LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT AND SUPPLY CHAIN PERFORMANCE AMONG MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN UGANDA
A CASE STUDY OF BRITANNIA ALLIED INDUSTRIES LIMITED
BY
KATUSIIME EDGAR
14/U/10369/PLE/PE
A RESEARCH PROPOSAL SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PROCUREMENT AND MARKETING AS A REQUIREMENT FOR
THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE AWARD OF
BACHELOR’S DEGREE OF PROCUREMENT AND
LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT OF
KYAMBOGO UNIVERSITY
MAY, 2017
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
According to Waters (2003), logistics management is the part of supply chain management that plans, implements, and controls the efficient, effective forward, and reverses flow and storage of goods, services, and related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet customer’s requirements. The logistics of physical items usually involves the integration of information flow, material handling, production, packaging, inventory, transportation, warehousing, and often security (Misra, Kahn & Singh, 2010).
Supply Chain Performance refers to the extended supply chain’s activities in meeting end-customer requirements, including product availability, on-time delivery, and all the necessary inventory and capacity in the supply chain to deliver that performance in a responsive manner(Warren, 2004).
In today’s environment of “Survival of the fittest” more and more companies tend to examine, restructure and reposition their operations to gain competitive advantage, and in this, logistics can play a vital role in the integration and differentiation strategic designed to produce the desired competitive advantage (Jaheem, 2008).Under the strategic logistical management, choice of transportation mode is a fundamental part. Transport cost includes all costs associated with the movement of product from one location to another. The average transport cost range between five to six per cent of the recommended retail price of the product (shay, 2002).
According to (Chopra and Meindl, 2007) supply chain has become an important focus of competitive advantage for manufacturing firms and to achieve an a high supply chain performance, companies need to effectively move raw materials, coordinate flows into, choices of transportation, costof the transportation, packaging the product for shipment, storing the product, and managing the entire process. Sufian (2010) stated that the performance of supply chain was influenced by managing and integrating key element of information into their supply chain.
According to Sufian (2010) to achieve a better performance, logistic management strategy need support the business strategy. Logistics strategy includes cost reduction, capital reduction and service improvement. However, increased variety of goods, globalization of marketing and seasonal variations are among the major challenges of logistics system which leads to the necessity of developing effective logistics strategies in the agricultural sector (Gebresenbet & Bosona, 2012).
Effective logistics management is important to build and sustain competitive advantage in product and services of manufacturing firms (Gunasekaran and Ngai, 2004). To compete at the supply chain level, firms must adopt an appropriate logistics management strategy. The strategy needs integrate and coordinate throughout the supply chain to generate the performance of supply chain in manufacturing firms (Green Jr. et al., 2008).
Consequently, supply chain performance is an amalgamation of three important measurements specifically efficiency, effectiveness and adaptability (Wakhungu 2010). Thus, supply chain performance inmost organizations in Africa is measured by way of increased productivity in the production department by employing better production techniques rewarding returns.
Ledgerwood (2000) concurred with the fact that the main objective in most organizations in the Uganda is to increase productivity. As productivity increases, logistics management needs to be handled with utmost professionalism. Thus, there is need to have accountability by following laid down procurement procedures so as to realize improved supply chain performance
Britannia allied industries ltd is increasingly looking at logistics for improving customer experience and for differentiation. Meeting service level agreements is a basic requirement for moving from customer satisfaction to customer delight. Today’s demanding customers require not just fulfillment of requirements, but also cooperation and alignment with their service partners for mutual benefit and revenue growth.
1.2 Problem statement
Managing transportation, inventory and distribution has been a critical focus area for manufacturers, distributors and third-party logistics players in their pursuit of developing a lean, agile and efficient customer oriented supply chain. To achieve better customer service at reduced costs, organizations are increasingly adopting the two levers of process improvement and technological breakthroughs in track-and-trace, improved control systems and IT innovations such as cloud platforms. To fully realize the benefits from these initiatives and move toward an era of continuous improvement in their operations, organizations will also need to realign their logistics performance measurement strategies (Anand, 2010).
Despite these innovations Britannia allied industries ltd has been experiencing low output and decreased profits, increased customer complaints, frequent breakdown of vehicles, late deliveries and low consumption rate portraying poor supply chain performance (Mugerwa, 2015). Thus, this study opts to examine the relationship between logistics management practices on supply chain performance at Britannia Allied Industries Ltd.
1.3 Purpose of the study
The study will aim at examining the relationship between logistics management practices on supply chain performance at Britannia Allied Industries Ltd.
1.4 Research Objectives
- To examine the relationship between transport management and supply chain performance at Britania Allied Industries Ltd.
- To assess the relationship between inventory management and control and supply chain performance at Britania Allied Industries Ltd.
- To analyze the relationship between distribution management and supply chain performance at Btitania Allied Industries Ltd.
1.5 Research Questions
- What is the relationship between transport management and supply chain performance at Britania Allied Industries Ltd?
- What is the relationship between inventory management and control and supply chain performance at Britania Allied Industries Ltd?
- What is the relationship between distribution management and supply chain performance at Britania Allied Industries Ltd?
1.6 Scope of the study
1.6.1 Content Scope
The study will aim at examining the relationship between logistics management practices on supply chain performance at Britannia Allied Industries Ltd. Specific emphasis will be put on the relationship between transport management, inventory management, distribution management and supply chain performance.
1.6.2 Geographical scope
The study will be carried out at Britannia allied industries. The firm is located in Kampala, Uganda. It’s working in manufacturing, farming, agriculture business activities. The selection of the study area is because of the easy accessibility.
1.6.3 Time scope
The study will be carried out for a period of four months from February to May, 2017. The study will base on 2000-2016 as the period for the knowledge of related studies.
1.7 Significance of the Study
The recommendations of this study would enhance competiveness in the industry in order to transform it into a leaner low cost industry as improve operational efficiency hence contribute to increased profitability in the industry.
The findings and recommendations of this study will be useful to the procurement professionals and operations managers in understanding logistics management practices and their contribution in operational efficiency which improves logistics management decisions.
1.8 Definition of Key Terms
1.8.1 Logistics
Council of Logistics Management (1991) defined logistics as part of the supply chain process that plans, implements, and controls the efficient, effective forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services, and related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet customers’ requirements.
1.8.2 Supply chain performance
According to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, the management of a supply chain (SCM) refers to planning and management of all activities associated with procurement, production, distribution and coordination among supply chain members. The concept of supply chain is not unanimously accepted.
CHAPTER TWO
This chapter reviews the existing literature put forward by different scholars and personalities on the effects of e-pocuement on opeational efficiency as well as critically analyzing the deviations in the explanations to find out the research gap in the study variables; to examine the relationship between transport management and supply chain performance; to assess the relationship between inventory management and control and supply chain performance and to analyze the relationship between distribution management and supply chain performance based on secondary sources like text books, internet, newspaper, report at the company, and journals.
2.1 Overview of Key Concepts in the study
2.1 Logistics management
According to CSCMP (2007), logistics management is that part which implements, and controls the efficient, effective forward and reverses flow and storage of goods, services and related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet customers’ requirements.
In today‘s highly competitive environment, many companies are striving to gain a share of the global market and to take advantage of higher production and sourcing efficiency. A key determinant of business performance nowadays is the role of logistics management functions in ensuring the smooth flow of materials, products and information throughout the company‘s supply chain (Kilasi, et al., 2013). Due to the trend of nationalization and globalization in recent decades, the importance of logistics management has been growing in various areas. For firms, logistics management helps to optimize the existing production and distribution processes based on the same resources through management techniques for promoting the efficiency and competitiveness of enterprises (Tseng, et al., 2005). Logistics management plays an important role of adding competitive advantage to a firm in customer support and business excellence (Buyukozkan, et al., 2008).
Effective logistics management provides the right product in the right place at the right time that is why it has received much attention over the past decade from practitioners and government (Tilokavichai & Sophatsathit, 2011). Realizing the importance of sustainability in logistics management it is critical for competitive advantage (Buyukozkan, et al., 2008) because operational performance has a positive impact on company‘s financial performance (Horvath et al., 2005; Liu & Lyons, 2011). In business, sustainability is defined as a capability to possess and hold continuous competitiveness (Kang et al., 2012; Hassini, et al., 2012).
