Kwok Hung Lau

Drivers and obstacles of outsourcing practices in China

While China is known for its immense manufacturing base, in recent years the Chinese government has assigned a high priority to science and technology services as its future growth sectors. The Chinese government is supporting this vision with the establishment of research and technology parks, favorable tax incentives, policy reform, grants to help Chinese firms achieve certifications, investments in infrastructure, and promotion of IT outsourcing (ITO) and business process outsourcing (BPO) services. Beyond the aspirations of its leaders, is China ready to compete in the global ITO and BPO markets? How can Western managers successfully engage Chinese ITO/BPO suppliers?

Reverse logistics in the electronic industry of China: a case study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on research undertaken to investigate whether current reverse logistics theories and models can be totally applied in developing countries like China using the electronic industry as a case study.Design/methodology/approach – A case study approach was adopted with information collected from company web sites, direct observation, and in‐depth interviews with four major consumer electronic product manufacturers in China. Findings were analyzed and compared across all the cases studied to determine the common external and internal drivers for reverse logistics implementation as well as the obstacles faced by the whole electronic industry. A comparison with the literature was made to identify the gaps between current theories and models and actual practices in China.Findings – The findings suggest that while reverse logistics drivers vary from company to company, barriers to reverse logistics are common and are mainly external. The major difficulty in implement...

Benchmarking green logistics performance with a composite index

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss the development and use of a green logistics performance index (GLPI) for easy comparison of performance among industries and countries. It uses the survey data collected from the home electronic appliance industry in China and Japan as an example to demonstrate the index development process and compare the performance of green logistics (GL) practices between the two countries using the proposed index.Design/methodology/approach – Two‐sample t‐test and one‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyse the data collected from a questionnaire survey. Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to derive the weights from the survey data for the GLPI.Findings – The findings reveal that the GLPI derived using PCA is robust and gives similar results as obtained through two‐sample t‐test and ANOVA of the dataset in the comparison of performance among firms and between countries in the study.Research limitations/implications – This study lends insight into the use...

A Cellular Automata Model for Urban Land-Use Simulation:

This paper presents an urban land-use simulation model using cellular automata (CA). In the model urban growth is regarded as the result of a global process underpinned by local actions and land-use change as the joint action of three different effects: attribute, heterogeneity, and gravity. The attribute and heterogeneity effects are regarded as different aspects of a local driving force for change constituted by changing accessibility and other attributes resulting from the interaction of land use and transport at the neighborhood level. The gravity effect is a universal resistance to change as a result of inertia and agglomeration of compatible land uses in the vicinity. To ensure that local actions would lead to global behavior, a multipass, in addition to a single-pass, land-use-allocation algorithm is designed to mimic land-use changes. With metropolitan Melbourne in Australia as a case study, the performance of the model in replicating land-use changes is compared with that of an alternative model developed by using only a distance function. The results of the comparison show that the proposed CA model outperforms the alternative model with only a distance function, confirming the importance of incorporating local attributes in modeling land-use changes.

Demand management in downstream wholesale and retail distribution: a case study

Purpose – This case study aims to examine the role of demand management in balancing distribution efficiency and responsiveness to customer needs in the downstream of a retail supply chain.Design/methodology/approach – A major machine part supplier in Australia is used as a case study to investigate the challenges faced by the industry in distributing goods to customers. The use of demand management techniques to help improve distribution efficiency without significantly impacting on responsiveness is also explored.Findings – The findings of the case study reveal that appropriate demand management measures, such as customer segmentation and price discrimination, can help improve overall distribution efficiency of the supply chain while providing the required responsiveness to meet genuine customer needs. Other management attempts, such as vendor‐managed inventory and rationalisation of retail network, can facilitate demand aggregation and improve vehicle utilisation in distribution with minor impact on cu...

Distribution network rationalisation through benchmarking with DEA

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the use of data envelopment analysis (DEA) to benchmark store performance for the purpose of rationalising retail distribution network.Design/methodology/approach – As an illustration of the approach, DEA is applied to a sample of front stores of a major retailer in Australia to compare their relative efficiency in distribution. Together with other techniques such as customer segmentation and spatial distribution of demand, this paper shows that DEA can provide an objective basis for distribution network rationalisation and be a suitable analytical tool to facilitate continuous improvement.Findings – Based on the DEA results, it is concluded that overall distribution efficiency of the part of the retail network under study can be improved by either closing the less efficient stores or merging them with the others in the same service areas to streamline the network. Such rationalisation will help aggregate demand and improve vehicle utilisation for distribu...

