Chinese Supply Research Articles

INTERACTION BETWEEN DIRECT GEOREFERENCING, CONTROL POINT CONFIGURATION AND CAMERA SELF-CALIBRATION FOR RTK-BASED UAV PHOTOGRAMMETRY

Abstract. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are enjoying increasing popularity in the photogrammetric community. The Chinese supplier DJI is the market leader with about 70% of the global consumer UAV market. The Phantom model has been available for more than 10 years and its current version "RTK" is equipped with a 2-frequency GNSS receiver, as a basis for direct georeferencing of image flights, using RTK or PPK technologies.In the context of the paper, different case studies are investigated, which allow statements on the geometric accuracy of UAV image flights as well as on the self-calibration of the camera systems.In the first example, four DJI Phantom 4 RTK systems are examined, which were flown in a cross flight pattern configuration on the area of the UAV test field "Zeche Zollern" in Dortmund, Germany. The second example analyses the results of an open moorland area where the establishment of GCPs is extremely difficult and expensive, hence direct georeferencing offers a promising way to evaluate deformations, soil movements or mass calculations. In this example a DJI Matrice 210 v2 RTK drone has been used and the results of two different software packages (Agisoft Metashape and RealityCapture) are analysed. The third example presents a reference building that has been established by the Lower Saxony administration for geoinformation in order to evaluate UAV photogrammetry for cadastral purposes. Here again a DJI Phantom 4 RTK has been tested in a variety of flight configurations and a large number of high precision ground control and check points.The case studies show that the RTK option leads to sufficient results if at least 1 GCP is introduced. Flights without any GCPs lead to a significant height error in the order of up to 30 GSD.

Chinese Manufacturing Suppliers’ Upgrading in Global Value Chains

This research investigates the institutional challenges faced by Chinese manufacturing suppliers and their corresponding strategic responses through an institutional theory lens. The empirical research is based on a multiple case study involving nine case companies of three company size categories in the Chinese nonwoven fabric product industry. Data were collected over a period of three years from 2015 to 2017. This paper identifies three categories of institutional challenges, i.e., macro-institutional challenges, meso- institutional challenges, and micro-institutional challenges, faced by Chinese suppliers. Furthermore, it identifies the strategic responses undertaken by these companies in response to the above challenges, i.e., economic upgrading, environmental upgrading, and social upgrading, which in turn are associated with the companies’ size and level of maturity in upgrading practices. Finally, a maturity framework is developed with five positions that reveal a four-stage upgrading trajectory and strategic changes on the trade- off between institutional efficiency and legitimacy. As most extant research on the phenomenon of sourcing from China approaches it from the viewpoint of global buyers, this research examines the phenomenon from the viewpoint of Chinese suppliers. Through applying the theoretical lens of institutional theory to investigate GVC upgrading, this study contributes to the literature streams on both GVC and institutional theory.

Untangling Drivers for Supplier Environmental and Social Responsibility

This study unpacks the environmental and social dimensions of supplier responsibility and links each dimension to distinct drivers. We distinguish between two main types of drivers: stakeholder pressures (i.e., from government, NGOs and customers) and relational drivers applied by Western buying firms (i.e., through lean training and trust). The results of a multi-method study of Philips Lighting and 144 of its Chinese suppliers show that supplier environmental responsibility can be fostered through both stakeholder pressures and relational drivers. In contrast, supplier social responsibility is harder to address, and suppliers respond only if they perceive eminent threats to their business. Our study provides a nuanced perspective on the development of supplier environmental and social responsibility in China and the specific challenges for Western buying firms seeking to improve it.

Supply chain collaboration and eco‐innovations: An institutional perspective from China

AbstractThis study explores the impact of supply chain collaboration on eco‐innovations in the context of 220 Chinese manufacturing supplier firms involved in global supply chain networks. It investigates how supplier and customer collaborations help firms to enhance product eco‐innovations, and/or process eco‐innovations, and how the institutional context (i.e., regulatory, market, and community pressures) influences these relationships. The structural equation modeling approach is used to analyze the data captured from medium and large manufacturing enterprises in three major sectors: automotive, electronics, and textiles. The results show that community pressure has a positive effect on supplier collaboration, which further leads to enhanced process eco‐innovation. On the other hand, the findings indicate that while market pressure enhances customer collaboration, this does not reinforce product eco‐innovation. Contrary to our expectation, regulatory pressures do not impact supplier or customer collaboration for innovation. Overall, different institutional factors indicate divergent effects on supply chain collaboration and product/process eco‐innovation. The importance of normative pressures, such as those applied through the local community and interest groups, for eco‐innovations in production processes is further discussed as a typical feature of the institutional environment of Chinese supplier firms.

Multinational companies’ coordination mechanism for extending corporate social responsibility to Chinese suppliers

From the global supply chain perspective, this research explores how multinational companies (MNCs) can extend corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices to emerging countries such as China. A two-stage supply chain game model consisting of a Chinese supplier and a MNC is constructed. The study finds that an increase in the level of the Chinese supplier’s CSR increases the product demand and the stakeholders’ economic profits, but reduces the supplier’s economic return; the product demand and the stakeholders’ benefits increase along with the product green degree improvement, but the changes in the Chinese supplier’s economic profits are jointly affected by the level of CSR and green production efficiency. The supply chain coordination can be achieved based on a revenue sharing contract. Finally, the effects of revenue sharing fraction and supplier’s CRS level on product green degree, supplier’s revenue and MNC’s earnings are discussed by numerical simulation.

Environmental Activism and Big Data: Building Green Social Capital in China

The rapid development of information and communication technologies, coupled with the significant progress in the areas of environmental policy and public participation, has led to the advent of environmental big data in China recently. This article applies social capital theory as an analytical lens to shed light on how Chinese environmental non-government organizations (ENGOs) adopt big data to promote environmental governance. This study conducts case studies focusing on two ENGOs: The Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE) and Green Hunan. Combining a qualitative approach with quantitative analysis, this research examines two big data-induced initiatives: The first involves green supply chain management in the IPE, brand-sensitive multinational corporations (MNCs), and Chinese suppliers of the MNCs, while the second involves the mobile data-based Riverwatcher Action Network of Green Hunan and numerous volunteers nationwide. This study found that big data adoption by ENGOs contributes effectively to building green social capital, including social networks and pro-environmental social norms. Green social capital has important implications for governance in terms of fostering coordination and cooperation across the boundaries of the public, private, and voluntary sectors. This study highlighted the finding that empowerment by big data helps Chinese ENGOs play the role of a change agent in sustainability transitions.

Bolt Metals signs cooperation agreement with Chinese metals supplier, Hunan Jinxin New Material Co Ltd

Bolt Metals signs cooperation agreement with Chinese metals supplier, Hunan Jinxin New Material Co Ltd

The impact of psychological contract breaches within east-west buyer-supplier relationships

The expanding role of Asian firms in global supply chains has meant that their Western counterparts need to be capable of transcending the East-West divide in their relational building efforts if they wish to successfully participate in these networks. This paper draws upon social exchange (SE) theory to integrate the exit, voice, loyalty, neglect (EVLN) typology with the psychological contract (PSYCON) literature, to examine how Australian buyer firms build and nurture relationships with their Chinese suppliers. Data from 327 Australian managers collected using an online self-administered questionnaire reveals the negative effects of PSYCON breaches towards their suppliers on neglect, voice and loyalty in the relationship. In addition, contrasting effects of neglect and voice behaviours on trust and commitment, suggest that these behaviours can help erode and build East-West B2B relationships, respectively. These findings extend research on B2B relationships and offer useful managerial insights for decision makers operating in global supply chains involving relationships between firms from Eastern and Western backgrounds.

