The Nexus between Residential Density, Travel Behavior and Traffic Congestion in Developing Metropolitans: A Case Study of Harare, Zimbabwe

There is a noticeable dearth of empirical studies on the mediating role of travel behaviour on the influence of residential density on traffic congestion in developing countries, particularly in Zimbabwe. To address this gap, this study examined the effect of residential density on traffic congestion and delved into the potential mediating role of travel behaviour in this relationship. This study used data from a sample of 384 households in the Harare metropolitan province of Zimbabwe. Structural equation modelling was used to test the research hypotheses. The findings indicate that residential density and travel behaviour have a positive effect on traffic congestion. The results also established that travel behaviour partially mediates the relationship between residential density and traffic congestion. This study adds to the existing body of knowledge by providing an array of indicators that can inform policymakers in transportation and urban planning to alleviate traffic congestion

Urban Land-use and Traffic Congestion: Mapping the Interaction

The interaction between transport, land-uses and travel patterns produce diverse transportation problems in urban cities with traffic congestion as the most visible manifestation. Traffic congestion is a frequent phenomenon in most cities around the globe. This paper reviews the interaction between land-use traffic congestion through published literature. The objective of this study is to encourage and provide researchers with future research directions in land-use and traffic congestion. For this purpose, a systematic review was performed analysing 45 articles from the year 2010 to 2020 using a descriptive approach. Subsequently, the results of the study show that although the interaction between land-use and traffic congestion has gained currency in developed countries far less is known on this subject in developing parts of the world, though new evidence is steadily accumulating. Consequently, limitations of this work are presented, opportunities are identified for future lines of research. Finally, the conclusion confirms the need for further research addressing the methodological concerns

Green Fleet Management Practices in Public Service Delivery by Urban Councils: Case of Makonde District in Mashonaland West Province of Zimbabwe

The discussion of green fleet management has gathered much momentum in public sector organizations over recent decades. Green fleet management is broadly defined as a broad concept that includes different approaches by which companies work with their supplier and or customers in order to improve the environmental performance of their operations. Although knowledge base exists in Zimbabwean public sector on green fleet management, there has been no comprehensive studies on green fleet management which has been conducted. The government of Zimbabwe as a controller of public sector organization needs to find new ways, with limited resources, to achieve maximum efficiency in fleet management by managing available resources and related risks. The value of the research is a holistic approach to the analysis of fleet management which has never been undertaken by the public sector. The research employed a descriptive research design which comprised administering of questionnaires to the respondents. The sample was selected using non-probability technique and 80 respondents were selected from the entire District of Makonde. Findings show that there is an association between methods of practicing green fleet management and company performance as measured by sales revenue per year. Therefore, it is benefitting business wise to practice green fleet management operational principles in public service urban councils. The aim being to make sure that the fleet maximises fuel efficiency, minimise vehicle costs whilst improving the safety, welfare of employees and reducing exposure to environmental damage.  Key words: green fleet, public sector, fleet management, urban councils DOI: 10.7176/JESD/11-10-20 Publication date:May 31st 202

Transport management practices and performance of diamond mining companies in Zimbabwe

AbstractThe purpose of the study is to establish the effect of transport management practices on the performance of diamond mining companies. The study population was comprised of four authorized diamond mining companies in Zimbabwe. The sample size was comprised of 92 respondents drawn from logistics, procurement, and finance departments. Respondents were selected using stratified random sampling techniques. Data was collected using a structured 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. Regression analysis was used to test the relationship between study variables. The study found that vehicle scheduling, route planning, vehicle tracking, and fuel management positively influence the performance of diamond mining companies. This implies that the continued use of inefficient transport management practices has resulted in high transport costs, an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, and lower productivity. The study, therefore, recommended that diamond mining firms adopt contemporary transport technologies and implement safety measures such as regular vehicle maintenance, driver safety checks, and driver training. Furthermore, the study contributes to the existing body of literature on transport management and performance

Fleet Management Practices and Occupational health and Safety in the funeral assurance sector: The Mediating Role of Safety Culture

