The Inland Empire offers many advantages for business. This project documents how the Inland Empire is a suitable area to start and grow a business due to its reasonable space and labor costs, educated work force, infrastructure advantages and easy accessibility to freeways, ports, railroads and airports.

D. Tech. (Logistics management, Faculty of Management Science), Vaal University of Technology / Nowadays, the business environment is characterised by faster technological development, customer satisfaction, shorter product life cycles, and more intense global competition. This new competitive landscape has forced firms to acquire new ways to achieve competitive advantage actively since a firm's competitive advantage is now dependent on operating efficiency and productivity across functional areas of the firm. The most successful manufacturers seem to be those that have carefully linked their internal processes to external suppliers and customers in unique supply chains. The manufacturing sector represents 15 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) of the South African commercial industry. Competitive challenges in the modern business environment have resulted in the need for firms to collaborate their business processes strategically across other business units within the supply chain. Supply chain network theory, dynamic capabilities theory, and the resource-based view theory are discussed to better understand the importance of firms' supply chain capabilities, supply chain agility, and firm performance. The primary objective of this research study was to investigate the association between supply chain capabilities (supply chain network design, supply chain information competency, and supply chain integration) and supply chain agility on firm performance in the manufacturing sector of the Gauteng province in South Africa. It also aimed to ascertain the kind of relationships between supply chain network with supply chain agility, supply chain network with firm performance, supply chain information competency with supply chain agility, supply chain integration with supply chain agility, supply chain integration with firm performance, and finally supply chain agility with firm performance. Structured questionnaires were distributed to various manufacturing firms in the Gauteng province. The data were collected from manufacturing firm managers and owners. SPSS 25.0 was used to analyse the data, and AMOS 25.0 used to perform the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and path analysis. The structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to assess the proposed model fit and to test the statistically significant relationship between the various hypotheses. The research study results revealed that supply chain technologies and supply chain vi agility positively influence firm manufacturing performance. This study contributes new knowledge to the existing literature by providing a research framework that can enhance manufacturing firms' performance and also offer practical recommendations based on the research findings for manufacturing firms and future research. Furthermore, as one of the first studies to address the association between supply chain capabilities and supply chain agility on firm performance in the Gauteng province, this study generates new insights and information, as well as outlines the strategic reasons for manufacturing firms' managers and owners to improve on their organisational relationships. Hence, the study found that firms have realised significant supply chain coordination through supply chain capabilities and supply chain agility and that firms have been able to attain strategic goals, reduce risks and improve internal and external coordination of operational processes. Keywords: supply chain network design; supply chain information competency; supply chain integration; supply chain agility; firm performance.

M. Tech. (Department of Logistics Management, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / Economic growth, job creation and improved standard of living have resulted to focus mostly on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the world. Hence, establishing and maintaining relationships with partners across the supply chain has become a prerequisite for achieving long-term competitive benefits in the present business competitive environment. For this reason, buyer-supplier commitment is deemed an important long-term business relationship strategy towards achieving competitive performance. Although buyer-supplier commitments can serve as the basis for the development of relational standards, unbalanced commitments, on the other hand, may become a harbinger of opportunistic behaviours. This development is inimical to continued business relationship and its consequential benefits for the SMEs’ supply chain collaborators. Guided by the theoretical lens of the social exchange theory (SET), this study examines the influence of communication, product quality, flexibility, and buyer-supplier commitments on SMEs competitive performance in southern Gauteng. Using a convenience sampling technique, the study quantitatively analysed the 396 returned questionnaires. Data analysis was conducted using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 and AMOS 25.0 for the confirmatory factor analysis and the structural equation modelling (SEM) respectively. The SEM analysis helped to confirm the suitability of the model fit as well as the positive and significant relationships of the proposed hypotheses. The analysis revealed that communication, product quality and flexibility are important variables in predicting buyer-supplier commitment as they displayed positive association with buyer-supplier commitment and the latter is significant in a firm’s effort towards achieving competitive performance. The study recommends the anchoring of SMEs strategies on commitment inorder for partners to efficiently and effectively enjoy competitive benefits. This research contributes new knowledge to the body of literature by developing a research framework on SME’s business growth and competitive performance and offered recommendations based on the study, which if implemented, could improve the economy. The study also revealed a higher relationship among the baseline constructs (communication, product quality and flexibility) which have received little or no conceptualisation in literature.

