Emerging Issues in Supply Chain Management with a Focus on Supply Chain Technologies and how they Affect Business Organizations Today; A Case of Unilever Kenya Limited
Abstract
The fundamentals of supply chain management provide for many players to be involved from the source of raw materials to the end user. Supply Chain Management presents a company with the opportunity to mobilize goods and services, finances and information. The process that ensures a product reaches the consumer involves the collected effort of many players within the chain that make important decisions. These decisions are often influenced by the emerging issues within the chain; specifically, technology represents one of these issues and all players in the chain have to understand how it affects the process. The impact of supply chain technologies on business decisions cannot be understated, since it is the most dynamic aspect of business today; in this regard, managers within the supply chain know that it is not only a tool, but a paramount driver in the chain. The objective of the study was to determine the effects of emerging issues in supply chain management with a focus on supply chain technologies and how they affect business organizations today. The researcher used questionnaires to collect data. This study adopted descriptive research designs a case study of Unilever Kenya that generated both quantitative and qualitative data. The target population of this study was 60 employees of Unilever Kenya. Collected data was checked for completeness and consistencies. Content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. The collected data was edited, coded and entered for analysis using the computer statistical package tool SPSS. Analyzed data was presented in tables. The findings the study concluded there were many types of supply chain technologies available. It was therefore the task of a company to choose a particular supply chain technology that would suit its needs. Further, the study concluded that supply chain technologies had helped cut down supply chain related costs and increase service deliveries.
Keywords: Supply Chain Management, Supply Chain Technologies, Business Organizations & Unilever Kenya Limited.
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