- Title
- Assessing the technologies transforming the logistics Industry in Nelson Mandela Bay
- Creator
- Ruiters, Byron
- Subject
- Business logistics -- South Africa
- Date Issued
- 2022-04
- Date
- 2022-04
- Type
- Master's theses
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58168
- Identifier
- vital:58616
- Description
- Supply chain disruptions such as those emanating from the current Covid 19 pandemic have made the logistics industry to undergo fast and unprecedented change. In such unpredictable times, innovation and technology adoption has emerged as one of the major trends and key solutions to lead the way for the future of logistics. This is also because a successful and efficient logistics strategy requires the use of technology, as well as the strategic value derived from a firm's capacity. This in turn enables firms to recognise possibilities and challenges resulting from technological advancement in order to attain long-term competitiveness. The industry is implementing these technologies with caution in order to provide faster, cheaper, more dependable and long-term supply. This study sought to investigate whether Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) is keeping up with the current logistics technology trends and systems that are transforming logistics firms in South Africa, the African continent and the rest of the world. To achieve this primary objective, the study also sought to achieve the following sub-objectives, namely: to identify the logistics technologies transforming logistics firms in NMB; to assess the role of logistics technologies affecting logistics firms in NMB. The study also sought to ascertain the challenges of using logistics technologies transforming the logistics firms in NMB; and examine the effect of logistics technology adoption and use on business performance of logistics firms in NMB. The study used an online closed-ended questionnaire distributed via google forms to collect primary data from a sample of 132 respondents across all the logistics firms (which consisted of warehousing, transport and packaging firms) in NMB. The study targeted those respondents involved in the management of the targeted logistics firms. The empirical results show that technology use in logistics firms has advanced a lot to vehicle tracking, packaging, inventory control, and communication systems, as well as robotics among logistics firms in NMB. The results also identified logistics technologies such as the Internet of Things, Robotic Process automation, Digital Supply Chain Twins, Vendor managed system and RFID as some of the major technologies currently transforming the logistics firms in NMB. The study found that many challenges exist with logistics technology adoption, and cited lack of investment towards logistics technology; the fear of iii losing jobs as people get replaced by technology such as machines and robots; high logistics costs as some of the major challenges. More so, the study results reveal that logistics technology adoption and use play a positive and significant role in logistics firms. The study further reports a significant and positive effect of logistics technology adoption and use on business performance of logistics firms. This study concludes that though still at infancy stage, logistics firms in NMB are keeping upbreast with the current logistics technological trends. The study suggests that firms need to speed up the adoption of the needed logistics technologies available to their respective business in order to remain efficient and effective.
- Description
- Thesis (MA) --Faculty of Business and Economic science, 2022
- Format
- computer
- Format
- online resource
- Format
- application/pdf
- Format
- 1 online resource (xiv, 194 pages)
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Business and Economic science
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela University
- Rights
- All Rights Reserved
- Rights
- Open Access
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Collections
NMU School for Economics, Development and Tourism
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Ruiters, B.pdf | 2 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |