procurement training and state bureaucracy on global sourcing efficiency. The choice of this humanitarian organization was premised on the fact that it is large in size and relies on global sourcing for the bulk of its operational supplies. Secondly, the organization has faced challenges in its global sourcing function. The research applied the descriptive survey research design and employed random sampling technique in its data collection process. The UNICEF Kenya office has a population of 102 employees and hence the 30% sample size of the relevant departments translates to 30 employees, (Internal directory). Data collection was conducted with the aid of questionnaires containing relevant questions on the presumed causal variables. The study generated both qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data was operationalized with a view to subjecting it to the relevant analysis. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics to generate the required frequencies and percentages to interpret and answer the research questions. The study has summarized and interpreted the research findings and provided recommendations for resolving the research problem.
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