Winners and Losers from China's Ascension in International Trade: a Structural Approach

This paper employs a unified theoretical framework to estimate the effect of changes within China on the Brazilian and World's economy. Based on the Ricardian model of trade of Costinot et al. (2012), we perform counterfactuals exercises to analyze how industries in Brazil would have performed in the absence of the Chinese ascension. We discuss two main counterfactual exercises. First, we model productivity growth in China as the main lever by which Chinese supply and demand conditions evolve and affect economies worldwide. Second, we study how changes in composition of Chinese demand (taste) affects trade flows around the world. The two counterfactual exercises together suggest that changes in China's comparative advantage hampered manufacturing sectors abroad, in particular labor-intensive Brazilian manufacture producers. We find no support for the idea of a China taste shock driving demand towards raw materials. Our model suggests that if China triggered a commodity boom in the world, or at least in Brazil, this was driven mostly by increased income in China. And any changes in China's tastes over products contributed to moderate such boom. Specifically, our model indicates that the boom of soybeans cultivation in Brazil is due to changes in Brazilian comparative advantage paired with a level increase in demand for this product within China.

Interorganizational cooperation and supplier performance in high-technology supply chains

Never in history have global supply-chain relationships in high-tech electronics firms been more sophisticated, complicated, and almost always tied in some major aspect to China. This research examines how interorganizational (IO) cooperation impacts performance and what role relationship learning and information technology (IT) integration play in the value-creation process for Chinese suppliers in business-to-business (B2B) supply chains. We examine this issue using data collected from face-to-face interviews with supply chain managers and executives from 1,004 Chinese high-tech electronic component suppliers. The results strongly support the hypothesis that IO cooperation improves a supplier's performance regarding both its major customer and overall marketplace. Relationship learning and IT integration are important mediating variables that drive performance. The strongest effect in our study was the influence of IO cooperation on relationship learning. A unique aspect of this study is that it focuses on a large sample of a specific supplier type—high-tech Chinese suppliers. This, combined with the fact that the sampled companies were involved in manufacturing 13 different product groups, greatly increases the generalizability of the results.

Rethinking Chinese supply resilience of critical metals in lithium-ion batteries

With the rapid development of the lithium-ion battery (LIB) industry, the demand for core valuable elements in LIB has increased dramatically. A safe supply of corresponding metals is crucial to ensure the industry’s sustainability. However, quantitative evaluation to reveal the supply risk including criticality of LIBs in China is still not available. In this regard, criticality analysis was carried out to identify the importance of a specific metal in the current LIBs supply chain of raw materials. Subsequently, a comprehensive methodology to evaluate supply sustainability is established in this research by considering the combined effects of material supply, economic fluctuations, and technology innovation in the time frame from 2015 to 2030. An integrated index called Chinese supply resilience is introduced, indicating that a low Chinese supply resilience has a high possibility of supply shortage of the corresponding metal while a high resilience level represents minor supply risk. The results show that insufficient material supply has already induced a severe shortage for lithium (Li) and cobalt (Co). Specifically, Chinese supply resilience of lithium moves from the threshold to the low resilience zone, whereas that for cobalt remains in the low area, both implying a high risk of supply shortage. Furthermore, three appropriate mitigation measures, that is, recycling of spent LIBs, substitution of raw materials, and an increase in domestic raw materials production are considered. Recycling demonstrates the most effective solution to alleviate the potential supply risk of corresponding materials. With this research, it may promote management efficiency on end-of-life LIBs for policy makers.

