Despite its name, Corporate Social Responsibility is not exclusively a concept for large corporations; however, previous studies have primarily focused on CSR within larger firms. As Small and Medium sized Enterprises both possess unique characteristics, and are important actors in the global economy, this is an area that deserves deeper research. As pressure from internal and external stakeholders are mounting, firms needs to ensure that they are following the current rules of the game. As such, firms put pressure on their suppliers, in order to protect their business. Consequently, a failure to cope with this pressure from the supplier’s part is a potential source for a conflict. Thus, the actual CSR standards used by a focal firm, has a direct link to a potential conflict within an offshoring relationship. Hence, this thesis aims to investigate how Swedish SMEs apply CSR policies and activities regarding social issues in their organisations, and how these policies and activities affect conflicts between Swedish SMEs, and their foreign suppliers. Three Swedish SMEs where interviewed, and their CSR activities, and conflict management were analysed. While all the three firms used CSR to a various degree, this research suggests that the nature and direction of the CSR activities are largely determined by the industry in which the firm operates. Furthermore, SMEs typically lack the power to enforce their CSR standards on their suppliers. However, SMEs can act in the roles of supervisors, in order to communicate that CSR is an important aspect within a relationship. The case companies also illustrated that clear goals of CSR activities within SMEs, connected to the actual business goals, aids in the establishment of CSR in small firms. Finally, none of the three case firms experienced any conflicts with their suppliers, based on social issues within CSR. Instead, this research suggests that SMEs avoid conflicts, by emphasising a careful selection of suppliers.

The outsourcing of non–core Information and Communication Technology services in the ICT industry has been successfully conducted for many years based on various models and frameworks. Client organisations embark on this for many reasons including cost savings, access to specialised skills and access to global resources to name but a few. This study identified and evaluated the management of outsource agreements between client organisations and suppliers with specific focus on creating an understanding of those factors that has a direct impact on the success of outsource agreements. The primary objective of the research study was to provide a comprehensive management guideline for client organisations embarking on outsource initiatives or planning to renew existing agreements. The secondary objective was to assist service providers with guidance on pitfalls and issues experienced in the management of such agreements and to highlight the lessons learned from the industry at large. The research was conducted by means of a literature study and empirical study. The literature study included background information on outsourcing, outsourcing theories as well as outsource management frameworks. Furthermore, it addressed lessons learned and issues and pitfalls to avoid by service providers. The literature review formed the basis for creating an understanding of those factors that has a direct impact on the success of outsource agreements. Based on the evaluation of the empirical study, it was concluded that client organisations that are planning to embark on the outsourcing or renewal of services need to follow a management framework with a full lifecycle in order to ensure success. The top issues that suppliers need to address are to ensure that a climate of trust exists between them and the client; they need to be as transparent as possible and ensure that they carry extensive business knowledge of the client being serviced. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

This study was conducted to explore the external sources of knowledge that are present around the eco-innovation firms. Our study has focused on eco-innovations with the aim  to find sustainable solutions, leading the reduction in greenhouse gases, on the extraction of renewable energy sources, since studies have indicated a link between the industrialization and the impact on the climate.  The purpose formulated for this study was to explore the external sources of knowledge that are present around the eco-innovation firms. By conducting this exploratory study we will contribute to existing research by adding empirical evidence to identifying what the external sources of knowledge are and further explore what kind of knowledge eco-innovation firms gain from these external sources. The participating companies in the study was chosen since they represent Swedish firms in the development of eco-innovations with the goal to minimize the environmental impact.  We conducted the thesis with a qualitative approach and the empirical data was gathered from four different companies in the field of wave and tidal power. The four interviews were executed through telephone interviews with both the researches acting as interviewers. The respondents were either the CEO of the company or a board member, since these persons were most likely to possess the relevant information for this study.  In our study we have found the external sources of knowledge to be of significant importance to the eco-innovation firms. Based on our theoretical framework, we have identified the external assets as suppliers, customers, competitors, governmental actors and research institutions. These external sources have different importance depending on the character of the knowledge that is gained. The external sources showed to contribute with important knowledge in areas of R&D capabilities, technology development, market orientation and regulation. By assessing the external sources of knowledge firms will unlock great potential knowledge that would otherwise be very costly. A conclusion was that as eco-innovation firms acquire knowledge by their external assets in parallel there are signals, unconsciously communicated going out to the external environment. Since our study has shown that academic experience among the founders seemed to have been helping the firms in their contact with governmental actors in order to attract subsidies and in the approval process for test sites, this indicates that what seems to be communicated from within the eco-innovation firms to their external environment is certain legitimacy, credibility and reputation that strengthen the relationship with governmental actors. This study was performed as a multiple case study on four different eco-innovation firms working with development of technology to extract energy from renewable energy sources in terms of wave and tidal power. Our choice to only interview one person on each firm, due to a limited time frame and resources, might make it hard to generalize the findings since there is a possibility of biased data. Other limitations that make it hard to draw to much from the results are the fact of focusing on a limited area on eco-innovation in only one country, since regulations play an important role this might differ between different countries.

