Engineering the clothing industry towards competitive advantage : a managerial dilemma

Abstract

The global economy which is enhanced through changing technologies of all types is pressurizing organisations to improve productivity of their business processes. Competition is forcing organisations to focus their energy on “core competencies.” Like many industries, the clothing industry is witnessing changes in technology, diversification of labour, managerial implications while competing on the global market. The South African clothing and textile industry has the potential to create jobs, but this potential has been steadily diminishing over the last ten years before 2007 [7]. In this context the performance of the clothing industry, whether in terms of efficiency, working conditions or degree of social protection, is unstable. The industry’s ability to generate sustainable and productive employment varies according to geographical locations. This paper explores the experiences of employees at a clothing manufacturer in South Africa through empirical data that was gathered through a series of focus group and individual interviews and analysed in terms of the idyllic relationship between management commitment and process improvement implementation in the workplace. In the development of these insights, the study aims to inform the process of the implementation of business process improvement particularly for the clothing industry in South Africa [1]