The Evaluation of the Factors Influence the Access to Debt Financing by Tanzanian SMEs

The primary objective of this study was to test the determinants of factor(s) impacts access to debt financing by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The research evaluates the extent on how the firm and the owner-manager factors impact upon the firms’ access to debt financing were evaluated. This study was conducted in 2012, based on a survey of 164 Tanzanian firms. The appropriateness and the support of the determinant factors impact SMEs’ access to external debt financing were empirically analyzed. The research design was quantitative in nature involving testing various hypotheses and theories about the associations between perceived constructs. Study results were then compared with factual indicator data subjected to multiple regression and correlation analysis. The results of the regression analysis comply with other researches conducted in previous studies in relation to factors impact access to debt financing. These empirical findings provide among the factors influence access of debt financing by SMEs in Tanzania include: firms management’s education, experiences of industry and business operations; furthermore, firm’s location, industry, size, age, incorporation, and availability of collateral and business information are noticeable factors that impact firm’s access to debt financing. The significances of the factors and their impacts have been addressed and reported in the study. Recommendations are made for owner-managers acquiring better management skills and qualifications to improve their managerial capabilities, experience and also, to adjust with financial institutions’ requirements for them to access debt finances effortlessly. For government, implementation of appropriate strategic planning, education, training and government support to the SME sector. Keywords: Debt financing, Firm characteristics, Owner-manager characteristic,; Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), Tanzani

The Factors Affecting Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Developing Countries: The Case of Tanzania

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is one of the determinants of country’s economic growth. This study intends to analyze the factors that affect the GDP of Developing Countries whereby Tanzania is selected as a representative. Keynes model was adopted to be tested in Tanzanian GDP from 1970 to 2009. The result shows the GDP being at the same level year after year with no significant changes subject to some dormant factors. The most common GDP trend is a continuous growth with periods of acceleration and deceleration. Some occurrences of unconditional decline are afterwards plagued by further growth. Developing county’s GDP is confused and unbalanced, with regular and deep unconditional GDP falls and booms.  Tanzanian GDP as a developing country is influenced by Consumption (Government Final Expenditure and Household Final Expenditure) and Exports. Investment sector have to be encouraged for its impact on GDP be realized including stimulation of industrialization at country level. Problems such as increase in oil prices, power shortages and political instabilities are a distinctive source of GDP sinking in developing countries which require abruptly solution. Key words: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) GDP variables, developing countries, Tanzani

Service Oriented Grid Computing Model as a means of Cost Sharing in the Institutions of Higher Learning in Kenya

The use of distributed systems by enterprises and academic institutions has increased exponentially in recent years, enabled by factors such as ready access to the Internet and the World-Wide Web, the maturity and ubiquity of the HTTP protocol, and the improvement in secure communication technology. In the early days, distributed applications communicated using proprietary protocols, and system administrators used adhoc (improvised) methods to manage systems that might be across town, on another continent, or anywhere in between. Numerous standards have been developed over the years to ease the costs of deployment and maintenance, with varying degrees of success. Today, the key technologies in distributed systems are service-oriented architecture (SOA), Web services, and grid computing, all of which are seeing significant investment in standardization and increasingly rapid adoption by organizations of all types and sizes. Academic organizations in Kenya have seen increase in the number of students admitted as well reduction in central government funding to these institutions to purchase more computer systems and procure management information systems .In this paper we offer a highlevel description of each of the technologies, and how they can be used to develop a cost effective co-funded dynamic system that can be used by the institutions

Seventh-day Adventist church corporate governance and educational institutions’ financial stability in Tanzania

Corporate governance is a global issue that has caught the interest of many researchers and business owners. However, there is scanty literature that is done on the influence of corporate management on educational institutions’ financial stability and in particular the Adventist Church in Tanzania. The secondary schools owned by the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) church in Tanzania have faced a financial crisis and this study investigated the church’s corporate governance and the financial stability of these educational institutions in Tanzania. The study adopted qualitative research design, used purposive sampling technic to collect information form the fifteen institutions, used the questionnaire to collect data from the respondents. The study used frequency statistics for the analysis with the help of SPSS version 26. The findings show that poor administration, inefficient and unprofessional boards, nepotism, bad treatment of employees, not addressing audit reports, poor customer care, poor infrastructure, and improvement of the government secondary schools have contributed to the financial crisis of these institutions and the church is advised to adhere to good corporate governance to bring remedy to the situation

