Offshore outsourcing is gaining increasing importance and attention in both theory and practice. The purpose of this research is to use nine in-depth case studies to analyze the evolution of offshore services outsourcing with regard to how expectations and governance structures change over time....

This research has investigated UK food supply networks to identify the dominant causes of food waste. The aim was to develop our understanding of environmental management across multi-tier networks, with specific reference to food waste. The supply networks of 15 food commodities were...

Kraljic's (1983) purchasing portfolio approach holds that different types of purchases need different sourcing strategies, underpinned by distinct sets of resources and practices. The approach is widely deployed in business and extensively researched, and yet little research has been conducted...

This paper describes research findings on the roles that organizations can adopt in managing supply networks. Drawing on extensive empirical data, it is demonstrated that organizations may be said to be able to manage supply networks, provided a broad view of 'managing' is adopted. Applying role...

In the UK public sector, procurement decisions for outsourced services are usually taken at a local level, for example by a hospital trust or a local government authority. Cumulatively, these fragmented decisions can lead to 'imbalanced' supply markets (too few or too many suppliers), to the...

This article explores the future of collaboration in an era of austerity. Boundary object theory provides a framework to assess the significance and role of four key discourses in collaboration—efficiency, effectiveness, responsiveness and cultural performance. Crisis provides a way of...

This article focuses on the similarities and differences between the continental purchasing strategies and tools of companies in Western Europe and North America. The main question examined here is the strategic priorities and tools that European and North American buyers use (at the category...

Recent events in the economic and natural environments have tested buyer-supplier relationships like never before. Based on dyadic buyer-supplier case data from a variety of industries that were deeply affected by the 2008–2009 recession, this article explores how long-term relationships...