Research Proposal Help Samples : NEED FOR TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION

THE NEED FOR TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION OF INDIAN GARMENT MANUFACTURING FIRMS

Research Proposal

 

THE NEED FOR TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION OF INDIAN GARMENT MANUFACTURING FIRMS”

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART A
1. ABSTRACT
2. INTRODUCTION
a. RESEARCH GAP
b. BRIEF INFORMATION OF THEORY
c. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
3. LITERATURE REVIEW
a. WORLD TEXTILE AND APPAREL TRADE
b. INDIAN TEXTILE AND APPAREL TRADE
c. TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION IN THE GARMENT MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
d. STRATEGIC FIT CONCEPT
4. CONCEPTUAL MODEL
a. HYPOTHESIS OF STUDY
5. METHODOLOGY
6. TIME SCALE
7. REFERENCES

PART B
1. INTRODUCTION
2. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
3. RELIABILITY
4. VALIDITY
5. CONCLUSION
6. REFERENCES


Abstract

One of the most important factors leading to competition in the global trade has been the need for technology adoption. Gaining an upper hand in the competitive quota free world trade became an important driving force for garment manufacturing firms to adopt technologies. However, not much research has been done on the technology adoption of companies, particularly in the garment manufacturing sector in developing countries like India. From the information available, what leads to the level of technology adoption by clothing manufacturers is known at minimal level. The primary aim of this study is to find out the effects of organizational factors on the need for technology adoption with context to the Indian garment industry and to learn useful strategies, which could be adopted by the manufacturers. This research, also, attempts to determine those of the critical areas in India that are, usually, overlooked by the researchers.

Introduction

Now, not a single area of the human life and development is exempt from technological up-gradation and development. If truth be told, we are being steered by technology and that is the sign of a civilized living which is not vulnerable to natural obligations or geological limitations as we quickly notice in the wildlife. (Jerome R. Ravetz 1971) In the modern world, no sane person can ever afford to be against technological development. Apart from enhancing the human life through countless innovations and discoveries, the level of technological development is also determined by its achievements related to industrial engineering, environmental sciences, organic chemistry, applied physics and many more branches of the science. The same goes for the biggest country like India that has achieved reasonable technological progress, particularly in its industrial sector, where the textile industry is leading from the front after IT and telecommunication industries.

In the modern corporate culture, knowledge management is taken as an all-compassing domain. For organisations and companies, information and knowledge are considered as the most valuable asset for the entire organisational growth and development. Recent years have shown a significant rise in market share of developing countries in the textiles and apparel exports. This is due to the advantage of having resources and the ability to provide goods on a large scale at low cost and the prompt response to the change in fashion. This has in turn helped in contributing to the economic growth of developing countries. The termination of Multi-Fiber Arrangement (MFA) by World Trade Organization (WTO) on January 1, 2005 introduced a complete new era of textiles and apparel trade. ‘India accounts for about 12% of the world's production of textile fibers and yarns. This includes jute, of which it is the largest producer. The country is the second largest producer of silk and cellulose fiber and yarn and the fifth largest producer of synthetic fiber and yarn’. (Prospects for the Textile and Garment Industry in India. M2PressWIRE, Jan 25, 2007)

Knowledge management, in general, consists of different organisational practices and strategies. The purpose of these methods and policies is, mainly, to identify, allocate, represent, create, and facilitate a systematic implementation and acceptance of insights, gained perceptions and experiences within organisational setup. Amongst developing countries, the Indian garment industry has been showing an exurban amount of growth in the global market by having low production costs, abundant resources of raw materials, and skilled labor forces. The textiles and apparel industry is India’s second largest industry with also being the most important export sector of manufacturing goods. Even with such a high position it still has a tremendous amount of pressure to increase productivity, improve performance, improve production quality and to advance management systems due to increase in competition from low-cost manufacturers around the world. Thus making it a high priority for garment manufacturers to adhere to the new challenges with strategies and solutions keeping in mind the level of competition in the global market. This increased the need for innovation in the technology as well as production facilities.

In the modern age of globalization, the emergence of multicultural working environment in organisations are becoming an irrevocable trend and a growing number of multiethnic and multicultural organisations, across the world, corroborate this phenomenon. For this reason, successful handling of the both short and long-term consequences of an increasing ratio of diversity and cultural change is itself, termed as a demanding task with reference to knowledge management. The development of knowledge management systems reflects this complexity and challenge, but also demonstrates the ones that organisations have placed upon knowledge management and the importance that is attached to this practice.

The field of technology awareness is beyond intellectual barriers and hindrances and is promoted when people are happy to share whatever they know or possess in the form of information, data, knowledge and experiences. Technology awareness within textile companies is critical because sharing the information brings people from diverse cultural background closer to each other. As a result, organisations must be systematically capable of decoding and interpreting whatever told by the people who speak in other languages with strange pronunciation having a quite bizarre tone of voice. Technology awareness is taken as an allcompassing domain, but confronted by many known and unknown barriers and obstacles. Apart from the known factors, these constraints primarily belong to those of manmade schema that inhibit the flow of knowledge to other people.

Even after significant changes during the past years, the garment manufacturing industry is labor-intensive and production oriented, having many manual workers operating the machines. The primary concern being lower costs, high productivity and better quality advancement in technology would increase the production capacity and better quality goods would be produced in a short time cycle in the garment manufacturing sector. Thus, change in technology is important for the Indian garment manufacturers to sustain in the end. Seeing the need for advancement in technology, the research behind the need for it in the garment manufacturing firms and the factors that would lead to such advancement is scarce in developing countries is important. Thus, the central question of this research is to know which firms would adopt new technology focusing this study to investigate the factors that influence technological advancement and organizational factors. Many textile companies in India are not able to adapt technology. Especially in multicultural organisations, the state of technological adaptation, including knowledge management and sharing of information is not that much satisfactory, or adequate. Many people feel themselves losing power and value when sharing their knowledge and experiences with others. Many people think its wastage of time and energy to transfer their lifelong learning with others, and many regard the act of knowledge sharing with other staff members as a threat to their own worth and importance in organisation they work for.

This study would contribute to bridging the gap of knowledge of technology adoption in developing countries like India and by that learning and understanding the garment manufacturing industry. It would help in contributing to the development of the clothing supply chain and provide a perception as to how manufacturers in the developing countries can adopt new technologies and compete in the global market, which would help in the economic development of developing countries.

This paper has been divided into 5 chapters. The first section includes the introduction of the given subject, with significant highlights and introductory details about the issue. This chapter, also, includes the Research Plan, Objective, assumptions, significance and scope of the study, along with theoretical and conceptual frameworks of the study. This chapter, also, raises the research question. The second chapter of this dissertation consists of a detailed literature review, mentioning the primary research and studies conducted on the given subject. Third chapter presents the methodology of the study, including the design of the research being conducted. This will be followed by the fourth section, which will discuss the findings of the study in details. The last chapter will conclude the study with appropriate suggestions and recommendations for further studies to be conducted in the same area. The fifth chapter will, also, briefly discuss the implication for future research.