Logistics & Supply Chain Management
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Item INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF CARGO THEFT ON WALVIS BAY PORT OPERATIONS IN NAMIBIA(2019) Elago, ElizabethThe aim of this study was to investigate the effects of cargo theft on the Walvis Bay port operations. The study was grounded in the pragmatic worldview. The study adopted an exploratory sequential mixed method. The sample size of 30 participants was drawn from an estimated population of 1000 officials at the Port of Walvis Bay using non-probability sampling technique. Purposeful sampling method was used to draw a sample of respondents from relevant departments. The study used an open-ended questionnaire containing semi-structured in-depth questions aimed at obtaining qualitative data and survey questionnaires consisting of closed-ended questions to collect quantitative data. Based on the results, the study found that cargo theft has possible effects on port operations which are: financial loss, customer loss, sustainability of port operation, and unreliability of port services. Furthermore, the study found that cargo theft has subsided after the recruitment of port security officials and the inauguration of a mobile police station within the port in 2013. The two security measures assisted in combating crime at the port and subsequently minimised cargo theft. The study further found that stolen cargo was recovered within a short period. Regarding the payments of the stolen cargo, the findings revealed that Namport pays for stolen cargo on the basis of the investigation outcomes. In addition, insurance payments results show that insurance pay-outs are paid out in different percentages based on the investigations outcomes. However, the performances at the port are fairly or less affected. Furthermore, cargo theft negatively affects other parties such as port customers, clearing agents and shipping lines. Cargo theft has negative threats on the supply chain of cargo which can have a negative effect on port operations. Most noteworthy threats are loss of customer’s trust, the unreliability of services, negative influence on port customers’ shipping lines including cargo owners, resulting into dissatisfaction, loss of finance, and lastly threats to the economy at large. The installation of CCTV cameras all over the port, the implementation of port security, the ISPS code compliance, security baselines, the complement of National Youth Service officials as well as the GIS system and Namibia police force officials are some of the strategies employed by the port to reduce and fight cargo theft at the port. The researcher recommends that Namport adds modern technology to the security measures already in place in tracing and proving whether the loose items are lost in the port premises or in transit. Finally, Namport is recommended to adopt strategies that can eliminate threats that cargo theft imposes in the supply chain. The study concluded that theft at the Walvis Bay port has reduced for the past 5 years and the theft that is taking place currently at the port has minimal effect on port operations but on other parties, clearing agencies, port customers as well as shipping lines to mention a few. The adoption of new technology will assist in combating the theft of cargo at the port. However, port customers are advised to do a background check on the shipping companies before using their service to avoid occurrences of loose commodities getting lost.Item Public transport in Namibia: What is the customer satisfaction experience? Paper presented at the 1st Namibia Customer Service Awards & Conference, 2014.(NUST, 2014) Madejski, Eugene; Simbi, Yasmin; Shangheta, BibiThis study investigates customer satisfaction related to public transportation in Namibia. Transport plays a major role in any place worldwide, as it enables the movement of people (passengers) and goods from one point to another. Most Namibians use road and rail as their form of transport, thus this research is designed to gain understanding as to what extent customers are satisfied with the customer service they receive from the public transportation. Customer satisfaction is an essential element to staying in business in this modern world of global competition. Therefore, providers must satisfy and even delight our customers with the value of our transport services delivery, in order to gain their loyalty and repeat business. Customer satisfaction is therefore a primary goal of process improvement programmes. To what extent are customers satisfied with public transport in Namibia? One of the best ways to find out is to ask them by means of customer satisfaction survey to elicit customers participation. These surveys can provide management with the information they need to determine their customer level of satisfaction with services associated with their public transport. Thus this information will be of relevance to the municipality as well as to the country at large, as it strives toward achieving vision 2030. The survey targeted public transport users, since they are the most affected and that is where we can get relevant data that we need to obtain. We collected primary research data through the