Price has been noted to be an important ingredient in any evaluation of future water demands, since it is a signal of cost administered by water wholesalers or retailers. The purpose of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of rates and ratesetting strategies adopted by the river authorities of Texas, and the relevance of economic efficiency for wholesale purveyors of water. Methods employed to accomplish the objectives include collecting sample water supply contracts, surveying rate structures, and surveying authorities' rate-setting objectives. In its current form the economic theory of pricing emphasizes price establishment by retail water suppliers. There are certain distinctions between wholesale suppliers and retail distributors of water that question the adequacy of the existing theory in its universal application. This calls for a different theory of pricing for wholesale suppliers of water. Therefore, an efficiency-seeking pricing theory for wholesale water purveyors is explored here. Out of the fifteen existing river authorities in Texas, ten have wholesale supply operations. This study finds that out of the ten authorities that have wholesale operations, some authorities charge the same uniform rate to all their customers, while some charge a different rate to each of their customers. The fact that some river authorities charge different rates to different categories of customers for the same water is considered economically inefficient. Another element that lends itself to economic inefficiency is the usage of the block rates. Through a questionnaire, the study finds that river authorities rank revenue sufficiency highest among six objectives pertaining to rate-setting processes. Legality is ranked second and economic efficiency is ranked third among these six goals. Though there are ten river authorities that supply water on a wholesale basis, only eight valid questionnaires responses could be used for the study. All river authorities involved with the wholesale supply of water commit most of their water supplies to municipal, agricultural, and industrial uses and customers through water supply contracts that contain legal agreements, which are dealt with before the river authority supplies the water to the customer. This study discusses the various similarities and differences between contracts of the ten river authorities that are involved in wholesale supply of water. Out of the ten river authorities, nine responded with their wholesale water supply contracts. One river authority responded with two contracts, therefore there were ten contracts that were studied.

Background: Procurement as a main part in supply chain management is supported through information technology traditionally. With the usage of Internet and e-commerce technologies, procurement is experiencing a revolution from a conventional paper-based process to e-procurement. E-procurement is increasingly becoming recognized due to its abilities to improve the management of business operation, which in supply chain allows organizations to take use of Internet source to procure indirect and direct materials, and handle value-added service such as quality validation. However, although e-procurement solutions are adopted by many industries currently, no previous study is about e-procurement adoption in Swedish food companies. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to study the adoption of e-procurement from the perspective of Swedish food wholesalers. Through exploring the e-procurement adoptions with the aspects of benefits, strategies and barriers in three food wholesale companies, similarities and differences in these three aspects are analyzed to find the current situations in e-procurement adoption settings in Swedish food wholesale companies. Method: This thesis was conducted by using qualitative semi-structured interviews, and a deductive approach. Both primary and secondary data are collected. Three sampling examples are involved in for a multiple and holistic case study. Conclusion: Through the study of this thesis, the most important benefits with e-procurement adoption that Swedish food wholesalers can perceive include planning control, time savings and cost savings. With e-procurement solutions, accurate data information can better forecast demands of customers. However, cost savings could only be achieved obviously after adopting e-procurement more than three years. Almost all food wholesale companies use both direct and indirect purchases with e-procurement adoption. Also, independent portal or online trading communities are not the mainstream for food wholesalers. Swedish food wholesalers play the role in both buy-side and sell-side, and webshops are owned by all of them. As for e-procurement approach, wait and see approach with e-procurement adoption are more attractive for Swedish food wholesalers from a strategic perspective. Aggressive approach could be used for the food wholesale companies that are in development stage. After researching, the most serious barriers for Swedish food wholesalers could be low assurances with problems such as suppliers standards, services or delivery capabilities, two or more systems with overlapped functions, and unstable e-procurement systems.

