Supply chain flexibility and responsiveness: An empirical analysis of the Chinese textile and clothing industry.

摘要

Today's textile and clothing business environment is characterized by proliferation in product variety and volatility of the global marketplace. Many firms have restructured their operational processes to better cope with environmental dynamics and to achieve competitive priority. Flexibility represents the capability of a firm to respond to unanticipated environmental changes in its production process and in the marketplace (Upton, 1994; Zhang et al., 2003). The importance of implementing a flexibility strategy in supply chain management has been perceived. However, there is a lack of research on supply chain flexibility strategies, and, in particular, the impact of flexibility strategies on supply chain responsiveness has not been adequately addressed.;The objective of this research was to examine how the implementation of supply chain flexibility strategies impacts on the responsiveness of the supply chain beyond the boundaries of an individual firm. A two-stage research methodology was used in this study. In the first stage, an exploratory study, which was composed of a literature review and a multiple-case study, was conducted. In the second stage, a postal survey was adopted to collect data from the textile and apparel industry on the Chinese mainland to verify the research model developed in the first stage.;Results from partial least squares (PLS) analyses suggest that the level of SCF can be enhanced through an organization's particular cultural characteristics. In turn, the SCF enhances the ability of the organization's supply chain to promptly respond to customer demand.;This study sheds light on the understanding of flexibility from a supply chain perspective which involves both upstream suppliers and downstream distributors. The findings of this study demonstrate that SCF fosters responsiveness to customers' enquiries and requirements, and the ability to meet their various demands. Further, the results of this study indicate that the implementation of an SCF strategy is facilitated by a firm's strong market orientation and supply chain partnership orientation. The results also provide valuable insights for managerial personnel to integrate flexibility into their strategic business development within their supply chain environment.