A case study of multi-team communications in construction design under supply chain partnering

Charlene Xie
Shenzhen Graduate School, Harbin Institute of Technology, Xili, China

Dash Wu
RiskLab, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Jianwen Luo
School of Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China, and

Xiaoling Hu
University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, UK
Abstract Purpose The increasing globalisation and complexity of construction design implies that the project team may involve subcontractors in the construction supply chain from widely distributed geographic areas. Thus communication is a vital process for the design. The aim of the present work is to investigate how construction design under supply chain partnering can be improved through a study of communication issues and problems. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey is initially conducted to investigate communication issues and problems in construction design. Based on the survey results, a case study is carried out to gain further insights into these issues and problems, exploring how the procurement like supply chain partnering inuences the multi-team communications in construction design. Findings The paper nds that partnering can eliminate many communication barriers and has a positive impact on social collaboration in the design process. It could have a negative impact on the team communications if proper procedures have not been put in place. In addition, co-location can increase the degree of interaction, communication and technical collaboration in the partnership. Originality/value This paper may help construction project practitioners to focus their attention on the necessary respects of multi-team communications between supply chain partners in construction design, leading to high cooperation and ultimately improving the quality of the design outcomes. Keywords Supply chain management, Partnering, Construction works, Design, Communication, Information transfer Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction
It is well acknowledged that construction design teams increasingly include participants from different domains, organisations and continents to create innovative and competitive products (Oloufa et al., 2004). Fast-track construction by overlapping the design and construction means that often the project cannot be designed in a logical order, and further reliance on sub-contractors makes the activities more complex (Baldwin et al., 1998). Thus communication, including integration of specialised knowledge and negotiation of differences between multiteam members, has emerged as a fundamental component of the design process (Sonnenwald, 2006). Numerous studies have highlighted the importance of effective communications for design success (Dong, 2005; Hassan, 1996).
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Recent research on the communication in design between multi-team members has focused on the technical aspects. New technologies have been applied in order to enhance distributed organisational interactions and achieve good coordination and communication between distributed project teams (Perry and Sanderson, 1998; Wikforss and Lofgren, 2007). Lou et al. (2005) developed a multi-agent system to support collaborative design in 3D virtual worlds, facilitating the level of communication not readily available in conventional computer-aided design (CAD) systems. Similarly, Duan and Zhou (2006) constructed a framework for computer-supported collaborative design (CSCD) system, ensuring the coherence of product information in the design process through integrating CAD system with product data management (PDM) system. In order to improve accessibility and exibility in collaborative design, a study by Chen and Tien (2007) presented an application of peer-to-peer network for real-time online collaborative computer-aided design. Computing and communication technologies have played and will continue to play, an important role in improving design communication (Demirkan, 2005). However, Perry and Sanderson (1998), and Wikforss and Lofgren (2007) argue that technological solutions are unlikely to provide a simple remedy. Many aspects in organisation and 363

A case study of multi-team communications in construction design Charlene Xie, Dash Wu, Jianwen Luo and Xiaoling Hu

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal Volume 15 Number 5 2010 363 370

management also inuence the effectiveness of communication, such as procurements, group processes, and work procedures (Murray et al., 2000; Wikforss and Lofgren, 2007). The primary objective of this research is to explore how these aspects impact the multi-team communication. In particular, the research investigates how procurements, for example, supply chain partnering, inuence the communication by analysing communication issues and problems in construction design through a fast track project. A questionnaire survey was initially conducted to investigate the communication issues and problems in construction design. Based on the results raised through the questionnaire survey, a case study with two rounds of survey was conducted to gain insights into the issues and problems further.

