THE CHALLENGES OF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT IN CONTEMPORARY ORGANISATIONS: A CASE STUDY OF CILEF INTERNATIONAL, BURKINA FASO

Dear Network, I would like to share with you the subject of my MBA (Master of Business Administration) thesis, recently completed at Unicaf University in ZAMBIA.

The topic is "THE CHALLENGES OF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT IN CONTEMPORARY ORGANISATIONS: A CASE STUDY OF CILEF INTERNATIONAL, BURKINA FASO".

Wrap up of the study content,

Both the business environment and the operating context of international organizations in Burkina Faso are severely challenged by the growing insecurity and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The country has reached the peak of the security crisis with terrorist attacks in different parts of the country since 2015. This situation has seriously impeded the operations of local businesses and international organisations that have lost access in most areas of the country. Due to the current situation, it was necessary to understand the difficulties before effectively facing them.

The study focusses on the case study of the cabinet CILEF International that is a language and development company based in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. In fact, the company is facing the same challenges and realities as other local businesses in Burkina Faso. The study is essentially interested in the connections and collaborations between local businesses and international institutions and NGOs operating in the context of Burkina Faso. As a matter of fact, to achieve their strategic goals in the terrain, INGOs needs to resort to external competencies that are essentially provided by local businesses relating to intellectual services and goods: transportation, food articles, non-food articles, cash transfer, construction, security, translation and interpretation, training, and professional development.

The research has attempted to understand the key operational challenges including the following points:

·        Access to areas where real needs are expressed

·        Impossibility for NGOs to send qualified staff in some areas

·        High risks threats for both expatriates and local staff

·        Issues of communication and transportation of goods in some areas

The aforementioned constraints need to be addressed strategically by local businesses and international partners in the field. In reality, this study reveals that, in a context marked by increasing challenges and limitations, possible solutions and approaches include:

·        context-related joint coordination of experiences, skills, and resources in the terrain,

·        Strategic collaboration, adaptation, the flexibility of approaches (contracting with suppliers, recruitment processes, etc.) in the field,

·        Establishing long-term collaboration contract between local businesses and INGOs,

·        INGOs should organise regular briefing and capacity-building sessions for local businesses collaborating with them towards the fulfilment of their objectives in Burkina Faso.

·        Applying professional connection between operational departments between local businesses and INGOs.

The main contribution of this study is to encourage local businesses and INGOs to strategically face the operational challenges by coordinating efforts, resources, and objectives in the increasingly challenging context of Burkina Faso. This research helps the different stakeholders to have a better insight into the context and proposes preventive and curative solutions in order to leverage their impact and productivity in the field. In reality, this study is extremely important for business management because it will contribute to reinforcing and leveraging the business sector and operations in difficult environments.

There is no doubt about the importance and relevance of this study because it contributes to helping improve the operations of both local businesses and INGOs. However, the study has some limitations because it is not an exhaustive study on the context of Burkina Faso. The case study focuses on a local company “CILEF INTERNATIONAL” used as representative of all the local businesses operating in Burkina Faso, but the analysis does not necessarily cover all the realities faced by all the local businesses.

Also, many professionals from INGOs have brought a significant contribution to this study by providing relevant answers to substantial questions based on their experiences and observation in the field. Still, these contributions do not offer an exhaustive view or picture of operational challenges faced by international humanitarian and development non-governmental organisations operating in Burkina Faso.

Ongoing analysis.../...