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are recognised across the world as having the ability to drive the economy and greatly contribute towards its growth, more so in emerging economies. However, the growth and performance of firms has further been directly linked to the critical development and investment towards its human capital. Even though there is a known importance of human capital development for business growth and competence, little is known about how much SMEs themselves attribute it to the success of their own firm’s performance. As such, this study responds to this gap by exploring the perceptions that SMEs hold regarding human capital as a concept and its developmental role in their business success. Establishing which component of human capital is perceived to be important in the founding of the businesses, during its emergent years and for future growth will enable SMEs to better understand the key human capital components and features to harness at the different stages of their business and in the pursuit for competitive advantage. The study will better equip policy makers in their development of interventions they embark on to promote SME competitiveness. The study followed a qualitative research methodology which used in-depth one-on-one interviews with participants in the petroleum industry of South Africa. The study focused on one segment of the petroleum value chain, while still using several subgroups for data triangulation. The results of the study indicated that SMEs perceive knowledge as the most important factor of human capital and rely on it in the founding of their businesses. The study further revealed that SMEs rely predominantly on intangible resources to gain competitive advantage, but are negative affected by institutional constraints to effectively compete. The study generated a framework that can be used by both SMEs and policy makers to enable the development of human capital and promote SME competitiveness. / Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

Yes / ackground Patient access to medicines in the community at end-of-life (pertaining to the last year of life) is vital for symptom control. Supply of such medicines is known to be problematic, but despite this, studies have failed to examine the issues affecting community pharmacy access to palliative medicines. Objective To identify community pharmacists' and pharmaceutical wholesalers'/distributors' views on supply chain processes and challenges in providing access to medicines during the last year of life, to characterise supply in this UK context. Methods Qualitative design, with telephone interviews analysed using Framework Analysis. Coding frames were developed iteratively with data analysed separately and then triangulated to examine differences in perspectives. Findings Thirty-two interviews (24 community pharmacists and 8 wholesalers/distributors) were conducted. To ensure appropriate palliative medicines were available despite occasional shortages, community pharmacists worked tirelessly. They navigated a challenging interface with wholesalers/distributors, the Drug Tariff to ensure reimbursement, and multiple systems. IT infrastructures and logistics provided by wholesalers/distributors were often helpful to supply into community pharmacies resulting in same or next day deliveries. However, the inability of manufacturers to predict operational issues or accurately forecast demand led wholesalers/distributors to encounter shortages with manufactured stock levels, reducing timely access to medicines. Conclusions The study identifies for the first time how palliative medicines supply into community pharmacy, can be improved. A conceptual model was developed, illustrating how influencing factors affect responsiveness and speed of medicines access for patients. Work is required to strengthen this supply chain via effective relationship-building and information-sharing, to prevent patients facing disruptions in access to palliative medicines at end-of-life.

Most contemporary South African businesses are facing tough times. This is the result of emerging trends such as intense global competition which requires businesses to be quick, agile and flexible; new technology available to any business willing to adopt it; more advanced customer expectations and the implementation of new strategic, proactive management approaches. In fact, many of them (including wholesalers) will succeed only if they can successfully integrate strategy, processes, business arrangement, resources, systems and empowered workforces to render their core business effectively. Choosing suppliers and purchasing products are critical wholesaling activities and often determine the success of wholesalers. Wholesaling institutions, however, vary considerably in size, activity, style of business, types of products provided and services rendered. These variables imply that the complexity of wholesaling activities differs. It therefore stands to reason that the level of sophistication with which these wholesalers manage their purchasing, sourcing and supply activities may differ. The level of sophistication with which wholesalers manage their purchasing, sourcing and supply function may vary from traditional management approaches to advanced integrated management approaches. The use of the new management approaches by businesses is a vital instrument in facilitating change. This leads to the development of more focused, specialised and high-performance organisations. Manufacturers are not geared to deal directly with the thousands of small retailers and therefore use wholesalers for this function. Wholesalers provide a vital link between manufacturers and retailers, and play a pivotal role in efficiency of the whole supply chain. Adapting to the supply chain management approach may thus mean the difference between success, failure and the continued existence of the wholesaler in supply chains. This research study was undertaken to determine to what extent wholesalers in South Africa have adapted to new demands and developments in their purchasing, sourcing and supply functions. Secondary to this objective was the need to (1) investigate the scope of wholesaling, with reference to the global and South African context; (2) investigate the concepts of and the evolution of purchasing to strategic sourcing as part of the broader supply chain management approach; (3) analyse the scope and concept of supply chain management; and (4) determine the purchasing, sourcing and supply management approaches used by the wholesale sector in South Africa. The study was conducted in several phases. Firstly, a literature research was conducted to gather and integrate secondary data in order to (1) expound the definitions, importance, types, activities and trends of wholesalers; and (2) investigate the development of purchasing to strategic sourcing and evolution of supply chain management, and to give an overview of purchasing, strategic sourcing and supply chain management. Secondly, a questionnaire was compiled containing all the relevant issues identified in the literature research to enable the researcher