2. Theoretical background: communication issues and problems in the construction industry

Guevara and Boyer (1981) investigated the causes of poor communication in nine unionised construction companies. Their research highlighted four communication variables: overload, underload, gatekeeping, and distortion, and identied these as prevalent problems in information ow. Since they contributed considerably to poor team communications in the construction project, Mead (1999) suggested that these variables should be included in the communication research of a construction project. Given the importance of project communication and the lack of available research, the Construction Industry Institute (CII) in the USA completed a research that identied six categories of communication as measures of the project team communication (Thomas et al., 1998). The remit for the CII research team was to develop a tool for measuring team communication effectiveness and problems. The study incorporated 72 projects as a sample to establish a direct link between communication effectiveness and project success. Statistical analysis of the data revealed six critical communication variables: accuracy, timeliness, procedures, understanding, barriers, and completeness. Although the communication variables were identied from USA projects, the projects were worldwide, and Murray et al.s (2000) study indicated that these variables were also critical in the UK construction industry. Social network analysis focuses on the communication patterns that develop between participants and organisations. The use of social network has increased rapidly over the last twenty years, and is widely used in sociology and communication sciences (Penuel et al., 2006). A social communication network can provide a high level description (role, centrality) through an analysis of relational data. The analysis is employed to describe network relations, identify prominent patterns, trace information ow, and measure the strength of network ties in complex organisational communication networks (Garton et al., 1997). The role and centrality are termed the communication network variables, which are usually analysed to assess the pattern of communication for a project. Initially, a questionnaire survey, including four information ow variables, six critical communication variables and two communication network variables, was conducted to investigate communication issues and problems in construction design (Xie, 2003). A number of organisations 364

involved in construction design were identied from New Civil Engineer and Consultants File in the UK. The survey targeted the following organisations: main-contractors, subcontractors, clients representatives, and design companies. As demonstrated, the communication process, especially external communication, was signicantly affected by the procurement route. There were a number of common issues and problems in communication between those involved in the design process, and most of them were related to the variables. To explore the communication issues and problems further, a case study was performed. Case studies are best suited for answering how and why questions behind decisions (Yin, 1994). Bryman (1989) and Yin (2003) described several advantages for the case study approach. Case studies can aid understanding of complex social phenomena, and are useful for building theoretical and insights. Communication processes in construction design are very complex, involving many participants from different disciplines, organisations and cultures for a relatively short period to exchange a large volume of information. For these complex phenomena, only case study methodology can act as the process of exploration, letting the researchers share their insights into the communication processes among these participants. A case study has many potential units of analysis. The unit of analysis should be related to the way that the initial questions and propositions have been dened (Simister, 1995). In this work, the units are communication variables, information ow variables, and communication network variables, respectively. These three sets of units, which are related to the research questions, provide a triangulated framework shown in Figure 1. In the triangulation, an overlapping analysis of the communication issues and problems is depicted in terms of quality, quantity, and pattern of the team communication. Further, through interviews, the reasons behind these issues and problems may be explored.

3. Research methodology
3.1 Description of the project The case study was undertaken for a project comprising the design and construction of a new shopping centre, which would provide approximately 40,000 m2 of new retail space and 8,600 m2 of leisure space. The project design involved numerous participants from different organisations: client, quantity surveyor, principal contractor, architect, structural engineer, building services engineer, sub-contractors and others. The contract had a partnering arrangement between the main contractor, key sub-contractors and client. To avoid the adversarial relationships caused by competitive tendering and to harness the cost and time advantage gained by close collaboration, the client chose a main contractor at a very early stage in the design process. Having a proven track record in successful partnering for a previous project, the client and the main-contractor agreed to continue to develop partnering in the current project. Four sub-contractors joined the agreement and became partners in the supply chain. In such a case gains and losses should be shared between the client, the main contractor and the sub-contractors on an agreed individual basis. From the beginning of the project, the client appointed the consultants from a selected list to develop the concept and

A case study of multi-team communications in construction design Charlene Xie, Dash Wu, Jianwen Luo and Xiaoling Hu

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal Volume 15 Number 5 2010 363 370

Figure 1 Triangulation of research units

detail design. The architect, as a design team leader, was responsible for the overall administration of the design process, focusing on co-ordinating the structure and service engineers in developing the drawings and specications for the project. The team was bound contractually to the client, but the partnering agreement also called for them to work closely with the contractor and the sub-contractors in the supply chain. It was a relatively large project, and hence a lot of communication between team members was required at the design stage. The widely dispersed geographical locations of the different organisations prompted communication by a variety of mediums, including the internet. 3.2 Case study protocol A case study for this project was carried out during the detail design and construction. The participants from all the different organisations, who were frequently involved in the project process, were identied as communication stars and asked to attend two rounds of survey. They were frontline supervisors associated with the project, e.g. client, owner, architects, structural engineers, service engineers, maincontractor and some key sub-contractors. Methods of the case study are summarised in Table I. Yin (1994) suggests that a case study protocol is a major tactic for increasing the reliability of case study research and is intended to guide the investigator in carrying out the case study. According to Robson (1993), one of the problems with case study research is its inherent looseness. One way to combat this looseness is to establish a protocol. A protocol for the study was developed, which mainly consisted of ve steps: questionnaire Table I Methods of the case study
Research Communication quality Data collection Stages

