Department of Management

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://repository.mu.edu.et/handle/123456789/256

Browse

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 41
  • Item
    China's Project Management Practices and Challenges in Ethiopia's Infrastructure Construction Projects
    (Mekelle University, 2025-12-28) Zhang Jilong
    China’s emergence as Ethiopia's leading infrastructure partner, largely through the Belt and Ro ad Initiative (BRI) and state-backed investments, has transformed the Ethiopian landscape with large-scale projects like railways, industrial parks, and roads. China's substantial engagement Ethiopia's infrastructure sector has been a key driver of Ethiopia's rapid development, but it a lso presents a unique context for project management within the country. The general objective of the study is to critically examine and assess the unique project management (PM) practices employed by Chinese firms in Ethiopian infrastructure construction projects and the associated significant challenges encountered during implementation in reference to the ten knowledge areas categorized by PMBOK. Adopting a descriptive, mixed-methods approach, the study analyzed quantitative data from 67 purposively selected respondents using SPSS and Excel, alongside qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews with 12 key stakeholders (Chinese managers, Ethiopian government officials, and project engineers with direct experience related to project management) and extensive secondary document analysis. Then, the data is presented quantitatively using descriptive statistics with the help of table, figure, chart, frequency, percentage, mean score and standard deviation. The findings of the study indicate that that Chinese firms usually employ a "China Speed" PM methodologies and practices characterized by rapid mobilization, high resource intensity, and centralized decision-making, enabling them to meet aggressive deadlines. However, these practices face considerable challenges, particularly in the local opera ting environment. The primary constraints on project success of Chinese companies stem from the "Land-Finance-Bureaucracy" nexus of external friction inherent in Ethiopia's unstable operational environment. The most critical constraints include land acquisition (Right-of-Way) delay s, financial constraints (e.g., foreign exchange shortages and payment issues), and pervasive administrative and bureaucratic delays in securing essential permits, approvals and clearances. Beyond these systemic institutional challenges, projects are also vulnerable due to market and planning weaknesses, amplified by the Chinese firms' critical internal flaw of inaccurate initial cost estimates and a centralized "command-and-control" model lacks the maturity required for effective stakeholder management. And the study recommends that the Chinese companies shift from a "command and-control" system to a "collaboration-and-formalization" model to enhance PM maturity and the Ethiopian governments must improve project readiness and institutional governance to maximize local economic benefits and ensure sustainable project outcomes.
  • Item
    Risk Identification and Management in Infrastructure Engineering Projects in Ethiopia
    (Mekelle University, 2025-12-28) Yao Tun
    This research proposal, submitted to Mekelle University, College of Business and Economics, Department of Management, explores risk identification and management in infrastructure engineering projects in Ethiopia. Infrastructure development is central to Ethiopia’s economic growth, yet projects such as roads, railways, and hydropower dams often face cost overruns, schedule delays, and compromised quality. A critical underlying cause is the absence of a systematic and context-sensitive risk management framework that incorporates both traditional risks (technical, financial, operational) and non-traditional risks (social security, community disputes). The study employs a mixed-methods design. Quantitative data are collected through structured questionnaires using a 5-point Likert scale, enabling statistical analysis and ranking of risks via the Relative Importance Index (RII). Qualitative insights are gathered through semi-structured interviews with project managers, engineers, contractors, and government officials in Addis Ababa, Oromia, and Amhara. Reliability is tested using Cronbach’s Alpha, while thematic analysis is applied to interview data. Findings highlight inflation, material shortages, community disputes, and theft of equipment as the most critical risks. Current practices are fragmented and often informal, with limited attention to social security risks. Barriers include insufficient data, budget constraints, skill gaps, and weak regulatory enforcement. The study contributes theoretically by extending conventional frameworks to include overlooked social risks, and practically by offering evidence-based recommendations for managers, policymakers, and investors. The proposed framework enhances resilience and efficiency in Ethiopian infrastructure delivery.
