College of Humanities & Social Sciences

Permanent URI for this collection

Browse

Recent Submissions

Now showing 1 - 5 of 2228
  • Item
    The covid-19 pandemic and digital transformation of supply chains: a study of manufacturing companies in the western region of Ghana
    (KNUST, 2023) Owusu-Barnie Kwame
    The study used a descriptive survey approach to evaluate the COVID-19 outbreak and the digitization of the supply chain inside manufacturing businesses in Ghana's western region. The study randomly sampled 100 respondents from 20 manufacturing firms in Western Region. The only method used to gather data for this study was a structured questionnaire with a 100% response rate. Tables and figures presented the findings of a descriptive investigation. The survey discovered that some of the primary digital transformation practices employed by industrial companies in the Western Region of Ghana include e-sourcing, software, predictive analytic tools, and e-tendering. The study also found that found that some challenges of digital transformation within supply chain of the manufacturing companies surveyed included Data security, an unstable network, a cybersecurity challenge, capital expenses, problems with the company's culture, the lack of a digital transformation strategy as a whole, an inflexible legal infrastructure, pushback, and resistance from employees, and a lack of knowledge and experience. Finally, it was also found that some impact of digital transformation Practices on performance included speeding up assembly and palletization, giving an accurate forecast of demand, making the supply chain more visible to improve performance and close gaps, and making process visualization and product design better. The study thus recommended that manufacturing companies use digital transformation practices like specific software & predictive analysis tools to improve asset performance and reliability, enhance visibility, track products and shipment, support scalable operations, improve process visualization and product design.
  • Item
    Assessing the impact of inventory management practices on production performance in the beverage production industry. The moderating role of dynamic capabilities.
    (KNUST, 2023) Aidoo Kwesi Baafo
    The research sought to assess the impact of inventory management practices on production performance in the beverage industry, looking at the moderating role of dynamic capabilities. The study focused on an industry perspective, and leveraged data from four alcoholic beverage manufacturing firms within Ghana. The study chooses a sample of 120 staff and managers of the beverage industry but received 117 responses were received which constitute 97.5% response rate. Data was collected from the respondents using structured questionnaires. The respondents were chosen using both purposive and convenience sampling techniques, and the Statistical Package for Social Science version 20 was employed to analyze the data. The study found that the dominant inventory management practices in the beverage industry were; Economic order quantity, use of bar code scanner systems, enterprise resource planning systems, vendor managed inventory, and just-in-time. Economic order quantity, barcode scanner system, enterprise resource planning system, and vendor-managed inventory (independent variables) were found to have a significant and positive impact on production performance of the beverage manufacturing industry. The study found just-in-time (independent variable) to have an inverse and insignificant relationship and impact on production performance in the beverage industry. The study equally found economic order quantity to be the variable making most contribution to the prediction and production performance of the beverage industry. The study further found marketing capability, alliancing capability (independent variables) to have a positive and significant relationship with production performance of the beverage industries. Technological capability development (independent variable) was found to have inverse but positive relationship with production performance (dependent variable). Meanwhile, managerial capability (independent variable) has inverse and insignificant relationship with production performance of the beverage manufacturing industry. The study concluded that, a reasonable balance between dynamic capability strengthens the association between inventory management practices and production performance. Findings indicated that, introduction of dynamic capability into the operations of manufacturing firms enhance it level of performance. It is therefore recommended that, the beverage manufacturing managers should strategically manage and invest in boasting the performance of its dynamic capabilities so as to enhance performance.
  • Item
    Examining the mediating role of competitive advantage on the relationship between green supply chain management practices and firm performance: evidence from the public sector in Ghana
    (KNUST, 2023) Arthur Mavis