The aim of this study is to establish the effect of fleet management practices on occupational health and safety in Zimbabwe. The study also explored the mediating role of safety cultures on the mentioned relationship. A sample of 72 respondents was drawn from eight registered funeral assurance companies. Respondents were selected using simple random sampling technique while structured questionnaires were used to collect data. Structural equation modelling (SEM) and Amos version 22 were used to test research hypotheses. The study revealed that fleet management practices such as vehicle maintenance, route planning, driver management and vehicle tracking positively influence and occupational health and safety. Moreover, the study concluded that safety culture partially mediates the effect of fleet management practices on occupational health and safety. Understanding the role played by fleet management practices can help industry practitioners to implement effective strategies to enhance occupational health and safety standards. The proposed conceptual framework sets the ground for future research to further develop insights on fleet management practices, occupational health and safety culture

Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices (SSCMPS) and environmental performance: A systematic review

The study sought to determine the influence of Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices (SSCMPS) on environmental performance. The study undertook a systematic review and content analysis in order to derive valid insights on the relationship between the study variables. As such, the study reviewed 140 academic/journal articles published in the period 2012 to 2022, obtained from different databases. ABI/INFORMs (ProQuest), ScienceDirect, SCOPUS and Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) were the principal databases used. The results demonstrate that there is considerable evidence that SSCMPs positively affect environmental performance. A sizeable number of scholars focus on sustainable supply chain management and environmental sustainability, and little focus were given to operational performance and social. Future studies should examine social performance and operational performance as mediating variables. Furthermore, more industry-orientated studies should apply robust methodologies such as mixed methods and include mediating and moderating variables to unpack the relationship between SSCMPs and environmental performance

Resource allocation and supplier relationship management towards the performance of the manufacturing industry: Evidence from the paint manufacturing firms in Harare, Zimbabwe

Resource and supplier relationship management continues to play a critical role in the efficiency of the supply chain and its competitive positioning. The current study sought to establish how the paint manufacturing industry’s performance is influenced by resource allocation (finance, human, physical, and information resources) and supplier relationship management (systematic collaboration, activities programs, and review meetings) and their ultimate contribution to organizational performance. The objectives of this study were to establish the effect of resource allocation on supplier relationship management and determine how supplier relationship management influences the performance of the paint manufacturing industry. Using a simple random sampling method, data were collected from 116 employees involved in the procurement process from 30 paint manufacturing firms in Harare. A questionnaire with Likert-type questions was distributed electronically to collect the data. This study established that there is a high inadequacy of resources to support the supplier relationship management system. A greater percentage of organizations (77.5%) employ procurement staff with the necessary qualifications and experience to manage the buyer–supplier relationship. The study further revealed that some organizations (98%) within the paint manufacturing industry do not have websites for supplier interaction due to limited financial resources, thereby impacting their supplier information resources. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing new insights into the need for sufficient resource-supplier relationship management, as it greatly contributes to the performance of the paint manufacturing sector.</p

The effect of social media marketing on brand loyalty in the hospitality industry in Zimbabwe: the moderating role of age

Building and maintaining brand loyalty is crucial for every organisation in such competitive business environment and organisations in the hospitality industry are not spared. Hotels have made many efforts on branding to gain brand loyalty from their customers and recently they have carried their efforts to social media to survive in online environment as well. The growth in social media marketing is attributed to the increase in social networking users, internet users, mobile phone users and digital content consumption. Therefore, the aim of this study was to establish the effect of social media marketing on brand loyalty in the hospitality industry in Zimbabwe, with age as a moderator. Data was gathered from 223 hotel customers using a structured questionnaire with Likert-type questions. The findings show that social media marketing positively influences brand loyalty in emerging market. Also, the study findings show that age moderate the effect of social media marketing on brand loyalty. The study contributes to studies that proved a significant relationship between social media marketing and brand loyalty by including the moderating role of age. Thus, hospitality organisations are advised to utilise social media marketing in order to improve brand loyalty. In addition, they must consider the moderating role of age when formulating social media marketing strategies to enhance brand loyalty. Social media marketing contributes a crucial role in the success of firms in the hospitality industry. This study examines effect of social media marketing on brand loyalty within the hospitality industry in Zimbabwe and the moderating role of age. The study specifically tests the effect of social media, media sharing networks and consumer review networks on brand loyalty. The study established that social media marketing positively influences brand loyalty in emerging market. Also, the study established that age moderates the relationship between social media marketing and brand loyalty. Thus, hospitality organisations are encouraged to utilise social media marketing in order to improve brand loyalty. Also, they are advised to consider age when formulating strategies to enhance brand loyalty.</p