Multinational corporations (MNCs) in the West have introduced voluntary codes of conduct (CoC) in global supply chains to promote the application of international labour standards and labour rights in their suppliers’ factories. Previous studies on CoC implementation have addressed various problems of its effectiveness but they are limited to a rather narrow context of business relationships between MNCs and factory-based suppliers. My research examines CoC implementation in a wider global supply chain and domestic institutional context. It aims to: firstly, assess how CoC is implemented throughout the multi-layered clothing supply chain and, secondly, identify structural and institutional constraints which hinder the effectiveness of CoC. The thesis employs qualitative analyses of 398 web-based documents from the 75 largest clothing brands and retailers in US and UK markets. It also provides data from 62 in-depth and semi-structured interviews of garment factories managers, workers, vendors, labour auditors and local officials in Vietnam, as well as representatives from UK retailers and campaign groups. The thesis analyses various sets of relationship among these actors and in two dimensions of the environments in which CoC operates: global supply network structure and domestic employment relations system. My thesis makes three original contributions. Firstly it challenges the presumed logic of CoC aimed at supporting workers, because it shows evidence from the workers’ perspective that CoC not only fails to support workers’ needs but also faces resistance from them in non-complying factories in Vietnam. Secondly, I argue that the oversimplified assumption of principal-agent control model between MNCs and suppliers’ factories, which underpins the CoC arrangement, fails to recognise the complex structure of supply network with interdependent operations and multi-level flow of commands. Finally, my thesis exposes the weakness of market initiatives like CoC: when their pledges to improve working conditions and promote workers’ rights clash with economic and socio-political priorities of the local government, the latter prevails. Taking the business and institutional dimensions together I have developed a framework for a more comprehensive assessment of CoC and similar voluntary initiatives that can be applied by other researchers in similar contexts.

This thesis is focused on case study research of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the Taiwanese OEM/ODM corporation Lite-On. Lite-On provides a representative sample of Taiwan’s key industry - the high-tech industry with OEM/ODM manufacturers supplying to global brands. The study has two objectives. The first objective is to introduce the CSR instruments currently used in electronics industry, with a special attention paid to their usage among Taiwanese companies. How successful is the implementation of CSR in the electronics supply chain? The second objective is to study the current status of CSR in Taiwan, while considering a wider context of business ethics and management practice in the Chinese communities. What factors shape the CSR in Taiwanese-invested corporations? After examining these objectives, the key research question of this study is to find out why Taiwanese companies facing harsh competition in the supply chain engage in implementation of corporate social responsibility programs. The thesis is divided into five chapters. First, theoretical concept of CSR and new role of multinational corporations in the global supply chain are introduced. The next chapter recounts the story of Lite-On corporation and its CSR practices, thereby offering a valuable micro-perspective on CSR in Taiwan. The study continues with analysis of legal and voluntary instruments that attempt to address the CSR issues. The final section portrays current status and understanding of CSR in Taiwan’s business community and draws on CSR challenges.

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2015-10-09T12:57:02Z No. of bitstreams: 1 MARCO ANTONIO VIANA BORGES_.pdf: 1694587 bytes, checksum: 95e65aed3d2d64c7560ccb296a60162b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-10-09T12:57:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MARCO ANTONIO VIANA BORGES_.pdf: 1694587 bytes, checksum: 95e65aed3d2d64c7560ccb296a60162b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-05-26 / Nenhuma / To operate in global supply chains, there is need for development of capabilities to integrate different companies, from different countries with diverse cultures, economic and technological level. The semiconductor industry fits into a scenario of global production with a supply chain spread worldwide, seeking cost efficiency, mass production and flexibility. Brazil stands out in the global economy as an emerging country and has promoted public policies and incentives for the competitiveness of semiconductor chain in the country. The guidelines are made by public policies for the development of national production and tax incentives in order to attract foreign companies that are able to produce and develop the capabilities needed to create competitiveness. Considering that Brazil intends to move from a high consumer of microelectronics items to a competitive player in the semiconductor industry, this research aims to analyze what capabilities are needed by companies to become players in a global supply chain. The theoretical framework proposed for this investigation is designed to evaluate capabilities in a global supply chain. It proposes that the upgrading level results from capabilities developed by the companies and also influenced by political and economic factors. Productive, relational and innovative elements compose the set of global supply chain capabilities of this study. The method is descriptive-exploratory, using multiple case studies carried out in four Brazilian design centers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and document analysis. NVivo® supported data coding and analyses. The results demonstrate that Brazilian industrial policy affects the development of global supply chain capabilities of the national design houses, especially in terms of organizational and R&D processes. As consequence, the companies developed productive and relational capabilities and most of them are still in a process upgrading level. The development of global market and strengthening of innovative capabilities can lead companies to other upgrading levels and move the design houses up in the semiconductor global chain.