    The mediating role of green supply chain management (GSCM) on the relationship between green supply chain management practices and organisational performance cannot be overemphasised. As such, conducting a study on how GSCM mediates the relationship between green supply chain management practices and organisational performance was relevant. Therefore, the study selected some firms in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis in the Western region of. A sample of 100 respondents was selected out of which a response rate of 96% was achieved. The findings revealed that there is high extent of green supply chain management practices firms within the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis. From the findings, it was found out that only green purchasing had a positive and significant effect on organisational performance. Again, it was found that green purchasing had a positive and significant effect on green production as well as reverse logistics whereas exgreen purchasing practices had a positive and significant effect on organisational performance. Though none of the GSCM practices had a significant effect on organisational performance, the mediation analysis using the Sobel Test revealed that ecological design mediates the relationship between green purchasing practices and organisational performance whereas green production mediates the relationship between exgreen purchasing practices and organisational performance. It is recommended for firms to concentrate on providing education on green purchasing on the environment. By so doing, it would have an effect on their GSCM and organisational performance.
  • Item
    The mediating role of green procurement on the relationship between environmental knowledge and procurement sustainability: empirical study of firms in the western region of Ghana
    (KNUST, 2023) Ennin Michael
    In recent times, sustainable practices have become a necessary necessity due to numerous environmental issues, including land degradation, global poverty, human rights absence, general health deficiencies and corporate governance. The general objective of the study was to assess the mediating role of green procurement on the relationship between environmental knowledge and procurement sustainability: empirical study of organizations in the Western region in Ghana. The study therefore focused on managers and senior staffs as representatives of their firms to collect data to test the relationships among the research model. A sample size of 200 was selected out of which questionnaires were administered to in order to gather data to measure the three main variables and test their relationships. All 200 questionnaires returned representing 100% response rate. This is an excellent percentage and it is based on these returned responses that findings of the study were obtained from, analysed and discussed. The findings revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship between environmental knowledge and procurement sustainability. Also, it was found that that there is a positive and significant effect between environmental knowledge and green procurement. However, it was realized that there is a negative effect between green procurement and procurement sustainability but it was statistically significant. Finally, in relation to the mediating effect of green procurement on the relationship between environmental knowledge and procurement sustainability, using the Sobel Test, it was found that the mediation effect of green procurement on the relationship 0 between environmental knowledge and procurement sustainability was significant as the p-value is close to zero (p = 0.69908891). However, From the findings, it was found that the effect of green procurement on procurement sustainability was negative though there was a positive effect between environmental knowledge and green procurement. This implies that green procurement does not positively mediate the relationship between environmental knowledge and procurement sustainability. As such, it can be said that green procurement does not positively mediate the relationship between environmental knowledge and procurement sustainability. It is therefore recommended that firms should thus increase their environmental knowledge as they offer even more potential for differentiation than manual sourcing and procurement, which are still important.
  • Item
    Socially responsible chain production in an emerging market: the role of institutional forces, top management support and supply chain ambidexterity
    (KNUST, 2023) Kombat Solomon
    Supply chains sustainability are crucial for industrial enterprises to survive in highly competitive industries. Not only do supply chain sustainability dynamics shape business and working environments, but they also affect the business model opportunities and capacities. This study examines the major role of institutional force, top management support and the supply chain ambidexterity on socially responsible supply chain within the production. Industry. The study seek to achieve the following four specific objectives; determine the various institutional forces activities in the manufacturing sector in the Northern region, investigates the socially responsible supply chain activities in the Manufacturing Firms within the Northern Region and the two remaining objectives are to examine moderation role of supply chain ambidexterity on the relationship between top manage socially responsible supply chain and investigate the mediation role of top management support on the relationship between institutional forces and socially responsible supply chain. Quantitative design was adopted with a sample size of 285. Among the key findings of the study were that both direct and indirect institutional forces positively and significantly affect both the top management support system and socially responsible supply chain management practices. Also, at the higher supply chain ambidexterity practices top management support system influence the socially responsible supply chain management practices positively. The study therefore recommended that management should invest more into socially responsible supply chain in order to get more production firms running in the Country.