However, for logistics management to be considered contributing to a firm‘s performance, logistics performance needed to be measured (Keebler & Plank, 2009). In their study Fugate, at el., (2010) confirmed that, due to increasing awareness of logistics management implications in firm performance and growing awareness of the benefits of leveraging logistics to increase customer value, measuring of performance of logistics had become a high priority.
According to Keebler and Plank (2009), there were at least three basic reasons why a firm would want to measure logistics performance: firms could reduce operating costs, use these measures to drive revenue growth, and hence enhance shareholder value. He continued to say, by measuring operating costs, a researcher could identify whether, when and where to make operational changes to control expenses and very importantly, point out areas for improved asset management.
In this study, Britannia allied industries the total cost of logistics ranges from 7% to 12% of sales and is growing due to increasing supply chain complexities. Thus, there is an increased focus from corporate management on controlling and managing this cost.
At Britannia allied industries, logistics costs typically follow economic cycles. During times of growth, the available capacity becomes constrained, and rates rise. When recession hits, rates fall due to competition among service providers to utilize the surplus capacity. Managing capacity and utilization is often a tightrope walk for most service providers and proves to be a differentiating factor for the company.
2.1.2 Supply chain performance
Organizational supply chain performance needs to be looked into keenly to avoid organizations use of huge chunk of its budget on holding inventory. It should ensure that customers are satisfied with its services by providing feedback and ensuring the concept of time, place and costs are maintained at optimal levels. Hence, the total cost model needs to be balanced by ensuring purchase costs, ordering costs and holding costs are minimal so that the firm can reap good profits or it maintains its budgetary allocation for non-governmental organizations (Kavulya, 2004).
Managing supply chain cost is the far most important aspect of an organization and to achieve this, an organization has to bring on board qualified professional who understand the technical background of inventory management. Inventory management technics are six sigma, total quality management, just-in-time, Lean and theory of constraints as advanced by Mackay (2013). Supply chain management need to be highly enhanced in the modern world because firms are engaging each other with high level of competition. Efficiency is required and to achieve this, highly qualified staff should be hired and utilize the latest technology such as the use of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Material Requirement Planning (MRP). By so doing, organization performance will be achieved when the staff fully understands how to apply inventory management techniques which will necessitate demand planning, forecasting and location (Silver, 2007). Silver (2007) agrees that organizations need to align their supply chain in a competitive manner so that inventory management and supply chain performance can be achieved with efficiency and effectiveness.
In this study, supply chain management practices are defined as several of management activities that purposed to improve the supply chain performance.
At Britannia allied industries, supply chain management practices encompasses set of approaches and practices that effectively integrate with suppliers, manufactures, distributors, and customers to improve the long-term business performance and their supply chain.
2.2 Transport Management and Supply Chain Performance
Transportation defined as the activities involved in shipping any goods or finished products from suppliers to a facility or to warehouses and sales locations (Kenyon & Meixell, 2011). It was included because it was a major part of the supply chain due to its power to add value to some goods by moving them from their current location to a more advantageous location (Laird, 2012). Through research, (Atos, 2012; Kenyon 2011; Xiande, 2008; Hausman, 2005; Gunasekaran, 2003) transportation had been found to be a major factor in logistics processes as it was the one which joined the separated activities. It was the most important economic activity among the components of business logistics systems (Tsen, Yue & Taylor, 2005).
Transport management is the planning, controlling and decision making on operational area of logistics that geographically moved and positioned inventory (Bowersox, et al., 2010). Because of its fundamental importance and visible cost, transportation had traditionally received considerable managerial attention and almost all enterprises, big and small, had managers responsible for transportation (Bowersox, et al., 2010). Transportation occupied one-third to two thirds of the amount in the logistics costs hence transport management influenced the performance of logistics system immensely (Bowersox, et al., 2010). Transporting is required in the whole production procedures, from manufacturing to delivery to the final consumers and returns. Only a good management and coordination between each component would bring the benefits of logistics to a maximum. A good transport management in logistics activities could provide better logistics efficiency, reduce operation cost, and promote service quality on firms (Bowersox, et al., 2010).
