An Analysis of Perceived Factors That Influence Inventory Management in the Douala Industrial Zone Of Cameroon

Abstract

Many empirical studies have been conducted on factors influencing the effectiveness of inventory management in organizations. Unfortunately, there is a lack of research on factors influencing the effectiveness of inventory management in organizations with the focus on Africa in general and Cameroon in particular. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to identify the problem of inventory management faced by Cameroonian enterprises in the Douala metropolitan area and also to determine the factors that will influence the effectiveness of inventory management. In order to achieve the above, 50 employees were purposely selected and asked to complete the questionnaires with regard inventory management. The findings of this research has revealed that poor inventory management was faced by companies based in Douala on a regular basis. Amongst those was considerable lead time of material delivery, non-reconciliation of physical and theoretical stocks, stock shortages, over and under production.