Search results

Ethiopia’s economy is primarily based on agriculture, but starting form 2010, the government has been determined to diversify the exports with a priority set for strategic sectors like light manufacturing in which textile and apparel manufacturing industries are included. The purpose of this paper is to measure the comparative advantages of the Ethiopian textile and apparel industry using the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) in the period from 2007 to 2016.

For the purpose of the paper, secondary data were collected from the UN comtrade site, and related data sources were cited in the literature review for the purpose of triangulation (cross-checking of the analysis with theoretical background). From the theoretical background, the two indices of RCA (Balassa index and Lafay index) were used for the evaluation of the industries’ competitive advantage and to identify which industry (textiles or apparel) was of more importance in the country.

The findings of the study showed that Ethiopia was more competitive in the textile sector. However, and with reference to the Lafay index, the country has been focusing on apparel sector, because of the opportunities for job creation.

For the purpose of this study, secondary data were used and the general conclusions are limited to the corresponding sources of data.

Because of the labor-intensive nature, the textile and apparel sector has been one of the areas promoted by the Ethiopian Government in its industrialization policy. The finding of this paper can be used by policy makers to evaluate the competitiveness of the country.

The findings can be used to assess social upgrading issues in the textile and apparel sector.

The work is the first of its kind in the sector as well as the country.

The European Union (EU) clothing and textile industries are characterized by very intense international competition. EU producers face fierce competition from exports of new industrialized countries whose low wages and social charges give them a considerable competitive advantage. This paper seeks to present the results of an analysis of the European textile sector competitiveness.

The analysis is based on an industrial excellence (IE) model developed by INSEAD. This model has been used for the last ten years in an annual award (IEA), given out in France and Germany. This time the model was used not for giving an award, but for assessing and analyzing the current status of industrial excellence in the textile sector. For this reason a sample of textile companies from three European countries was used and results of the analysis are presented. The textile companies that participated in the analysis were benchmarked against the technologically advanced IEA sample consisting of companies from various industries, which participated in the competition during the last three years.

Key performance indicators of the textile sector are analyzed, including quality, flexibility, supply chain management, strategy formulation and strategy implementation. Significant improvement potential, especially in the areas of human resource management and knowledge management, is indicated.

Provides a methodology for employing the IE approach in their operation. Also provides a methodology for analyzing sector performance and new areas of differentiation in the European textile sector.

The results of the analysis were used to define customized IE training in order to promote expertise in IE in textiles and improve competitiveness of the sector.

The IEA model is used for the first time, not for giving an award, but as an IE assessment tool which can assist managers both of textile companies and intermediary bodies.

One of the oldest civilizations of Africa, Ethiopia is today at the advent of industrialization in various business sectors. Agriculture being a primary source of income (50 per cent of the GDP) is now transforming into more dynamic and new sectors. Textile and apparel is one of the sectors that has received a lot of attention from the government and the objective is to become sourcing destinations of the world. The purpose of the paper is to provide an overview of the current advances to the stakeholders, academia and industry from concept to the consumer. The aim of the paper is to present a transition of advances made in textile and apparel business that the country has made in the past decade and also to examine the potential of the consumer for this country. The consumer in the country is young and brings a lot of novel opportunities for textile and apparel industry.

This analysis is an empirical journey of the author’s research in academia and textile and apparel industry in Ethiopia.

This paper establishes a connection between the stakeholders, academia, industry and beneficiaries of this business so that it could become a guideline for future business investors. It also highlights the problems within this sector and provides a clear idea for domestic companies to compete with global competitors in terms of upcoming future business trends.

Presently, in the atmosphere of fashion and textiles, there is air about Ethiopia being the next manufacturing hub of the world in Africa. However, no academic literature is available which summarizes the opportunities and tasks in this industry, and this paper caters to the need of the hour.

This paper aims to present an exploratory investigation into long‐term patterns of trade specialization among leading textile and apparel exporting nations, assessing patterns of comparative advantage across the textile machinery, man‐made fiber, textiles and apparel sectors of the textile complex to determine whether these conform with both trade specialization and industry evolution theories. A model of evolutionary change in intra complex specialization is defined and evaluated.

