A research report submitted to the Faculty of Science, School of Animal, Plant & Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Global Change Studies. Johannesburg, 2016 / This study examined the retail clothing industry of South Africa and the associated sustainability practices, with particular focus on supply chain management. This study was conducted in order to test the relationship between sustainable supply chains and profitability in the hope that it might provide incentives for managers to adopt sustainability into their supply chain operations. The study made use of a case study analysis through a collection of quantitative and qualitative data of the sample organisations’ integrated reports and financial results to determine if there was a correlation between sustainable business practices and long-term economic profitability. Interviews were also conducted with industry participants in order to gain further insight. The study found that organisations that showed the highest investment along all three pillars of sustainability also experienced the largest and most stable economic growth within the sample. Although this could not be validated due to the limited sample size, the results did infer a positive association between sustainable supply chain management and economic success. It was also found that investing into the social capital of an organisation did have the potential to improve the economic success of an organisation within the retail clothing industry of South Africa. This study identified sustainable supply chain management frameworks that could benefit organisations within this industry financially. Further research is required into this field but it can be inferred that the incorporation of sustainable supply chain management can lend itself towards economic success within the retail clothing industry of South Africa. / LG2017

This study specifically deals with finding a pragmatic solution to the problem of sales forecasting and demand planning in a very dynamic industry, the dairy industry, in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) market. Two projects surrounding the Parmalat supply chain were commissioned, the first dealing with sales forecasting, and the second dealing with distribution replenishment planning. This dissertation handles the former and sought to find solutions and integrate the strategic or long-term planning process with the operational forecasting process, and effectively integrate both these into the Parmalat supply chain management process. Of great importance to us during the project was the organizations maturity and level of business discipline currently prevalent, you would therefore constantly find reference to improvements required in other business process in support of a more sophisticated world class Supply Chain Management (SCM) system. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

Thesis (MComm (Logistics)) University Of Stellenbosch, 2008. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In 2006 het F.J. Botes, C.G. Jacobs en W.J. Pienaar van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch artikel gepubliseer oor die Logistieke Koste Model getitel “A model to calculate the cost of logistics at a macro level: a case study for South Africa”. Die Logistieke Koste Model was op daardie stadium al baan breek werk gewees in Suid Afrika en het gelei na die publikasie van die eerste “State of Logistics Survey for South Africa” deur die Wetenskaplike en Nywerheidsnavorsingsraad (WNNR). Sedertdien is die metodologie in die Logistieke Koste Model oor die jare verbeter, veral in 2008 toe nuwe metodes van padvervoer koste berekening op baie gedetailleerde vlak toegepas is, asook nuwe metodes van voorraad drakoste. Dit is hierdie en ander verbeteringe in die Logistieke Koste Model sedertdien die vorige publikasie deur Botes et al wat in hierdie tesis uitgelig word. Tekortkominge en moontlike metodes om die model te verbeter word ook uitgewys. Dit is van mening dat hierdie dokumentasie belangrik van aard is aangesien die Logistieke Koste Model deur die Sentrum vir Voorsieningskettingbestuur (Universiteit van Stellenbosch) gebruik word om te konsulteer aan Transnet, die WNNR en ander vragvervoer diens leweransiers. Die “State of Logistics Survey for South Africa” publikasie deur die WNNR word ook deur publieke asook private ondernemings gebruik in die maak van makro-ekonomiese strategiese besluite. Hierdie navorsing lig ook die uitkomste van die 2008 Logistieke Koste Model opdatering uit. Maniere waarop hierdie uitkomste geïnterpreteer kan word deur industrie om wyse strategiese investeringsbesluite te neem van makro-ekonomiese aard word ook uitgewys. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In 2006 F.J. Botes, C.G. Jacobs and W.J. Pienaar from the University of Stellenbosch published an article on the Logistics Cost Model titled “A model to calculate the cost of logistics at a macro level: a case study for South Africa”. Back then already the model proved to be groundbreaking work in South Africa, and led to the publication of the first State of Logistics survey for South Africa through the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Since then the methodology of the Logistics Cost Model has been improving every year, especially during 2008 update when new ways of modelling the road transport costs of the country on a highly detailed level were applied, as well as new ways of modelling inventory carrying costs like never before. It is these and other improvements made in the Logistics Cost Model since the previous publication by Botes et al that is highlighted in this research, as well as the shortcomings in the current methodology, coupled with ways of possibly improving it in future. It is felt that this is important work to document since the Logistics Cost Model outcome is used by the Centre for Supply Chain Management (University of Stellenbosch) for consulting to Transnet, the CSIR, and other freight logistics service providers. The State of Logistics survey for South Africa publication is also read by public and private industry and is used in making strategic business decisions. This research also highlights the outcome of the 2008 Logistics Cost Model update, as well as how the outcome can be interpreted by industry in making key strategic decisions in future on a macroeconomic scale.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is revolutionizing business practices across industries worldwide as means for its commercial application continue to be developed. It is surpassing barcoding as the preferred means of product identification due to its’ ability to identify goods at item-level as opposed to batch- or type identification, and with no line-of-sight requirements for item detection. Although many industries have successfully employed the technology and are reaping the rewards, RFID’s adoption in the truck tyre industry is still in its infant stage. A small number of documented cases discuss the limited roll-out and testing of RFID effectiveness in satisfying the demands and expectations associated with this specific application. This study is aimed at evaluating the viability of introducing RFID to the South African market. The market readiness is reflected in the perceptions of Continental Tyre South Africa’s (CTSA’s) customers regarding the perceived benefits of RFID. More importantly, it is revealed in how it affects customers’ buying behaviour and, by implication, the impact on CTSA’s sales. The results of the study also reveal critical aspects unique to the South African truck tyre market which could potentially be addressed through the introduction of RFID. These aspects form the basis of the conclusions and recommendations for future actions by CTSA.