to establish how far South African wholesalers have advanced in adopting new approaches to managing the purchasing, sourcing and supply function. This questionnaire was pretested on two respondents to verify its validity, before proceeding to the next step. Thirdly, a letter and the refined and tested questionnaire were mailed to all the wholesalers identified to be involved in the survey, informing them of the research study and soliciting their cooperation. The letter requested the participants to return the questionnaire via facsimile. Fourthly, to improve the response rate, after the date for returning the questionnaire had lapsed, additional questionnaires were faxed to all the respondents who had not completed the initial questionnaire. The literature research established that the new demands and developments facing wholesalers in managing their purchasing, sourcing and supply function are a reality. Wholesalers are confronted with a variety of challenges concerning these demands and developments which is jeopardising their vital role in the supply chain, and they need to adopt a more sophisticated method of managing these activities, not only to ensure their own survival, but also to lower the costs of the wholesale operation, and ultimately allow an increase in shareholders' wealth. The empirical study, however, clearly indicated that South African wholesalers are still significantly focused on the tactical aspects of purchasing, incorporating only a few aspects of strategic sourcing and supply chain management. The position of South African wholesalers regarding the level of sophistication in their management approach to the purchasing, sourcing and supply chain management approach can be regarded as a mechanical approach, with proactive tendencies. It is therefore clear that South African wholesalers have not adapted to the strategic sourcing and supply chain management approaches, and need to prepare themselves for this change - or risk failure. / Business Management / M. Comm.

Most contemporary South African businesses are facing tough times. This is the result of emerging trends such as intense global competition which requires businesses to be quick, agile and flexible; new technology available to any business willing to adopt it; more advanced customer expectations and the implementation of new strategic, proactive management approaches. In fact, many of them (including wholesalers) will succeed only if they can successfully integrate strategy, processes, business arrangement, resources, systems and empowered workforces to render their core business effectively. Choosing suppliers and purchasing products are critical wholesaling activities and often determine the success of wholesalers. Wholesaling institutions, however, vary considerably in size, activity, style of business, types of products provided and services rendered. These variables imply that the complexity of wholesaling activities differs. It therefore stands to reason that the level of sophistication with which these wholesalers manage their purchasing, sourcing and supply activities may differ. The level of sophistication with which wholesalers manage their purchasing, sourcing and supply function may vary from traditional management approaches to advanced integrated management approaches. The use of the new management approaches by businesses is a vital instrument in facilitating change. This leads to the development of more focused, specialised and high-performance organisations. Manufacturers are not geared to deal directly with the thousands of small retailers and therefore use wholesalers for this function. Wholesalers provide a vital link between manufacturers and retailers, and play a pivotal role in efficiency of the whole supply chain. Adapting to the supply chain management approach may thus mean the difference between success, failure and the continued existence of the wholesaler in supply chains. This research study was undertaken to determine to what extent wholesalers in South Africa have adapted to new demands and developments in their purchasing, sourcing and supply functions. Secondary to this objective was the need to (1) investigate the scope of wholesaling, with reference to the global and South African context; (2) investigate the concepts of and the evolution of purchasing to strategic sourcing as part of the broader supply chain management approach; (3) analyse the scope and concept of supply chain management; and (4) determine the purchasing, sourcing and supply management approaches used by the wholesale sector in South Africa. The study was conducted in several phases. Firstly, a literature research was conducted to gather and integrate secondary data in order to (1) expound the definitions, importance, types, activities and trends of wholesalers; and (2) investigate the development of purchasing to strategic sourcing and evolution of supply chain management, and to give an overview of purchasing, strategic sourcing and supply chain management. Secondly, a questionnaire was compiled containing all the relevant issues identified in the literature research to enable the researcher to establish how far South African wholesalers have advanced in adopting new approaches to managing the purchasing, sourcing and supply function. This questionnaire was pretested on two respondents to verify its validity, before proceeding to the next step. Thirdly, a letter and the refined and tested questionnaire were mailed to all the wholesalers identified to be involved in the survey, informing them of the research study and soliciting their cooperation. The letter requested the participants to return the questionnaire via facsimile. Fourthly, to improve the response rate, after the date for returning the questionnaire had lapsed, additional questionnaires were faxed to all the respondents who had not completed the initial questionnaire. The literature research established that the new demands and developments facing wholesalers in managing their purchasing, sourcing and supply function are a reality. Wholesalers are confronted with a variety of challenges concerning these demands and developments which is jeopardising their vital role in the supply chain, and they need to adopt a more sophisticated method of managing these activities, not only to ensure their own survival, but also to lower the costs of the wholesale operation, and ultimately allow an increase in shareholders' wealth. The empirical study, however, clearly indicated that South African wholesalers are still significantly focused on the tactical aspects of purchasing, incorporating only a few aspects of strategic sourcing and supply chain management. The position of South African wholesalers regarding the level of sophistication in their management approach to the purchasing, sourcing and supply chain management approach can be regarded as a mechanical approach, with proactive tendencies. It is therefore clear that South African wholesalers have not adapted to the strategic sourcing and supply chain management approaches, and need to prepare themselves for this change - or risk failure. / Business Management / M. Comm.