Coronavirus puts drug chemical industry on alert

Major drug companies have issued statements in recent days assuring the public that their inventories are adequate in the face of supply chain threats stemming from the novel coronavirus. Suppliers of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are also assuring customers that they are prepared for temporary interruption in the supply of key ingredients from firms in China, where the outbreak originated. API makers in Europe and the US warn, however, that supply disruptions could result from a protracted delay in restarting production at plants closed in recent weeks by the Chinese government or from prolonged transportation restrictions. James Bruno, president of the consulting firm Chemical and Pharmaceutical Solutions, says travel restrictions are already interrupting business with Chinese suppliers. “First of all, nobody is going to be able to get to China,” he says, “so all the audits are going to be canceled.” Bruno adds that the restrictions will prolong plant closures

基于AHP和RS的中式邮轮食品供应商评价研究

基于AHP和RS的中式邮轮食品供应商评价研究

The application of forensic geology to investigate the substitution of zinc ingots between China and Brazil

Abstract This paper presents the investigation of fraud and of the theft of metal acquired by a Brazilian company from a Chinese supplier. Zinc ingots were transported by ship from China to the city of Londrina, in Paraná State, Brazil. However, they were substituted at some point during their journey, and replaced with bags containing fine crushed rock. In this case of a classic ‘substitution’ it was possible to use geological methods to investigate the crushed rock. As such, the mineralogical, petrological and isotope analysis showed the replaced rock did not originate from a Brazilian provenance. Therefore, the substitution possibly occurred before the cargo's arrival in Brazil. An inadequate chain of custody of the cargo, during transportation from Asia to Brazil, including the onward journey from Paranaguá to Londrina, is likely to have provided the opportunity for the material exchange to take place. Collaboration between the Brazilian Federal Police and geological experts based in academia enabled the crime to be investigated and solved.

An opportunity-based explanation of entrepreneurial intention: evidence from global sourcing suppliers in China

This study examines how knowledge acquisition of global sourcing suppliers in China influences their employees’ entrepreneurial intention through opportunity identification. We analyzed survey data from 144 Chinese global sourcing supplier firms using structural equation modeling. The findings reveal that supplier employees were able to identify more opportunities with their employers’ acquired knowledge and those identified opportunities increase employees’ intention to start their own ventures. In addition to the challenge to incumbent supplier firms, our study also provides insight on potential remedies by showing that a strategic focus on the pursuit of opportunities weakens employee entrepreneurial intention. This study represents a first step toward integrating organizational and individual level variables to clarify the underlying mechanism through which firm knowledge leads to individual entrepreneurial intention.

Tracing carbon emissions embodied in 2012 Chinese supply chains

As the largest carbon emitter, China is facing huge pressure and has a heavy task to control emissions. Previous studies have mainly focused on the production- and consumption-based sectors with large emissions, but few draw the whole picture of emission flows in Chinese supply chains in which direct carbon emissions (DCE) become embodied carbon emissions (ECE).This study aims to combine input-output model and structural path analysis to trace carbon emission flows from primary producer sectors to final consumer sectors based on the data of China in 2012. The results show that the total carbon emissions were 9208.33 Mt, and capital formation was the main final demand with the share of 44.22%. Production and Supply of Electricity released the largest DCE, and Construction was responsible for the largest ECE. Nearly 90% of emissions occurred in upstream sectors of the supply chains, Manufacturing and Electricity/Gas/Water are the important transfer sectors. The distribution of DCE and ECE of different sectors have different patterns. Electricity/Gas/Water released most of its DCE for its two-step downstream sectors (22.64%). Construction got more ECE indirectly from its one-step upstream sectors (29%) and two-step upstream sectors (26%). Controlling inputs from upstream or outputs to downstream can help to develop more effective measures to reduce emissions, especially for achieving the reduction target of one certain sector. Furthermore, some supply chain paths with more emissions, such as “Metal Smelting→ Construction→ Capital formation”, should be paid more attention. Reducing intermediate purchases or using cleaner alternatives can stimulate sectors along the supply chains to control emissions together and construct green supply chains.