M.B.A. / The steel industry worldwide is undergoing rapid transformation and this presents an unprecedented opportunity for manufacturers of steel products in South Africa to take advantage of their improved global competitiveness, which has arisen principally as a result of the fall in the value of the South African currency. With global competition at its peek, steel manufacturers in South Africa find it important to reduce costs whilst improving their responsiveness to their clients, especially the foreign export markets. For steel manufacturers such as Iscor Steel, global competitiveness means sharpening the logistics of servicing these complex foreign markets with their intricate demands. This in turn puts pressure on transport suppliers such as Spoornet to provide speedy and efficient movement of cargo through the inland network down to the ports for exports to meet time demands. It is crucial that steel manufacturers, such as Iscor Steel work hand in glove in a collaborative manner with the rail operator Spoornet to achieve superior service delivery levels which consequently will reduce costs of providing such service due to maximum utilization of equipment and infrastructure. The reduction of costs in the provision of logistics services will result in a reduction of operating costs, which will have a positive effect on the operating profits of each steel manufacturer. Consequently the improvement in operating profits will result in improve shareholder value. The following areas of improvement have been identified and form part the recommendations, which will influence positive growth in shareholder value: Iscor Logistics should find ways to work on and improve relationships with Spoornet and other such service providers it makes use of; Iscor Logistics should implement the cost saving initiatives it has identified, such as adopting centralized distribution as in the case of Newcastle Steel as a matter of urgency — there is value in doing so; Iscor Logistics must start proving to its clients that it is adding meaningful value by showing value-add as this will differentiate them from the rest of similar service providers in the market. High level of logistics integration between stakeholders is critical to reduce cost of rendering logistics solutions. This will go a long way in improving shareholder value in organizations such as Iscor Steel.

M.Comm. / The methodology of supply chain optimisation is a fairly new concept in the field of logistics management and is also referred to as value chain optimisation. This short dissertation explores and describes the effects of a national improvement in supply chain processes on the sales and profitability of RS Components SA. The study contains discussions from various theoretical disciplines and includes topics such as customer service, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, logistics management and supply chain methodology. The link between the performance of the logistics processes and perceived customer service levels is also discussed in detail. Finally the study will show how improved logistical performance can lead to improved levels of customer satisfaction, which in turn leads to customer loyalty and increased profitability. In order to improve the organisation's national supply chain, RS Components SA decided to open a new Trade Counter in the Cape Town sales region. Before the opening of this Trade Counter however, improvements were made to the national logistical network to ensure seamless integration of the new sales branch as a fully operational warehouse. Various financial indicators were measured for the year after the opening of the new Trade Counter in Cape Town, in order to compare such figures to the year prior to the opening of said Trade Counter. The primary results were as follows: Sales for the Cape Town sales region have increased by a greater margin than originally budgeted for. The sales growth target was exceeded by 30.21%. The number of invoices generated for the year after the opening of the Trade Counter in Cape Town has increased steadily while the average invoice value has shown no mentionable growth. This indicates that the Trade Counter in Cape Town has spurned a greater percentage of repeat purchases and that sales have not merely increased due to bigger sales orders. Growth in the number of individual purchasing customers for the Cape Town region also reached a staggering growth of 71.71% compared to the growth target of 45%. Substantial growth was also achieved throughout the year for the number of Trade Counter visits to the Cape Town Trade Counter. Whilst staggering growth rates were achieved in all of the above-mentioned categories, overhead expenses came in lower than was originally budgeted for the Cape Town sales region. A saving of 3.65% was achieved against a sales growth of 75.21%. In conclusion, this study indicated an increase in sales and profitability in the Cape Town sales region. Based on the success achieved through supply chain optimisation, both in terms of increased revenue as well as perceived levels of customer satisfaction, a recommendation is made for further expansion of the supply chain network of RS Components SA through the opening of a new Trade Counter in Durban.

