Relational study of information technology and production management: The case of closer economic partnership arrangement (CEPA) between Mainland China and Hong Kong

Abstract

In the last few decades, many large corporations have been moving part of the supply chains, especially manufacturing, offshore to take advantage of the low cost resources and labor. For example, the southern part of China, such as Pearl River Delta (PRD), has been attracting the enterprises from all over the word in the last two decades and has become the world manufacturing hub. The types of the manufacturing extend the spectrum from light industry (e.g. toy and garment) originally to high-tech (e.g. semi-conductor wafer) recently and such transition triggers the changes of the technology requirements. In addition, joining WTO has opened up the gate to China and sped up the process of technology advancement as well. The paper investigates the relationships between technology adoption and production management by examining production technology, information systems, and information qualities in a study based on the review of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) between Hong Kong and China. The paper concludes the recommendations for the capability building to bridge the gap for information systems and operations management in China.