Innovation and technology management in supply chains have become a very important approach to enhance competitiveness in today’s business environment. How supply chain learning and collaborations help to improve the firm’s innovative capabilities in introducing new products/services, applying new production processes and adopting new logistics and supply chain management practices are critical topics of discussion by practitioners and important topics of research for academic researchers.  The Pearl River Delta (PRD) areas are one of the most developed areas in China, and manufacturing firms in the PRD play a very important role in global supply chains.  However, they are also facing tough challenges in global competition due to the decrease in demands caused by the recent global financial crises, the appreciation of Chinese currency and rising costs of labor and other production inputs.

 

To overcome these challenges, the Guang Dong Government and companies in the PRD have been working hard to enhance their knowledge and expertise and upgrade their role in the global value chain.  There are also constant drives for these companies to collaborate with and learn from their supply chain partners to enhance their knowledge capital. Some of these companies have done very well in the global competition by integrating resources and capabilities from different partners. Some of these companies have gained tremendous competitive advantages over their competitors through simultaneous applications of low cost and differentiation strategies backed up by technological and management innovation capabilities. Companies such as Galanz, Midea, Gree, Huawai have rapidly gained market shares in the increasingly competitive market place. Under the support and guidance of both the central and provincial government, these companies are building innovation platform and support system, continuously increasing Research and Development (R&D) expenses to promote Industry-University-Research cooperation and improve their innovation capabilities.

  

Hong Kong owned companies play a very important role in the development of the PRD economy, and the Hong Kong government has also been working hard to promote innovation and economic integration with the PRD.The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks play a very important role in promoting commercialization and transfer of technologies from Universities and Research Institutes to companies in the PRD. Despite many successes, there are also many challenges and problems in collaborations and cooperation among supply chain partners (government, university, suppliers, manufacturers and customers).

 

 

The mission of the conference is to provide a platform for academic researchers, industry practitioners and government officials to share information and exchange ideas as to how to enhance the global competitiveness of firms through supply chain collaborations, learning and subsequent improvement in innovative capabilities. More specifically, the objectives of the conference are to:

 

• 1. Invite academic researchers to share their research findings on how to gain competitive advantages through innovation and integration in global supply chains

 

 

• 2. Invite government officials to describe the government initiatives to promote innovation and technology through collaborations among industry, University and research institutes and share the current achievements, problems and challenges;

 

 

• 3.Invite industrial practitioners to present their successful experiences and failures in supply chain collaboration and innovations;

 

 

• 4.Get first-hand knowledge and insights on the current status of supply chain learning/collaborations and innovation among Chinese enterprises through visiting representative enterprises in the Pearl River Delta;

 

 

5.Provide a forum for academic researchers, industry practitioners and government officials to exchange ideas and discuss critical issues to be addressed; 

 

 

• 6.Identify important research topics that will make significant contributions to the advancement of theories in operations and supply chain management and have a significant impact on industry practices;

 

 

• 7.Establish a network of researchers who are interested in collaborating in China-based research and foster research collaborations between researchers in China and researchers from other countries;

 

 

• 8.Share research findings, successful experiences and methodologies for conducting research in China.