survey, data measurement and analysis, interview, content analysis, and comparison of the two surveys. Copies of three questionnaires were sent to the communication stars. They were a COMPASS questionnaire, an information ow questionnaire, and a communication pattern questionnaire. The COMPASS questionnaire dealt with the six communication variables. The information ow questionnaire referred to the four information ow variables. The communication pattern questionnaire formed by a matrix was used to investigate communication network. Other methods, such as mail monitoring and communication diaries, were used as a complement to data collection. The data collected were analysed using COMPASS (Thomas et al., 1998), statistical analysis, UCINET IV, and Krackplot (Wasserman and Faust, 1994), respectively. After the communication issues and problems were identied from the above surveys, the communication stars were invited for an interview to discuss these issues and problems. A few months later, the communication stars were asked to complete another survey to see if the issues and problems had changed. The method used in the second survey was the same as that in the rst one. The two rounds of survey built up different windows of the communication characteristics. Consequently, through comparison of the two surveys, a greater understanding of the communication issues and problems could be obtained. 3.3 Operationalisation of the research variables The COMPASS questionnaire was developed by the CII in the USA for the six communication variables. The COMPASS asks the response to a series of questions in

Analysis

Measuring tools COMPASS Statistical analysis

COMPASS questionnaire Group meeting Communication quantity Information ow questionnaire Mail monitoring Communication pattern Communication network questionnaire Communication diaries Reasoning Interview

Detail design and construction Communication variables Detail design and construction Information ow variables

Detail design and construction Communication network variables UCINET IV Krackplot After questionnaire survey Content analysis

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several ways. Pre-designed questions were agged as pertinent to specic communication variables. The information ow questionnaire was designed by use of the four information ow variables, as identied by Guevara and Boyer (1981). Questions in the survey regarding the variables dealt mainly with the aspects described in Table II. Responses to the questions were scored in light of effectiveness, frequency, and seriousness. The communication pattern questionnaire formed by a matrix was used to investigate role and centrality in a social network. In the survey, each of the participants was asked to complete a communication frequency matrix. This matrix asked each participant with whom he/she communicated, and how often he /she communicated with other members of the project team. Table III provides an example for communication frequency matrix. 3.4 Analytical procedures The data collected from the questionnaire survey were analysed using COMPASS, statistical analysis, UCINET IV, and Krackplot, respectively. The scores for communication variables were normalised by the COMPASS to t a 0 to 10 scale with the maximum value indicating the largest score for the component. The normalised scores were averaged and each of the averaged scores was weighted to reect the relative importance of the communication variable. The normalised and weighted scores were then used to compare against expected scores from the 72 CII projects, which made up the original CII survey sample. This evaluation feature could enable users to monitor Table II Description of the research variables
Variables Description

and compare their communication scores with the established benchmark. A higher score than the CII average in a category indicated a better performance and a lower score a poorer performance. Based on the data obtained in an initial questionnaire survey on the construction design in the UK, a statistical analysis was performed for information ow variables. The average scores for information overload, underload, gatekeeping, and distortion were acquired as 2.5, 2.7, 2.2 and 0.5, respectively, where Very frequently 4, Frequently 3, Sometimes 2, Rarely 1 and Not at all 0. These average scores were assumed to provide an indication of the situation in construction design and taken as the benchmarks. The data collected from the present case study were then compared with the benchmark. A lower score than the benchmark in a category demonstrated a better performance and a higher score a poorer performance. Social network analysis focuses on the communication patterns that develop between participants and organisations. Several computer programs, such as UCINET IV and Krackplot, have been designed to analyse the structure of social networks (Wasserman and Faust, 1994). The analysis can show the degree of communication centrality between members of the project team and provide a visual representation of network actors by establishing coordinates through multidimensional scaling. In the visual representation, the lines represent the linkages between team members, and the length of each vector represents the strength of that linkage. Short vectors represent strong

Communication Accuracy
Procedures Barriers Understanding Timeliness Completeness

The accuracy of information received as indicated by the frequency of conicting instructions, poor communications, and lack of coordination The existence, use, and effectiveness of formally dened procedures outlining scope, methods, communication strategy, etc. The presence of barriers (interpersonal, accessibility, logistic, or others) interfering with communication between participants An understanding of information received or expected from other participants The timeliness of information received including design and schedule changes The amount of relevant information sent or received Individual or system has received more information than that can be utilised or processed, leading to breakdown Individual or system has not received sufcient information to make decisions The transformation of the meaning of a message by changing its content An individual so located as to control messages owing through a communication channel

Information ow Overload Underload Distortion Gatekeeping

Table III Communication frequency matrix

Communication frequency Project manager Project director Lead architect Structure engineer Service engineer Total Project manager 0 3 4 2 2 11 Project director 3 0 2 2 1 8 Lead architect 4 2 0 3 2 11 Structure engineer 2 2 3 0 3 10 Service engineer 2 1 2 3 0 8 Total 11 8 11 10 8

Note: Several times per day 4; daily 3; weekly 2; biweekly 1; not at all 0

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Supply Chain Management: An International Journal Volume 15 Number 5 2010 363 370

linkages while long vectors represent weak relations. For instance, actors that communicate frequently with one another are close to each other on the diagram. These visual representations help identify the structure of the network by showing the centrality of each participant and the strength of their communication with others. In the present case study, these two packages have been used to analyse the communication frequency matrix, highlighting communication role, centrality, and linkage. Through the above analyses, the communication issues and problems for the project were identied. Interviews were then held to gain insights into these issues and problems further, exploring how the procurements, e.g. supply chain partnering, affect the multi-team communication in construction design through a fast track project.

4. Results and discussion

The case study was conducted in accordance with the research protocol. A total of 26 participants, who were identied as communication stars, were asked to take part in two rounds of questionnaire survey and interview. The survey results for the communication variables are shown in Table IV. As seen, the total score is 38 for the rst survey, which is lower than the total score of the CII benchmark (45). Except for the barriers, all of the communication variables receive a lower score than the benchmark. Both accuracy and completeness only receive three compared with 5 in the benchmark, indicating the presence of communication problems in these areas. For the second survey, the barriers have the same level as the benchmark. The situation of completeness and procedure are unchanged, the problems maintain the same level as for the rst survey. There is some improvement in accuracy from 3 to 4, although the score is still lower than the benchmark. The score of timeliness is increased from 8 to 9, which is the same as the benchmark. The total score is increased from 38 for the rst survey to 40 for the second survey, but this gure is still below the CII benchmark. As shown in Table IV, the barriers are the only variable having a similar score to the CII benchmark in the two surveys. This may be one of the strengths of the partnering procurement method used in this project. Although there appears to be some barriers in appreciation, common goals, and interrelationship, the partnering procurement appears to minimise these barriers. This is because the processes of the design and management rely on the communication of information and the partnering encourages people to work closely with each other. It also supports the communication Table IV Communication scores for the two surveys
Variables Accuracy Procedures Barriers Understanding Timeliness Completeness Total score CII/industry benchmark 5 8 9 9 9 5 45 First survey 3 7 9 8 8 3 38 Second survey 4 7 9 8 9 3 40

from a social dimension (Bennet and Jayes, 1995). In many cases, the interviewees felt that the working environment was very good and friendly, and the communication was easy and open. People helped each other and the problems were solved collaboratively, rather than resorting to the contract or by preparing claims. However, the project design suffered problems of inaccuracy and incompleteness because it was being resolved while the construction work was in progress. This is reected by the scores of accuracy and completeness in the two surveys, which are much lower than the CII benchmarks. The major issues of management on the project were how to condense the period of design and overlap different phases, which were not addressed fully before the decisions were made. In many cases, construction processes started without the design being developed to an adequate stage. Inevitably, late design changes took place. We have suffered a lot from this kind of thing, said one of the steel subcontractors in the chain, Since the design is an iterative interdependent process, it takes time to develop, which cannot be speed up simply by fast tracking in partnering procurement. The score in accuracy is lower than the benchmark although it increases with increasing frequency and intensity of interaction and communication because of the co-location of team members. Since claim between partners was not encouraged, the client took advantage of this to change many requirements and there were 481 requirement changes from the start. This had a very adverse effect on communications, resulting in a low total score in communication in both surveys. The consultants said that these changes affected their ability to provide quality information in a timely manner. When it passed a certain point, it was very difcult to cope with. The requirement changes are the primary cause for failure of a project (Brown, 2001). This is especially the case for fast track projects, which are sensitive to changes (Mead, 1999). The scores for information ow variables are represented in Figure 2. Obviously, except for distortion, the other three variables have a higher score than the benchmark. For the rst survey, the score is 3.5 for overload, 3.6 for underload, and 3.2 for gatekeeping, showing the presence of communication problems in those areas. For the second survey, the scores for underload and gatekeeping fall slightly to 3.2 and 2.6. Although there are some improvements in these areas, they are still higher than the benchmark. The score for overload increased to 3.7, which shows a worsening of the problem. There seems to be little communication problem in distortion since the scores are 0.3 and 0.4 respectively for the two surveys, which are both lower than the benchmark. The use of partnering provides a free environment for communication, but it is difcult to control without a proper procedure, especially in electronic communications. In the project, the intranet, local and wide area networks were used to enable drawings to be shared and edited between different participants. Every one praised the system: The computer is good for handling information, and it is quick to exchange the information. This system had a positive impact on the timeliness. With the project progressing, the participants got familiar with the system, increasing the score of timeliness (Table IV). Nevertheless, the procedures for the exchange of information had not been dened clearly between interfacing parties. As shown in Figure 2, information overload was prevalent in the different organisations, causing unnecessary stress and inefciency. Everyone complained that they often 367

A case study of multi-team communications in construction design Charlene Xie, Dash Wu, Jianwen Luo and Xiaoling Hu

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal Volume 15 Number 5 2010 363 370

Figure 2 Information ow variable scores

received irrelevant information. In the sea of mail, useful information was ignored, which induced damages to the partners in the supply chain. Worryingly, some incorrect/false information went to the project members, which resulted in poor decisions being made. The scores of procedures in the two surveys being lower than the CII benchmark reect such a disorganised situation. It was agreed that the use of partnering positively inuenced the design process, minimised mistakes, and produced an efcient and economic design by gaining specic construction knowledge from the contractor at an early stage of the design. But, in the view of the consultants, the involvement of the contractor was insufcient. The interaction between the consultants and the contractor did not run smoothly. In many cases, the contractor did not take an active role in giving the consultants advice. Instead, they waited for information and then asked for changes. The consultants were frustrated with this situation. There were 80 packages for this project. The consultants thought if the client had paid for the subcontractors to work simultaneously with them, the information would have been more accurate. Without the subcontractor involvement, the design by the consultants also produced difculties for the subcontractors. The service subcontractor had to instigate a series of changes. They changed the installation size for the fans, which resulted in the redundancy of the structural drawings. The M&E engineer could not keep the original design since it was completely impracticable. Figures 3 and 4 provide the graphic descriptions resulting from the UCINET IV and Krackplot analyses. They show the positional role of each participant in the communication network at the point in time of the two surveys. For the rst survey as shown in Figure 3, the project manager, lead QS, information and project managers are the central actors in the communication network and are well connected to the rest of the project team, demonstrating an important role in the project. Of note is that the lead architect and the lead structural engineer are surprisingly not in the central position during the design process. For the second survey as shown in Figure 4, the pattern has changed. The design coordinator from the architect side becomes the central actor and the design team members have moved towards the centre and the QS away from the central role. Most interviewees complained that the interface between designers or designers and sub-contractors was not clear, and the design for most sections of this project was not 368

Figure 3 Communication network sociogram in the rst survey

Figure 4 Communication network sociogram in the second survey

coordinated. Some of them suggested that the main team members should work on site from the beginning, but the client disagreed with this: Communication is easy and open in a partnering environment, and there is electronic communication available so that the need to see face to face is not that important. The QS, lead engineers, and contractors argued that the co-location of team members was a much better technical solution than the development of

A case study of multi-team communications in construction design Charlene Xie, Dash Wu, Jianwen Luo and Xiaoling Hu