A lot of SMME development initiatives have been subsidised from the funds accumulated from taxpayers. In the promotion of sustainability and growth of SMMEs within developing countries particularly within the BRICS, South Africa is lagging despite its efforts over the past 17 years. According to STATS SA, SA’s unemployment rate for 2011 was between 24-36% and economic growth was 3.1%, the Eastern Cape Province is the poorest province within SA and therefore residence within the province is looking at start-up businesses to better their economic situation. The NMBM economic growth and employment is driven largely by its Integrated Development Plan (IDP) 2013/2014. Aims and objectives:To develop a supply chain management policy that addresses the challenges faced by infrastructure officials, supply chain management practitioners and ward councillors with regards to SMME engagement; and, Investigating the strengths, weaknesses and effectiveness of the current supply chain management policy employed within Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality with regards to SMME engagement. Research methodology: A questionnaire was used in this study to conduct quantitative research; the questionnaire was also used as a data collection tool. Valuable information was gathered from SMMEs residing in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipal area who operate in the civil engineering field. These SMMEs formed the core research sample. Results: The findings suggest that the current supply chain management (SCM) policy of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) does not adequately address the challenges encountered by SMMEs. This suggests the SCM policy is inadequate and the policy must be amended to address its short falls:There is a need for a contractor development programme in the NMBM to assist the Potentially Emerging (PE) contractors within its boundaries;The NMBM is regulating the SMME market for competitiveness to some extent with its SCM policy;Even though the market is being regulated for competitiveness, it is not regulated with regards to new entries into the market; There is a need for the NMBM to provide business development services to SMME’s within its boundaries; The majority of SMME’s believed that there is no gender discrimination within the banking sector;The NMBM is an efficient government institution when it comes to settling their debt in a timely manner;The NMBM must appoint a committee to address the problems faced by SMME’s within its boundaries;South Africa’s National Credit Act (NCA) prevents SMME’s from acquiring an uncontrollable amount of debt. Conclusion: SMME’s within the NMBM enjoy a healthy credit record; these SMME’s also pay their suppliers in a timely fashion. Employees of these SMME’s are adequately compensated for their services. Some SMME’s service the equipment regularly and some do not. Some SMME’s are able to cover their overheads from the projects they undertake and some are not. SMME’s residing in the NMBM have experienced a growth in their business over the last financial year, even though they have not received substantial work over this period. The quality of the end product produced by some SMME’s meets the standard required by the NMBM. Recommendations: To address the development needs of the SMME’s the SCM policy needs to be amended to provide business development services and off-the-job training. To address the access to finance needs of the SMME’s the SCM policy needs to be amended to assist SMME’s in acquiring start-up capital, getting a reduced interest rate and creating work opportunities through micro-financing.