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil (LAS) (Land and Agrarian Studies) / Fish remains a vital source of food, income, nutrition and livelihoods for millions of people in Africa. This study investigated the modalities of trading in fish imported from sub-Saharan Africa into South Africa in the Cape Town Metropolitan area. The research analyses the opportunities and constraints faced by retail fish traders and importers regarding the South African and Southern African Development Community (SADC) policies that are in place, to ascertain how far the policies go in facilitating the intra-regional fish trade. In addition, the study analyses consumer factors underlying the attractiveness of imported fish, the channels used for importation as well as the types and forms of fish imported into South Africa. The study employs a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with purposively selected key informant retailers, traders and City of Cape Town officials to collect the information. Findings show that shop owners and traders face challenges in relation to obtaining the required documents for trading, sanitary and phytosanitary certification and tariff and non-tariff barriers at borders. Some of these challenges include long and tedious procedures to acquire documents, as well as the limitations placed on the amount of goods traders can import. Consumers (mostly from the diaspora) prefer the taste of fish that they are used to, thereby creating an increasing demand for imported fish. National and regional policies put in place do not facilitate the trade in fish as well as current municipal regulations for retailing imported fish and other food types. The study also raises critical questions about the implementation of sanitary and phytosanitary standards by officials in the food shops. The thesis concludes that is it critical for national and regional policies to be coordinated and harmonised for enhanced intra-regional fish trade, which could contribute towards increased food security, nutrition and livelihoods.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:50:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3713.pdf: 1917110 bytes, checksum: 86283574ef904a43ecc9fea2edf4cc28 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-04-29 / Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais / For the past few years, wholesalers have shown strong involvement with marketing strategies, including private labels management. This study aims at evaluating the alignment between wholesalers private labels strategy and its retailing customers perspectives, analysing the marketing elements involved in this relationship. This is a qualitative research with exploratory purpose. The research was developed in five sequential phases. In phase one, secondary data was collected though bibliographic research. During phase two, research s elements and questions were defined. Wholesalers were contacted during phase three, asking for retailers contacts from their database (retailers that buy private labels from the wholesalers). During this phase, a pre-test of the study was developed with two different retailers. In phase four, semi-structured interviews with managers and owners of fifteen food retailers in Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais were developed. The interviewed retailers are wholesalers private labels customers. Phase five was characterized by the data analysis, using content analysis and data sources triangulation. As a result, the study presents an analysis of wholesalers private labels strategy based on retailers perspectives about the marketing elements involved in this strategy. Through a comparative analysis of these elements, it was possible to evaluate how retailers understand the marketing elements developed and managed by wholesalers. It was also possible to analyse which aspects facilitate or not the alignment between agents perspectives, as well as strategic and managerial implications of the gaps in this strategy. From the results, it was possible to develop an analytical scheme with suggestions to facilitate the alignment between wholesalers private label strategies and the role of its customers (the interviewed retailers), specially in terms of joint management and implementation of the strategy. Finally, limitations of the research and suggestions for future researches were presented. / Nos últimos anos o setor atacadista tem apresentado forte envolvimento com estratégias mercadológicas, incorporando às suas atividades tradicionais o gerenciamento de produtos com sua própria marca, a exemplo do que já vinha ocorrendo no