Financial constraints and risk taking are two well-established determinants of firm performance, however, no research analyzes how these variables are connected in the context of a high risk environment. Using data from microfinance clients in Tanzania, we derive a novel financial constraints measure and incorporate a psychometric risk taking scale. Results confirm the importance of access to finance and risk attitudes for business development. Also, we provide preliminary evidence for an interaction between financial constraints and risk taking. Financial constraints “throw sand in the wheels” and protect risk taking entrepreneurs from the negative impact of risk taking on microenterprise performance.
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Objective: In the context of a programme to improve people-centered care, launched by the Tanzanian Ministry of Health, an international project (HEALCARe) was initiated to enhance the health literacy (HL) and respectful compassionate care (RCC) competencies of Bachelor’s nursing and midwifery students. Part of the project involved exploring the perceptions of different stakeholders regarding what facilitates these students’ competencies. This paper specifically reports the perceptions of faculty lecturers and clinical instructors. Methods: We conducted nine focus groups with lecturers and instructors from three Tanzanian universities and their teaching hospitals, with a total of 65 participants. Results: Through thematic analysis, seven themes were identified: ‘knowledge of HL,’ ‘knowledge of RCC,’ ‘modules with clear key components in the curriculum,’ ‘expert teaching in the faculty classroom,’ ‘priority of supervision in the clinical setting,’ ‘learning methods, materials and resources,’ and ‘evaluation tools and monitoring the transfer from theory to practice.’ Conclusions: The findings show that students need to be supported in transferring the theory taught in class to clinical practice in patient care. The curricula of all universities and corresponding hospitals should specifically address the training of HL and RCC competencies. This will facilitate the improvement of students’ competencies, contributing to better health outcomes in Tanzania.
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This study investigates patients' access to surgical care for burns in a low- and middle-income setting by studying timeliness, surgical capacity, and affordability. A survey was conducted in a regional referral hospital in Manyara, Tanzania. In total, 67 patients were included. To obtain information on burn victims in need of surgical care, irrespective of time lapsed from the burn injury, both patients with burn wounds and patients with contractures were included. Information provided by patients and/or caregivers was supplemented with data from patient files and interviews with hospital administration and physicians. In the burn wound group, 50% reached a facility within 24 hours after the injury. Referrals from other health facilities to the regional referral hospital were made within 3 weeks for 74% in this group. Of contracture patients, 74% had sought healthcare after the acute burn injury. Of the same group, only 4% had been treated with skin grafts beforehand, and 70% never received surgical care or a referral. Together, both groups indicated that lack of trust, surgical capacity, and referral timeliness were important factors negatively affecting patient access to surgical care. Accounting for hospital fees indicated patients routinely exceeded the catastrophic expenditure threshold. It was determined that healthcare for burn victims is without financial risk protection. We recommend strengthening burn care and reconstructive surgical programs in similar settings, using a more comprehensive health systems approach to identify and address both medical and socioeconomic factors that determine patient mortality and disability.
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Studying animal grouping behavior is important for understanding the causes and consequences of sociality and has implications for conservation. Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) party size is often assessed by counting individuals or extracted indirectly from camera trap footage or the number of nests. Little is known, however, about consistency across methods for estimating party size. We collected party size data for wild chimpanzees in the Issa valley, western Tanzania, using direct observations, camera traps, and nest counts over six years (2012–2018).