Background: By focusing on efficiency, supply chains became increasingly extensive and complex during the past years. This led to higher vulnerability, and the COVID-19 pandemic caused an incomparable impact on global supply chains. Consequently, researchers demanded more investigation of the pandemic to prepare for future disruptions and create more resilient supply chains.   Purpose: This thesis examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on operations in supply chain management. It seeks to understand the challenges during a pandemic and acknowledge experiences to create more resilient supply chains in the future.   Method: We applied an explorative single-case study with a focus on individuals working in SCM-related departments. Therefore, we conducted semi-structured following theory-guided - and maximum-variation sampling to get a holistic view. Following an abductive approach, we constantly compared theory and empirical findings to further expand on previous theory about supply chain resilience. We also increased the validity by triangulating our findings with quantitative secondary data.   Conclusion: The results of this study show that a pandemic causes multiple reoccurring disruptions to supply chains. Companies have to react flexibly to adapt to the fast-changing environment, but the extensive supply chains hinder fast reactions. The findings of this study allow making different theoretical and managerial implications to create more resilience in supply chains to face future pandemics and other disruptions.

Small businesses create 50% of all jobs in the United States, but at least 50% of all newly founded small businesses have failed since 2006, and only 1/3 have survived beyond 10 years. Small businesses have a high chance of failure in the first 5 years due to a lack of sustainable strategies. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies small business owners need to sustain their business beyond 5 years in a purposefully chosen county in Michigan. A conceptual framework was constructed based on the stakeholder theory and its derived theories to provide a theoretical background and explore the sustainable business strategies used by the owners. Five small restaurant business owners who sustained their businesses for at least 5 years were purposely sampled. Data were collected via semistructured interviews and member checking was used to ensure the participants concurred with all transcripts; and triangulation was used to analyze a combination of synthesized interview data, reflective interview notes, and business financial documents. Computer software was used to analyze the data and to generate themes with their categories from the data automatically. From the data analysis, 4 themes emerged from the triangulated and analyzed data associated with small restaurant sustainability. The 4 emergent themes were that education enhanced owners' strategies and sustainability, personal traits drove owners to their business success, marketing and seasonal strategies assisted them in strategic planning and brand building, and business growth strategies assisted them in innovation and environmental management. The success of small businesses can generate jobs, stimulate the economy, and increase domestic and government revenue.

