This
book highlights the importance of supply chain management, namely exchanging
information and coordinating efforts with suppliers and customers, in order to
support globalization strategies determined by companies. Globalization does
not only refer to the act of selling all around the world, but also to sourcing
and manufacturing on the global scale, and all of this needs to be coordinated
flawlessly. As reported in the book, in the manufacturing industry more than
32% of companies source, manufacture and/or sell for more than 50% outside the
continent they belong to. Within this context, this book provides a
conceptualization of the above-mentioned phenomena and ends up with the
guidelines considered to be useful for companies in supporting their
globalization strategies. First of all, four different global supply chain
models are identified. Next, for each model, the best investments in the supply
chain that aim to improve performance are defined. Finally, the effect of
contextual variables is taken into account, and, in particular, it shows that
the structure of the supply chain from one end to another (also called the
value chain) holds a crucial role. The results are supported by empirical data
from an international survey (IMSS) and case studies in the electric motors
industry.
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