Collaboration in the supply chain has been widely discussed, and a wealth of concepts is at hand. Large-scale projects like the Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) in the fast moving consumer goods sector, for example, or Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) and Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and...

The benefits of global sourcing as part of a firm's purchasing strategy have been widely discussed in the academic literature, yet so there are few models that provide a comprehensive risk and cost assessment to guide managerial decision-making. In particular, few models capture the dynamic...

The economic growth and industrial development in China over the last decade has been of considerable interest to industry and policy-makers alike, and also been subject of many academic studies. Considerable research on the macro-economic growth and process of industrialisation, as well as the...

Mention the term value chain, and most managers will have visions of a neat sequence of value-enhancing activities. In the simplest form of a value chain, raw materials are formed into components that are assembled into final products, distributed, sold and serviced. Frequently, these activities...

Contrary to what some say, 3D printing is not going to revolutionize the manufacturing sector, rendering traditional factories obsolete. The simple fact of the matter is the economics of 3D printing now and for the foreseeable future make it an unfeasible way to produce the vast majority of...

General introductory statements of research papers commenting on the “increasingly global business environment”, “ever more demanding customers”, and “rises in complexity” that businesses have to operate in have become the norm in management research. The perception of an increasing...

The automotive industry is undergoing a strategic transition. Cost pressure from rising stock levels in the market and increasing incentives needed to sell these vehicles are forcing vehicle manufacturers to rethink their prevalent “stock-push” approach, building vehicles against a forecast...