Research/Technical Note
Implementing Automated Bots Across Retail Shopping Management with an Example of SPAR Ikeja, Nigeria
Egbunu Justin Ogala*
Issue:
Volume 10, Issue 3, June 2025
Pages:
45-57
Received:
29 October 2024
Accepted:
4 December 2024
Published:
25 June 2025
Abstract: Effective logistics is critical for superstores to ensure the right products reach shelves in response to customer demand. SPAR Nigeria Ltd., operating under a franchise from its South African parent company, serves a high volume of customers, necessitating reliable and authentic product availability. To address this, SPAR has established an integrated warehouse within its superstore locations, enabling direct restocking without an advanced Warehouse Management System (WMS). This paper examines efficient and safe replenishment techniques that minimize reliance on heavy machinery such as forklifts, reducing hazards and congestion in controlled spaces. Using the CAM methodology, we analyze a simulated Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) system designed to respond to shelf picker requests. The AGVs follow predefined floor-path nodes, reducing employee walking time and streamlining shelf replenishment. This approach enhances operational efficiency, integrates technology for ergonomic improvements, and accelerates restocking processes while optimizing workforce productivity.
Abstract: Effective logistics is critical for superstores to ensure the right products reach shelves in response to customer demand. SPAR Nigeria Ltd., operating under a franchise from its South African parent company, serves a high volume of customers, necessitating reliable and authentic product availability. To address this, SPAR has established an integr...
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Research Article
Gendered Understandings of Nature: Women's Role in Indigenous Knowledge and Resource Management in Ethiopian Forests
Mohammed Zeinu Hassen*
Issue:
Volume 10, Issue 3, June 2025
Pages:
58-65
Received:
5 June 2025
Accepted:
21 June 2025
Published:
9 July 2025
Abstract: Indigenous knowledge (IK) systems are increasingly recognized as vital for sustainable development and environmental management, particularly in contexts like Ethiopia where livelihoods are intimately linked to natural resources. However, existing research often overlooks the critical gendered dimensions of how nature is understood and managed within indigenous communities. This paper analyzes insights from an examination of existing empirical data on Ethiopian indigenous knowledge, environmental perceptions, and resource management practices, with a specific focus on forest and tree resources, drawing significantly from findings in the Yayu Coffee Forest Biosphere Reserve and related contexts. Our primary objective is to illuminate the distinct roles, specialized knowledge, and unique challenges faced by women in relation to forests and nature. The analysis demonstrates that nature, particularly forests and trees, is often perceived and utilized through clearly defined gendered territories, labor divisions, and cultural-spiritual associations. While men may traditionally hold more formal roles in forest management and cash crop production like coffee, women maintain indispensable, often less visible, roles. These include the crucial collection of essential resources like firewood, ensuring household nutrition through home gardens and sometimes wild foods, and the vital transmission of nature-related knowledge and cultural values through traditional education and practices. Key challenges confronting women include the commodification of resources, external development interventions that often ignore indigenous ecologies and gendered knowledge systems, severe time constraints due to heavy domestic workloads, and cultural perceptions that can devalue women's traditional roles and knowledge, particularly concerning wild food resources. This study argues that a comprehensive understanding of environmental stewardship and the effective integration of indigenous knowledge for sustainable forest management in Ethiopia must explicitly acknowledge, value, and incorporate women's unique perspectives, roles, and knowledge systems. Recognizing and addressing these gendered dynamics is imperative for fostering more equitable and effective natural resource management outcomes.
Abstract: Indigenous knowledge (IK) systems are increasingly recognized as vital for sustainable development and environmental management, particularly in contexts like Ethiopia where livelihoods are intimately linked to natural resources. However, existing research often overlooks the critical gendered dimensions of how nature is understood and managed with...
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