dissemination of a questionnaire that will be distributed to different public transport customers, namely those who are using taxis, Municipality buses, long distance buses, long distance minibuses and railways. Our sample size will be of 30 for each mode of transport, and the survey was conducted using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the level of customer satisfactions of public transport clients. Potential recommendations will be made based on the research outputs, to not only improve the transport service countrywide but also to implement an effective public transport system based on international standards.Item Local and international students' perception on service quality: A case study on a South African university. Paper presented at the First Namibia Customer Service Awards & Conference, Windhoek, Namibia.(NUST, 2014) Naidoo, Vannie; Mensah, Samuel N. A.The quality question has now been thrust to the fore in the academic market because students and their sponsors more rigorously shop around for quality of programmes and of modes of delivery. Universities, especially those that thrive on intake of foreign students, must therefore accommodate this trend in their academic and support services. This paper conceptualises service quality within a university environment, teases out the economics of service quality, and determines if there are differences in the way local and international students at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal perceive quality of academic and support services, using the SERVQUAL model for data collection and the Mann-Whitney test. Data was collected from a sample of 380 students drawn from all five campuses of the University. The Mann-Whitney test results indicate that there is no statistically significant difference in the Gap scores between local and international students on service quality at the 95% level; that expectations of foreign students on services provided by the international office were not met; and that students ranked the University’s services as “poor”. The management of the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal should therefore seriously consider the strategies recommended here for improvements in quality of academic and support services and in the institution’s ranking inside and outside South Africa.Item The impact of the logistics gap on customer service in southern Africa: Evidence from Namibia and the Republic of South Africa. Paper presented at the 1st Namibia Customer Service Awards & Conference, 2014.(NUST, 2014) Fransman, L.; Heyns, G. J.; Luke, R.; Savage, Christopher J.Logistics is essential for the development of trade (& therefore potential wealth) in southern Africa. To enable this to succeed it is crucial that the industry provides good (international) standards of customer service. Therefore, it is important to understand the current level of service provision as well as: what influences it, which skills are required and thus the impact of any skills gap. Within this context, this paper addresses the question: “What is the impact of the logistics skills gap on customer service in southern Africa” drawing its evidence from Namibia and the Republic of South Africa. Previous research strands investigated skills requirements and shortages in the logistics industry of South African, determined stakeholder views on barriers to logistics development in Namibia as well as understanding of the service levels that are offered. This study uses the findings of these research strands, supported by additional data from literature as well as by stakeholder and academic feedback from conferences, workshops and publications. It gave a nuanced view of the probable extent and magnitude of the skills gap in the southern African logistics industry and evaluated the impact that this may have on the future service provision in the two countries and, in outline terms, the region as a whole. It identified differences and similarities between the two countries’ industries and established a base-line for future research in the SADC / SACU area. The work provides an independent view on logistics skills capability and the progress in capacity development, which is vital for the future development and welfare of the region. It emphasises the need to cultivate people related skills in parallel with infrastructure development to ensure that the serviceability offered is adequate to ensure that any predicted benefits are achieved.Item Customer service in the Namibian logistics industry: Benchmarking for the future. Paper presented at the 1st Namibia Customer Service Awards & Conference, 2014.(NUST, 2014) Fransman, L.; Salomo, E. N.; Savage, Christopher J.An efficient and effective logistics industry is essential if Namibia to achieve the objectives of its “Vision 2030” and “NDP_4” plans to stimulate growth through trade. Logistics can support trade, but only if it achieves the appropriate service levels. Namibia plans to develop a thriving port-centric logistics cluster, however for this to succeed it is vital that Namibia’s logistics industry delivers levels of customer service that match those required by international shippers and does so at a competitive price. This research used an exploratory approach through questionnaires and telephone interviews to gain a better understanding of those levels of service. The findings produced a preliminary view of the service levels offered by the logistics industry in Namibia. The results showed the service aspects that are of greatest importance to Namibian logistics users and indicated how well the industry is fulfilling them.Item Can Namibia become a regional gateway by developing a logistics hub around Walvis Bay's Port?