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal Volume 15 Number 5 2010 363 370

the so-called virtual team with its reliance on electronic communication channels but no informal contact. The lead QS said: Our relationship with the contractor is stronger than it is with the other designers because we are in the same building. Sometimes, we assumed that everything could be done by fax or e-mail, but they needed time to digest, in particular, technical issues, which could be done better face to face. This view was supported by the project manager: If people can nip up the stairs or down the corridor to have a chat with somebody, the communication could be improved. You would get a better feeling of the team and know where they are going. The results from social network analysis in the rst survey (Figure 3) support the view of the co-location. As seen, the lead QS and the management team occupy a central role in the communication network, while the lead architect, and the lead structural and service engineers occupy a less important role than expected. In the second survey, the network has changed (Figure 4). A new design co-ordinator has moved to a central position, who co-ordinates the design team and bridges between the design and construction teams. Both surveys indicate that working closely can increase the quantity and quality of communication. From the beginning, the lead QS worked with other team members in the same place and had a high centrality. But when he was away, the degree of centrality fell. The consultants worked separately in their own company so that they were not in the centre of the communication network in the rst survey. Later, the consultants worked in the site ofce, increasing the frequency and intensity of interaction and communication with each other. The degree of centrality was therefore improved in the second survey. The appointed design coordinator was responsible for co-ordinating design information and organising meetings to solve the design problems that arose in the construction. He worked in the site ofce three-four days a week and came any time if needed. He played an active role and communicated well with others. Most interviewees agreed that working in the same place could remove uncertainty and resolve equivocality, thus increasing the degree of technical collaboration.

5. Conclusions
In this research, a triangulation with three sets of variables linked to the team communication was developed and applied to overlap analysis of the communication issues and problems for a fast track construction project. Through interviews, the reasons behind these issues and problems were explored. In particular, the impact of supply chain partnering on the multiteam communication was investigated in the construction design. The main ndings are summarised as follows. Partnering can eliminate many communication barriers and has a positive impact on social collaboration in the construction design process. However, since the design is an iterative interdependent process, it takes time to develop and cannot be sped up simply by fast tracking in partnering procurement. The partnership provides a friendly and free environment for communication, but communication overload can occur if there is not a proper communication protocol established. Also the client may take advantage of the partnering to change requirements without being afraid of claim, which affects the ability for the designer to provide quality information in a timely manner. The use of partnering 369

positively inuences the design process, minimises mistakes, and produces an efcient and economic design by gaining specic construction knowledge from the contractor or subcontractors. Nevertheless, insufcient or late involvement of the contractor and subcontractors has a negative impact on the accuracy of communication, causing design changes. Colocation can increase the degree of the interaction, communication and technical collaboration between different partners, making it easier to remove uncertainty and confusion in the early design stage, which cannot be replaced completely by partnering procurement. Co-location has a positive impact on timeliness, understanding, and accuracy. Recently, supply chain partnering has been encouraged in the construction industry. Many studies have shown that the partnering is, in general, benecial to team communications in the supply chain. Little attention has been paid to the details on how the partnering inuences the communications, although this is essential for successful construction design. The research presented here offsets, to a certain extent, the limited knowledge in this important subject. As shown above, the partnering has diverse impacts on the team communications in different situations. These ndings may help construction project practitioners to take proper measures to prevent the negative effects and focus their effort on the necessary aspects of multi-team communications between supply chain partners in construction design, which may result in a high cooperation and improve the quality of design outcomes. However, the ndings are drawn from only one case. In order to add to the depth and breadth of the work and make the research viewed as more robust, more cases need to be undertaken to enhance the generalisation of the research, which will allow special features of the cases to be identied more readily through comparison. Another limitation is from the study of communication itself. The construction industry is so diversied and fragmented that a study of communication in design and construction is an inexhaustible one and always leaves unexamined areas or sections requiring further review. This research is mainly based on two cross-sectional surveys of a project. To draw a comprehensive picture on the communication issues, it is necessary to follow the project through the whole process for communication auditing. Clearly, a longitudinal study would provide a greater understanding of the communication issues.

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A case study of multi-team communications in construction design Charlene Xie, Dash Wu, Jianwen Luo and Xiaoling Hu

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal Volume 15 Number 5 2010 363 370

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Corresponding author
Charlene Xie can be contacted at: charlenexie@yahoo.cn

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