The principal objective of this study is to understand the impact that the adoption of quick response (QR) has had on manufacturing firms in the retail supply chain. The adoption of QR by six organisations within the Victorian textile clothing and footwear industry is used to review the impact that QR is having on the retail sector, especially in terms of the use of EDI as a pipeline accelerator to QR. We also investigate the level of systems integration, organisational affects and inter‐organisational impacts. The results of the research showed that while firms are positively affected by the adoption of QR, and may strengthen their relative competitive positions, retailers are taking the opportunity to shift their holding and distribution costs onto the supply chain to the detriment of both manufacturers and suppliers. Additionally, failure to adopt EDI between downstream trading partners limits the benefits received from QR at the organisational and inter‐organisational levels.

This paper reports an investigation of if, and how, Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) might.be used to facilitate better management of industry supply chains. In two workshops involving supply chain managers from the Textile Clothing and Footwear (TCP) industry and industry facilitators, ways in which SSM techniques might supplement existing Supply Chain Management (SCM) workshop approaches have been explored. Specifically, the placement of SSM techniques within a workshop setting, reactions to the techniques, perceived reasons for using SSM, together with strengths and difficulties encountered, have been examined.

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