The Influence of Working Capital Management on the Profitability of Listed Manufacturing Companies in Tanzania

Working capital management (WCM) and listed manufacturing companies (LMCs) profitability are subjects that have taken much attention of scholars globally because cash management, inventory management, receivables, and payables management components are vital elements for the performance of businesses. However, there is limited literature on the subject that considered the DuPont analysis as a measure of LMCs’ profitability as well as that used the finite distributed lag model to analyze WCM variables and profitability. Likewise, there is patchy recorded literature so far that tried to use administration expenses and marketing expenses to moderate the relationship between WCM and LMCs’ profitability. To bridge this knowledge gap, this study investigated the influence of WCM on profitability of LMCs’ on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange Plc (DSE), Tanzania. The study used an explanatory research design based on objectivism philosophies whereby profitability data were collected from the financial reports of the listed manufacturing companies on DSE. Panel data with the Finite Distribution Lag Model was used to analyze the published audited financial reports for 14 years, from 2005 to 2018 inclusive, of listed manufacturing firms. The results showed that current year marketing and administration expenses as moderators cause a lag of three years in the average collection period and each for moderator to have a positive impact on profitability, while the current year average collection period had a negative impact on profitability. It is, therefore, recommended that LMCs in Tanzania should consider the previous three years’ average collection period, administration expenses, marketing expenses, and effectiveness in managing working capital to enhance their profitability

Service Oriented Grid Computing Model as a means of Cost Sharing in the Institutions of Higher Learning in Kenya

The use of distributed systems by enterprises and academic institutions has increased exponentially in recent years, enabled by factors such as ready access to the Internet and the World-Wide Web, the maturity and ubiquity of the HTTP protocol, and the improvement in secure communication technology. In the early days, distributed applications communicated using proprietary protocols, and system administrators used adhoc (improvised) methods to manage systems that might be across town, on another continent, or anywhere in between. Numerous standards have been developed over the years to ease the costs of deployment and maintenance, with varying degrees of success. Today, the key technologies in distributed systems are service-oriented architecture (SOA), Web services, and grid computing, all of which are seeing significant investment in standardization and increasingly rapid adoption by organizations of all types and sizes. Academic organizations in Kenya have seen increase in the number of students admitted as well reduction in central government funding to these institutions to purchase more computer systems and procure management information systems .In this paper we offer a high-level description of each of the technologies, and how they can be used to develop a cost effective co-funded dynamic system that can be used by the institutions. Keywords:service-oriented architecture, Web services, grid computing

Toward the Next Generation of Air Quality Monitoring Indicators

This paper introduces an initiative to bridge the state of scientific knowledge on air pollution with the needs of policymakers and stakeholders to design the "next generation" of air quality indicators. As a first step this initiative assesses current monitoring and modeling associated with a number of important pollutants with an eye toward identifying knowledge gaps and scientific needs that are a barrier to reducing air pollution impacts on human and ecosystem health across the globe. Four outdoor air pollutants were considered e particulate matter, ozone, mercury, and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) e because of their clear adverse impacts on human and ecosystem health and because of the availability of baseline data for assessment for each. While other papers appearing in this issue will address each pollutant separately, this paper serves as a summary of the initiative and presents recommendations for needed investments to provide improved measurement, monitoring, and modeling data for policyrelevant indicators. The ultimate goal of this effort is to enable enhanced public policy responses to air pollution by linking improved data and measurement methods to decision-making through the development of indicators that can allow policymakers to better understand the impacts of air pollution and, along with source attribution based on modeling and measurements, facilitate improved policies to solve it. The development of indicators represents a crucial next step in this process

Functional Disorders in Neurology: Case Studies

Functional, often called psychogenic, disorders are common in neurological practice. We illustrate clinical issues and highlight some recent research findings using six case studies of functional neurological disorders. We discuss dizziness as a functional disorder, describing the relatively new consensus term Persistent Posturo-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD), axial jerking/myoclonus as a functional movement disorder, functional speech symptoms, post-concussion disorder with functional cognitive symptoms and finally advances in treatment of dissociative seizures and functional motor disorders