A Supplementary Framework for Evaluation of Integrated Logistics Service Provider

As a result of globalization, supply chains of many large business organizations nowadays tend to cover wider geographic areas spanning across different countries and continents. The growth in length and complexity gradually replaces the traditional linear supply chains with extended supply networks comprising not only suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and end customers, but also service providers. With the increasing use of third-party logistics (3PL) providers by international firms seeking integrated logistics services, many global 3PL providers are forming partnerships with large corporations to take care of the latter’s logistics operations in different regions. The selection of the right 3PL provider for alliance is therefore paramount to the success of global supply chain management. This article investigates the significance of this subject and proposes a supplementary framework for evaluation of 3PL providers as global logistics partners for international firms. The framework focuses on the core competencies of 3PL providers and their abilities to attain economies of scale helping users achieve their outsourcing objectives.

Unpacking the revised Bloom’s taxonomy: developing case-based learning activities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose the use of case studies in teaching an undergraduate course of Internet for Business in class, based on the revised Bloom’s taxonomy. The study provides the empirical evidence about the effect of case-based teaching method integrated the revised Bloom’s taxonomy on students’ incremental learning, measured by the four constructs: knowledge application, higher-order thinking, practice evaluation knowledge and knowledge improvement. Design/methodology/approach In this study, learning activities associated with the revised taxonomy-based learning strategy were proposed to support the development of higher-level cognitive skills. Revised application scale, higher-order thinking scale, practice evaluation knowledge scale and knowledge improvement scale were used to measure students’ perception of skills corresponding to their level of application, analysis, evaluation and creation, respectively. After completing each task pertinent to case studies, students were encouraged to complete the survey questionnaire. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to examine the relationships between constructs. Students participate in a course where case studies are employed as the main learning activities to promote higher-order thinking. Upon completing the course, they fill in a survey to evaluate the four constructs of incremental learning: level of knowledge application, higher-order thinking, practice evaluation knowledge and knowledge improvement. The relationships between the four constructs are then examined using SEM. Findings Analysis reveals that with the use of case-based learning activities, knowledge application creates a positive impact on higher-order thinking. Higher-order thinking has positive influence on practice evaluation knowledge. Eventually, practice evaluation knowledge produces a positive effect on knowledge improvement. The results show the desired effects of incremental learning. Research limitations/implications The case studies designed for teaching the Internet for Business course might not be suitable in terms of content for other courses, which limit the implication of the findings. Practical implications The key implication is that cognitive process is enhanced by using case studies where learning activities are designed, based on the revised Bloom’s taxonomy. Originality/value The paper offers a comprehensive perspective on incremental learning where students’ knowledge of Internet for Business moves developmentally towards the higher-order cognitive process dimension of the revised Bloom’s taxonomy.

Application of Lean Thinking in Supply Chain Management by the Small and Medium Sized Manufacturers in China: A Status Survey

With increasing pressure for higher wages and growing competition from other developing countries such as Vietnam and Mexico, China can no longer rely heavily on cheap labor supply as a competitive advantage to secure her position as the world’s largest manufacturing base. Other competitive edges, such as lean manufacturing and lean supply chain management that help cut cost and reduce waste, have to be explored. Using a self-administered questionnaire survey, this study investigates the current status of lean thinking application in supply chain management by the small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) in China. It also explores if there are benefits in the application and the challenges faced by the SMMs in implementation. The findings suggest that application of lean thinking in China is not widespread. For those firms that have applied lean thinking, the major benefits obtained include reductions in cost, waste, inventory, labor, and cycle time. The major difficulties encountered lie in the accurate communication of the requirements between workers and managers and the collaboration with supply chain members. Proper application of lean thinking in supply chain management can bring substantial benefits to the manufacturing industry. Managers can use this research to benchmark their lean thinking application and revise their supply chain strategy accordingly.

A Study on RFID Adoption in the Grocery Retailing Industry of Thailand

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an emerging technology for supply chain management suitable for the retail industry. Large distributing companies such as Wal-Mart, Tesco, and Target have adopted RFID for real-time tracking and efficient order assortment of fast moving products. An agriculture-based developing country with a huge population and strong internal consumption, Thailand has a big grocery retailing industry that provides ample opportunities for the application of RFID technology. Through a questionnaire survey, this study investigated the current status of RFID adoption in the grocery industry of Thailand. The findings reveal that the industry is aware of the potential benefits that RFID may bring but also concerned with the various challenges in implementation. Although companies surveyed are planning to adopt the technology, none have fully implemented an RFID system. This reveals that RFID adoption is still in its infancy in the grocery retailing industry of the country. The major concerns of the firms include high implementation cost and low return on investment, different system designs and multiple standards, and the lack of technical expertise and management experience to ensure success in adopting the technology.