| Accelerating the construction of a resource-conserving and environmentally friendly society is an objective set forth in the12th Five-Year Plan approved by the Fifth Plenum of the17th CCCP, stressing that high importance must be attached to water security and water-efficient society building. Therefore, the development of the cause of Water (Supply and Drainage) is ushering in a great strategic opportunity period. With the environment-protection intensifying, the water pricing mechanism straightened out, and the whole Water Affairs-related policy system improving, China’s existing Water Affairs Industry is characterized with regionally decentralized management and stable ROI, which presents an unprecedented development point for a large-scale integration through M&A."Take good care of horses while riding them to expand our territory" has already been a consensus of the Water Industry. For Water Affairs enterprises with WaterSupply and Drainage integrated, how to tap the potential of their own value chains and become a leader in Water Affairs space, standing out over the rest in a competitive situation of multi-capitals? As Michael E Porter’s Value Chain Theory reveals, the competition between enterprises is not one of a certain link but one of the whole value chain, of which the comprehensive competitiveness is decisive.Hence, Water Affairs enterprises’ Value Chain Integration is crucial to guarantee competitive advantages. Research on Water Affairs’ Value Chain is instrumental in topics on the integrated River Basin Water Affairs Group Companies’establishment and Water Affairs Industry’s market-oriented reforms. In addition, from an international comparative perspective, this article elucidates problems encountered in the Value Chain Integration process and their solutions, thus probing for a practical reference pattern for China’s urban Water Affairs-related reforms. The dissertation is divided into seven chapters. Chapter1Introduction: describes the research background,approaches and framework. Chapter2Literature Reference Overview: renders a brief summary of theories on Value Chain and Competitive Advantage of Enterprises, and also presents a review about Value Chain Integration and its impact on Competitive Advantage Theory. Chapter3:Analyses on Water Affairs Industry’s Characteristics and Water Affairs’ Value Chain Integration:analyzes the existing difficulties, competition situation step by step starting with a study of Water Affairs Industry’s economic characteristics, and tries to seek out our own path of Water Affairs development in future by learning from British and American Water Systems and Global Water Affairs Giants’ experience. Chapters4and5:respectively deal with integrations of internal and external Value Chains in Water Affairs enterprises. Based on an analysis of current situations and problems of internal and external Value Chains in Water Affairs enterprises, these two chapters discuss the core problem, approaches, patterns and measures of Value Chain Integrations, giving a clear idea of the impacts on the Competitive Advantage brought by the restructuring of Value Chains. Chapter6Case Study:analyzes the Value Chain of Water Affairs Company A and patterns of its integration and figures out how Company A develops into a large integrated Group Company in a market-driven reform process of Water Affairs Industry. Chapter7Conclusions and Discussions: summarizes the main points of the text and puts forward corresponding policy recommendations, including suggestions on Water Pricing and definition of boundaries of Government and Market.Contributions of the dissertation:This article expands the research scope from an individual enterprise or group of enterprises to the Water Affairs’ whole Value Chain Integration process, making a breakthrough in research ranges by taking all Value Chain-related enterprises into account rather than using the traditional research approach confined to an individual Water Supply or Water Drainage enterprise, and adds to the research on Water Affairs’ Value Chain from a perspective of integrated River Basin Management. This article employs a technique of international comparison with other countries, represented by Britain and America, to explore for ideas and ways of China’s Water Affairs’Value Chain Integration and provides useful experience and lessons to be merited in our Water Affairs Industry’s reforms.Limitations of the dissertation:Methodologically, Positive Research in this article is carried out in the form of Case Study without Mathematical Models. Not enough work is done in Value Chain Optimization and Quantitative Research between Value Chain Efficiency and Operating Performance. In short, more play should be given to Mathematical Modeling of Research Methods.In the light of my limited knowledge and abilities, some viewpoints are not necessarily mature and Value Chain Framework does not develop complete enough. Moreover, related theories should have been studied further in depth. |
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