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How to mitigate supply chain disruptions at selected retailers in the Cape Metropole
Author(s)
Booysen, Maresa Bonita
Date Issued
2026
Type
bachelor thesis
Publisher
Cape Peninsula University of Technology,
Abstract
Organisations and enterprises strive to produce, distribute, and offer their customers superior quality products and services. In today's interconnected and complex global business environment, companies face an increasing risk of supply chain disruptions that can negatively affect their financial health and customer loyalty. More and more retailers are improvising strategies to minimise external and catastrophic supply chain disruptions to stay operational. Retailers can get reliable advice and tactics from literature studies on supply chain risk management (SCRM) to help prevent catastrophic disasters and external supply chain disruption. However, there is limited literature to mitigate ordinary supply chain disruptions within the value chain. As a result, this research investigates specific organisations in the supply chain, the nature of disruptions, the types of ordinary disruptions, and strategies for mitigating ordinary supply chain disruptions. The purpose of the research study is to investigate strategies for mitigating ordinary supply chain disruptions across various retailers in the Cape Metropole. To achieve success in supply chain risk management, retailers in the Cape Metropole should proactively identify and mitigate potential risks before they develop into significant disruptions. The main objectives were to investigate strategies that can be implemented to mitigate ordinary supply chain disruptions in multiple retail stores across the Cape Metropole. To reach the objectives of the research study, a qualitative methodology was use to gathering insights from a purposive sample of 11 supply chain experts. A semi-structured interview guide was utilised to question these experts, who included senior buyers, executive managers, logistic managers, planners, and general managers. The primary objective of the research was achieved successfully through these interviews, which provided valuable insight into the subject matter. The findings indicated that numerous factors can lead to ordinary supply chain disruption, including raw material shortages, packaging acquiring challenges, product damage, time constraints for rework, production challenges, inadequate collaboration among internal teams, misinterpretation of supply chain management, stockouts, delivery delays, planning errors, system malfunctions, difficulties with financial and credit applications, and insufficient communication. All these concerns can exacerbate the company's existing supply chain disruptions. The collected data were analysed using ATLAS.ti software to discover significant patterns and reveal emergent themes. The identification of these crucial factors in ordinary supply chain disruptions underscores the necessity for strategy development to assist retail managers in mitigating risks and enhancing supply chain resilience. Based on the research findings, the researcher highly recommends that retailers prioritise implementing robust supply chain and supply chain risk management strategies. Additionally, the findings identify the need to conduct a comprehensive review of existing methods to identify areas of improvement. By restructuring current strategies, businesses can prevent frequent supply chain disruptions and ensure smoother operation.
Additional information
Thesis (Master of Retail Business Management)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2026
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Name
Booysen_Maresa Bonita _206139918.pdf
Size
1.85 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum
(MD5):01d1b1d60e642ca6f1d2269f9cc6ee7c