  • Item
    Strategic Risk Management Practice in International Construction Companies in Ethiopia
    (Mekelle University, 2025-12-19) Gu Mingjie
    Research Purpose: To analyze the strategic risk management practices of Ethiopian International Construction Company, identify its effective methods and shortcomings in risk identification, assessment, and response, and provide support for optimizing the risk management system, enhancing global construction market competitiveness, and strengthening risk resilience. Research Objective: To evaluate the strategic risks faced by multinational construction companies operating in Ethiopia, analyze their current strategic risk management strategies and processes, assess the effectiveness of existing risk management measures and implementation challenges, and develop a comprehensive strategic risk management framework tailored to Ethiopia's national conditions. Research methodology: The study employed an interpretive sequence mixed method, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. During the quantitative phase, a Likert scale questionnaire was distributed via professional networks to 60-80 project management experts for data collection. In the qualitative phase, purposive snowball sampling was used to select 15-20 corporate executives and project managers for in-depth interviews and case studies, with data processing and thematic analysis conducted using SPSS and NVivo 12. Research Findings: The core risks identified are inflation risk, foreign exchange control risk, and policy change risk, all scoring above 4.5 in importance. Companies primarily mitigate these risks through measures such as securing long-term contracts for material reserves, collaborating with banks, and enhancing government communication. The adoption rate of government communication strategies reaches 80%. Effective risk management can reduce project cost overruns to 12%-18% and shorten construction delays by 4.5-6.3 months. Key implementation barriers include insufficient executive support, poor communication with local partners, and a shortage of risk management professionals. Conclusions and Recommendations: Multinational construction companies operating in Ethiopia face unique cross-border risks. While current risk management strategies have demonstrated partial effectiveness, their implementation remains constrained by internal and external factors due to the absence of localized end-to-end lifecycle frameworks. To address these challenges, enterprises should: (1) Establish country-specific risk profiles, (2) Build localized management teams, and (3) Develop diversified supply chains. Meanwhile, Ethiopian policymakers need to enhance policy transparency and streamline customs and foreign exchange procedures. Furthermore, industry associations should create risk knowledge-sharing platforms to foster multi stakeholder collaboration and strengthen sector-wide risk governance capabilities.
  • Item
    The Effect of Devaluation of Birr on Selected Chinese Companies
    (Mekelle University, 2025-12-28) XU LINHAI
    This study examines the effects of the Ethiopian Birr devaluation on the operational and financial performance of selected Chinese manufacturing and construction companies operating in Ethiopia between 2021 and 2025. Motivated by the significant currency volatility following Ethiopia’s exchange rate liberalization, the research aims to analyze how depreciation Birr impacts imported input costs, profit margins, pricing strategies, export volumes, and strategic risk management practices. Through a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative data from structured questionnaires with qualitative insights from interviews of 15 Chinese firms, the study captures both measurable economic effects and managerial responses to currency fluctuations. Findings reveal that firms with high import dependency experienced severe increases in input costs leading to significant profit margin compression, while firms with moderate or low import reliance reported milder impacts. Most companies adjusted their selling prices upward, although pricing strategies were moderated by competitive pressures and regulatory constraints. Export volume responses to devaluation were heterogeneous, consistent with the J-curve effect, with some firms reporting modest gains and others facing volume declines due to infrastructural and contractual limitations. Risk management practices, including formal currency hedging, supply chain diversification, and operational efficiencies, were selectively adopted, with effectiveness influenced by firm size, resource availability, and institutional factors. External challenges such as foreign exchange shortages, bureaucratic delays, political risks, and infrastructural deficits amplified firms’ vulnerability and constrained its adaptive capacity. The study concludes that Birr devaluation poses significant financial challenges for Chinese firms, especially those highly reliant on imports, while export benefits remain uneven. Sustainable foreign direct investment growth requires both firm-level risk mitigation and macroeconomic reforms to improve forex market efficiency, regulatory transparency, political stability, and infrastructure. These findings contribute to understanding multinational enterprise behavior amid currency volatility in emerging economies and provide actionable insights for business strategy and policy formulation in the Ethiopian context