Thesis (MBA) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The purpose of this study was to investigate challenges faced by Supply Chain Management (SCM) officials in the implementation of the procurement process at the Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Sekhukhune and Capricorn District as per the approval by TREC. The researcher requested the Head of Department for the Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to grant approval to conduct the study at Sekhukhune and Capricorn Districts. The Head of Department delegated the Departmental Research Committee to attend to the researcher’s request. The Departmental Research Committee advised the researcher and granted approval to conduct the study at Waterberg, Mopani and Vhembe District offices, since the researcher is working at Sekhukhune District sharing the same complex with Capricorn District office. A qualitative research method was used to collect data which was collected using structured interview questions. Participants in the study were officials working at Waterberg and Vhembe District. The researcher was unable to conduct research at Mopani District due to the unavailability of the participants. The findings revealed that SCM officials are not adequately trained but are still expected to deliver service efficiently and effectively. The study further revealed that there is a shortage of staff and SCM officials are struggling to deliver because of IT Infrastructure network problems. It was concluded that SCM Practitioners are facing some challenges in the implementation of the procurement process at Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Waterberg and Vhembe District offices. The respondents indicated that there is a shortage of staff and also that posts which are vacant are not given priority. In addition, the IT Infrastructure Network problem was a big challenge to SCM Practitioners since they are without network most of the time while their systems require daily network access. The research indicated that officials are not well trained and that there is lack of communication between the districts and Head office. It is recommended that vacant posts be filled immediately after the post becomes vacant and that the Department should develop a communication tool which will be circulated to all SCM officials. Management at head office is advised to arrange iv monthlymeetingsanda SCM forum inviting all SCM officials starting from the lower level upwards to address challenges and update each other about the new developments within the Unit. It is recommended that the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development introduce intensive Training programmes within the Department to ensure that SCM Practitioners remain well informed. It is also recommended that the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development make a concerted effort to train top management in order to solicit their full support to the districts. It is recommended that the Department develops its SCM policy. The Department is advised to install Wi-Fi to officials working for the Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development at all five Districts in order to promote effective and efficient service delivery. It is recommended that the Department should allocate all necessary Logis training to SCM officials before they get access to the system. The Department needs to work with Provincial Treasury on the allocation of the items which need to be procured e.g seed and seedling in order to speed up service delivery. It is recommended to the Department to appoint well qualified and experienced SCM officials to fill vacant posts, to offer training to officials who are already within the Unit and provide Bursaries to SCM officials to acquire long-term qualifications such as Diplomas and Degrees.

M. Tech. (Department of Logistics Management, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / In South Africa, the beverage industry is perceived to be a major contributor to the economy. Internal and external stakeholders in this industry are engaged in environmental collaboration with each other to achieve better environmental and supply chain performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of green supply chain management practices on environmental performance and supply chain performance in the beverage industry of South Africa. It considers four of these practices, namely, internal environment management, investment recovery, eco-design and green purchasing. A quantitative approach was adopted, with the use of a survey questionnaire to collect information from 373 supply chain management professionals from beverage companies in South Africa. The study used a probability simple random sampling method. The data gathered was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 and Analysis of a Moment Structures (AMOS) version 25.0. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to validate the measurement scales while Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was applied to test the relations between constructs. The results revealed that internal environment management, investment recovery, eco-design and green purchasing positively and significantly influence environmental performance. Moreover, the results also revealed that environmental performance exerted a strong, significant and positive influence on supply chain performance. Recommendations and implications for further research were made based on these results. The study presents supply chain management professionals, internal and external stakeholders within the beverage industry with useful insights on key factors that ought to be addressed in order to improve their organisational strategies. Therefore, the study is essential to internal and external stakeholders in the beverage industry who wish to improve environmental and supply chain performance.