Globalization transformed supply chains, resulting in increased productivity, complexity, and risk exposure. Textile supply chains are complex and facing similar challenges along with more specific for the industry. Africa is of increasing interest in textile supply chains due to low cost of production. Participating in supply chains through manufacturing, and infrastructural issues limit the possibility of adding value, which is an issue for African countries. The aim of this thesis is to analyze effects of participating in a global textile supply chain, current trends in textile manufacturing, and African countries’ role. Especially of concern for this thesis are South Africa, eastern African countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, and northern African countries such as Morocco. The questions that have been answered are; (1) what trends are impacting textile supply chain manufacturing from a global perspective? and (2) what role does the African region play in textile manufacturing within global supply chains? For this thesis inductive research was performed with relativistic ontology, constructionist epistemology and single case study methodology. Qualitative data was gathered through semi-structured interviews and secondary data, and that data will be thematically analyzed with triangulation between the primary and secondary data. The research found and concluded that the major trends in textile manufacturing are sustainability and nearshoring. Africa’s role in global textile supply chains is mainly through manufacturing with complex supply chains, low education levels, and limited value adding activities. Due to young populations and sustainable practices, there are opportunities for the continent to continue to develop and add more value in the future.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T18:39:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 12 / Nenhuma / A maioria das empresas calçadistas do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, Rio Grande do Sul, ainda concentra seus esforços na exportação indireta, através da utilização de intermediários para a colocação de seus produtos no exterior. Uma série de estudos vem demonstrando que existem outras alternativas para a atual forma de internacionalização das empresas. Dado este contexto, esta dissertação busca explicações sobre quais as diferentes configurações das cadeias globais de suprimentos e seus resultados nas empresas Via Uno, Calçados Bibi e Calçados Wirth, pertencentes ao cluster calçadista do Vale do Rio dos Sinos. Adotou-se como base teórica principal deste estudo, os trabalhos de Gereffi (1994), Rabellotti (2003), Paiva, Carvalho e Fensterseifer (2004), Gereffi, Humphrey e Sturgeon (2005) e Shen (2005). O objetivo principal desta dissertação é analisar as diferentes formas de configuração da cadeia global de suprimentos destas empresas. A pesquisa utilizou estudo de casos múltiplos, com entrevistas com executivos das tr / The most of shoes companies located at the Sinos River Valley in the state of Rio Grande do Sul exports indirectly. They usually depend on sales agents to sell their products abroad. Recently, some companies are seeking others alternatives for this traditional orientation in their international sales. This thesis analyzes three cases of different configurations in the shoe global supply chain and their results for the companies. We studied the cases of Via Uno, Bibi Shoes and Wirth Calçados. These three companies have plants in the Sinos River Valley. We used as theoretical basis Gereffi (1994), Rabellotti (2003), Paiva, Carvalho and Fensterseifer (2004), Gereffi, Humphrey and Sturgeon (2005) and Shen (2005). The main objective of this thesis is to analyze the different configuration alternatives in global supply chain developed by those companies. We used a multiple case studies approach. Interviews with executives from the three companies and secondary data were the data used in the analysis. . The study id

This paper is directed at discussing some of the management issues, problems and solutions of logistics in the context of offshored productive activities The introduction includes a discussion of the logistics topics and an introduction of the economic logic of offshoring. The main part analyses the logistics topics with regard to the internationally fragmented production. The topics of logistics include: Information flow and integration, transportation, inventory management, warehousing and materials management, packaging management, customer service, risk management, logistics strategies and supply chain design. For each of the discussed topics a company or industry example is given to illustrate the applications. The analysis is based on a review of the existing academic literature in each of these fields.

Supply chains are considered the foundation of the global economy, and businesses with global supply chains usually encounter at least 1 disruption annually. Mitigating the negative impact of disruptions is critical to supply chain managers, as disruptions can negatively impact organizational profitability and performance. Grounded in the resource dependence theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies organizational and supply chain managers use to mitigate negative results from supply chain disruption. Participants were 4 supply chain managers working in 2 different international organizations located in Jordan, who used effective strategies to mitigate supply chain disruptions. Data collection involved semistructured interviews and a review of organizational documents. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, and 2 main themes emerged: Developing relationships and collaboration and strategy to identify supply chain disruption. The implications for positive social change include the potential for organizational and supply chain managers to mitigate negative results of supply chain disruptions and improve organizational performance. Sustaining organizational performance promotes the well-being of employees, families, communities, and the economy, which can result in customer satisfaction, business growth, and stable employment.

Supply chain leaders in the information technology industry face challenges regarding their ability to mitigate amplified demand and supply variability in a supply chain network--the bullwhip effect--and reduce adverse implications on their component supply chain networks. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies supply chain leaders in the United States used to reduce the bullwhip effect. Bullwhip effect theory served as the conceptual framework. Participants in the study were 5 purposefully selected supply chain leaders in the state of Texas who successfully implemented strategies to reduce the bullwhip effect on their networks. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and analysis of documents from the participants' websites. The data were analyzed using the 5 data analysis steps consistent with Yin's approach: collection, stratification, reassembly, interpretation, and conclusion. Four themes emerged from data analysis: (a) collaboration strategy, (b) communication strategy, (c) component shortage reduction strategy, and (d) resource management strategy. Supply chain leaders might use the findings of this study to reduce the bullwhip effect within their networks and improve their profitability. The implications for positive social change include the potential for leaders to improve environmental sustainability by using effective supply chain strategies to reduce the accumulation of excess inventories, reduce transportation fuel usage, and lessen the consumption of natural resources.