A revealed comparative advantage index is employed to evaluate international competitiveness for 30‐nations over a 42‐year period. Repeated measures of ANOVA are used to determine the significance of the observed patterns across five income‐defined groups of nations.

Long‐term patterns of specialization broadly reflect expectations of factor proportions theory and industry evolution models. Product and income group characteristics combine to influence comparative advantage. Higher income nations generally remain stronger in more capital‐intensive sectors, while lower income countries have emerged to dominate labor‐intensive sectors. However, inclusion of a more complex array of variables is necessary to obtain a fuller understanding of international competitiveness.

Established theory remains a useful but limited guide to understanding the dynamics of international competitiveness in the context of the changing business environment. Improved understanding of patterns of change can assist strategic planning.

By embracing a long‐term time frame, a broad array of nations, and a vertical textile complex perspective to identify shifting patterns of competitiveness, this paper highlights key dynamics in the global textile complex over the last four decades.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of the international financial crisis on key clothing markets and their suppliers.

The analysis was undertaken on the basis of trade figures from the International Trade Centre (ITC) and Eurostat over the period 2005‐2009, and in particular over the period July 2007 to July 2009, when the strongest impacts from the crisis can be seen.

The different markets and suppliers have been impacted rather heterogeneously by the crisis. The key regional suppliers to the EU and the USA – Turkey and Mexico – have seen large falls in their clothing exports, as well as their textiles imports and exports. However, the EU has also seen major reductions in its trade. Others have been less strongly affected in the clothing sector. In textiles, trade fell in both directions everywhere, confirming a general tendency for intermediate product trade to be more affected by the crisis than final trade in goods. The research shows that certain sectors have been less strongly affected than others. However, the impacts have been heterogeneous across countries. The figures for the EU were extracted in euros, but also converted to dollars for comparison. The results vary quite considerably depending on the currency used for analysis.

The paper analyzes, for the first time, the most up to date trade data relating to flows over the period of the crisis. Through analysing the impacts of the economic downturn the potential impacts on the industrial landscape after the crisis can be better seen.

The purpose of this study is to comprehend the efficiency levels of the Indian textile industry and also its sub-sectors in the light of changing global and national business environment. It is imperative to study the efficiency levels of textile industry for an emerging economy like India, where the industry contributes up to 13 per cent in export earnings, 10 per cent in total industrial production and 2 per cent in gross domestic product (GDP). The study holds an important place in the wake of phasing out of the quota regime existing under the Multi Fibre Agreement (MFA) and the rising competition being faced from countries such as Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia.

The present study attempts to have an in-depth analysis of the efficiency levels in the Indian textile industry using meta-frontier data envelopment analysis, which is a non-parametric linear programming based frontier technique.

The findings highlight that the Indian textile industry is inefficient and has a huge scope of improvement in terms of efficiency. It also confirms the existence of different production functions among the sub-sectors of the industry. Among the different sub-sectors, the proximity of production frontier of readymade garments is the closest to meta-frontier followed by cotton and blended yarn, man-made fibre, cloth and others.

The findings bear strong implications for the policymakers in their attempt to regain the lost competitive position of the Indian textile industry and to enhance its contribution in the economy. As per the findings, policymakers should target the relatively inefficient sub-sectors of textile industry (cloth, man-made fibre, cotton and blended yarn) to infuse more efficiency in these sectors to enhance the market share of the Indian textile industry in the global textiles market.

The current study is a unique addition to the sparse literature on managing efficiencies in the textile industry, particularly of emerging economy like India. Looking at the methodological and geographical coverage of the previous work, it was found that no study has explored and analysed the efficiencies of the sub-sectors in the Indian textile industry using meta-frontier analysis. Therefore, this study will be the first of its kind which seeks to fill such gaps and intends to enrich the available literature.

This paper aims to present an exploratory investigation into ten‐year (1995‐2004) patterns of trade specialization among Eastern European and former Soviet Union Nations, assessing patterns of comparative advantage across the textile machinery, man‐made fiber, textile, and apparel sectors of the textile complex to determine whether these conform with both trade specialization and industry evolution theories.

A revealed symmetric comparative advantage index is employed to evaluate international competitiveness for 27 Eastern European and former Soviet Union Nations over a ten‐year period. Repeated measures ANOVA is used to determine the significance of the observed patterns across four income‐defined groups of nations.