Obviously, a product has more value at a retail store than it did in a firm‘s warehouse, because in the retail store it is available for sale (laird, 2012). At the store it could generate revenue, while in the warehouse it is simply sitting there waiting to be moved. This is where transportation added value to goods. Whether the good was moved from the manufacturer to the warehouse and then to a retail store, straight from the manufacturer to the retail store, or simply from one warehouse to the next, the product became more valuable to the company as it moved closer to the end user (laird, 2012).
From the logistical system point of view, three factors were fundamental to transportation performance: cost, speed, and consistency (Bowersox, et al., 2010). The cost of transport is the payment for shipment between two geographical locations and the expenses related to maintaining on-transit inventory. Logistical systems utilized transportation that minimized total system cost (Bowersox, et al., 2010). According to Bowersox et el., (2010) speed of transportation was the time required to complete a specific movement. Speed and cost of transportation were related in two ways. First, transport firms capable of offering faster delivery typically charged higher rates for their services. Second, the faster the transportation service was, the shorter the time interval during which inventory were on transit and the higher the charges (Bowersox, et al., 2010). Thus, a critical aspect of selecting the most desirable method of transportation to a firm is to balance speed and cost of service.
Transportation consistency referred to variations in time required to perform a specific movement over a number of shipments. Consistency reflected the dependability of transportation. For years, logistics managers had identified consistency as the most important attribute of quality transportation (Kenyon & Meixell, 2011). When transportation lacked consistency, inventory safety stocks are required to protect against service failure, impacting both the sellers and buyers overall inventory commitment. With the advent of advanced information technology to control and report shipment status, logistics managers had begun to seek faster movement while maintaining consistency. Speed and consistency combined to create the quality aspect of transportation (Bowersox, et al., 2010).
In designing a logistical system, a delicate balance had to be maintained between transportation cost and service quality. In some circumstances low-cost, slow transportation was satisfactory. In other situations, faster service was essential to achieving operating goals. Finding and managing the desired transportation mix across the supply chain was a primary responsibility of logistics management. Transport management efficiency was therefore dependent on how much value a firm was able to gain based on how much they were able or willing to spend on transportation. Lastly it was transport management that made firm goods and products move with lower cost, speed and consistency and provided timely and effective delivery of firm products.
In this study, transportation plays a key role in the supply chain at Britannia allied industries, because without the efficient movement of finished goods and raw materials the entire system would not be able to work at its full potential.
At Britannia allied industries, transportation costs generally depend upon the distance between the source and the destination, the means of transportation chosen, and the size and quantity of the product to be shipped. In many cases, there are several sources and many destinations for the same product, which adds a significant level of complexity to the problem of minimizing transportation costs which improves supply chain performance in the organization.
2.3 Inventory Management and Control and Supply Chain Performance
Stevenson (2009) defined an inventory as a stock or store of goods. It was also considered as stocks of anything necessary to do business (Mangarulkar, et al., 2012). Either way, any company that sold goods likely had the materials necessary to sell their products as well as finished products on-hand (Laird, 2012). These materials and finished products kept on-hand were the company‘s inventory. Stevenson (2009) referred to inventories as ―a vital part of business”, as they ―were necessary for operations and they also contributed to customer satisfaction. Mangarulkar et al. (2012) stated that ―stocks…must be well managed in order to maximize profits and ―many small businesses could not absorb the types of losses arising from poor inventory management. Clearly inventory management is important to business and vital to logistics success (Laird, 2012).
The inventory requirements of a firm were directly linked to the facility network and the desired level of customer service (Bowersox, et al., 2010). Theoretically, a firm could stock every item sold in every facility dedicated to servicing each customer, but very few business operations could afford such an expensive inventory deployment strategy because the risk and total cost is prohibitive (Bowersox, et al., 2010). In their book on supply chain logistics management, they stated that the objective of an inventory management was to achieve desired customer service with the minimum inventory commitment. Excessive inventories would compensate for deficiencies in basic design of a logistics system but ultimately resulted in higher-than-necessary total logistics cost.
According to Bowersox, at el., (2010), logistical strategies are designed to achieve customer service goals while maintaining the lowest possible financial investment in inventory. They continued to say that; the key to effective logistical segmentation rested in the inventory priorities dedicated to support core customer‘s goal in order to achieve maximum inventory turns. A sound inventory management strategy was therefore based on a combination of five aspects of selective deployment: core customer segmentation; product profitability; transportation integration; time-based performance; and competitive performance (Bowersox, et al., 2010).
