Implementation of lean, agile or leagile in consumer electronic retail companies : a comparative study between China and New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master in Logistics and Supply Chain Management at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
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Date
2016
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Massey University
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Abstract
Since 1960s, a large number of researchers have focused on how organisations have made large
investment to streamline their supply chain to improve customer satisfaction and increase their
internal productivity, all with the aim of achieving a competitive advantage against competitors on
the market. Much research has been conducted on lean management techniques, aiming to
reduce the costs of supply chains by minimizing their length and agile management aiming to
increasing the robustness and flexibility of supply chains. An emerging field of research
combines the two principles indicating that an organisations success lies in the combination of
both. This is the case in the consumer electronics industry. The consumer electronics industry
generates an array of products and services increasingly used in nearly every human endeavour,
now deeply entwined in our social fabric, electronic products and systems now support critical
aspects of communication, education, finance, recreation, and government. In the past few years,
China in particular have become increasingly important in the consumer electronics as well as
other industries. As an importer to New Zealand, a market for consumer electronic goods has
been rapidly amplified over the years introducing a market for more relevant companies to be
established and the market competition to become more competitive. This research focused on
the implementation of lean, agile and leagile strategies in four consumer electronic retail
companies from China and New Zealand. It is aim of this research to better understand the inner
supply chain management strategies and practices of these four companies, and analyse how
these strategies improve their supply chain performance. Finally, the research will find out what
New Zealand’s companies should learn from China’s successful companies by comparing these
strategies and identifying the environments these four companies operate in. This research will
aim to uncover characteristics associated with the success of Chinese consumer electronics
companies, specific to lean, agile and leagile strategies and see whether New Zealand has the
infrastructure to gain the same competitive advantage using these strategies.
Keywords: supply chain management, lean, agile, leagile, consumer electronic retail industry
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Business logistics, Retail trade, Electronic apparatus and appliances, Supply chain management, Lean, Agile, Leagile, Consumer electronic retail industry