Towards e-business and supply chain operations: an empirical study of Hong Kong's trading industry

Byline: Kit F. Pun, Kwai S. Chin, Henry C.W. Lau Faced with the dynamic competition in regional and global marketplaces, many trading firms have shifted from conventional business operations towards an e-business paradigm. They are expanding their business operations with Supply Chain Management (SCM) initiatives in order to sustain competitive advantage. This paper discusses the e-business paradigm, the SCM initiatives and the changing roles of trading firms, incorporating the empirical findings of a recent study in Hong Kong. The study acquired industry practitioners' views on their SCM and e-business practices in response to the challenges of globalisation and the trend on digitising their businesses. It explores the need for adopting a collaborative approach for SCM operations in the trading industry. Based on a simple analysis with mean and standard deviation, the study aimed at identifying the key determinants such as drivers, obstacles and perceived benefits. The paper contributes to the study of the traditional versus emerging roles of trading firms in Hong Kong.