A firm‘s degree of commitment to deliver products rapidly to meet a customer‘s inventory requirement was a major competitive factor (Bowersox, et al., 2010). If products and materials were delivered quickly, it may not have been necessary for customers to maintain large inventories. Likewise, if retail stores could have been replenished rapidly, less safety stock was required and fewer out of stocks would have been experienced. The alternative to holding safety stock was to receive exact and timely inventory replenishment. While such time-based programs reduce customer inventory to absolute minimums, the savings must have been balanced against other supply chain costs incurred as a result of the time-sensitive logistical process (Bowersox, et al., 2010).
Finally, inventory strategies could not be created in a competitive vacuum. A firm was typically more desirable to do business with the competitors if it could promise and perform rapid and consistent delivery. Therefore, it was necessary to position inventory in a specific warehouse to gain competitive advantage even if such commitment increased total cost (Bowersox, et al., 2010). Selective inventory deployment policies was essential to gain a customer service advantage or to neutralize a competitor. Material and component inventories existed in a logistical system for different reasons than finished products (Bowersox, et al., 2010). Each type of inventory and the level of commitment must have been viewed from a total cost perspective. Understanding the interrelationship between order processing, inventory, transportation, and facility network decisions was fundamental to integrated logistics which provided an open field for firm performance.
Britannia allied industries is increasingly looking at inventory management for improving customer experience and for differentiation. Meeting service level agreements is a basic requirement for moving from customer satisfaction to customer delight.
Demanding customers of Britannia allied industries require not just fulfillment of requirements, but also cooperation and alignment with their service partners for mutual benefit and revenue growth.
2.4 Distribution Management and Supply Chain Performance
Physical distribution is a whole process that concern also materials and finished product, a physical (spacial) movement of goods from the manufacturers to intermediaries and finally to the ultimate consumer. Distribution accomplishes this by providing time and place utility, in other words, availability and its goals are like any other marketing goals: consumer’s satisfaction and profit for the firms (Muhscina, 2008).
There are various routes that products or services use after their production until they are purchased and used by end users. These channels are referred to as distribution channels or marketing channels. Therefore, distribution channels are all those organizations that a product has to go through between its production and consumption (Kotler et al, 2006). Distribution channel management is very critical for the firms when they decide to enter one or more markets.
In accordance with Gattorna and Walters (1996), depict that distribution channel management follows a structured approach, using criteria which help to evaluate optional channel structures during which alignments, trade-offs and channel relationships are considered. Increasingly, the roles of logistics service firms are included in the decision process for distribution channel, especially when they are a dominant element within the supply chain.
There are 3 degrees of intensity of distribution namely; selective, intensive and exclusive distributions with their application relying on the nature of the product and market type (Etzel et al, 2004).
In this study, logistics management in Britannia allied industries helps to optimize the existing production and distribution processes based on the same resources through management techniques for promoting the efficiency and competitiveness of enterprises thus, improving the supply chain performance in the organization.
2.5 Conclusion
Fugate, et al., (2010) goes on to suggest that logistics performance creates value through customer service elements such as product availability, timeliness and consistency of delivery, and ease of placing orders and this can be achieved through logistics information systems. They refer measuring logistics performance as a high priority. The success can be defined in many ways including low cost, profit maximization, optimal efficiency or customer satisfaction in which if achieved, then supply chain performance is realized (Fugate, et al., 2010). The above brief review of literature has resulted into the formulation of presumed relationships between the variables under investigation.
This chapter presents the research methodology which include; Research design, study population, study area, instruments of data collection, data processing, Study instruments, sources of data and data analysis.
The research will employ a descriptive research design. The design will exploit both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Qualitative approach will include use of interviews, while quantitative approaches will involve use of descriptive statistics that will be generated inform of frequency tables, graphs, and Charts. Qualitative and quantitative approaches will be adopted to enable the researcher get and analyze information concerning respondents’ opinions about the study under investigation.
The study will be carried out at Britannia allied industries. The firm is located in Kampala, Uganda. It’s working in manufacturing, farming, agriculture business activities. The selection of the study area is because of the easy accessibility.
