The assessment of sustainable supply chain management practices amongst selected manufacturing firms in Ghana.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.The study investigated whether the design and application of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices in the Ghanaian manufacturing business enhance their financial performance and make them environmentally and socially responsible. The study was guided by six theories: the contingency theory, the resource-based view (RBV), the relational-view theory (RVT), the innovation diffusion theory (IDV), the stakeholder theory and the resource dependence theory (RDT). The study was underpinned by a pragmatist paradigm and followed a mixed-methods methodology, which combined interviews and surveys questionnaires to gather qualitative and quantitative data from a sample of 303 employees of Ghanaian manufacturing firms and 20 individuals who lived nearby. The data analysis findings revealed that relational, instrumental, knowledge and moral factors have a significant and positive direct effect on SSCM practices. Moreover, SSCM practices have a positive and significant effect on the economic, environmental and social performance of manufacturing firms. Barriers to the adoption of SSCM practices were also revealed. The findings led to the recommendation that firms need to use environmentally friendly materials for their products and introduce standardized procedures for recycling and disassembling products. In addition, manufacturing enterprises should collaborate with suppliers to ensure that they also adhere to sustainability standards in their processes and deliver services/products that support sustainability goals

Factors Influencing Adoption of Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices Among Manufacturing Firms

There is a significant gap in emerging nations such as Ghana on factors influencing the adoption of Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM), as most of these studies are conducted in advanced nations. As a result, this study investigates the factors influencing manufacturing companies in Ghana's adoption of SSCM practices. Three hundred and three 303 manufacturing firms with an annual turnover of not less than one million dollars ($1,000,000) were purposively selected for the study. Throughout the study, close-ended questionnaires were adopted for the data collection. Structural equation model (SEM) was used to examine empirically the factors that influence the firms’ adoption of SSCM. The study revealed that adoption of SSCM is influenced by instrumental, moral, and knowledge factors. Based on the study outcomes presented and discussed, the study concluded that instrumental, relational, moral and knowledge factors affected the adoption of SSCM practices by firms in Ghana  Further studies on the subject can adopt a case study approach, as this method will be able to investigate the topic in a manner that allows for a more in-depth comprehension of the subject in a particular context

Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices in Ghana

The study assessed the sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices of 303 manufacturing firms in Ghana with an annual turnover of not less than $1,000,000, which were purposively selected for the study. A questionnaire comprising closed-ended questions was used to collect data on the SSCM practices of the firms, which were sustainable product design (SPD), sustainable process design (SP), supply-side collaboration (SSC) and demand-side collaboration (DSC). A weighted average index was used for the data analysis the results of which revealed that in manufacturing firms under study, SPD had a mean score of 4.44, SP had a mean score of 4.48, SSC had a mean score of 4.52 and DSC had a mean score of 4.52. The study identified many issues policymakers should look at to promote SSCM practices in manufacturing firms. In addition, policies should prioritise energy/material consumption; the reusing, recycling and recovering of materials; a standardised product design to facilitate reuse; environmentally-friendly materials, products and manufacturing processes; the easy disassembly of materials products; product life cycle analysis; and the formalisation of procedures for environmentally-friendly product design. Based on the diminishing of the world’s natural resources and the importance of SSCM, it is recommended that all manufacturing firms in Ghana and the world adopt SSCM practices. Moreover, manufacturing firms need to collaborate with their customers to anticipate and solve sustainability problems to achieve sustainability goals

Effect of Outsourcing Strategies on the Operational Performance of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Ghana

The study examined the effect of outsourcing on the operational performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Using questionnaires, a descriptive research design was employed with a sample size of 68 SMEs in Sunyani Municipality. The data analysis was based on a mean score and standard deviation using SPSS. The nature of outsourcing recorded in the study was the SMEs outsourcing some of their activities (mean score = 4.47, SD = 0.47), the practice affecting all areas of their operations (mean score = 4.24, SD = 0.47), and specifically internal operations (mean score = 4.17, SD = 0.55). The reasons SMEs in Sunyani practice outsourcing are to free up the company's resources to focus on its core competencies (mean score = 4.41, SD = 0.37), improve its competitive position (mean score = 4.26, SD = 0.41), avoid labour issues (mean score = 4.11, SD = 0.43), reduce cost (mean score = 3.82, SD = 0.52), reduce the risk associated with in-house production (mean score = 3.80, SD = 0.54), and increase efficiency (mean score = 3.75, SD = 0.60). The effects of outsourcing on operations and service delivery are reduced through superior provider performance, and the provider's lower cost structure (mean score = 4.21, SD = 0.43) and existing skills are commercially exploited (mean score = 4.18, SD = 0.47). Therefore, SMEs in Sunyani are encouraged to continue with their outsourcing practices. However, further study is recommended on the factors and challenges affecting outsourcing among Ghanaian companies

The Effects of Supply Chain Management Strategies on Competitive Advantage on Food and Beverage Processing Companies; A Case Study in the Ashanti Region Of Ghana

The food and beverage industry plays a unique role in expanding economic opportunities because it is universal to life and health. However, the industry’s performance was below average in Ghana and was facing intense competition from the imported food stuffs from overseas. The study adopted quantitative approach with food and beverage processing companies in the Ashanti Region of Ghana as the target population. The target population for the study was hundred selected companies in the SME’s which comprises of fifty respondents in food and fifty respondents in beverage. Structured questionnaires were used to gather primary data in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Linear regression and correlation statistics were applied to investigate relationship between SCM Strategies and competitive advantage. The study concluded that companies’ competitive advantage is achieved through implementing supply chain agility, collaboration and integration strategies in their networks. The study recommends that the companies should develop a clearly laid down policies and procedures for handling customers’ concerns and also develop interactive websites to achieve effective information sharing and concerns that can be addressed in real time