RESPONSIVENESS CAPABILITY IN THE INTERNATIONAL CLOTHING INDUSTRY: GLOBAL QUICK RESPONSE AND PLANNING POSTPONEMENT CAPABILITIES
Responsiveness has been recognized as an essential strategy to enhance the capabilities of organizations as well as supply networks in the clothing industry to quickly and accurately respond to the changing market requirements. Although responsiveness embedded with several aspects including social concern, it has mostly been studied in terms of Quick Response (QR) initiatives in the clothing industry. However, as contemporary clothing industry operates globally, QR strategies need to be considered in the global context. With this wider context in mind, the concept of Global Quick Response (GQR) has been introduced. In order to make normative suggestions and to confirm this new theoretical concept of GQR, a measurement scale for GQR should be built up though none has paid the attention in the literature so far. Therefore, the first objective of this paper is to develop a measurement scale for GQR; and to validate the measurement properties of the same. Then, as responsiveness can also be enhanced through the planning postponement strategies, the second objective of this paper is to examine the association between the GQR and planning postponement capabilities. Data was collected from both strategic and operational level personnel in the clothing industry at the supply network level using mix research approach. A Multiple Discriminant Analysis was carried out taking the degree of GQR capability and Planning Postponement capability on board. The results uncovers that there is an association between GQR and Planning Postponement. The degree of GQR capability discriminates the Planning Postponement capability though the discriminating power is weak. Finally the paper makes important implications and suggestions for practitioners as well as for academics in order to enhance the responsiveness not only through GQR but also through planning postponement. Keywords: Clothing Industry, Global Quick Response, Postponement, Responsiveness For full Paper: fmscresearch@sjp.ac.lk