A Study On Competitiveness & Cooperation Between Large Firms And Firms Of Medium Or Small Size Underthe Dualistic Structure Of Textile Clothing Industry

The structure of textile clothing industry is extremely dualistic. At one extreme exists a limited number of large firms. At the other, there exists multitude of producers of medium or small size. For the changing China textile clothing industry, it's necessary to study the competitiveness & cooperation between large firms and firms of medium or small size under the dualistic structure.Ningbo clothing industry is a representative of China clothing industry. The size and clustering level of Ningbo clothing industry are all in the leading position in Chinese. Ningbo clothing industry takes on a distinct characteristic of dualistic structure. Through questionnaires of 173 firms in Ningbo, focus group and case analysis, the paper studies the competitiveness & cooperation between large firms and firms of medium or small size in textile clothing industry.Problems of lack of sources and shot of skills are the main handicaps for firms of medium or small size in textile clothing industry during they compete with large firms. Firms of medium or small sizehave no choice of competitive strategies. In this situation, textile clothing firms of medium or small size imitate or accept totally the strategic frame of the large firms, which leads the competitive strategies of the large firms and firms of medium or small size to become alike, and the competitive state becomes more severely.Textile clothing firms of medium or small size are disadvantaged when they compete with the large firms. Firms of medium or small size change their ways in competing with the large firms, which includes coming into the manufacture system of the large firms through specialization, making alliance with other small firms, meeting small demands with small size.There are two different growing models of the large textile clothing firms: the large vertical integrated firms and the network firms. They are two different industrial organizations, which take different effects on the competitiveness between the large firms and firms of medium or small size in textile clothing industry.Competitive models between large firms and firms of medium or small size in textile clothing industry are changing. Traditional price competitiveness of cost oriented is changing gradually to non-price competitiveness based on differentiation. Large brand firms and contract firms of medium or small size collaborate to enhance competence of the industry. Firms pay more attention to innovation and enhance competencethrough innovation. Textile clothing clusters upgraded the participators of competitiveness from individual firms to clusters in which individual firms act as a united unit. Within textile clothing clusters, there are more cooperation between large firms and firms of medium or small size than competitiveness.Core-firm-and-satellite-firms network is the main model of cooperation between large firms and firms of medium or small size in textile clothing industry. There are 5 types of core-firm-and-satellite-firms cooperation networks: cooperation system based on manufacturing, cooperation system based on product export, cooperation system based on licensing, cooperation system based on raw and processed materials supply and cooperation system based on service contracting.Faith between large firm and firms of medium or small size is the basis of the core-firm-and-satellite-firms cooperation network. Competitiveness while cooperating is the stimulant factor of the core-firm-and-satellite-firms cooperation network.Core-firm-and-satellite-firms cooperation network leads to a series of good performance. Textile clothing large firms grow through integrating numerous firms of medium or small size, and firms of medium or small size grow in a way of different from large firm.张声明(企业管理)Supervised by: 顾庆良教授,陈亚荣副教授...