The design and testing of a decision support tool for the evaluation of the reusability of glass wine bottles : a South African case study

Date
2018-03
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH SUMMARY : Sustainable business is becoming increasingly important to governments and society. The South African wine industry has a good reputation as far as its contribution to sustainable business is concerned. However, this contribution is mainly represented by the production of the wine and not necessarily the post-production side. Reusing glass wine bottles is an initiative that can contribute to the wine industry’s reputation on the post-production side of sustainable business. Reusing glass wine bottles that are currently not being reused requires expensive infrastructure to viably accommodate the recovery and reusing activities. This poses large financial risks to companies that wish to reuse their glass wine bottles. Companies have to evaluate whether their glass wine bottles are viably reusable before such an initiative can be implemented in practice. This requires many factors to be taken into consideration. This research was dedicated to developing and testing a user-friendly decision support tool to evaluate the viability of reusing glass wine bottles. The tool provides clarity on the main research objective from a business logistics perspective by taking various parameters into consideration, such as a company’s environmental setting, current sales volume and the type of market the wine bottle is serving. Even though more perspectives, such as a cost-benefit analysis and an environmental sustainability analysis also have to be done, this decision support tool represents the first of the various tests a glass wine bottle should undergo before further investigation is done. Due to the exploratory nature of this research, a case study design was followed. The case company of this research provided an ideal setting to test the decision support tool since they already have the required infrastructure in place to reuse several of their glass wine bottles. The decision support tool of this research was developed and tested based on their business environment and the available data on their reusable and non-reusable glass wine bottles. The decision support tool was tested on one of the company’s non-reusable wine bottles to provide an outcome to decision makers on its level of reusability. The tool concluded that the wine bottle is viably reusable from a business logistics perspective, although it also indicated which parameters would have to improve to increase its level of reusability. The company’s decision makers evaluated the results to increase the overall validity and reliability of the research. The decision support tool’s framework can also be used by the broader wine industry if companies want to evaluate whether their wine bottles are showing signs of viable reusability.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Volhoubare besigheid word vir owerhede en die samelewing 'n toenemend belangrike kwessie. Die Suid-Afrikaanse wynindustrie het 'n goeie reputasie met betrekking tot hulle bydrae tot volhoubare besigheid, maar hierdie bydrae word hoofsaaklik deur die produksie kant gemaak, en nie noodwendig die na-produksie kant nie. Die hergebruik van glasbottels is 'n inisiatief wat die wynindustrie kan implementeer om hulle reputasie aan die na-produksie kant te verbeter. Die hergebruik van wynbottels wat tans nie hergebruik word nie vereis duur infrastruktuur om die herwinning en hergebruik aktiwiteite lewensvatbaar te akkommodeer. Dit hou groot finansiële risiko’s in vir maatskappye wat hulle glas wynbottels wil hergebruik. Maatskappye moet 'n deeglike evaluasie doen om te verseker dat hulle wynbottels lewensvatbaar hergebruik kan word voordat so 'n inisiatief in die praktyk in werking gestel kan word. Hierdie navorsing het ten doel gehad om 'n verbruikersvriendelike raamwerk vir besluitnemingsondersteuning te ontwikkel en te toets om die herbruikbaarheid van glas wynbottels te evalueer. Die ondersoek is benader vanuit 'n besigheid-logistieke perspektief deur verskeie parameters, soos 'n maatskappy se agtergrond, verkoopvolumes en die tipe mark wat die wynbottel dien, in ag te neem. Selfs al moet meer perspektiewe, byvoorbeeld 'n koste-voordeel analise en 'n volhoubare omgewingsanalise betrek word, verteenwoordig hierdie raamwerk die eerste van verskeie toetse wat 'n glas wynbottel moet ondergaan voordat enige verdere ondersoek gedoen word. Weens die ondersoekende aard van die navorsing is 'n gevallestudie ontwerp gebruik om die navorsingsvraag te beantwoord. Die maatskappy wat aan die gevallestudie deelgeneem het, bied 'n ideale omgewing om die raamwerk te toets aangesien hulle reeds die nodige infrastruktuur in plek het om verskeie van hulle glas wynbottels te hergebruik. Die raamwerk vir besluitnemingsondersteuning is ontwikkel en getoets aan die hand van die besigheid se omgewing en die data rakende hulle herbruikbare en nie-herbruikbare glas wynbottels. Die raamwerk vir besluitnemingsondersteuning is op een van die maatskappy se nie-herbruikbare wynbottels getoets. Die bevinding was dat die wynbottel wel lewensvatbaar hergebruik kan word vanuit 'n besigheid-logistieke perspektief, maar dit het ook die parameters aangedui wat verbeter moet word om die wynbottel se vlak van herbruikbaarheid te verhoog. Die maatskappy se besluitnemers het die resultate geëvalueer om die algehele geldigheid en betroubaarheid van die studie te verhoog. Die raamwerk kan ook deur die breër wynindustrie gebruik word indien maatskappye hulle wynbottels wil evalueer om tekens van lewensvatbare herbruikbaarheid na te spoor.
Description
Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2018.
Keywords
Wine bottles -- Recycling -- South Africa, Decision support systems -- South Africa, Business logistics -- Decision making -- South Africa, Sustainability, UCTD
Citation