This thesis presents the modelling of an effective Fourth-Party Logistics (4PL) transaction centre which can evaluate trading partners and comprehensively integrate the improved competencies of trading partners for sustaining the post-merger effects. The proposed 4PL transaction centre is based on the best of breed concept to serve as a single point integrator. To create a best of breed 4PL set up, an exclusive performance measurement framework is proposed in a balanced approach by considering decision parameters from both the trading partners and the buying organisation perspectives. The novelty of the proposed 4PL performance measurement framework lies in its capability to integrate analytics with mathematical modelling resulting in a multi-stage framework which can be generalised to any industry. This thesis proposes the modelling of 4PL transaction centre through a computationally efficient Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach considering time dynamics as an influential factor instead of conventional static evaluation. The versatile features of dynamic DEA approach are realised through the variable lag effects (positive, neutral or negative) on subsequent chain partners to emulate actual scenario by eliminating bias in the evaluation process. Based on the derived outputs from the developed framework, this thesis enables to deal with a range of cross-segment mergers by extending the conventional Bogetoft and Wang’s production economics integration model which is otherwise limited to mergers of similarsegment only. This thesis proposes a novel two-tier cross-segment integration framework for the 4PL transaction centre prioritising performance orientation in the first tier and cost orientation in the second tier to quantify the merger gain. The integration framework developed in this thesis facilitates the coordinator of transaction centre to manage and control 4PL activities. In summary, this thesis demonstrates an objective approach to quantify the 4PL value addition in a unified approach (evaluation and integration) with improved consistency and adequacy. The advantageous and desirable features attained by modelling the 4PL transaction centre are addressed specifically from operational perspective instead of available financial measures. This thesis also presents extensions to the proposed transaction centre to deal with multi-criteria decisions objectively along with risk considerations. The expected value additions from the proposed 4PL transaction centre are substantiated through a case study utilising real data of suppliers and logistics service providers from a tiller and tractor manufacturing company.

M.Sc. / The manufacturing sector has produced a wide variety of techniques in its attempts to find the ultimate solution for the manufacturing process, with these techniques ranging from material requirements planning, just-in-time production, total-quality management, flexible manufacturing systems and computer integrated manufacturing to advanced planning and scheduling. Given the fact that the technique entitled "advanced planning and scheduling" in the manufacturing environment is primarily aimed at resource planning and scheduling during the production process, however, a clamant need was created for manufacturing companies to broaden their focus in order to include all the processes involved in the production environment, as well as the external processes impacting on productivity. A large area that came into focus owing to the latter paradigm shift is known as "supply chain management". Supply chain management is concerned with the integration of and communication between the various elements in the entire supply chain, including elements such as demand planning and forecasting, scheduling, customer sales, supplier purchases, production planning and forecasting, resource planning and warehouse management. This research study will be devoted to an investigation into the issues surrounding supply chain management and all its manifestations, including its basic components and their integration and interaction. This investigation will also cover research into scheduling systems up to current reactive constraintbased scheduling systems, since scheduling is deemed to be the core of the supply chain in terms of the influence it exerts on most other components, be it directly or indirectly. The investigation will also take us into the realm of an exciting new technology whose exponents are known as "intelligent software agents", which agents are aimed at providing autonomy to the objects within a system and which agents are characterised by their behaviour and decision processes. The said agents can be used to perform highly specialised tasks during the manufacturing process, such as scheduling and forecasting. A prototype system will be developed in the course of the research in a bid to illustrate the integration, evaluation and monitoring of the supply chain elements through the use of intelligent agents. By endowing the system with intelligence, the researchers hope to identify many future uses for intelligent agents in the various segments of the supply chain.