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of Government and Public Administration

Thesis. (D. Tech. - Business, Faculty of Management Sciences)--Vaal University of Technology, 2010. / The study explored the South African coal mining industry and it’s role players to establish the causes of the bottlenecks/constraints experienced in the coal mining industry supply chain. A qualitative research paradigm methodology was used. Both theoretical and philosophical assumptions were utilised with inferences from and references to works by other researchers to broaden the knowledge horizons for the study. Thirteen supply chain executives and professionals from the key role players in the coal mining industry were interviewed and provided invaluable input for the study. The study determined the presence of communication barriers between the industry role players in the public and private institutions that culminated in main themes and sub-themes being established from which the industry constraints were uncovered. The study identified six main constraints affecting the various role players within the coal mining supply chain and it culminated in the model that would enable the industry to minimise such constraints. To this end, the study proposes the development of an Integrated Strategy for the Development of Coal Mining (ISDCM).The model is based on the public and private partnership arrangement that would alleviate most of the prevailing constraints when implemented. The model would furthermore have the capacity to rectify most of the existing constraints. It would be funded from the commercial sector and would operate on triple bottom lines of economic, social and environmental factors, with equal weight. This is a desirable direction for the future in order to maintain sustainable development. Emanating from the study are policy and research recommendations for the South African coal mining industry, covering the coordination of the critical areas of the proposed integrated strategy for the development of the coal mining industry. Such recommendations include further research into new coal mines and power stations as well as perceptions and expectations of potential investors in the industry, among others.

M. Tech. (Logistics, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / This study explored the implementation of green supply chain with regard to minimizing environmental risk in the South African manganese and phosphate mining industries. A qualitative research paradigm methodology was used. Theoretical assumptions were utilized. References by other researchers in the green supply chain and mining supply chain were also used to broaden the knowledge horizons for the study. A total number of twelve supply chain and environmental professionals from the key role players in the South African manganese and phosphate mining industries were interviewed and provided valuable input to the study. The study determined lack of information sharing between the role players in the supply chain that lead to the discovery of themes and sub–themes. The study identified seven main themes and eleven sub-themes as challenges in the implementation of green supply chain. Recommendations to address the challenges areoutlined and include the introduction of cleaner production practices by using cleaner technologies, inclusion of environmental aspects in the sourcing strategy, among others. The achievement of all these will ensure sustainable development. Originating from the study are research recommendations for the South African manganese and phosphate mining industries. The recommendations include further research to establish a green supply chain model as well as perception and expectations of policy makers in the industries.

The elimination of distribution inefficiencies, occurring due to the timing of customers' orders is an important reason for companies to introduce vendor managed inventory programs. By managing their customers' inventories, suppliers may be able to reduce demand variability and therefore distribution costs. We develop technology to measure the effectiveness of distribution strategies. We develop a methodology that allows the computation of tight lower bounds on the total mileage required to satisfy customer demand over a period of time. As a result, companies will be able to gain insight into the effectiveness of their distribution strategy. This technology can also be used to suggest desirable delivery patterns and to analyze tactical and strategic decisions. Secondly, we study the inventory routing problem with continuous moves (IRP-CM). The typical inventory routing problem deals with the repeated distribution of a single product, from a single facility, with an unlimited supply, to a set of customers that can all be reached with out-and-back trips. Unfortunately, this is not always the reality. We introduce the IRP-CM to study two important real-life complexities: limited product availabilities at facilities and customers that cannot be served using out-and-back tours. We need to design delivery tours spanning several days, covering huge geographic areas, and involving product pickups at different facilities. We develop a heuristic and an optimization algorithm to construct distribution plans. The heuristic is an innovative randomized greedy algorithm, which includes linear programming based postprocessing technology. To solve the IRP-CM to optimality, we give a time-discretized integer programming model and develop a branch-and-cut algorithm. As instances of time-discretized models tend to be large we discuss several possibilities for reducing the problem size. We introduce a set of valid inequalities, called delivery cover inequalities, in order to tighten the bounds given by the LP relaxation of the time-discretized model. We also introduce branching schemes exploiting the underlying structure of the IRP-CM. An extensive computational study demonstrates the effectiveness of the optimization algorithm. Finally, we present an integrated approach using heuristics and optimization algorithms providing effective and efficient technology for solving inventory problems with continuous moves.

published_or_final_version / Computer Science and Information Systems / Master / Master of Philosophy