| The purpose of the qualitative positivistic case study was to explore whether resource communication technology has helped or would help the marketing of textile products in the U.S. textile industry. The contributions of human capital in the marketing department, the marketing-demand information system function, and the product supply chain management (SCM) groups regarding the planning for and development of the integration of IT resources at TenCate Geosynthetics North America (TenCate), were explored using an in-depth, open-ended interview methodology. The textile industry cluster theory was the conceptual foundation that framed the study. The study location was the TenCate office in Pendergrass, Georgia, in the United States. The study consisted of 20 participants selected from TenCate's employees using purposive sampling. An in-depth, semi-structured, open-ended interview questionnaire was used to collect the research data for the study. The study revealed nine core themes related to the organization: access or exposure to the global market; better customer service; competitive advantage through production, networking and automated certification; increased market share through the Internet; easier accessibility of information from customers; continuous monitoring of order and delivery processes; adequate knowledge of raw materials and finished goods inventory levels; accurate forecasting; and better packaging and labeling. These findings from the study support the conclusion that developing IT resources in U.S. textile firms and effectively integrating human capital with the retail vendors' products and services, using hardware and software technology, enhanced the U.S. textile industry's competitiveness in the intensely competitive global market. |