O tema desta dissertação é: Métodos de Gestão de Fornecedores. Ele aborda uma revisão literária no assunto e visitas em empresas para buscar um maior aprofundamento prático. Seu principal objetivo é desenvolver estruturas para o gerenciamento de fornecedores de produtos e serviços. Inicialmente identificaram-se diversas estratégias e procedimentos para o controle de qualidade de fornecedores, baseando-se em uma revisão sistemática da literatura. Assim, foram identificadas as vantagens, critérios, métodos e requerimentos para avaliar e selecionar fornecedores. Após, através de visitas em empresas de diferentes ramos, foi desenvolvido um método para a gestão de fornecedores de produtos e outro para a gestão de prestadores de serviços. Depois do desenvolvimento, ambos os métodos foram avaliados por especialistas de outras organizações, os quais confirmaram a utilidade e aplicabilidade dos mesmos. / The theme of this dissertation is Methods of Managing Suppliers. It covers a review of the literature and visits to companies to seek greater practical knowledge. It`s main objective is to develop structures for managing suppliers of products and services. Initially it was identified several strategies and procedures for quality control of suppliers, based on a systematic literature review. Thus, the advantages have been identified, then criteria, methods and requirements for evaluating and selecting suppliers. Through visits to companies in different branches, two methods were developed, one for the management of suppliers of products and the other for the management of service providers. After development, both methods were evaluated by specialists from other organizations, which confirmed their usefulness and their applicability.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:30:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-07-21Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:40:02Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 cortes_acc_me_guara_parcial.pdf: 108934 bytes, checksum: 14d32916b929013c7cc44dcd44e45513 (MD5) Bitstreams deleted on 2015-06-25T13:00:58Z: cortes_acc_me_guara_parcial.pdf,. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2015-06-25T13:03:20Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000631159_20151231.pdf: 102608 bytes, checksum: f30b15ce23e02c0e75a6b54836678bbe (MD5) Bitstreams deleted on 2016-01-04T10:26:46Z: 000631159_20151231.pdf,. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2016-01-04T10:28:36Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000631159.pdf: 1402612 bytes, checksum: 5bdb1ed1925105fb65ec088cad6f87dc (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O uso da Internet facilita e agiliza as comunicações entre empresas, por mais distantes que estejam. Tal fato, aliado aos avanços nos sistemas e processos dos operadores logísticos globais, fez com que o comércio internacional deixasse de ser lugar somente para multinacionais, mas também para pequenas e médias empresas. O objetivo central deste trabalho é mapear o processo de seleção de fornecedores através de marketplaces e a logística de importação da China, pela caracterização e análise dos processos e custos logísticos, compreendendo desde a fase de prospecção de fabricantes, a aplicação do método AHP para seleção de fornecedores, aspectos das negociações e a gestão da cadeia logística internacional. Foi desenvolvido, também, um roteiro que pode ser utilizado como manual de importações da China por pequenos e médios empresários. A premissa é a possibilidade de se aproveitar oportunidades de negócios advindos da oferta de produtos chineses com preços baixos e qualidade satisfatória para empreendedores do comércio exterior. Cabe destacar, como resultado importante deste estudo, a ferramenta (software) desenvolvida para seleção de modal e Incoterms, que considera, além dos custos logísticos do comércio exterior, o custo de oportunidade do capital (estoques), para uma correta avaliação do custo total de importação / Internet improves communication and information for all companies worldwide, this fact and development of logistics providers processes and systems support a strong growing for global trade, including participation of small and medium enterprises. The central objective of this study is to map processes of supplier selection via marketplaces in China and the logistics management of imported materials to Brazil. This study qualifies and analyses processes and logistics costs on importations from China to Brazil, apply AHP Analytical Hierarchy Process to select suppliers, analyses negotiation and global logistics management processes. The main result is to offer a complete guide to attend small and medium enterprises to manage importations from China, considered the main industrial country in the world with low costs and good quality products. The final and important part of study presents a new tool (software) to select more economic transportation mode and Incoterms, considering characteristics of materials imported from China to Brazil, to support the tool are discussed the logistics costs related to global trade, oportunity cost capital (inventory) and total importation cost