The primary objective of this dissertation is to perform an analysis of the South African beef supply chain ‘from farm to fork’. This will contribute towards a better understanding of the beef supply chain, aiding collaboration, transparency and supply chain strategies to enhance national industry competitiveness. Currently, the industry, and the supply chain is facing pertinent challenges such as globalisation, the declining consumption of beef, the disconnection of the farmer from the supply chain, illegal slaughtering, a lack of quality and inadequate hygiene practises in some lower throughput abattoirs, the rising food safety concerns (BSE, E.coli, and FMD), and the competitiveness of substitute products (chicken, pork, etc.). A simple and systematic approach is used to analyse the South African beef supply chain ‘from farm to fork’. The information has been discussed with industry experts, via interviews and discussion, to ensure the analysis reflects reality. It is evident that the South African beef supply chain is long, complex and involves various handoff points between role-players and industry governing bodies, as well as various permutations of this supply chain. The red meat industry evolved from a highly regulated environment to a totally deregulated one. The deregulation changes the ‘rules of the game’, and the ‘new rules of the game’ result in additional complexity within the current chain. The supply-side issues play a critical role in creating a sustainable competitive advantage, against substitute products. This highlights the importance of having accurate cattle herd numbers to facilitate proper supply chain planning, in an industry with a cyclical nature and a dependence on uncontrollable factors, such as natural forces and biological factors. This is indeed an issue of concern for the industry. Demand-side issues are influenced by the income of consumers, the availability and price of substitute products, consumer taste and preferences, and consumer expectations. In addition, the effect on demand, of price and income elasticity, and per capita expenditure by different population groups, adds to the complexity of the South African beef supply chain operation. viii The beef supply chain cost analysis -- the weaner cost model -- aims to assign cost, and resources, to each role-player to understand how value and margin is added, within the South African beef supply chain. The analysis revealed some interesting facts, regarding the ‘margins’ and ‘mark-up percentages’. This highlights, in simplistic terms, that some sectors are making more money than others, and examined together, with the cyclical nature of the industry, it is a given that supply chain management principles (collaborations, integration, contracting, etc.) will play an ever increasing role in the future of food supply chains. Eight supply chain management strategies are discussed, to initiate and kick-start the change process to transform the local beef supply chain into a leading-class player. The strategies are: (i) Crafting a supply chain vision; (ii) Traceability, transparency and quality assurance; (iii) Knowledge management and the learning supply chain; (iv) Transformation and AGRIBEE; (v) Measuring performance: supply chain metrics and diagnostics; (vi) Concepts of collaboration in food supply chain management; (vii) Synchronising operations and uncovering hidden opportunities; and, (viii) National agribusiness framework and red meat framework. The South African beef supply chain no longer has an option: it must ‘adapt to survive’. Benefits, in non-food systems, are well documented, with the implementation of supply chain management principles. The analysis concludes by summarising the strategies into meaningful and manageable options recommended for implementation. The recommendations are: · Create a national and red meat agribusiness structure and craft a local supply chain vision · Ensure product quality and establish a positive red meat message that drives demand · Implement productivity gains across the South African beef supply chain · Share market information across the South African beef supply chain · Promote innovation across the South African beef supply chain · Implement research and development initiatives for success. / Prof. J.H. du Plessis

M.B.A. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

No abstract provided. Chapter one (10 pages) will be helpful for an overview / Dissertation (MCom (Business Management))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Business Management / unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to develop and empirically test the Supply Chain Integration Framework (SCI framework) in order to develop a framework to address the inefficiencies experienced in the public hospital pharmacies’ Supply Chain (SC) in Kenya. Supply Chain Management (SCM) can be regarded as a vibrant business entity that is changing and evolving continually because of constant changes in technology, competition and customer demands. The study investigated and analysed how the independent variables, namely SCI initiatives, performance improvement drivers, organisation environmental forces, workforce and management support, financial factors, flow and integration, regulatory framework and information sharing and technology influenced the SCI. The SCI was categorised into three components namely: customer order fulfilment, supplier collaboration and dedicated SC as the dependent variable. The literature reviewed established that globalisation and intensive worldwide competition, alongside technological developments, creates a completely new operating environment for organisations. The researcher reviewed various models and theories related to SCI which include systems theory, value chain models and value ecology models among others. An SCI framework was then developed to capture the interacting variables within the SCI network that could be adopted for the public hospital pharmacies in Kenya. The study was conducted using a survey questionnaire (Annexure B) that comprised both open and closed ended questions that were distributed to managers in public hospitals and pharmacies in Kenya. The population for the survey was 154 public hospital pharmacies in Kenya, with the final sample comprised of 280 respondents. The study was conducted using a survey questionnaire (Annexure B) that comprised both open and closed ended questions that were distributed to 325 respondents in 154 public hospitals and pharmacies in Kenya. The population for the survey was 154 public hospital pharmacies in Kenya, with the final sample comprised of 280 respondents. Exploratory factor analysis was used to ascertain the validity of the measuring instrument and the Cronbach alpha coefficients were used to measure the reliability of the measuring instruments. Key preliminary tests performed were the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test (KMO test) of sample adequacy, the Bartlett’s test of sphericity and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (Z-Statistic test) for normality and multi-collinearity diagnostic. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and multiple linear regressions were the main statistical procedures used to test the regression model fit and the significance of the relationships hypothesised among various variables in the study. Statistical softwares, namely Statistica 10 (2010) and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 18, were used to analyse quantitative data. The study identified five statistically significant relationships between customer order fulfilment and workforce and management support, financial factors, flow and integration, information sharing and technology, supplier collaborations and dedicated SCI. In addition, a total of six statistically significant relationships exist between the supplier collaborations and SCI initiatives i.e. performance improvement drivers, workforce and management support, financial factors, flow and integration, information sharing and technology adoption as well as dedicated SCI. Furthermore, four statistically significant relationships were found between dedicated SCI and SCI initiatives, workforce and management support, financial factors, flow and integration, information sharing and technology adoption.

