The objective of this study is to propose an instrument for identifying the level of maturity of purchasing and supply management in relation to Strategic Sourcing. Based on an initial model, a maturity measurement instrument was applied to a case study company in a chemical industry company in Vale dos Sinos, in order to validate the tool. Based on this, a survey was carried out with the aim of capturing the perception of purchasing professionals on the topic. By sending a questionnaire to 250 professionals in the purchasing and supply management area, a return rate of 28% (70 respondents) was obtained from this sample. For the data obtained, structural equation modeling (SEM) was carried out using Smart PLS 3.0® software. With the modeling, a load of 0.428 was obtained for the suppliers construct, 0.555 for the inventory construct and 0.158 for the indicators construct. Overall, the satisfactory constructs for this sample positively impact 67.8% on the Strategic Sourcing construct. Therefore, for this specific sample, the constructs referring to suppliers, inventory and indicators jointly impact Strategic Sourcing. The research in question proposed a model for a better understanding of Strategic Sourcing structures and aims to contribute to practical and organizational contexts regarding the maturity of this topic among purchasing professionals. This understanding aims to provide readers with greater empirical and academic understanding of this emerging and important topic for business and company competitiveness.

This study sought to determine whether farm categories influence the key agro business supply chain metric of crop yield. The investigated farm categories are the communal farms, A1 farms, A2 farms, and commercial farms that reflect the agricultural structure that emerged from the post-fast-track land reform programme in Zimbabwe. Secondary data for crop yield was collected from the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board publications of a five-year period spanning from 2014-2018. Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board is the regulatory authority of the Zimbabwean tobacco industry. The study used One-way ANOVA to test the specified hypotheses. A post hoc test was conducted using the Bonferroni procedure. The results indicated that crop yield is a function of the farm category. Communal farms had low crop yield, while A1 farm models proved to be very productive as evidenced by higher crop yield than any other farm category. A2 farms and commercial farms had unexpectedly low crop yield. The study recommended consolidation and transformation of communal areas into small-to-medium plots for the purposes of improving their agricultural viability, while at the same time downsizing the redundant A2 and commercial farms into small scale plots for the purposes of improving their efficiency. The study also recommended entering into resource-providing contract farming with A2 farmers whose current low yield might be due to lack of adequate input resources.