Reverse supply chain issues in Indian electronics industry : a case study

The electronics industry is growing fast with the advent of new technologies and product innovation across the globe. Short product life cycle coupled with the huge demand for electronics products, generating a pile of discarded products results in e-waste generation. The industry is also facing the higher product returns due to the increase in online business and liberal policies offered to the consumers. Effective and efficient reverse supply chain implementation may help in managing these returns along with the end of life product returns. Despite a growing body of research in the area of reverse supply chain, industries are reluctant to adopt best practices of the reverse supply chain. The proposed study aims at exploring the key strategic issues and challenges faced by the electronics industry by using case study method. A case of Indian Electronics Organization is analyzed to identify key strategic issues and challenges in the managing reverse supply chain. The study will help the managers in understanding the complexities of reverse supply chain management in the electronics industry such as critical success factors, outsourcing decisions, disposition decisions, performance evaluation, and forecasting product returns.