(NUST, Department of Communication, 2014) Savage, Christopher J.; Fransman, L.Many developing countries wish to become the 'gateway' to a region or part of a continent. One strategy involves encouraging logistics cluster development. These support global supply chains and enable the growth of the host country through the resulting trade as well as providing direct and indirect employment opportunities during the build and subsequent operation of the hub. Namibia has a desire to become the gateway to southern Africa and the SADC region. Previous work, (Munoz & River, 2010; Lambourdiere, Savage & Corbin, 2012) have established the criteria for successful clusters, whilst Savage (2013) looked at Namibia's potential for success using data from the NGLC's 2011 'State of Logistics' research (Jenkins, Savage & Fransman, 2012). This article reviews those findings using current survey data to assess Namibia's logistics industry's readiness to take on this gateway role.Item The effect of regulations on the efficiency of bus and taxi services in Windhoek.(2014) Madejski, Eugene; Amushila, Roswindis; Kulatau, LuciaThis project was conducted in order to analyse the effect of regulations on the efficiency of bus and taxi services in Windhoek. As the public transport indeed plays a vital role in the economy, it is important to bring this sector to order and efficiency. Proper regulation of this sector is not only important for the income it generates to a country and its contribution to GDP, but as it has been observed elsewhere, when the transport sector goes on strike due to dissatisfaction in onearea or another, the result is chaos in public and loss of business to general members of the public. The public transport has great potential to contribute significantly to the country’s economy and it plays a vital role for the government (Ministry of Works and Transport), in ensuring good governance which is essential towards achieving efficiency. In order to successfully carry out this research and critically analyse the public transport system in Namibia, a qualitative research was conducted. This research was done in a form of face to face interviews with a sample size of 20, via simple random sampling methods. This method helped to establish a great understanding of the current situation faced by this sector. Every element of the stakeholders in the Namibia Transport sector had a chance to be part of this research, responses were analysed to draw results for the study. A great deal of work still needs to be done for the public transport sector to improve, in order for efficiencies to be evident. The outcome of this research indicated that the majority of operators and users of public transport feel that a regulatory safety and cooperation body, needs to be established in order to achieve an efficient public transport sector. Therefore, this study has a opportunity of providing the Namibian government, especially the Ministry of Works and Transport an chance to review the regulation and operators of the public transport in Namibia, in order to bring about order through proper regulation and greater awareness. Consistency should be implemented, in order to cement the regulations for all stakeholders to become more aware.Item Anti piracy disaster risk management for sea cargo logistics in the south east Atlantic and Benguela coastal area.(2014) Madejski, Eugene; Fritze, ChristopherPiracy in the south east Atlantic is an increasing challenge for shippers and freight forwarders, especially in the Gulf of Guinea. At the coast of Nigeria, Benin and Togo 63 per cent of piracy acts involved vessels are tankers carrying refined petroleum products. According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) the official number of annual successful attacks in this region is approximately 50. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) concedes that the real number of pirate attacks is at least twice this figure (UNODC, 2014). The Namibian newspaper The Namibian reported on Thursday 11 July 2013 about the expanding plans of Namibias biggest port in Walvis Bay (Namport). It has been reported that Namport will increase its container handling ability up to one million TEU’s a year. It also will have one of the largest gas and oil supply bases in the region (Hartmann, 2013). Due to this, there will be a higher traffic of oil tankers and other cargo ships along the west coast of Africa. This situation could attract pirates to conduct attacks in the Benguela coast region. The Angolan air force and navy were already hunting suspected pirates after an oil tanker went missing near Luanda (BBC, 2014). Angola is a direct neighboring country to Namibia. Members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) like South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia already exercise techniques and procedures to coordinate anti-piracy operations. More than 700 soldiers were involved in the Operation Welwitschia in 2013 (Nkala, 2013).Item Pirates on the high seas: Destabilised supply chain efficiency and performance - the case of SIDS (Small Island Developing State) Seychelles.