The South African automotive industry has been identified as an important influence on the economy of South Africa. In particular, it plays a role in job creation in a country with high unemployment rates. However, being linked to a global industry, its competitive position and future relevance have come into question on numerous occasions. After a period of isolation and protection, the local industry had to enter global competition. The competitive playing field had suddenly widened from companies competing locally amongst each other for local market share, to competing globally for international sales. In addition it was found that competition was not only limited to opposing brands but also existed within the subsidiaries of the same brand. The reason for this was the existence of overcapacity in the manufacturing facilities internationally. Coupled with this, most of the dominant vehicle manufacturers were creating more capacity in developing markets to support demand as well as to benefit from cheaper resources. There are of course many influencing factors on the competitive position of such an important industry. The value chain has been identified as a tool to analyse and compare the activities within rival businesses or industry role players. Two primary activities within the value chain are inbound logistics and outbound logistics. The objective of the research was to investigate the influence of inbound and outbound logistics on the competitiveness of the South African automotive industry. A literature review created the conceptual framework for the research. It was necessary to discuss the automotive industry in a global sense to understand the history and trends of the development within the industry. It was also necessary to understand the South African automotive industry within this context to identify its place and relevance in global terms. It was found that, although important to the local economy, the local industry was not a dominant force to be reckoned with and was in fact being over taken by many of its competitors. Part of this investigation was spent on the development of the local industry in a protected environment and what it meant for the growth of local content and exports. This was also important as the component manufacturers based in South Africa need critical mass to create an efficient platform to be globally competitive. It was found that historic development programmes did not do much to improve this aspect but there is optimism about the latest programme which promotes an increase in production volumes. The state of logistics in South Africa was critically analysed to understand the influence it has on the automotive industry. It was found that although the logistics infrastructure within South Africa is the best in Africa, it is behind the standards of its competitors. This is influencing the automotive industry as a result of inadequate rail infrastructure. The reason for this was that most of the freight which was being transported by road would be more efficiently transported by rail. The cost of logistics was also found to be high in South Africa and skills were also a concern to improve the current situation. A research questionnaire was created from the findings of the literature review. The questionnaire formed the primary research tool for this study. The sample was identified as respondents from vehicle assemblers and component manufacturers who would have sufficient knowledge of this topic. It was found that inbound and outbound logistics costs formed a relatively large component of total costs. The high levels of imported parts being used as well as export levels added to the logistics costs. This also caused uneconomical inventory levels as stock needed to be kept for longer periods before being replenished. The respondents were also aware of the fact that rail would improve the situation if the infrastructure was sufficient. The respondents seemed to be of the opinion that the skills of the employees responsible for logistics were not a major influencing factor and that logistics service providers were in addition, not creating an overwhelming cost improvement. The incentive programmes were also not seen to be doing much to address the influence of logistics on the automotive industry.

When the current South African government came into power two decades ago they inherited a fragmented health care system whose main focus was on the tertiary care level. The strategy of the current government was to re-focus the whole health care system and prioritize primary health care system. That included setting up district health care systems and building primary health care centres in the areas within the communities in order to make health care accessible to everybody. Due to financial difficulties the majority of the people staying in these communities solely depend on these clinics as they cannot afford to buy health care services in the private sector. The study seeks to assess the current medication supply chain to these clinics with a view of coming up with recommendations that, when implemented, will ensure that the supply of medication by the clinics is able to meet the demands of their patients. Lean management is a system that was started in the manufacturing sector and because of its success there it was later adopted by the service industry. Lean is a system that seeks to eliminate all forms of waste and improve the quality of the service rendered to the satisfaction of the customer/patient. Literature review and discussion of lean implementation is discussed extensively. The findings of the study are presented, analyzed and discussed. In these findings it is noted that the system is functioning very well but there are challenges in these clinics that need to be addressed. Recommendations of how lean management can be implemented successfully to optimize the functioning of the current system are discusse The permission received from the Department of Health to conduct this study came with contractual obligations that the researcher promised to honour. One of those requirement stated clearly that the findings of the study should not be published anywhere without the permission of the Department (see addendums A & C). It is under that premise that the researcher wants to bring this to the attention of the relevant university departments, with the hope of ensuring that this contractual obligation is honoured.

The South African automotive industry is recognised as an important sector for the economy and has thus been prioritised by the South African government. The success of the automotive manufacturers depends on the efficiency and effectiveness of their supply chain. Due to the large number of suppliers involved in these supply chains, enhancing trust in the inter-organisational relationships can ensure the competitiveness of the supply chain. Additionally, insufficient trust can disrupt information sharing between supply chain partners which further impacts on supply chain operations and hence supply chain competitiveness. Thus, both insufficient trust and insufficient information sharing are viewed as contributing factors to the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of a supply chain’s operations. The use of Information Technology to facilitate inter-organisational relationships, in particular in terms of improving information sharing, is an important consideration in this research project. As in the Prisoner’s Dilemma, when supply chain members share information freely, trust levels are increased, hence supply chain effectiveness and efficiency is achieved and therefore the competitiveness of the supply chain is optimised. This study addresses the problem of enhancing trust in automotive supply chains using Information Technology. Previous studies have recognised the importance of trust and information sharing in supply chain relationships. These previous studies have also considered the effect of trust on information sharing, or the effect of information sharing on trust in a single direction. Thus, to address this research problem, a cyclical relationship between trust and information sharing is proposed. In this respect, Information Technology should be used to nurture this cyclical relationship between trust and information sharing. A model for the enhancement of trust in automotive supply chains through Information Technology is proposed to achieve the objectives of this research project. This model includes risk perception; information sharing as a means of enhancing trust; a trust area that consists of both supply chain partner trustworthiness and system trust; the resultant trusting behaviour; and the resultant improved information sharing. As this study is concerned with the use of IT to enhance trust, the inclusion of system trust as a component of the model is a significant contribution of this study which is complementary to the proposed cyclical relationship between trust and information sharing.