O tema desta dissertação é: Métodos de Gestão de Fornecedores. Ele aborda uma revisão literária no assunto e visitas em empresas para buscar um maior aprofundamento prático. Seu principal objetivo é desenvolver estruturas para o gerenciamento de fornecedores de produtos e serviços. Inicialmente identificaram-se diversas estratégias e procedimentos para o controle de qualidade de fornecedores, baseando-se em uma revisão sistemática da literatura. Assim, foram identificadas as vantagens, critérios, métodos e requerimentos para avaliar e selecionar fornecedores. Após, através de visitas em empresas de diferentes ramos, foi desenvolvido um método para a gestão de fornecedores de produtos e outro para a gestão de prestadores de serviços. Depois do desenvolvimento, ambos os métodos foram avaliados por especialistas de outras organizações, os quais confirmaram a utilidade e aplicabilidade dos mesmos. / The theme of this dissertation is Methods of Managing Suppliers. It covers a review of the literature and visits to companies to seek greater practical knowledge. It`s main objective is to develop structures for managing suppliers of products and services. Initially it was identified several strategies and procedures for quality control of suppliers, based on a systematic literature review. Thus, the advantages have been identified, then criteria, methods and requirements for evaluating and selecting suppliers. Through visits to companies in different branches, two methods were developed, one for the management of suppliers of products and the other for the management of service providers. After development, both methods were evaluated by specialists from other organizations, which confirmed their usefulness and their applicability.

Apresentada atualmente como fundamental para a vantagem competitiva das empresas, a desintegração vertical de processos é uma ação geral que, uma vez adotada, leva a novas formas de relacionamento com fornecedores. Estas novas formas de relacionamento de empresas com fornecedores fazem com que cadeias de suprimento passem a ser estruturadas por meio de vínculos de cooperação contratual, em contraposição à estruturação vertical por meio de vínculos de cooperação hegemônica. Nesta dissertação estabelecem-se primeiramente os conceitos de cadeia de suprimento e de desintegração vertical de processos; analisam-se em seguida as várias formas de relacionamento contratual que uma empresa pode estabelecer com fornecedores e daí deduzem-se critérios de escolha de fornecedores em coerência com o relacionamento que a empresa irá estabelecer com os fornecedores escolhidos. Para submeter a teste esta dedução, realizou-se uma pesquisa em duas empresas do ramo químico, por meio da qual se identificaram os critérios que estas empresas adotam para escolher fornecedores e estabelecer com eles vínculos de relacionamento contratual. Os resultados da pesquisa levam à conclusão de que as empresas pesquisadas estabelecem com seus fornecedores os relacionamentos mais adequados conforme as circunstâncias, mas não ‘o relacionamento ideal’. A dissertação se encerra com proposta de um programa de estudos transdisciplinares sobre a gestão de suprimentos em geral e os relacionamentos cliente-fornecedor em especial. / Put nowadays as basic for the competitive advantage of companies, vertical disintegration of processes is a wide action that, once adopted, gives rise to new forms of relationships with suppliers. These new forms of relationships between firms and their suppliers draw to the structuring of supply chains according to links of contractual co-operation, in contrast to their vertical structuring according to links of hegemonic co-operation. In this dissertation the concepts of supply chain and of vertical disintegration of processes are settled first; following it the various forms of contractual relationship that a firm can set up with its suppliers are scrutinized and then criteria for supplier selection are inferred, consistently with the relationship the firm will set in agreement with the chosen suppliers. In order to submit this inference to a trial, a research was undertaken at two companies that carry business in the chemical branch undertaken, identifying the criteria these companies adopt for supplier selection and for setting up with the chosen ones links of contractual co-operation. The results of the research draw to the conclusion that the researched companies set up with their suppliers the most suitable relationships according to circumstances, but not ‘the ideal relationship’. The dissertation ends with the proposal of a program for transdisciplinary studies concerning supply management broadly and customer-supplier relationships in special.