(2014) Madejski, EugeneThe period over the past 5 years, 2006 to the present day, has seen a dramatic change to the pre-existing levels of security and safe passage for sea-going vessels in Seychelles waters. In 2006, for example, there were no reported incidents of pirate activity in Seychelles waters. However, this has rapidly changed over these past 5 years, to one where the EUNAVFOR European Union Naval Force Operation ATALANTA now defines that entire north west Indian Ocean as Suez to the north, 10 degrees south (northern tip of Madagascar) and 78 degrees East (Cape Comorin, India). This is a massive sea area, and encompasses the entire Seychelles EEZ Economic Exclusion Zone which is in itself extremely large measuring 1,393,000 square kilometres. By comparison the western European countries of France, Germany, Italy and UK altogether total 1,450,000 square kilometres. The task of successfully patrolling and policing the entire NW Indian Ocean is an enormous undertaking akin to ‘looking for a needle in a haystack', giving an idea of the logistical challenge anti-piracy work entails. Armed ships, convoy running, well trained crews and extreme diligence, are just some of the ways to try and face this modern-day scourge on the high seas.Item Global supply chains, logistics clusters and economic growth: What could it mean to Caribbean territories?(University of the West Indies, 2012) Lambourdiere, Eric; Corbin, Elsa; Savage, Christopher J.Item Logistics in Namibia: Issues and challenges, re-engineering for competitiveness.(2013) Savage, Christopher J.; Fransman, L.; Jenkins, A. K.Logistics is perceived to be important for Namibia’s growth and development, but it is a matter of conjecture as there is a dearth of documented information about the industry in Namibia. Furthermore, it is uncertain what the understanding of “logistics” is for key stakeholders in the country. This project’s objectives are to address some of these issues and lay the foundation for a more thorough investigation. The findings from key stakeholders of the logistics industry in Namibia include: universal agreement on the importance of logistics to Namibia, the variety in the understanding of the term logistics, the strength of the continuing influence of South Africa as the dominant economic power in southern Africa and contrasting views on the main factors limiting logistics development, including: infrastructure, attitude, government, customs, training, railways, corruption and driver shortage. The conclusions were published in the form of a conference paper showing the challenges and opportunities facing logistics in Namibia in 2012 (Jenkins et al., 2012). They were also disseminated as a report (Savage et al., 2012) and at a workshop in Walvis-bay, Namibia in September 2012. These reports, additional interviews and subsequent discussions highlighted some potential opportunities and problems. This paper summarises the initial phases of the project showing the methodology and findings; it then builds on that work to prioritise measures required to re-engineer Namibia’s logistics industry.Item Logistics in Namibia: Issues and challenges.(Journal of Transport and Supply Chain Management, 2012) Savage, Christopher J.; Fransman, L.; Jenkins, A. K.Logistics is important for Namibia’s growth and development but there is currently a lack of information about the industry despite it being addressed in the country’s Fourth National Development Plan and the subsequent “Policy Note” from the World Bank. This article summarises the first phase of a research project that investigated Namibia’s logistics sector. The investigation was principally qualitative in nature and used semi-structured interviews which were analysed using data matrices as proposed by (Nadin & Cassell, 2004). Key findings included universal agreement on the importance of logistics to Namibia, the variety of understanding of the term logistics and the strength of the continuing influence of South Africa. There were contrasting views on the main factors limiting development that included: infrastructure, attitude, government, customs, training, railways, corruption and driver shortage. The findings are discussed drawing conclusions on the state of Namibia’s logistics industry and making recommendations for further work.Item Supply chain resilience: The possible application of triple bottom line costing to supply chain risk management.