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Wei, Hongliang (2008) Maximising Operational Management, Energy Usage, and Emission Reduction within the Chinese and UK Retail Sectors: A Comparison Study. [Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)] (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Taking up the fight to save the environment has become a serious issue around the world. As such, retail organisations around the world look to their operation management and strategic frameworks to develop a programme that saves energy and reduces emissions, minimising their carbon footprint. The aim of this research is to compare the operation management strategies for energy savings and emission reduction between Western and Chinese retail companies, including Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Costco, Carrefour, Gome, IKEA, and others that illustrate both the challenges of and solutions for becoming more environmental responsibility. An additional aim is to focus on how the links within supply chain relationships impact the maximisation of energy and emissions savings in terms of how these relationships are handled. The last aim is to present a number of recommendations that could help Chinese retail companies. To achieve these aims, a number of ideas will be considered within the literature review as well as in the primary research, including face-to-face interview and surveys of both Chinese and UK retailers.

There was consensus among Chinese and UK retailers in terms of the importance of incorporating an environmental strategy into their operation management and supply chain relationships in order to reduce their carbon footprint. All respondents also seemed to agree that they were on the right path in terms of their tactics and believed that they would stay on that course or make slight alterations if their analyses indicated the need to improve their efforts or the government asked them to do so. They also agreed about the complexity and difficulty involved in becoming more environmentally responsible. Chinese retailers on a domestic level might benchmark the best practices of multinational retail competitors in terms of innovative approaches to reducing energy consumption and emissions whilst lowering costs and gaining new efficiencies. The most challenging aspect may be to convince their domestic suppliers within their supply chain to do the same. The innovative solutions presented within the case studies might be utilised to improve a retailer's reputation and brand name.

The issues involved in environmental responsibility are much more complex than originally anticipated. The green retail businesses will need further research over the next few years. The movement to lower emissions and energy consumption will only become a greater topic in the coming years as more companies realise the need to incorporate it into their operation management strategies and supply chain relations on the domestic and global fronts.

Item Type:	Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)
Keywords:	Operation management
Depositing User:	EP, Services
Date Deposited:	12 Sep 2008
Last Modified:	16 Feb 2018 23:57
URI:	https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/21886

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