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At present, leading international agencies, such as the United Nations Environmental Programme, are largely focused on what they claim to be ‘win-win’ scenarios of ‘sustainable development’ rhetoric. These combine social, economic and environmental objectives. However, as noted by the ‘Scientists’ Warning to Humanity’, environmental integrity is the essential precondition for the healthy functioning of social and economic systems, and thus environmental protection needs to be prioritized in policy and practice. Ecological sustainability cannot be reached without realizing that population growth and economic growth, with attendant increased rates of depletion of natural resources, pollution, and general environmental degradation, are the root causes of unsustainability. This article argues that to strategically address ecological unsustainability, the social, economic and political barriers to addressing the current economic model and population growth need to be overcome. Strategic solutions proposed to the current neoliberal economy are generic – namely, degrowth, a steady-state economy, and a ‘circular economy’. Solutions to demographic issues must be sensitive to the countries' cultural, social, political and economic factors to be effective as fertility differs from country to country, and culture to culture. As discussed here, Mediterranean countries have the lowest fertility in the world, while many countries in Africa, and some in Asia, South America have stable but consistently high birthrates. This is discussed using three case studies - Tanzania, Italy, and Cambodia, focusing on the "best case" policy practice that offers more realistic hope for successful sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41207-019-0139-4 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkopnina/
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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to gain insight into the reasons why most Tanzanian graduates do not consider entrepreneurship as an attractive career option despite dire labor market conditions, while a small number of them are able to benefit from local opportunities.Design/methodology/approachUtilizing insights from capability and social capital perspectives, a qualitative investigation based on interviews, group discussions and document analysis was undertaken to explore how this phenomenon can be explained and remedied.FindingsThis study shows that many graduates value entrepreneurship as a potential career but many find their way to be act upon these aspirations blocked. Indeed, actual entrepreneurial capability is only available to a minority of graduates with access to powerful connections who are able to benefit from technological and financial conversion factors. Most graduates cannot benefit from these conversion factors due to the lack of the necessary social capital to break through to the legal, tax, financial and cultural systems. Hence, the authors argue that social capital itself is actually a critical conversion factor toward developing entrepreneurial capability.Research limitations/implicationsThe insight formulated in this study are based on a qualitative analysis of the Tanzanian context and formulated specifically for this particular context. At the same time, the country shares many characteristics with other countries in Africa, many of which are struggling to move toward a more entrepreneurial society. Hence, the recommendations may partially be transferable beyond the specific Tanzanian situation. Theoretically, the notion that social capital should be considered as a key conversion factor enabling aspiring entrepreneurs in translating valued functionings into actualized functionings and thus toward enhancing entrepreneurial capability opens up novel avenues for empirical research into how entrepreneurship can be stimulated.Social implicationsThis study searches for conversion factors from the actual “functioning” toward the real “capability” allowing to succeed as a new graduate and find that social capital itself might act as the critical conversion factor. That brings the authors to the recommendations for policy makers, educators and media, argued in such a way that the entrepreneurial capability of young graduates and their ability to tap into relevant social capital can be enhanced.Originality/valueThe combination and integration of the Sen’s capability approach with social capital perspectives offers a novel way to explain difference in responses to the Tanzanian institutions and their ability to act upon a valued functioning such as opportunity-driven entrepreneurship.
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Background: Only a few papers are published on the safety and effectiveness of acute burn care in low-income countries. A cohort study was therefore carried out to determine such outcomes.Methods: The study was conducted in a rural Tanzanian hospital in 2017-2018. All patients admitted with burns were eligible. Complications were scored during admission as an indication for safety. Survivors of severe burn injuries were evaluated for time of reepithelialization, graft take, disability (WHODAS2.0) and quality of life (EQ5D-3L) up to 3 months post-injury, as an indication of effectiveness.Results: Patients presented on average at 5 days after injury (SD 11, median 1, IQR 0-4). Three patients died at admission. The remaining 79 were included in the cohort. Their median age was 3 years (IQR 2-9, range 0.5-49), mean TBSA burned 12% (SD10%) and mortality rate 11.4%. No surgery-related mortality or life-threatening complications were observed. Skin grafting was performed on 29 patients at a delayed stage (median 23 days, IQR 15-47). Complications of skin grafts included partial (25% of procedures) and complete graft necrosis (8% of procedures). The mean time to reepithelialization was 52 (SD 42) days after admission. Disability and quality of life improved from admission to 3 months after injury (p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively).Conclusion: In this resource-limited setting patients presented after a delay and with multiple complications. The mortality during the first two weeks after admission was high. Surgery was found to be safe and effective. A significant improvement in disability and quality of life was observed.
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Since independence in 1961, Tanzania’s political ideology (known as Ujamaa-familyhood) has gone hand in hand with the country’s education philosophy. The most important feature of this combination is that people should be educated to fit in Tanzania’s environment and culture. Education should emancipate man from mental slavery inherited from colonialism and help this very person to be master and conqueror of own environment. This is education for self-reliance introduced in 1967 during the Arusha declaration. It sounds ideal: But, where are we standing now? Has Tanzania’s education succeeded in its mission to transform Tanzanians into both African socialists as well as being able to develop from own resources?
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Biographical information of Jan Floris de Jongh
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Het Kenniscentrum Innovatie en Business ziet in ondernemerschap een sleutel om het innovatievermogen van de Utrechtse economie te vergroten. Steeds meer wordt onderkend dat ondernemerschap of een ondernemende houding van groot belang is voor onze studenten, de toekomstige professionals. Daarom stellen wij voor een lectoraat op het gebied van ondernemerschap op te richten. Het uitgangspunt is dat ondernemerschap in deze tijd vraagt om samenwerking. Coöperatievorming, keteninnovatie en internationale samenwerking zijn steeds belangrijker zijn om de concurrentie voor te blijven en/of groei te realiseren.
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