(2013) Savage, Christopher J.; Gibson, R.Within the context of the supply chain industry, the long term value of an organization equates to the fiscal metrics used in the classical definition of enterprise modified by the sustainability (or capacity to endure) of the activity. Logistics practitioners and academics design logistics solutions with varying degrees of resilience and robustness in response to both internal and external forces. Supply chain disruption events test the resultant operations. A 2010 survey recorded 45% of the respondents as experiencing supply chain disruption within the past year and of these more than 50% incurred a loss of over US$1m (Banerjai et al, 2012). The industry is also experiencing more Black Swan incidents (Taleb, 2008) i.e. events that are a surprise to us and have a major impact on life, organizational value and sustainability. The focus of this paper is on sustainability, how it should be gauged and how might supply chain resilience and triple bottom line costing (TBLC) influence the valuing of the organization. The underpinning research is based on previous work by the authors; it applies the principles proposed by Průša and Savage (2007) to the findings from a three round Delphic study (Gibson et al, 2011). The output of this has been examined in the light of other relevant literature to draw conclusions on the practical importance of supply chain resilience and the potential role of triple bottom line costing.Item Becoming a regional gateway by developing logistics hubs: A blessing or a curse?(2013) Savage, Christopher J.Many developing countries wish to become the “gateway” to a region or part of a continent. One strategy involves encouraging logistics cluster development. These support global supply chains and enable the growth of the host country through the resulting trade as well as providing direct and indirect employment opportunities during the build and subsequent operation of the hub. Namibia has a desire to become the gateway to southern Africa and the SADC region. This paper builds on research on Caribbean cluster potential (Lambourdiere et al, 2012), and Namibian logistics (Jenkins et al, 2012) to identify the potential benefits, drawbacks and risks of such a strategy.Item Logistics service providers and the transport geography of global supply chains.(International Geographical Congress (IGC), 2012) Lambourdiere, Eric; Savage, Christopher J.Trade liberalization, advances in transportation and development of new telecommunication technologies has enabled industrial shippers to expand their supply chains on a global stage. But the globalization context has often forced companies involved in local as well as global competition to revise their production strategies. Thus, huge changes have been arising in production processes because the scale of production networks has changed considerably. Existing production networks have been extended geographically. Then today production systems are abounding with global strategies. These inter-organizational strategies asked serious questions of the logistics system and require more attention in order to control the supply chain. In fact, underestimating the management of supply chains increases the risk of undermining the global distribution network responsible for the physical movement of goods, information and finance. Transnational corporations tend either not to want to be responsible for managing the supply chain, or not to have the resources to carry out the logistics of traffic flows in space and time. These two factors have encouraged the emergence of logistics service providers. They are used to supporting industrial shippers in the development of logistics solutions to facilitate the mobility of traffic flow within the globalized freight system that underpins global production networks. A case study of the logistics service provider APL Logistics is presented as an example of mobilizing the concept of transport geography.Item High capacity vehicles: An assessment of their potential environmental, economic and practical impact if introduced to UK roads. In Proceedings of the 17th Annual Logistics Research Network Conference, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.(Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport., 2012) Leach, D. Z.; Savage, Christopher J.Item Impact assessment: High capacity vehicles.(University of Huddersfield, 2012) Leach, D. Z.; Savage, Christopher J.In the United Kingdom (UK), the length of a goods carrying vehicle is limited to a maximum of 16.5m for a standard articulated vehicle and 18.75m for a draw-bar combination. In October 2011, the Department for Transport announced trials of extended length semi-trailers with the aim of investigating the impact of increasing the length of an articulated vehicle up to a new maximum of 18.55m, an increase of 2.05m. A number of countries in the European Union (EU) have opted to either permit or trial vehicles that are substantially longer than those currently permitted or under trial in the UK, with the extension of length often accompanied by an increase in the maximum gross weight of the vehicle. The European Commission is currently undertaking a review of the EU Directive that governs the weights and dimensions of vehicles operating in the EU. This study assesses the environmental, economic, safety and practical impacts of increasing the maximum length of vehicles in the UK to 25.25m, while maintaining the maximum gross weight at the current UK limit of 44 tonnes (with such a vehicle herein referred to as a ‘High Capacity Vehicle’ or ‘HCV’). The scope is limited to the consideration of 25.25m vehicle variants that are currently in use in the Netherlands.