| Abstract [eng] |
89 pages, 13 charts, 33 pictures, 151 references. The main purpose of this master thesis is to identify the most important constraints for companies working in the food supply chain and determine the best ways to solve them. The work consists of three main parts: the first part reviews the scientific literature on the theory of supply chains and constraints, distinguishes the constraints specific to the food supply chain and their solutions. The second part presents the research methodology to identify the most appropriate solutions to the most important constraints in the food supply chain and the results of the pilot research. Based on the analysis of previous research on similar topics, the author chose to use expert evaluation to achieve the set goal. The pilot study was used to refine the concept of the study after which 11 constraints that are most important to food supply chain were identified, as they can affect all four stages of supply chain – supply, production, distribution, and consumption. However, when analysing the specifics, causes or manner of the constraints identified, it was decided to examine 7 constraints in this research – two separate ones were decided to be examined as a single constraint, and the other 3 constraints were ruled out due to the possible ambiguity in their interpretation. The third part of the work presents the research, its results, and conclusions. Based on the results of the expert assessment, the author identified the following best (or sufficiently good) solutions to the identified most important constraints: 1) to prepare for and deal with the consequences of natural or local disasters – preparation of a list of suppliers in advance with whom a company can cooperate in the event of a constraint; 2) to prevent the restriction of workers' strikes and to combat its consequences – attention to the welfare of workers; 3) to address the consequences of changes in government regulations or safety standards – development of technological progress in the company; 4) to prevent rapid deterioration of raw materials or products – canning, refrigeration or other processing into semi-finished products or packaging using modified atmospheric packaging systems, and to address the consequences – efficient design of storage facilities and assurance of appropriate temperature regulation and maintenance throughout the supply chain; 5) for the prevention of food safety incidents – self-monitoring, maintenance of proper hygiene in the workplace and investigation of the causes of identified food safety incidents, and to address the consequences – development, use and regular testing of product traceability, recall and return procedures; 6) to prevent fraud in the food sector - the use of various databases that allow tracking information on fraud in the food sector and tools (equipment) to assess the vulnerability of the company; 7) the prevention of the constraint of market and pricing strategies, economic crisis – budgeting and planning while including financial contingency plans and to deal with the consequences – trade in alternative or modified products. Also, according to the experts, the most significant constraint in the food supply chain from the analysed ones, which could cause the greatest losses to the company, is a natural disaster of a global or local scale. The conclusions and recommendations summarize the main aspects of the work. The results of the study may be useful for companies in the food supply chain that face the constraints in question. |