  • Item
  • Item
    Supply Chain Management Practices in the Construction Sector in E thiopia: Implications for Project Performance (The Case of CBE Headquarters Building)
    (Mekelle University, 2025-12) Zhao Yunfeng
    Supply Chain Management (SCM) plays a vital role in construction project performance, particularly in large and complex projects that rely on diverse materials, specialized equipment, and synchronized coordination among multiple stakeholders. Despite the expansion of Ethiopia's construction industry, significant challenges persist in procurement, logistics, supplier management, and foreign exchange- dependent importation of materials. Employing a mixed-methods case study design, this research draws on project documentation, survey responses, and interviews with practitioners, alongside a review of global and regional SCM literature, to investigate how procurement planning, supplier relationships, logistics coordination, risk management, and information flow affect time, cost, and quality performance. The CBE Headquarters Project, which experienced a three-year delay primarily due to supply chain constraints, provides the instrumental case context for this analysis. The findings highlight critical SCM challenges including foreign currency shortages, lengthy customs procedures, import dependency for major materials, and limited use of digital SCM tools. The study proposes practical recommendations aimed at strengthening procurement planning, enhancing supplier integration, improving logistics systems, and adopting digital SCM platforms to boostm project performance in Ethiopia's construction industry.
  • Item
    Optimization Strategies for Supply Chain Management of Chinese Enterprises in Ethiopian Industrial Parks
    (Mekelle University, 2025-12-28) Zhang Xiao Long
    This MBA thesis investigates supply chain challenges and optimization strategies for Chinese enterprises operating in Ethiopian industrial parks through a mixed-methods census approach comprising 15 questionnaires and 5 interviews that achieved a 100% response rate. The study validates the SCOR model while identifying Ethiopia-specific adaptations required for emerging market contexts. Quantitative analysis reveals critical challenges with an overall mean score of 4.37 out of 5 (91% agreement), led by foreign exchange shortages (mean 4.60, 100% agreement) causing 3-6 month import delays, transportation bottlenecks (4.47, 93%) where Hawassa-Addis roads takes 2 days instead of 6 hours, infrastructure deficits (4.40, 93%) including daily 4-6 hour power cuts, and raw material dependency (4.33, 87%) with 90% imports required. A significant 1.07-point challenge-performance gap exists between challenges (4.37) and current strategies (3.30). Robust strategies outperform agility (3.53 vs 3.33), with buffer inventory management (3.80, 80% agreement) serving as the primary forex survival tactic and multiple supplier sourcing (3.53, 67% agreement) achieving 40% stockout reduction. Regression analysis explains 78% of performance variance, identifying robustness as the strongest predictor (β=0.52). Strategic conclusions confirm foreign exchange allocation as the primary bottleneck surpassing infrastructure impact, robustness of strategies provide immediate resilience in institutional voids, medium-sized enterprises leading optimization efforts, and local supplier collaboration offering untapped potential demonstrated by 25% delivery improvements. Actionable recommendations for Chinese enterprises include immediate implementation of 3- month forex buffers (100% interview validated), diversification to 2-3 suppliers per input (40% stock out reduction proven), and ERP pilots before Internet of Things investments (7% gains achieved). For the Ethiopian government, priority actions encompass 30-day forex guarantees for park exporters, construction of industrial corridors with dedicated power and truck lanes, and single-window digital customs reducing clearance from 7 to 2 days. The study provides the first empirical benchmark for Chinese-African supply chain resilience, a 78% predictive performance model, and a policy roadmap positioning Ethiopian parks as successful Belt and Road initiatives, with expected 25-40% performance uplift through synchronized enterprise and institutional execution.
