Market orientation and performance in low-income countries: The case of Zimbabwean retailers

Author(s):  
Steven Michael Burgess ◽  
Pfavai Nyajeka
2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Al Mamun ◽  
Syed Ali Fazal ◽  
Rajennd Muniady

Purpose This study aims to examine the effect of entrepreneurial skills, market orientation, sales orientations and networking on entrepreneurial competency and performance of micro-enterprises in Kelantan, Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a cross-sectional design, this paper collected data through structured interviews from 403 micro-entrepreneurs from “Majlis Amanah Rakyat,” Kelantan and “Majlis Agama Islam dan Adat Istiadat,” Kelantan. Findings The findings reveal that entrepreneurial skills, market orientation and networking have a positive effect on entrepreneurial competency. Then, entrepreneurial competency, entrepreneurial skills and networking have a positive effect on enterprise performance. The findings show a significant mediation effect of entrepreneurial competency on the relationships between entrepreneurial skills, market orientation and networking and enterprise performance. Originality/value Addressing the understudied “human factor” in entrepreneurship, this paper extends the resource-based view and enriches the existing entrepreneurship literature in Malaysia. It provides useful insights into the improvement of micro-enterprise performance, which is crucial for promoting entrepreneurial activities and for enhancing socio-economic conditions among low-income households in Malaysia. Thus, the government and developmental organizations should focus on the development of entrepreneurial skills, market-oriented approach, networking traits and entrepreneurial competencies and subsequently encourage poor households to perform entrepreneurial activities.


Author(s):  
Eilish Mc Auliffe ◽  
Ogenna Manafa ◽  
Cameron Bowie ◽  
Lucy Makoae ◽  
Fresier Maseko ◽  
...  

It is now more than a decade since the acknowledgement of the health human resources crisis that exists in many low-income countries. During that decade much attention has focused on addressing the “pull” factors (e.g. developing voluntary international recruitment guidelines and bilateral agreements between recruiting and source countries) and on scaling up the supply of health professionals. Drawing on research conducted in two sub-Saharan African countries, we argue that a critical element in the human resources crisis is the poor working environments in these countries that not only continue to act as a strong “push” factor, but also impact on the motivation and performance of those who remain in their home countries. Unless attention is focused on improving work environments, the human resources crisis will continue in a vicious cycle leading to further decline in the health systems of low-income countries.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 380-390
Author(s):  
Régina Soutongo Bande ◽  
Dr. Théophile Bindeouè Nassè

In West Africa, pastoral systems provide more than 80% of income to rural households and are a vital food source for urban populations. The six Sahelian countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal) have around 20 million pastoralists who raise a population of 60 million cattle and 160 million small ruminants. However, projects in pastoral systems sometimes experience communication-related failures. Development communication is very important within the Regional Support Project for Pastoralism in the Sahel (PRAPS). Still, it must be recognized that some of the objectives are not achieved because of certain factors related to communication which are not taken into account. This state of affairs raises a question: How can the objectives set by PRAPS be achieved with an efficient communication?   The approach used here is inductive, and the research is conducted through qualitative interviews carried out with focus groups. Data is collected using a digital recorder, then, the data is hand-transcribed and analyzed. The results show not only that development communication has effects on project results, but also that development communication has effects on the performance of projects of the Regional Support Project for Pastoralism in the Sahel (PRAPS). It is recommended that project supervisors should put an emphasis on an effective development communication in order to achieve the objectives of the Regional Support Project for Pastoralism in the Sahel (PRAPS).


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Salinas ◽  
Diana Aguirre ◽  
David De la Torre ◽  
Jorge Pérez-Galarza ◽  
Ronny Pibaque ◽  
...  

Antecedents: Ecuador has had the greatest fatality rate from Coronavirus (COVID-19) in South America during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. To control the pandemic, it is necessary to test as much population as possible to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. For the Ecuadorian population, accessing a PCR test is challenging, since commercial screening kits tend to be expensive. Objective: the objective of this study was to develop an in-house duplex rRT-PCR protocol for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 that contributes to the screening while keeping quality and low testing costs. Results: An in-house duplex rRT-PCR protocol based on the viral envelope (E) gene target of SARS-CoV-2 and a human ribonuclease P gene (RP) as an internal control is reported. The protocol was optimized to obtain primers E with an efficiency of up to 94.45% and detection of 100% of SARS-CoV-2 up to 15 copies per uL. The clinical performance was determined by a sensibility of 93.8% and specificity of 98.3%. Conclusion: we developed, standardized, and validated a low-cost, sensitive in-house duplex rRT-PCR assay that may be utilized in low-income countries.