Overall, the pattern of export development and RSCA generally reflects expectations regarding factor proportions theory and industry evolution models. The RMANOVA partially confirms the observations. The analysis indicates that income group does not independently affect comparative advantage; however, the nature of products is the significant factor influencing national comparative advantage.

The established models may be better at understanding those nations which have established relatively stable politic and economic environment, and been experiencing earlier stages of industry development, but appear less useful in predicting development patterns for those nations experiencing dramatic transitions from regulated to de‐regulated markets.

The patterns of national comparative advantage in a vertical textile complex are identified for Eastern European and former Soviet Union Nations. The dynamics of change over a ten‐year period following economic reforms are revealed.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of displaced female textile sector workers.

A qualitative approach to data collection and interpretation forms the methodological basis of the study. In‐depth interviews were conducted with 14 female employees who were laid off from a large textile manufacturing facility in a southeastern state. Participants were selected through the local community college where they returned to school after losing their jobs.

A phenomenological interpretation of the responses led to the development of three emergent thematic areas connecting similarities and differences that surfaced across the participants' narratives. Key issues within the thematic areas point to the need for each participant to come to terms with the job loss, both emotionally and financially, and to decide where she would go from there.

The study focuses on women employed at a single manufacturing facility and within a single state in the southeastern USA. Implications of the meanings of participants' experiences for their community and for the future of employment in the US textile sector are considered.

The study provides an interpretation of the impact of textile sector dynamics on the lives of displaced workers and the local community.

The paper offers insight into the human side of industry dynamics and declining manufacturing employment figures. It also sheds light on the extent to which some displaced textile sector workers have pursued the educational options made available through government programs designed to provide assistance with education and retraining.

The apparel and textile sector poses a significant environmental challenge due to its substantial contribution to pollution in the form of air, water and soil pollution. To combat these issues, the adoption of sustainable practices is essential. This study aims to identify and analyse the barriers that hinder the progress of sustainability in the apparel and textile industry. By consulting experts in the field, critical barriers were identified and given special attention.

To achieve the research objective, an integrated approach involving Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) and fuzzy MICMAC decision-making techniques was employed. The results were further validated through the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method.

The findings highlight that barrier related to clothing disposal, inadequate adaptation to modern technology, challenges affecting sector efficiency and issues related to fashion design are crucial in influencing the remaining six barriers. Based on the outcomes of the DEMATEL method, a comprehensive cause-and-effect diagram was constructed to gain a deeper understanding of these challenges.

This research provides valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders in the apparel and textile industry. It offers a strategic framework to address and overcome sustainability barriers, promoting the development of a more environmentally responsible and resilient sector.

The purpose of this research is to conduct an in-depth investigation of the barriers apparel and textile sectors. It is feasible that both the management team and the medical experts who provide direct patient care could benefit from this research.

The primary objective of this research is to determine critical success factors (CSFs) that enable textile enterprises to effectively implement Kaizen, a Japanese concept of continuous development, particularly during disruptive situations. The study aims to provide insights into how Kaizen is specifically employed within the textile sector and to offer guidance for addressing future crises.

This study employs a structured approach to determine CSFs for successful Kaizen implementation in the textile industry. The Triple Helix Actors structure, comprising business, academia and government representatives, is utilized to uncover essential insights. Additionally, the Matriced Impacts Croises-Multiplication Applique and Classement (MICMAC) analysis and interpretative structural modeling (ISM) techniques are applied to evaluate the influence of CSFs.

The research identifies 17 CSFs for successful Kaizen implementation in the textile industry through a comprehensive literature review and expert input. These factors are organized into a hierarchical structure with 5 distinct levels. Additionally, the application of the MICMAC analysis reveals three clusters of CSFs: linkage, dependent and independent, highlighting their interdependencies and impact.

Major contribution of this study is understanding how Kaizen can be effectively utilized in the textile industry, especially during disruptive events. The combination of the Triple Helix Actors structure, MICMAC analysis and ISM provides a unique perspective on the essential factors driving successful Kaizen implementation. The identification of CSFs and their categorization into clusters offer valuable insights for practitioners, policymakers and academia seeking to enhance the resilience and sustainability of the textile industry.