Muting the Dragon's Ringtone: A case for the transition of the Indian Electronics Industry from China to Vietnam

The policy of Atma-nirbhar Bharat is aimed at making India a self-sufficient and self-generating economy. This self-reliance sentiment was bolstered by anti-China protests due to the Galwan valley standoff. In this context, many Indian nationalists have vouched for the boycott of “Made in China” products especially electronics since they form 50% of Chinese imports and so moving to Vietnam is appreciated as a viable option. In this context, this paper uses the tools of comparative data analytics and constitute a Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) to analyze the efficacy of substituting Chinese imports with those from Vietnam and make a case for making this substitution possible.

An analysis of barriers affecting implementation of sustainable supply chain management in electronics industry: a Grey-DEMATEL approach

Purpose World over organizations are focusing on sustainable goals, where along with economic success their role in protecting the planet and people are becoming important. Whilst transforming the supply chain into a sustainable one, there would be some barriers which might hinder this process. This paper aims to study these barriers in the context of the electronics industry so that organizations can better implement sustainable supply chain programs. Design/methodology/approach In this research, barriers affecting sustainability implementation in the electronics supply chain are shortlisted from literature review and experts’ opinion. Using the combined methodology of Grey DEMATEL, the causal factors, the effect factors and degree of prominence of barriers is found out. The overall relationship among barriers is established by a diagraph. Sensitivity analysis is performed to check the robustness of the results. Findings It is found that lack of regulation and guidance from authorities is the primary causal barrier affecting operations of sustainable supply chain management. There are five barriers which fall in the influenced group and among them, complexity in measuring and monitoring sustainability practices has the largest net effect value on the implementation of a sustainable supply chain. The barrier having the highest correlation with other barriers is the high cost for disposal of hazardous wastes. The implications of these findings on managers and academicians is explored in the study. Research limitations/implications In this research, the number of barriers shortlisted is limited to 11 in the context of the electronics supply chain. More factors could be added in future research based on the industry being studied. Originality/value The research analyses 11 barriers under categories of policy, technology, financial and human resources in the Indian electronics industry by evaluating the cause and effect group of barriers. These results can guide policymakers of the electronic sector and industry for mitigating barriers during the implementation of sustainable programs.

Impact of supply risk management on firm performance: a case of the Indian electronics industry

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to study and examine the influence of systematic supply risk management (SRM) on the buyer's firm performance, mainly focussing on the Indian electronics industry.Design/methodology/approachThe study has framed a set of hypotheses on the risk management model. A thorough literature review and experts' opinion were considered in framing constructs and hypothesis for the model. We adopted self-administration questionnaires mainly focusing on the Indian electronics industry. The derived hypothesis is tested using partial least squares (PLS) method from 140 survey data pertaining to small, medium and large scale industries.FindingsStudy justify that constructs with high loadings for risk identification, risk assessment, risk reduction, and risk monitoring supports all hypothesized relation to better risk management. The model captures superior risk identification, risk control and risk monitoring for overall firm performance, but fails to justify with organization supply risk assessment process on overall firm performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe study mainly focused on SRM process on firm performance. Study mainly focused on single survey responses and expert's perceptions on SRM practices in Indian electronics industry.Practical implicationsResearch empirically justifies the effects of SRM process on organization performance. Furthermore, effective SRM practices assist decision makers framing corrective strategies to mitigate risk occurrences and their negative impact.Originality/valueThis empirical work provides a deep understanding of SRM process on the Indian electronics industry and their perception towards firm performance. Moreover, this is one of the few empirical studies addressing SRM practices in the Indian electronics industry.

Forecasting product returns and reverse logistics performance: structural equation modelling

Purpose Forecasting product returns plays an important role in the operations of reverse logistics (RL). However, their contribution to sustainability performance is yet to be explored. The purpose of this paper is to explore the product returns in Indian electronics industry and examine the relationship of forecasting product returns with triple bottom line performance of RL. Design/methodology/approach In this study, based on past literature review, four hypotheses, relating to forecasting of product returns and its association with performance, were developed. A questionnaire was sent to 700 respondents from the Indian electronics industry. Overall, 208 received responses were found suitable for the research. The necessary statistical analysis was carried out to ensure the reliability and validity of the questionnaire. In order to test different hypotheses, partial least square path modelling (PLSPM) technique of structural equation modeling was utilized. Findings Measurement model had shown sufficient data fit for the modeling. PLSPM results reveal that the accuracy in forecasting product returns is positively associated with operational performance of RL. It also plays an important role in the sustainability efforts of an organization. Research limitations/implications Managers can utilize results of study for exploring and emphasizing issues of product returns for improving RL performance. One of the limitations is that data are collected only from Indian electronics industry. Another limitation is that only product returns are considered for the operational and TBL performance of RL. In future, study may be carried out considering different factors in other sectors and countries. Originality/value The intent of forecasting product returns is considered to be operational efficiency. It can make significant contributions to the sustainability efforts of an organization. Review of the past literature indicates that research in the field of RL is in developing stage, and issues related to forecasting product returns are under-represented. The paper adds value to the few available articles on product returns.