RFID Advantage in Logistics Management for Retail Industry

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I certify that the work presented in the dissertation is my own unless referenced

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I would like to express my thanks to my advisor, for his suggestions, comments, patience and understanding. Very special thanks to my parents, my father, my mother, my brother and my sister who were continuously supporting me throughout my life and leaving me free in all my decisions. I would also like to thank my colleagues for his technical support whenever I needed. I would like to thank to Department, all the university managers, teachers and students with whom I have worked.

DECLARATION

I declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. I further declare that this work has not previously been presented in whole or part, for any other award, or published in whole or in part elsewhere, including this university. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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ABSTRACT

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is currently of great interest thanks to the initiatives from Wal-Mart and other retailers to require major suppliers to place RFID tags on cases and pallets beginning in 2005. In addition, food safety concerns have generated a greater need for tracking and tracing of products, which may be enabled by RFID. Retail interest in RFID technology is driven by the desire of companies to achieve greater speed and visibility into their supply chains, with the goal of increasing both operational efficiency and store effectiveness. An efficient supply chain operation ensures that goods can be delivered to the place and time when consumers are ready to purchase. Potential gains from the visibility RFID generates include lower inventory levels, reduced labour costs and increased sales. The purpose of this paper is to understand the concept of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and its advantage in Logistics Management for Retail Industry.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 01: INTRODUCTION1

Background of the Study1

RFID advantages and applications2

Research Question3

Scope of the Research3

Structure of the thesis4

Chapter I: Introduction4

Chapter II: Literature Review5

Chapter III: Methodology5

Chapter IV: Data analysis and Discussion5

Chapter V: Conclusion6

Summary of the Chapter6

CHAPTER 02: LITERATURE REVIEW7

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology8

Automation: The Ultimate Driver of RFID Growth11

RFID and Retail12

RFID and the Supply Chain14

Summary of the Chapter20

REFERENCES21

APPENDIX29

CHAPTER 01: INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Industry analysts and media pundits all seem to agree that the use of RFID in global supply chains is rapidly expanding and will continue its growth trajectory over the coming years (Kok, van Donselaar and vanWoensel 2006, p. 521). One report from Venture Development Corp. (VDC) estimated that the global market for RFID systems would grow by approximately 36 percent annually through 2008 and that the leading market segment for this growth would be in supply chain management, with retail point-of-sale and manufacturing also coming in among the top five industry segments. A recent survey by Aberdeen Group revealed that the primary objective of 68 percent of the 300 organizations surveyed in adopting the technology is ...