Study population is a complete set of individuals, cases or objects with some common observable characteristics. The sample population consists of staff.The population will include the sales representative, procurement department, and transportation department, and other employees holding familiar and unfamiliar titles but are deemed to be suitable stakeholders for generating relevant data to the problem which will be under investigation
The sample size will consist of 60 respondents from the study area and these will be selected as follows;
Table 3.1: Showing Sample size
| Category | Sample size |
| Top Management | 5 |
| Sales representatives | 16 |
| Procurement department | 12 |
| Transportation department | 12 |
| Human Resource Department | 10 |
| Marketing Department | 5 |
| Total | 60 |
Source: Primary Data
The study will use a sample size selected 60 respondents because it will be enough for the study to obtain reliable information. In addition, it will help the researcher to finish her study in time.
Sampling is a definite plan determined before data collection for obtaining a sample from a given population. It involves three decisions: who to be sampled, how many people to sample, and how to obtain the sample.
The stratified sampling will be used to arrive to the people to include in the study. It’s a method in which the population is divided into a number of divisions and a sample is drawn from division and such sample makes us the final sample. Using this method, respondents will be grouped into separate homogenous group of subjects with similar characteristics.
Purposive Sampling involves deliberate selection of particular units of the population for constituting a representative sample. It involves convenience and judgmental sampling. Judgmental sampling or purposive sampling – The researcher will choose the sample based on who will be appropriate for the study.
3.6Data collection methods and instruments
Questioning method
The researcher will use the questioning method whereby she will draft to respondents structured questions. This method will be used because some respondents may have no time to sit down and answer during interviews.
A questionnaire guide will be used and this will be inform of close ended in nature and this will allow the study respondents to fill the questionnaire in the study field. The questionnaire method of data collection will be used because of being cheap and that the method collects responses with minimum errors and high level of confidentiality.
Interviewing method
An interview is a conversation where questions are asked and answers are given. Interview refers to a one-on-one conversation with one person acting in the role of the interviewer and the other in the role of the interviewee.
An interview guide will be drafted with a set of questions that the researcher asked during an interview and this will be structured (close ended) in nature. Interview guide will be used by the study since the methods helps in the collection of more data as it allows the interaction of both the researcher and the respondents.
The study will observe all procedures followed in research. Using the letter of introduction obtained from the Research Coordinator, School of management and Entrepreneurship, the researcher will be introduced to every respondent reached at, fully explaining the purpose of research. After getting their consent, she will set a program with the respondents on when the questionnaires will be administered and date for the interview sessions will be set. The researcher also will build the confidence of the respondents by assuring them that their views will be confidential and will be used only for academic purposes.
3.8 Validity and reliability of research instruments
There are no scientific principles which would guarantee a valid and reliable questionnaire, but there are ways in which this can be pursued. First, the items in the questionnaire should be based on prior research whenever possible. Due to this, in this study most of the questions will be to be based on prior research. Secondly, the questionnaire should be pre-tested (Malhotra & Birks 2007).
To test the construct validity, citations of all sources where materials and evidence of material collected from will be provided. The supervisor will review the questionnaires and approve them.
When conducting research, the researcher will try to act as neutral as possible in order to avoid being bias. The researcher will be also conscious about the type of questions to ask.
The data collected will be edited for accuracy, completeness and to find out how well the answered questionnaires will be and this will be done in line with the questionnaires. The edited data will be coded. Coding will involve assigning numbers to similar questions from which answers will be given unique looks to make the work easier. In this case Ms-excel will be used to analyze the coded data.
Presentation of data will involve use of tables, pie-charts and graphs that will be generated from the questions relevant to the study variables. Interpretation and discussion of the results will be done as the researcher will explain the strength of the study variables basing on the frequencies and percentages, charts and graphs.
The study will be faced with a problem of not finding all respondents in the study area especially the employees who go to field as a group. The researcher however will arrange with them to fix for her an appropriate time in order to collect reliable and valid information from them for the study.
The study also will be expensive in terms of stationary. However the researcher will mobilize funds from her friends and family members for the study to be completed successfully in time with the help of her supervisor.
The researcher further will face a problem of some respondents not providing information for the study as information relating to the study variables, however to this, researcher will explain to them that the information will be only for the academic purpose while making them to understand the study variables.
