Implementing strategies and polices and maintain standards are essential to improving supply chain systems. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies miniconvenience store managers used to mitigate supply chain disruptions to sustain productivity and increase profits. The population was 4 managers of miniconvenience stores within gas stations located in the southeastern region of the United States who successfully maintained productivity during a supply chain disruption. The conceptual framework for this study was resource dependency theory. Data were collected using company documents, face-to-face interviews and semistructured, open-ended questions. Two themes were identified from the data analysis: building relationships and effective communication. The findings from this study could contribute to positive social change by providing miniconvenience store managers with strategies to increase supply chain capabilities while reducing the impact disruptions have on business performance, customer satisfaction, and profitability. Store managers who minimize supply chain disruptions might improve organizational operative purchasing, decrease prices, increase customer gratification, and improve the standard of living for customers in the communities served.

The covid pandemic has brought severe impacts on the supply chain of the electronics industry since it starts. Electronic companies are struggling to find strategies for reducing these impacts. The purpose of the research intends to provide decision-makers in the electronics industry with a clear understanding of the impacts on the supply chain and support them to formulate effective recovery activities and long-term strategies for restructuring more resilient and sustainable supply chains in the future.  Delphi method was performed in the research with the consideration of the aim and research questions, research quality as well as the available resources. The consensus among a group of experts was achieved after two rounds of investigation. The empirical data was collected from 12 experts in the 8 electronic companies through interviews and questionnaires. Both data collection techniques are suitable and have advantages in obtaining people’s perspectives and experiences of reality.  In the study, an amount of 10 impact items, 9 short-term recovery actions, and 10 proposals of long-term strategies were identified and aligned. Followed up by the analysis and discussion together with existing findings from previous literature. The impacts will vary from company to company, and each recovery activity has its own strengths and weaknesses, so decision-makers need to choose the appropriate recovery activities considering the realities of company resources and the economy. Furthermore, the findings of long-term strategies implied that the supply chain should be restructured in terms of resilience and sustainability from a long-term perspective.  Future research can continue to examine how these strategies can be implemented by exploring case studies with electronics companies. Besides, it is also valuable to investigate what are the main challenges in carrying out these strategies. A broader survey in the electronic industry is also recommended to validate the results.

This study determined whether local manufacturers of light vehicles in South Africa employ supply chain best practices and strategies. The research design employed was a combination of exploratory and descriptive research design using qualitative and quantitative approaches based on a survey of light vehicle manufacturers in South Africa. A face-to–face, semi-structured interview questionnaire was used, based on purposive sampling. Descriptive statistics using SPSS software were used for the data analysis and interpretation. The findings of the study revealed that across the supply chain, best practices were implemented to a large extent by all manufacturers. Light vehicle manufacturers in South Africa, however face supply chain challenges, which include technological, infrastructural, cost, market/service and production/skills challenges. The most important supply chain performance indicator that contributes to optimisation of performance is quality, followed by final product delivery reliability, and then cost and supplier reliability. All the manufacturers followed a lean strategy for their inbound supply chain and some had a lean supply chain strategy for their outbound supply chain. A number of them also had an agile supply chain strategy in the outbound supply chain which suggests a leagile supply chain strategy. It was also found that in some instances there was a mismatch between strategies and practices in the area of product characteristics, manufacturing characteristics and the decision drivers of supply chain. One of the conclusions of the study was that local manufacturers of light vehicles do not always make decisions and implement practices in line with their chosen supply chain strategies. The study concluded by developing a framework for determining supply chain best practices in line with a chosen strategy that could guide supply chain managers (in locally manufactured light vehicles) in the automotive in South Africa in their decision making. / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management)

This study determined whether local manufacturers of light vehicles in South Africa employ supply chain best practices and strategies. The research design employed was a combination of exploratory and descriptive research design using qualitative and quantitative approaches based on a survey of light vehicle manufacturers in South Africa. A face-to–face, semi-structured interview questionnaire was used, based on purposive sampling. Descriptive statistics using SPSS software were used for the data analysis and interpretation. The findings of the study revealed that across the supply chain, best practices were implemented to a large extent by all manufacturers. Light vehicle manufacturers in South Africa, however face supply chain challenges, which include technological, infrastructural, cost, market/service and production/skills challenges. The most important supply chain performance indicator that contributes to optimisation of performance is quality, followed by final product delivery reliability, and then cost and supplier reliability. All the manufacturers followed a lean strategy for their inbound supply chain and some had a lean supply chain strategy for their outbound supply chain. A number of them also had an agile supply chain strategy in the outbound supply chain which suggests a leagile supply chain strategy. It was also found that in some instances there was a mismatch between strategies and practices in the area of product characteristics, manufacturing characteristics and the decision drivers of supply chain. One of the conclusions of the study was that local manufacturers of light vehicles do not always make decisions and implement practices in line with their chosen supply chain strategies. The study concluded by developing a framework for determining supply chain best practices in line with a chosen strategy that could guide supply chain managers (in locally manufactured light vehicles) in the automotive in South Africa in their decision making. / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management)