2012 ◽  
pp. 888-904
Author(s):  
Eilish McAuliffe ◽  
Ogenna Manafa ◽  
Cameron Bowie ◽  
Lucy Makoae ◽  
Fresier Maseko ◽  
...  

It is now more than a decade since the acknowledgement of the health human resources crisis that exists in many low-income countries. During that decade much attention has focused on addressing the “pull” factors (e.g. developing voluntary international recruitment guidelines and bilateral agreements between recruiting and source countries) and on scaling up the supply of health professionals. Drawing on research conducted in two sub-Saharan African countries, we argue that a critical element in the human resources crisis is the poor working environments in these countries that not only continue to act as a strong “push” factor, but also impact on the motivation and performance of those who remain in their home countries. Unless attention is focused on improving work environments, the human resources crisis will continue in a vicious cycle leading to further decline in the health systems of low-income countries.


Author(s):  
Davor Petrović ◽  
Vida Čulić ◽  
Zofia Swinderek-Alsayed

AbstractJoubert syndrome (JS) is a rare congenital, autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a distinctive brain malformation, developmental delay, ocular motor apraxia, breathing abnormalities, and high clinical and genetic heterogeneity. We are reporting three siblings with JS from consanguineous parents in Syria. Two of them had the same homozygous c.2172delA (p.Trp725Glyfs*) AHI1 mutation and the third was diagnosed prenatally with magnetic resonance imaging. This pathogenic variant is very rare and described in only a few cases in the literature. Multinational collaboration could be of benefit for the patients from undeveloped, low-income countries that have a low-quality health care system, especially for the diagnosis of rare diseases.


2013 ◽  
pp. 121-136
Author(s):  
Duong Pham Bao

The objective of this article is to review the development of the rural financial system in Vietnam in recent years, especially, after Doi moi. There are two opposite schools of thought in the literature on rural credit policies in developing countries. One is the conventional supply-side (government-led) approach while the other is called “a new paradigm” that emphasizes the importance of the viability of financial providers and the well functioning of rural credit markets. Conventional theories of rural finance contend that rural finance in low-income countries is generally accompanied by many failures. Contrary to these theories, rural finance in Vietnam does not encounter the above-mentioned failures so far. Up to the present time, it is progressing well. Using a supply-side approach, methodologically, this study reviews the development of the rural financial system in Vietnam. The significance of this study is to challenge the extreme view of dichotomizing between the old and the new credit paradigms. Analysis in this study contends that a rural financial market that, (1) is initiated and spurred by government; (2) operates principally under market mechanisms; and (3) is strongly supported by rural organizations (semi-formal/informal institutions) can progress stably and well. Therefore, the extremely dichotomizing approach must be avoided.


EMJ Radiology ◽  
2020 ◽  

Retained foreign bodies have become very rare in countries where the safety rules in the operating theatre are very rigorous and follow precise guidelines. There are low-income countries where hospital structures are precarious, in which the implementation of surgical safety rules has only been effective recently. Surgical teams in these countries are not yet well trained in the observance of the guidelines concerning swab count, meaning that textilomas are not uncommon. Abdominal textiloma may be asymptomatic, or present serious gastrointestinal complications such as bowel obstruction, perforation, or fistula formation because of misdiagnosis. It may mimic abscess formation in the early stage or soft tissue masses in the chronic stage. This case report presents a 27-year-old female who underwent an emergency laparotomy in a rural surgical centre for an ectopic pregnancy. Two months later, a swelling had appeared on the left side of her abdomen, gradually increasing in size, which was not very painful but caused digestive discomfort and asthenia. Intermittent fever was described and treated with antibiotics. The patient was referred to a better equipped centre to benefit from a CT scan. A textiloma was strongly suspected on the CT but a left colic mass was not excluded. Laparotomy confirmed the diagnosis of textiloma and the postoperative course was uneventful. Prevention rules must be strengthened in these countries where patients can hardly bear the costs of iterative surgeries for complications that are avoidable.


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