  • Item
    THE IMPACT OF SERVICE QUALITY ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION; A CASE STUDY OF SELECTTED WEGAGEN BANK BRANCHES IN MEKELLE CITY
    (Mekelle University, 2025-12) LI ZHIYUAN
    The main objective of this study to examine the effect of service quality dimensions on customer satisfaction in two selected branches of Wegagen bank in Mekelle City. This study employed a research design that combined both descriptive and explanatory approaches. The research instrument used questionnaires, which were distributed physically to customers of Adihawsi and Castle branches in Mekelle City. A total of 397 questionnaires were collected. Statistical analysis is conducted using the statistical package for the social science (SPSS). Descriptive statistics, such as frequency, mean, and standard deviation, were used to analyze the collected data. Additionally, inferential statistics were applied to examine the relationships between the variables. Pearson correlation analysis is used to examine the relationships between the service quality dimensions and customer satisfaction. Multiple regression analysis is used to identify the significant predictors of customer satisfaction among the service quality dimensions. The results indicates that the independent variables service quality dimension have significant relationship with customer satisfaction. The finding reveals that assurance and empathy have a significant impact on customer satisfaction whereas tangibility, responsiveness and reliability do not have significant relationship with customer satisfaction. The research recommend that even though The SERVQUAL dimensions a positive relationship with customer satisfaction, Wegagen bank Adihawsi and Castle branches were not fully utilized to satisfy customers effectively. Therefore Wegagen bank Adihawsi and Castle branches should pay attention to service.
  • Item
    Assessing Project Monitoring and Evaluation Practices in Chinese Road Construction Companies Operating in Ethiopia:
    (Mekelle University, 2025-12-28) Li Yan
    This study investigates the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) practices of Chinese road construction companies operating in Ethiopia. With Chinese contractors playing a central role in the country’s road infrastructure development under initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative, effective M&E is crucial for ensuring project quality, timely completion, and resource efficiency. The research focuses on understanding the frameworks, methodologies, challenges, and impacts of M&E within these cross-cultural and resource-constrained contexts. Data were collected through 15 structured questionnaires administered to project managers, engineers, and M&E specialists, alongside five in-depth interviews with key informants, including senior project leaders and government officials. The analysis revealed that while formal M&E systems exist, their implementation is often inconsistent, and technological adoption is limited. Progress reports and site inspections dominate current practices, whereas digital tools for real-time monitoring remain underutilized. Several challenges affect M&E effectiveness, including resource constraints, limited skilled personnel, cultural and communication barriers, and political and administrative complexities. These challenges result in delayed reporting, reduced data accuracy, and diminished integration of M&E findings into strategic decision-making. Despite these issues, effective M&E contributes positively to operational decisions, risk mitigation, quality control, and accountability on project sites. The study recommends increased investment in digital monitoring tools and associated training, strengthened stakeholder engagement, development of sector-specific M&E frameworks aligned with local contexts, institutionalized capacity-building initiatives, and supportive policy interventions by Ethiopian authorities. Implementing these measures is expected to enhance the effectiveness of M&E systems, improve project outcomes, and foster sustainable development in Ethiopia’s road construction sector.
  • Item
    Incentive Factors Motivation of Core Employees in State-Owned Enterprises (A Survey in Changsha City in China)
    (Mekelle University, 2025-12-28) Li Xue
    In the context of increasingly intense knowledge economy and market competition, employee motivation is the core of state-owned enterprise (SOE) human resource management and the key to sustainable development. Currently, SOEs face issues such as irrational incentive mechanisms and neglect of individual differences, which result in poor motivational outcomes. This paper focuses on the factors influencing employee motivation, using a combination of literature research and empirical analysis to review relevant theories, analyze key factors at the organizational, individual, and work levels. Through data analysis, we verify the correlation and impact of these factors on motivational outcomes, reveal the operational patterns of incentive mechanisms, and ultimately propose optimization suggestions to provide theoretical and practical support for SOEs in Changsha to establish a scientifically efficient and personalized incentive system, thereby helping to enhance human resource management and achieve collaborative development between employees and the enterprise.