Most government owned telecommunication operators across the world have to deal with a number of regulatory, technology and service challenges, as the industry is liberalised in co-ordinance with worldwide trends. Telkom SA will be facing a number of strategic challenges that will test its ability to survive as a telecommunications company over the next number of years. To remain competitive, Telkom must develop strategies to assure survival in a competitive environment. To assure the long-term survival of Telkom SA when moving into a competitive environment, the organisation must build a sustainable competitive advantage. In the face of increasingly fierce competition, the adoption of collaborative alliances between firms is becoming more and more common and the adoption of a world-class supply chain will be an ideal scenario for Telkom SA. A worldclass supply chain goes beyond the scope of the internal operations of an organisation, therefore the material distribution process was chosen for this study, which involved the internal operations in the organisation. The study included the availability of material up to the transportation of the material to the staging areas. The aim of this research was to identify the inefficiencies of the material distribution process of the Southern Region of Telkom SA to become worldclass. A quantitative technique was used to identify the inefficiencies. It was found that the availability and transportation of material were the inefficient categories, preventing the customer to receive the product or service on time. Communication, inaccurate forecasting and inefficient transportation of material were some of the reasons for not delivering material on time. Some of the recommendations included developing a model that could overcome the current inefficiencies in transportation, improving the communication channels, training and the development of employees at all levels.

Organisations are constantly expected to be more competitive while working in an environment in which time and cost are limited, thereby preventing such organisations from taking the time required to be responsive. The supply chain provides a critical linkage between various organisations which should seek collective opportunities to improve performance. It is, therefore, important that organisations understand that conventional knowledge and methods will not serve unless there is a concerted focus on improvement of organisational performance toward fulfilling increased expectations, not just maintaining that which is comfortable. A more sustainable approach may be the introduction of supply chain best practice. An optimal supply chain is one that continuously strives to reduce unnecessary cost and eliminate waste, thereby increasing the percentage of time that may be devoted to value-adding activities. Supply chain technology principles were assessed and the application thereof, sought to understand its efficiency and effectiveness. This study was intended to identify supply chain cost dimensions with a focus on the optimal use of supply chain technology. Within the current supply chain context, the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) was explored to identify opportunities. A supply chain audit tool (SCAT) was developed which had proven to be an effective tool to analyse it’s logistics functions. Implementation of remedial tools through the SCAT could result in a leaner, cost optimal and more value-adding process. The result of conducting individual organisational improvements is expected to result in an overall improvement in the total supply chain. These supply chain cost drivers were rooted in cost, quality, safety and product performance. Recommendations on further improvements were also offered.

The Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry in South Africa is now more than ever, facing a new era with strong competition and a need for innovative and sustainable distribution strategies to remain competitive in the market. Organisations are continuously searching for ways to increase their competitiveness and sustainability as markets change and develop, so do the strategies used to enter them. Organisations must therefore be able to choose the most effective approach to enter markets in order to remain competitive. Recent approaches require organisations to identify innovative distribution methods to meet consumer needs due to a considerable increase in competition, which makes it very difficult for organisations to differentiate their products solely on the basis of cost or quality. The research problem addressed in this study comprised an assessment of factors affecting distribution models from an FMCG perspective. This necessitated a comprehensive literature review of the various definitions, trends impacting on distribution as well as investigating the status relating to distribution models. Strategies and attributes of successful distribution models were evaluated to determine an effective distribution model to assist the organisation in challenging competition. The researcher found that a significant number of authors have suggested the following key attributes for a successful distribution model, namely operational excellence, performance management, strategic partnership, technology drivers, and relationship marketing. An empirical study was conducted after the appropriate measuring instrument was developed. The purpose of the measuring instrument was to validate the literature findings, identify the rank importance of the identified attributes and to evaluate the extent to which these factors are provided for in the organisation, based on the points above. The present study assessed innovation at Coca-Cola Fortune (Pty) Ltd., a local FMCG firm in an effort to develop a distribution model that would be successful for the company. The study comprised a sample of 40 Official Coca-Cola Distributors which form part of the distribution model of Coca-Cola Fortune (Pty) Ltd. Questionnaires were sent to each of the 40 Official Coca-Cola Distributors and a response rate of 100 percent was obtained. The major findings indicated that the respondents agreed with the literature in respect of the important attributes of a successful distribution model. Overall the majority of the respondents identified the distribution model between Coca-Cola Fortune and the Official Coca-Cola Distributors as a successful distribution model. The literature findings together with the empirical study findings resulted in the development of a strategic model to maintain a successful and competitive distribution model. The current investigation highlighted the overall perception of Coca-Cola Fortune’s distribution model and the importance of having a successful model. To sustain this distribution model the organisation must maintain the key attributes of a successful distribution model as identified in the literature to ensure competitiveness, sustainability and meeting changing consumer demands.

The three essays in this thesis address various problems in the general area of supply chain management. In general, supply chain management is concerned with management of the flow of goods, information, and funds among supply chain members, such as suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and consumers. As such, its scope includes timing and quantity of material flow, logistics, improving efficiencies in problems with several decision makers, etc. The first essay in this thesis considers the problem of improving coordination in a decentralized system of retailers, while the second one addresses stability and profitability of Internet-based supply exchange alliances. The third essay analyzes a logistics problem, of finding an optimal route for a capacitated vehicle which travels on a graph and which can perform pickups and deliveries. In the first essay, we study a three-stage model of a decentralized distribution system with n retailers who each faces a stochastic demand for an identical product. In the first stage, before the demand is realized, each retailer independently orders her initial inventory. In the second stage, after the realization of the demand, each retailer decides what portion of her residual supply/demand she wants to share with the other retailers. In the third stage, residual inventories are transshipped in order to possibly meet residual demands, and an additional profit is allocated among the retailers. We study the effect of implementing various allocations rules in the third stage on the levels of the residual supply/demand the retailers are willing to share with others in the second stage, and the tradeoff involved in achieving a solution which is also optimal for the corresponding centralized system. The second essay is concerned with the formation of Internet-based supply exchange alliances among three or fewer retailers of possibly substitutable products. We provide some conditions, in terms of product substitutability and quality of suppliers, which would lead to the formation of a three member alliance, or a two member alliance, or no alliance at all. We also study the effect of alliance structure and quality of suppliers on the profit of a retailer. The third essay considers a vehicle routing problem with pickups and deliveries (VRPD problem) on some special graphs. Some vertices on the graph represent delivery customers, and other vertices represent pickup customers. The objective is to find a minimum length tour for a capacitated vehicle, which starts at a depot and travels on the graph while satisfying all the requests by the customers without violating the vehicle capacity constraint, and returns to a depot. We have developed linear time algorithms for the VRPD problem on a path and on tree graphs, linear and O (|V| log |V|) algorithm for a VRPD problem defined on a path with parametric initial capacity, and quadratic and O (|V|² log |V|) algorithms for a VRPD problem defined over a cycle graph. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate