Faculty of Management Sciences
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Item Supply chain management in disaster response : achieving effectiveness in drought induced disasters in Zimbabwe(2017) Mushanyuri, Bongani Edwin; Ngcamu, Bethuel SibongiseniZimbabwe is a Sub-Saharan African country which is exposed to the El-Nino effect. The frequent occurrence of the El-Nino phenomenon results in reduced precipitation in Zimbabwe. In recent years, the country experienced frequent and severe food shortages due to the effects of drought disasters affecting hundreds of thousands of people. The World Bank in 2013 reported that weather related disasters will continue to afflict the country hence the need for the country to devise robust drought coping strategies. The Zimbabwean government and registered private voluntary organisations work together in providing food relief to drought stricken communities. When rendering food aid, there are factors such as culture, leadership attitudes, the economy, political environment and the disaster management policy that affects the effectiveness of drought relief supply chains. The primary objective of this study was to explore the role of supply chains on the effects of drought induced disasters in Zimbabwe. The study objectives were to assess the disaster management environment in Zimbabwe; investigate the current supply chain management strategies used in drought disaster response in Zimbabwe; determine the extent to which disaster supply chains performance is affected by culture, leadership attitudes, political state, economic state, legal framework and to explore the adequacy of the disaster management policy in dealing with drought induced disaster in Zimbabwe. The crunch and the disaster phase models were used as overarching theories on which the study is grounded. The study made use of a triangulated research design. Both qualitative and quantitative research approaches were applied. The research population comprised 200 participants in total, of which 26 were government officials and 174 were from Non- governmental organisations. Questionnaires and interviews were used to generate primary data. The data was analysed using Stata 13. The findings revealed that the identified factors were not enablers to drought relief response but exacerbated community vulnerability. Poor road network, lack of financial resources, poor stakeholder relations, poor communication and lack of information sharing affected the effectiveness of drought relief supply chains in Zimbabwe. The disaster management policy was also found to be reactive in posture and the Department of Civil Protection was not adequately resourced to effectively execute its mandate of coordinating and monitoring the activities of the different participants in drought disaster response. Another significant finding was that supply chain aspects such as transport costs and warehouse costs reduced because of the level of education and work experience of the participants. The major conclusions of the study were that culture, leadership attitudes, political state and the disaster management policy were not enablers of drought relief response in Zimbabwe except for economic state and the legal framework. It was also revealed that drought relief supply chains were affected by poor state of roads, political interference, lack of financial resources, poor communication and lack of information sharing among relief participants and that, the drought disaster management policy was not providing for drought logistics planning. The expected outcomes of the study are to help improve the effectiveness of drought disaster response in Zimbabwe. Fundamentally, the study anticipated to influence the drought disaster management policy so that there is an effective drought disaster management framework.Item An investigation of purchasing and supply chain management practices and challenges in state enterprises : a case study of the health sector in Zimbabwe(2017) Shonhe, Johnson; Bayat, Mohamed SaheedThe world over, countries are burdened with existing and emerging diseases and while that affected all nations, sub-Saharan Africa carried the heaviest portion. This filtered to Zimbabwe where a myriad of health challenges are faced. Unavailability of medicines coupled with poor inventory management of these medicines has been prevalent. Insufficient financial resources and increasing cost of healthcare costs is one of the pressing matters. It is also important to note that these challenges are occurring at a time when government is realising the crucial role of procurement in addressing health challenges. Due to the extent, depth, breadth and nature of the health challenges and their criticality in establishing sustainable and affordable health system in Zimbabwe, a case study approach has been adopted where data from questionnaires, interviews, documents and observations were corroborated and triangulated in an effort to bring to the surface deep-seated procurement matters and how they are related to the challenges provided. Thus, in terms of the research findings, it was first revealed that the procurement legislative frameworks and processes are fragmented and not in one place resulting in multiple accountabilities. It was further shown that the framework is inappropriate in a healthcare set-up where issues of speed and flexibility in addressing requirements are paramount. It was also shown that procurement planning being a critical aspect is regrettably and detrimentally missing in procurements. In addition, the selection criteria as set out in the regulations and practiced by individual state health facilities indicated over-reliance on price and that being the case, key aspects such as quality and supply-lead time are missed and yet are very necessary in terms of evaluation among other factors. In the findings, the peripheral role of procurement staff with clinicians being also at the epicentre of purchasing decisions was presented. Perhaps related to that was the inadequacy of procurement skills and competences from the procurement personnel. Last on the findings, financing and the frequency of disbursement was unmatched with hospital requirements and thus resulting in unavailability of adequate medicines and equipment.Item The assessment of disaster risk reduction strategies in dairy supply chains in Zimbabwe(2017) Chari, Felix; Ngcamu, Bethuel SibongiseniDisasters are on the increase globally with devastating effects. The devastation caused by these disasters in various countries highlights the need for increased commitment and investment, by government and various stakeholders, in disaster risk reduction. This study investigated disaster risk reduction strategies in Zimbabwe’s dairy supply chains. The study was initiated on the premise that Zimbabwe is at high risk and vulnerable to natural and man-made hazards. The study is set in the backdrop of declining output across all agricultural sectors evident particularly in the dairy farming sector that has seen inadequate supply of raw milk and dairy products by local producers in Zimbabwe. This study therefore sought to assess the collaborative strategies by government, dairy organisations and dairy supply chain stakeholders to reduce disaster risks in the dairy industry. The study employed a mixed-method approach (qualitative and quantitative) to investigate collaborative disaster risk reduction strategies used by dairy supply chain stakeholders to avoid supply chain disruptions. The study used a sample size of 92 dairy farmers, from major milk producing regions of Zimbabwe, for the questionnaire. The Cronbach alpha test for reliability showed a reliable questionnaire. Furthermore, the study used information from key informants, 30 retailers and 20 dairy officers for one-on-one interviews. Quantitative data was analysed using STATA (version 13). OLS regression analysis was done and results were compared with those of the Tobit models as a test for robustness of the results. Qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis derived from observations and interviews and descriptive statistics presented in tables and bar charts. Notable in the literature reviewed is lack of coordination amongst stakeholders in strategies to reduce disaster risks in dairy supply chains in Zimbabwe. This study adopted a collaborative proactive framework and tested it as a strategy to reduce disaster risks in dairy supply chains. The study gives four major findings. Firstly, dairy supply chains in Zimbabwe were exposed to a number of risks which are: international competition, competition from local giants, financial risks, political risks, technological risks, environmental risks and production risks. Secondly, findings from regression analysis indicated that an overall index of disaster risks significantly influenced job losses, food security, milk productivity and growth of ventures in dairy businesses. Thirdly, there were isolated cases of planned coordination by stakeholders in the industry to reduce the negative effects of disasters across the supply chain. There was collaboration among dairy farmers, processors, NGOs, and government departments of agriculture and environment. Fourthly, an index of collaborative strategies regressed against dependent variables of variables of supply chain cost, lead time milk sales, and variety and quality of milk demonstrated that collaborative strategies in dairy supply chain significantly influenced supply chain costs and variety and quality of milk and milk products. It is expected that the study will assist government in the formulation of public policies for the dairy sector leading to improved access to high quality raw milk and milk products for consumers thus resulting in improved nutrition and food security for the people of Zimbabwe. Policy recommendations highlight that instead of the current maximum of the 5 year lease given to white commercial farmers, the government should consider issuing out long term leases in order to protect long-term investment in dairy projects. Government should, therefore, create an enabling environment for stakeholder partnerships in the dairy sector.