Enhancing supply chain operations with extended corporate social responsibility practices by multinational enterprises: Social capital perspective from Chinese suppliers

Extending corporate social responsibility (CSR) to manage global supply chains has become strategically important for multinational enterprises (MNEs) to keep long-term relationships with suppliers in emergent countries. However, whether and how suppliers in developing countries respond to pressures from MNEs for CSR practices is lacking related studies. Built on the value of formal control through contracts and monitoring for diffusing CSR practices, this study further argues that evolving relational ties, which usually happen in multi-periods, with MNEs at both corporate and individual levels can be helpful or even necessary for suppliers to implement CSR practices from the social capital and guanxi theory perspective. Using survey data collected from 211 suppliers of MNEs in China, which is an emergent country characterized with the world's largest supplier base servicing MNEs, our hierarchical regression analysis demonstrates that relational ties including reciprocity, cooperation, and interaction at the corporate level have mediation and moderation effects on the formal control-CSR practices implementation link for these suppliers. Furthermore, personal trust is important and even necessary to motivate CSR practices implementation among the Chinese suppliers. Researching CSR from the supplier perspective, this study contributes new theoretical insights for MNEs to cultivate relational ties with their emergent-country suppliers in support of their formal control for CSR practices adoption by the latter.

Shelf life extension of vacuum packaged chilled beef in the Chinese supply chain. A feasibility study

Arbitrary microbiological limits or noticeable organoleptic decline are mainly used to define the shelf life of vacuum packaged chilled beef (VPCB). Excellent temperature control is critical to enable a long shelf life. The robustness of export supply chains was tested by sending Australian VPCB (striploins) to three Chinese destinations and a CONTROL (Brisbane, Australia) treatment (~−1 °C). Data loggers monitored temperature during storage and meat biochemistry (pH, color, weep), aerobic plate counts, lactic acid bacteria, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and sensory changes were measured 84, 98, 120 and 140 days postslaughter. Temperature was generally well maintained and sensory scores were not indicative of spoilage. Microbial counts did not increase from 84 to 140 days, however TVB-N increased with time and was a better predictor of sensory attributes. TVB-N was below the limit of 15 mg/100 g in all CONTROL samples but most Chinese samples exceeded this value. This study demonstrated that extended shelf life is feasible with excellent temperature control.

Social upgrading and cooperative corporate social responsibility in global value chains: the case of Fairphone in China

AbstractIn this article, we explore how a lead firm's strategy for corporate social responsibility influences the social upgrading of a supplier in a global value chain. Based on a single case study approach, we investigate the interaction between Dutch smartphone producer Fairphone and its Chinese supplier Guohong. On the one hand, the case illustrates how a cooperative approach to corporate social responsibility can lead to progress in suppliers' social upgrading. In particular, we highlight the role of a so‐called workers' welfare fund as a mechanism not only for improving measurable labour standards but also for enabling rights. On the other hand, the case demonstrates how the limited production and technological capabilities of the suppliers, a competitive market environment and lead firms' limited strategic access to the supply chain might constrain the extent of social upgrading through a cooperative approach towards corporate social responsibility in a global value chain.

Risk factors of failure in start-up textile enterprises

Despite various attempts made to curb the import of textile and clothing products from China, the demand for Chinese textile products and garments in Tshwane is quite high. Start-up enterprises operating in the textile industry of Gauteng Province in South Africa depend extensively on merchandise imported from China. The research was based on a five-yearlong study conducted by Marivate [2014. “The Impact of Entrepreneurial Skills on the Viability and Long-term Survival of Small Businesses: A case of the City of Tshwane, South Africa. European.” Journal of Business, Economics and Accountancy 2 (2): 53–72] by collecting data from a cohort of 312 textile enterprises operating in the City of Tshwane. The aim of study was to construct a survival probability model for the enterprises in the study as a means of identifying the most significant risk factor for failure in start-up textile enterprises. A semi-parametric survival model was used for identifying key risk factors for failure. The study found that about 51% of start-up businesses were viable at the end of the study period. The key determinants of survival and profitability were the ability to order merchandise in bulk on credit from wholesale Chinese suppliers, access to a trusted trading partner in China, ‘Guanxi’, and the attendance of at least one training session on entrepreneurial skills. Based on findings obtained from the study, there is no basis for recommending the elimination of low-wage employment in the textile and clothing industry of Tshwane.