Title: Palpable linkage of supply chain performance to hard and soft infrastructure marriage: the case of SADC road entry point management systems

Authors: Felistas Ranganai Zimano; Fayth Ruffin

Addresses: College of Law and Management Studies, University of KwaZulu Natal, Westville Campus, Durban, South Africa ' College of Law and Management Studies, University of KwaZulu Natal, Westville Campus, Durban, South Africa

Abstract: The supply of goods follows a chain with constituent parts, and the system's performance hinges on each constituent part's performance. In international supply chain and trade facilitation, one critical component is shipping of goods across borders. Border delays are inimical to supply chain efficiency. Modernising information communication technology is a widely hailed solution to easing this problem. In this paper, the importance of marrying hard and soft infrastructure for optimum efficiency is buttressed. This is based on empirical evidence from surveys involving 345 participants on four road entry points to Zimbabwe's territorial borders. Participants are truck drivers and small and medium entrepreneurs. Findings trace the perpetuation of delays, to failure to tie together hard and soft infrastructure components of entry point management systems. This consequently disturbs the supply chain of goods in the Southern African development community. Recommendations are made on how road entry point management systems can be improved, in order to enhance regional integration.

Keywords: regional integration; international trade; supply chain; transactional costs; trade facilitation; small and medium-sized enterprises; SMEs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLSM.2018.092614

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 2018 Vol.30 No.3, pp.349 - 365

Received: 18 Aug 2016
Accepted: 22 Jan 2017
Published online: 26 Jun 2018 *

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