Assessing measures to improve a defence manufacturing site

Abstract

Inventory management issues cause business organisations to lose sales and increase their operational costs. Organisations that do not have adequate inventory will be unable to meet their customers' needs and will most likely lose business to their competitors. A defence-manufacturing site involves the production of ammunition products, of which explosives are used as inputs in the transformation process. The operation has become too complex for the business to keep proper records of and control inventory movements. In this study, the researcher addresses concerns associated with the inconsistent tracking of inventory movement that allows unlawful acts, such as theft and corruption. It aimed to answer whether there are measures taken to improve a defence-manufacturing site. The study follows a quantitative approach, and, to achieve the aim of the study, the researcher designed a questionnaire that addressed the issues related to the objectives. The questionnaire consisted of four sections based on biography, interpersonal relations, process systems, and general management. Factor analysis was applied to the gathered data to reduce the study variables into constructs. Furthermore, the questionnaire complied with the validity and reliability tests. The outcomes of this research study present a moderate to strong positive correlation between the study constructs involving biography, interpersonal relation, and process systems (knowledge, waste removal, and confidence). The research instrument was found to be valid and reliable. In the concluding chapter, the researcher provides recommendations that serve the interest of the defence-manufacturing site and other stakeholders working with explosives. It is recommended that the organisation focus on the training and development of the employees to improve leadership practices and knowledge of process systems involving confidence and waste removal. For future research, this study recommends that researchers explore how change can be managed during the implementation process of measures taken to improve a defence-manufacturing site.