Supply Chain Management (SCM) has an overwhelming impact on firms as it directly impacts on sales and costs. Therefore, it must be a core competency for any organization and thus SCM expertise is highly valued in organisations. Procurement of goods and services has a major impact on the successful execution of the project. Procurement can help the business, ensuring that all the goods and services they buy will be of the right quality, quantity and price, and they will be delivered ‘just in time’. The application of procurement policies and practices, using fair and open procedures, is crucial not only for attracting efficient contractors and suppliers, but also to safeguard the principle of accountability and the cost-effective use of funds. Before awarding a tender, there is a substantial amount of work to be undertaken by the project manager, contracts manager, end user, buyer, and authorising committees. Commitment from personnel involved in contract awarding is not adequate. Furthermore, the Eskom governance process sometimes contributes to delays in awarding a contract. before the enquiry and tender documentation is sent out to the suppliers on the tender list, the core team involved in the procurement process verifies that the enquiry is complete and correct. Should there be contractual or legal issues during the execution of the project in the form of say a contract that has been issued with unsuitable clauses, solving the problem becomes difficult. Contractors will sometimes use contract clauses to suit themselves, and take advantage of the employer, causing cost overruns due to the difficulties in managing the contract. Eskom’s commercial activities are governed by the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and Constitution of South Africa, which states that an organisation such as Eskom should have in place “an appropriate procurement and provisioning system which is fair, equitable, transparent, competitive, and cost-effective.” This can eliminate irregularities in contracts, since they can have a serious economic impact, interfere with fair competition, and destroy confidence in the integrity and functioning of public administration Such irregularities may lead to costs overruns on projects where incompetent contractors are awarded a contract. Incorrect financial forecasting is a very serious issue, and needs to be addressed in order to help strengthen the cash flow and forecasting within Eskom. This research strategy is intended for quantifying observations of human behaviour, with the emphasis on exact measurements. The primary data for this study was generated through the administration of a structured questionnaire survey conducted among engineers, project managers, contract managers, and forensics personnel. The secondary data for the present study was gathered from literature in the form of open ended questionnaire from the same personnel. Poor commitment of buyers and chain approval meetings being shifted affect the delays in awarding of contracts. Lack of training of contract managers, absence of legal representative’s advice and squad checking meetings not being represented properly contributes to contracts being awarded with unsuitable clauses. Managers specifically forcing contracts to be awarded to a specific contractor, nepotism or favoritism, politics and contractor greediness, relate to irregularities in contracts. Lack of experience, revision of scope (unclarified scope), project delays, less effort being made when forecasting and unforeseen circumstances, such as strikes, and forces of nature, relate to incorrect financial forecasting. Continuous training and commitment of all personnel involved in the project environment is important, therefore Eskom personnel in the project environment should work as a team in an integrated way. Adequate time should be spent, and thorough checks made, to ensure that documents sent out for tendering conform to requirements. Involvement of all the supporting functions must be maximised. Code of ethics training and application is very crucial in the project environment, and the current governance policies should be adhered to by all stakeholders in the project.

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published_or_final_version / Industrial Engineering / Master / Master of Science in Engineering

published_or_final_version / abstract / Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

abstract / Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

In Study 1, a taxonomy of SCI is developed based on three main types of SCI that are defined and measured in this study. Supply chain performance, operational performance and financial performance of the firms within the supply chain are investigated across five types of SCI patterns identified in the taxonomy. Study 1 also examines the factors influencing SCI pattern, such as competitive hostility, company size, and industry, among others. In Study 2, the impact of relationship commitment on SCI is investigated. We investigate two types of relationship commitment and their impact on integration and performance from both supplier and customer sides. In Study 3, five types of power used by suppliers or customers and their impacts on manufacturers' two types of relationship commitment, SCI, and supply chain performance are examined. / Keywords. Supply Chain Integration, Performance, Relationship Commitment, Power, China / Supply chain integration (SCI) has received increasing attention from academic researchers and practitioners in recent years. However, our knowledge of what influences SCI, and how SCI influences the performance of supply chains and companies within the supply chains, is still very limited. This research is an effort to remedy that deficiency by empirically examining power, relationship commitment, and their impact on SCI and performance based on the data collected from 617 manufacturing companies in China. This dissertation consists of three studies. / Theoretically, this research contributes to transaction cost theory, social exchange theory and power-relationship commitment theory. It extends RCM research and relationship marketing research from traditional dyadic relationships in two-level supply chains to triadic relationships in three-level supply chains. The managerial implications and guidelines developed from this study will help the companies enhance their global competitiveness by developing and managing relationships with their trading partners to achieve the more effective integration of the internal and external processes within the supply chain. / Huo, Baofeng. / "August 2007." / Adviser: Xiande Zhao. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-02, Section: A, page: 0667. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 243-261). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest dissertations and theses, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri--Rolla, 2007. / Vita. The entire thesis text is included in file. Title from title screen of thesis/dissertation PDF file (viewed December 5, 2007) Includes bibliographical references (p. 56-62).

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität Freiburg im Breisgau. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 161-192).