Strategisches Sourcing

The ongoing discussion on the best possible configuration of the value chain is the starting point of this article. The core of strategic management is to define the boundaries over the firm's generic activities on the value chain and to establish the relationships with those stakeholders that operate outside these boundaries - especially the suppliers. The strategic management of buyer-supplier-relationships is defined as 'strategic sourcing'. Buyer-supplier-relationships in today's marketplace usually come in the form of vertical 'cooperations'.A sourcing strategy concept is outlined. This attempts to help managers organize their experiences and to provide them with a framework for thinking about actual sourcing problems. It is shown that widely discussed partial strategies such as Module Sourcing, Single Sourcing, and Global Sourcing amongst others not only have to be combined to an 'overall sourcing strategy', but also have to be supported by an adequate 'sourcing infrastructure' (organizational adaptations, EDI and legal contracts) and a 'sourcing behaviour/culture' which is in line with the proclaimed sourcing strategy. To facilitate the usage of the concept, the reader is provided with practically testes planning tools (e. g. component chart; process sourcing diagram).