setor varejista. O objetivo desta pesquisa é avaliar o alinhamento da estratégia de marcas próprias do atacado distribuidor em relação às perspectivas dos clientes varejistas, analisando os elementos de marketing congruentes e incongruentes dessa relação. Esta pesquisa é qualitativa com propósito exploratório e foi realizada em cinco fases sequenciais. A primeira consistiu no levantamento de dados secundários por meio de pesquisa bibliográfica. Na segunda fase foram definidos os elementos, pressupostos e questões da pesquisa que orientaram o processo de coleta de dados. Na terceira fase da pesquisa foi solicitada a colaboração de atacadistas distribuidores para a disponibilização do banco de dados de clientes varejistas que compram produtos de marcas próprias. Nessa fase também foi realizado um estudo piloto com dois clientes varejistas de diferentes perfis. Na quarta fase da pesquisa, foram realizadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas com gerentes e proprietários de 15 estabelecimentos varejistas supermercadistas dos estados de SP e MG, que compõem a carteira de clientes de marcas próprias do atacadista distribuidor que colaborou com a pesquisa. A quinta e última fase caracterizou-se pelo processo de análise dos dados que utilizou técnicas de análise de conteúdo e triangulação das fontes de dados. Como resultado, o estudo apresenta uma análise da estratégia de marcas próprias do atacado distribuidor com base na perspectiva dos clientes varejistas sobre os elementos de marketing envolvidos na estratégia. Por meio da análise comparativa desses elementos, foi possível avaliar como os clientes varejistas compreendem os elementos de marketing desenvolvidos e gerenciados pelo atacadista distribuidor e que aspectos favorecem e ou dificultam o alinhamento entre as perspectivas dos agentes, assim como as implicações estratégicas e gerenciais provocadas pelos gaps da estratégia. A partir dos resultados foi proposto um esquema analítico com sugestões para auxiliar o alinhamento da estratégia de marcas próprias dos atacadistas distribuidores em relação aos gaps e ao papel dos clientes varejistas no esforço conjunto de desenvolver e gerenciar a estratégia. Por fim, foram apresentadas as limitações desta pesquisa, assim como sugestões para trabalhos futuros.

Předmětem diplomové práce je průzkum vztahů společnosti IN CAR centrum s.r.o. s jejími velkoobchodními odběrateli. Na základě shromážděných teoretických východisek a analýzy současného stavu společnosti je navržena strategie vedoucí ke zlepšení úrovně poskytovaných služeb a zkvalitnění spolupráce s partnery. Cílem diplomové práce je navrhnout marketingovou strategii pro velkoobchodní činnost, která povede ke zlepšení současné situace a celkovému ozdravení společnosti.

Malgré l’annonce répétée de leur disparition par de nombreux experts, les grossistes ont réussi à survivre aux évolutions de leur environnement. Trois études de cas approfondies de grossistes en fruits et légumes permettent de comprendre les ressources qui ont été mobilisées. L’analyse est conduite en utilisant la théorie néo-institutionnelle et en s’intéressant aux interactions spécifiques entre acteurs & institutions. Une empirie très fouillée éclaire des transformations qui ont affecté le champ des grossistes et les réponses spécifiques apportées par les acteurs locaux. Les résultats de l’analyse conduisent à une meilleure compréhension de la notion et du rôle des ressources dans le cadre des interactions avec l’institution. Cette thèse montre également l'intérêt des biographies institutionnelles pour comprendre les antécédents à l’action. Au final, ce travail décrit et explique les efforts des grossistes en fruits et légumes pour devenir des garants de la qualité alors même que beaucoup les croient obsolètes et les tenaient pour condamnés / Whilst experts have predicted the downfall of wholesaler, the latter has survived and e to environmental pressures. This thesis, consisting of three in-depth case studies, investigates into the resources mobilization underpinning wholesalers' survival. The meticulous empirical setting sheds light on the transformations impacting the wholesaling field and on local actors' specific responses. This thesis contributes to illuminate the meaning and role of resources vis-à-vis interactions with institutions. Moreover, it promotes the concept of Institutional Biography as a lens to better understand action origins. The model derived from my analyses describes and explains fruit and vegetables wholesalers’ efforts to become a guarantor for quality, despite prejudices about their inertia and predictions of their disappearance