O ambiente econômico atual de alta concorrência impulsiona a busca inteligente por soluções que capacitem as empresas a apresentarem reduções de custos e aumento de rentabilidade, além de proporcionar a satisfação do consumidor, fatores fundamentais para a garantia de sobrevivência e crescimento. É sob esse contexto que surge o ECR (Efficient Consumer Response), iniciativa em que fabricantes de produtos de mercearia, varejo, atacado e demais facilitadores trabalham em conjunto para reduzir custos desse canal de marketing e possibilita maior valor ao consumidor. O Gerenciamento por Categorias é uma ferramenta que faz parte do ECR e permite a redução de custos de fornecedores e varejistas propiciando melhor exposição, abastecimento e variedade de produtos; calendário eficiente de promoções; maior giro e menor estoque, aumento na rentabilidade e preços competitivos, ao mesmo tempo em que focaliza práticas de merchandising e marketing eficientes orientadas para o cliente, foco principal desta ferramenta. Esta dissertação procurou conhecer o relacionamento entre fornecedor e varejo com a utilização da ferramenta, identificando as opiniões dos varejistas sobre seus fornecedores e vice-versa, apresentando os principais pontos de divergência e semelhança entre estas opiniões, além de identificar e caracterizar as variáveis do relacionamento entre os parceiros que prejudicam e os que favorecem o processo de Gerenciamento por Categorias. Devido à natureza dos objetivos estabelecidos, foi adotado o método exploratório com base em estudo de caso. Foram analisados uma rede de varejo supermercadista e dois fornecedores de categorias distintas: café e limpeza. Utilizaram-se questionários eletrônicos estruturados e entrevistas para levantamento das informações. Foi possível identificar pontos convergentes e divergentes quanto ao conceito de parceria, mostrando a necessidade de alinhamento em alguns aspectos fundamentais do conceito para melhor atendimento das expectativas dos parceiros. O tempo de parceria e a utilização de um instrumento legal menos formal (maior interação interpessoal) mostraram afetar negativamente o relacionamento. Os principais problemas levantados no estudo são referentes às variáveis: comunicação, investimento específico, comprometimento, confiança e cooperação, contradizendo o que estas empresas afirmam ser importante para uma boa relação de parceria. O relacionamento entre fornecedor e varejo no Gerenciamento por Categorias precisa ser mais bem desenvolvido, estimulando o maior envolvimento dos parceiros, principalmente os varejistas que se mostram com menor empenho no desenvolvimento do relacionamento e da ferramenta. Embora existam divergências entre os parceiros, as empresas participantes deste estudo disseram estar satisfeitas quanto aos resultados obtidos com a implantação do Gerenciamento por Categorias. / The very competitive recent economic environment propels the intelligent search for solutions that enable the companies to present costs reduction and profitability increase, besides meeting the consumer satisfaction, which are the fundamental factors for survival and growing warranty. It is under this context that the Efficient Consumer Response (ECR), an initiative in which manufacturers of products, such as, from grocery stores, from retail, from wholesale, and other facilitators, work together to reduce costs of this marketing channel and enable higher value to the consumer. The Category Management is a tool from the ECR, it allows the costs reduction of suppliers and retailers, providing better exposition, supply, and variety of products; sales promotion efficacy calendar; bigger rotation and lower inventory, profitability increase and competitive prices, by also focusing on efficient merchandising and marketing practices directed to the client that is the main focus of this tool. The present dissertation aimed at reporting the relation between the supplier and retail by using the tool, identifying the retailers opinions about their suppliers and vice-versa, presenting the main divergence and similarity points among these opinions, besides identifying and characterizing the relation variables between the partners that injure and those that favor the Category Management process. Due to the established objectives nature, the exploratory method was taken based on the case study. A supermarket retail chain and two different categories of suppliers coffee and cleaning were analyzed. Structured electronic questionnaires and interviews to survey information were used. It was possible to identify convergent and divergent points as to the partnership definition, showing the need of aligning in some fundamental aspects of the definition to better serve the partners expectations. The partnership time and the use of a less formal legal instrument (better interpersonal interaction) seemed to negatively affect the relation. The main issues that were reported in the study refer to the variables: communication, specific investment, commitment, trust, and cooperation, which are opposed to what these companies state to be important for a good partner relation. The relation between the supplier and retail in the Category Management needs to be more developed, encouraging the greatest involvement of the partners, specially the retailers that have better performance in the relation and tool development. Although there are divergences between the partners, the companies that are participating of this study stated that they are satisfied as to the results obtained with the Category Management implantation.

O tema desta dissertação é: Métodos de Gestão de Fornecedores. Ele aborda uma revisão literária no assunto e visitas em empresas para buscar um maior aprofundamento prático. Seu principal objetivo é desenvolver estruturas para o gerenciamento de fornecedores de produtos e serviços. Inicialmente identificaram-se diversas estratégias e procedimentos para o controle de qualidade de fornecedores, baseando-se em uma revisão sistemática da literatura. Assim, foram identificadas as vantagens, critérios, métodos e requerimentos para avaliar e selecionar fornecedores. Após, através de visitas em empresas de diferentes ramos, foi desenvolvido um método para a gestão de fornecedores de produtos e outro para a gestão de prestadores de serviços. Depois do desenvolvimento, ambos os métodos foram avaliados por especialistas de outras organizações, os quais confirmaram a utilidade e aplicabilidade dos mesmos. / The theme of this dissertation is Methods of Managing Suppliers. It covers a review of the literature and visits to companies to seek greater practical knowledge. It`s main objective is to develop structures for managing suppliers of products and services. Initially it was identified several strategies and procedures for quality control of suppliers, based on a systematic literature review. Thus, the advantages have been identified, then criteria, methods and requirements for evaluating and selecting suppliers. Through visits to companies in different branches, two methods were developed, one for the management of suppliers of products and the other for the management of service providers. After development, both methods were evaluated by specialists from other organizations, which confirmed their usefulness and their applicability.

This diploma thesis deals with the selection of suppliers operating memory for the company Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. (registered in the Czech Republic under the trade name Foxconn) using fuzzy logic.