Purpose – This paper aims to identify problems caused by cultural differences between Japan and China that face supply chain managers by applying Japanese-style supply management practices within supply networks in China and present solutions to this problem. Design/methodology/approach – A...

Research on the innovation process and its effective management has consistently highlighted a set of themes constituting 'good practice'. The limitation of such 'good practice' is that it relates to what might be termed 'steady state' innovation - essentially innovative activity in product and...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding of the influence of political goals and behaviour on the outsourcing decision process and outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – The research used an exploratory longitudinal case-based approach. Eight outsourcing projects...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to address global sourcing organisational design through the following research questions: how do the roles performed by International Purchasing Offices (IPOs) change over time?; what are the resources/capabilities required by an IPO for an effective...

The salience of the international purchasing office (IPO) in the management of international sourcing activities of multinational corporations (MNCs) has steadily increased, in developed and emerging economies, since the first adoption of this supply chain strategy in the 1980s. The aim of this...