The Influence of E-Procurement on Ethical Conduct Improvement in Mzinga Corporation, Tanzania

Abstract

The advancement of science and technology has caused a revolution in procurement processes among public organisations worldwide. The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of e-procurement on ethical conduct improvement in Mzinga Corporation. The case study design was employed to collect qualitative data from the departments of procurement, stores, ICT, and Human Resource Management in Mzinga Corporation. A total of 45 participants were involved in interviews and Focus Group Discussions. Data analysis involved thematic analysis. The findings of the study showed that the use of e-procurement has an influence on employee ethical conduct. E-procurement, unethical conduct such as reduced collusion and corruption, having a single platform for all procurement activities and all specifications are open in the procurement system. All these reduced unethical conduct related to corruption and theft. Furthermore, it was found by the study that the use of e-procurement had reduced conflicts through strengthening relationships, observing equality and equity for bidders/suppliers, and reducing bureaucratic complexities. It was concluded that e-procurement is an important tool and a platform that links the pool of suppliers with public organisations. Mzinga Corporation has ethical standards to guide the employees to act ethically and one of the benefits of e-procurement is that it can control the behaviour of the employees in the public service. It is recommended that the procurement system should be open and accessible to all employees so as to strengthen participation and inclusion for the best of the institution in managing the resources.