An RFID Adoption Framework: A Container Supply Chain Analysis

While the benefits of RFID (radio frequency identification) in supply chains have had extensive press, publicised cases showing poor returns on investment and a relative lack of research into its adoption has left organisations feeling uncertain about the challenges to be managed when assessing RFID adoption. This qualitative study in the South African port community refines and extends an RFID adoption framework and provides insight into the factors potentially affecting the adoption of this new technology as well as the probability of adoption in that community. Four new factors not previously mentioned in research were identified: related initiatives; the integrated structure of the industry; organisational dominance with the supply chain and the supply chain culture. An argument for their validity within the RFID adoption framework is presented. The research reveals that cost, the absence of a universally-adopted standard and the supply chain culture are currently the major setbacks to RFID adoption in the South African port community.