Theses and Dissertations (Business Administration)

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Browsing Theses and Dissertations (Business Administration) by Subject "Business logistics"

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    People-centred knowledge management systems and supply chain performance: the case of small and medium enterprises in Zimbabwe
    (Vaal University of Technology, 2021-03) Tarambiwa, E.; Garnett, A., Dr.; Mafini, C., Prof.
    The Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector has been receiving increased global attention from governments, researchers and management practitioners in both developed and developing nations as a vehicle for economic growth. The Zimbabwean SME sector has been on record as minimising the impact of the economic challenges on the economy thus proving the strategic role played by the SME sector in improving economic growth. Therefore, the Zimbabwean government has high hopes of resuscitating the economy through empowering the SME sector. However, the sector is inundated by challenges that have retarded its effectiveness in achieving the government’s expectations. Some key limitations and challenges include short life span of the SMEs, entrenchment of archaic business practices, lack of financial capitalisation and the failure to adopt a supply chain perspective of business. Although several solutions to the problem have been proposed and implemented, one solution that has not been fully tested relates to how people-centred knowledge management systems (KMSs) can be harnessed to improve the performance of SME supply chains in Zimbabwe. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between people-centred KMSs, knowledge sharing and supply chain performance (SCP) in the Zimbabwean SME sector. The study adopted a quantitative research method in which a survey design was implemented in collecting the data that were used to test the relationships on people-centred KMSs (i.e. communities of practice (CoPs), innovation management, organisational culture and social capital); knowledge sharing and SCP (i.e. time-related performance (TRP), cost-related performance (CRP), responsiveness-related performance (RRP) and operation quality-related performance (OQRP). A structured survey questionnaire was designed using measurement scales adapted from extant literature and it was administered to a sample of 580 SME owners, managers and employees who had some prior understanding of knowledge management, information technology and supply chain management. The collected data were analysed using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 25.0 and the Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) Version 25.0 statistical software. The data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The statistical techniques used included measures of central tendency, cross-tabulations, factor analysis, multiple linear regression analysis, path analysis and structural equation modelling. The results of the study showed that SME employer qualifications (Kendall-tau = 0.88; p=.000), work experience (Kendall-tau = 0.86; p=.001) and nationality (Kendall-tau = 0.79; p=.010) as well as SME business sector (Kendall-tau = 0.89; p=.000) can be used to predict SME life span in the Zimbabwe SME sector. The results also showed significant relationships between three people-centred KMSs, namely, CoP (β=0.639, t=9.656, p=0.000), innovation management (β =-0.337, t=-8.578, p=0.000) and organisational culture (β=-0.261, t=-4.083, p=0.000) and knowledge sharing. The relationship between social capital and knowledge sharing was insignificant (β=-0.076, t=0.177, p=0.859). Significant relationships were also realised on knowledge sharing and three process-based SCP sub- factors, namely, TRP (β=0.231, t=4.717, p=0.000), CRP (β=-0.082, t=-2.015, p=0.044) and RRP (β=-0.177, t=-3.621, p=0.000). No relationship was found between knowledge sharing and OQRP (β=-0.076, t=0.049, p=0.254). Moreover, knowledge sharing was found to have a full mediation effect on people-centred KMSs and process-based SCP while no mediation effect was found with network-based SCP. The study makes substantial contributions to the existing body of knowledge. Theoretically, it provides in-depth insights of people-centred KMSs in SME SCP for developing countries such as Zimbabwe, which is an under researched area, thus expanding extant literature on the subject. From a knowledge management perspective, the study proposes the utilisation of SMEs’ socio-demographic factors to predict SMEs’ continued existence, thereby enabling financial institutions to offer financial assistance to such businesses with confidence. For governments in developing countries, the study suggests that specific attention should be directed to knowledge-based supply chains that adopt people-centred KMSs and process-based SCP to consider them as a possible alternative in addressing performance challenges in SME sectors.
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    Supply chain management practices, supplier performance and supply chain resilience in the South African public sector
    (Vaal University of Technology, 2020-10) Mugwenhi, Shephard; Bhadury, J., Prof.; Mafini, C., Prof.
    The most important decisions that direct the operations of a nation are made in the public sector. The public sector performs the duty of facilitating the efficient and sustainable delivery of goods and services to the general public. In South Africa, public sector institutions have failed to fulfil their role of providing effective services, and this failure has been attributed to corruption and other inconsistencies inherent within supply chain management (SCM) transactions occurring between government and its suppliers. To streamline SCM, various legislative pieces such as the public SCM Policy Framework, the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework (PPPF) and the Broad-Based Black-Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Act, among others were implemented in tandem with a host of other interventions. However, the challenges linked to public SCM continue to this day and the intended outcomes are yet to be fully realised, thereby negatively impacting on the effective delivery of services by the public sector. This study investigated the relationship between SCM practices, supplier performance and supply chain resilience in the South African public sector. The study is premised on the need to investigate how SCM practices may be applied to improve the effectiveness of supplier performance, and hence the resilience of the public supply chain in South Africa, in light of the numerous challenges faced by the sector. This study followed a quantitative method in which a cross-sectional survey was applied to collect data to test the relationships between seven SCM practices (supply chain collaboration, supply chain synergies, supply chain innovation, information sharing, information quality, supply chain design, supply chain integration), supplier performance and supply chain resilience. A structured survey questionnaire was developed using adapted measurement scales and administered to 333 SCM professionals recruited from public sector organisations based in the Gauteng Province. The data collected were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 25.0) and the Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS Version 25.0) statistical software. The actual data analysis techniques applied included descriptive and inferential statistics and hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling. The results of the study showed that three SCM practices, namely collaboration, innovation and integration exerted a significant positive influence on supplier performance. However, supply chain synergies, information quality and supply chain design were statistically insignificant. Moreover, information sharing exerted a significant negative influence on supplier performance. In turn, supplier performance exerted a significant positive influence on supply chain resilience. The study contributes in various ways to both public SCM theory and practice. Theoretically, it provides information on how the SCM dimensions considered in this study, which are supply chain collaboration, synergies, innovation, information sharing and quality, design, and integration are linked to supplier performance and supply chain resilience within the public sector in South Africa. Given the limited evidence of previous studies of this nature in the South African public sector, the results are an essential addition to the existing body of literature within the public SCM context in developing countries such as South Africa. From a managerial standpoint, the study provides information on which SCM practices deserve attention in the efforts to improve the performance of suppliers, and how the performance of suppliers can be harnessed to enhance the resilience of the public supply chain. Hence, the study offers an important diagnostic framework through which the SCM challenges facing the public supply chain in South Africa can be addressed.