Browsing by Author "Mbilinyi, Bahati"

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    Quality assurance practice and growth of micro and small enterprises in Tanzania: a case study of wine and pickle processing enterprises in Kinondoni and Ilala districts in Dar es Salaam region.
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2005) Mbilinyi, Bahati
    Recognizing the contribution of MSEs in country’s economy in relation to reduced poverty intensity, quality assurance (QA) practice is obligatory to operators and supporters to take advantage of market liberalization for the growth of MSEs. This study assessed effects of QA practices on growth of wine and pickle processing MSEs. The focus was to: identify QA practices if any currently being practiced and whether these are perceived by MSE’s as growth factors; examine business growth trend in MSEs and their link to QA issues; examine constraints and challenges in QA faced by MSEs and the coping strategies adopted; investigate existence of the firm’s growth strategies and the extent they are translated into quality improvement. Six case studies were selected from Kinondoni and Ilala districts. One entrepreneur and two employees were selected from each of the six firms. Ten officials, one from each of ten selected institutions was included as well. The primary data utilized interview and observation while secondary data used documentation method in data collection. Results revealed that QA practices leads to an improved product quality that attracts sophisticated market. This facilitates MSE’s growth through an increased production sales and profit. Despite the realized MSE’s awareness on QA practices and support obtained, some constraints hindered their performance in QA practices, hence insignificant growth to most of the entrepreneurs. The study calls for; consumer awareness on quality issues: existence and provision of standards to actors; packaging materials, QA training, resources, advice and monitoring services made available; and advocating on the processing at production points.