GKN Aerospace Engine Systems acts as supplier to the original equipment manufacturers of aircraft engines and is one owe the largest component manufacturer in the aerospace industry. They purchase raw material from suppliers all over the world. The components are big and heavy which means that transport cost could be saved with ship transport. But since GKN Aerospace Engine Systems use Free carrier agreement as incoterm they tie up capital during the transportation. The capital tied up could instead be used in other investments. To overcome the problem with tied up capital during transport the incoterm agreement has been evaluated. The incoterm Delivery at place means that the supplier owns the material and thereby also the capital cost during the transportation. A production stop due to lack of raw material is expensive and to minimize the risk it is important to evaluate all possible risks. The purpose with this thesis is to identify potential risks. The concept with DAP makes it possible for the suppliers to use their own freight carrier, that could lower the prices, but it also increase the inbound transport to GKN Aerospace Engine Systems. The administration cost in the goods receive tends to increase with a DAP solution. It is also necessary to change place where the delivery precision is measured. The supplier also needs some knowledge in export transportation and have competence in transports.

This Master's thesis deals with using the theory of fuzzy logic in building up a model of suppliers evaluation of Heidelberg Slovakia company. Using the model the company will obtain an image about the efficiency and reliability of its suppliers. The information can be used to decision making support in supply chain management.

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Background: Exposure of non-sustainable practices put MNCs in bad light, hurting their brand image. Therefore, it is of great importance to ensure supplier sustainability upwards the chain. Vast focus has been put on the first-tier suppliers. However, there are few studies that have investigated the issue of second-tier supplier sustainability, and there are many real life examples of firms’ who failed to ensure second-tier supplier sustainability. Hence, the need for further investigation within the subject.   Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate how two Scandinavian-based MNCs ensure second-tier supplier sustainability within their supply chain.   Methodology: This thesis is conducted with an inductive approach, collecting qualitative data through semi-structured interviews and archival research, at two independent companies. Thus, a multiple case study. Empirical findings were analyzed through a template analysis. Based on the theoretical framework and formulated research questions, categories have been derived, constructing the outline for our empirical findings and analysis.   Conclusions: (I) Social and cultural distance are major determinants settling which second-tier suppliers being regarded as critical. Conclusively, these two factors are the major determinants identifying whom to prioritize. Furthermore, IT is recognized as a vital and beneficial tool to utilize when mapping the network of second-tier suppliers. (II) In order to achieve second-tier supplier compliance of CoC, “the grey area approach” is identified as the used approach by investigated companies. Further, long-term relationships with first-tier suppliers are a major key in order to ensure second-tier sustainability in long-term perspective. (III) Last but not least, first-tier supplier network investigation is regarded prior to choosing a first-tier supplier. However, it is nothing decisive since other factors are more important in the process.

Som ett resultat av globaliseringen har produktionen av textila produkter flyttat utomlands, ett faktum som idag är mer en regel än ett undantag. Att hantera leverantörsledet med kulturella skillnader likväl som språkliga och fysiska avstånd har därför blivit en allt större del av företag- och leverantörsstyrning. Att använda dokument i form av en leverantörshandbok kan vara ett sätt att skapa hållbara och stabila samarbeten beställare och leverantör emellan. Genom att använda idén av en uppförandekod och ytterligare applicera andra viktiga faktorer i produktionen, exempelvis orderläggning, leveranser och dylikt, är det möjligt att skapa ett konsekvent arbete med alla företagets leverantörer. Denna uppsats utforskar leverantörshandböcker, vilka problem de kan lösa, hur de ska utformas samt vilken effekt de kan ha för det beställande företaget. Studien är genomförd genom en kombination av litteraturstudie, intervjuer, fallstudie samt studie av existerande leverantörshandböcker. Resultatet förtydligar olika aspekter gällande implementerandet av leverantörshandböcker, inklusive ett förslag på ramverk till fallstudieföretaget. Slutligen konkluderas att en leverantörshandbok kan vara bra hjälp till att lösa vanligt förekommande problem, exempelvis när företag arbetar med en mängd olika leverantörer då det är ett sätt att förbättra kommunikationen företag emellan. Handboken bjuder också på möjlighet till effektivisering, förutsatt att berörda interna rutiner anpassas där efter. / Due to the increasing globalization companies working across borders with suppliers in foreign countries is more a rule than an exception. Managing the cooperation regarding cultural differences as well as language barriers and physical distance is therefore becoming a larger part of company and production management. Using documents in the form of a Suppliers Guide could be an answer to making the collaboration solid and sustainable. By utilizing the idea of a Code of Conduct but incorporating other relevant parts of the production, such as routines in ordering, delivering etc, it is possible to provide a handbook for consistent work with all the companies’ suppliers. This article explores the matter of Suppliers Guides, what problems they solve, what they should include, as well as what effect they could have on the ordering company. This study was conducted through a literature study combined with interviews, a case study and a study of suppliers guides. The conclusion makes clear different aspects of implementing a Suppliers Guide including a suggestion of a framework for the subject of the Case study. Finding that Suppliers Guides could be a good help in eliminating common issues when working with a variety of suppliers, as they are a way of improving communication. Suppliers guides give possibilities of efficiency as long as surrounding internal routines are adapted.

The aim is to analyze the customer-supplier relationships in the selected company in terms of trends in long-term partnerships, outsourcing, linking information flow and level of logistics services. Based on the internal materials and data on the structured interviews were evaluated various processes related to buying - supplier selection, supplier evaluation, handling complaints at the supplier and were evaluated data on customers. Based on the identified bottlenecks were suggested measures to improve the current situation.

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Purpose/ aim: The aim is to examine if IKEA expand too fast. We try to find answers to this problem. This is a huge problem to IKEA and other large-scale companies which plan to expand in the world. Design/methodology/approach: Data on customers’ feelings has been collected through questionnaires. The analysis includes a description of the sample and statistic test. After the test, the relationship between price and quality will be found. Findings: The analysis showed that the expansion of IKEA is fast enough to affect the quality of the products. There is a positive relationship between the quality and price. The rule is that the higher the price the better the quality. The data collected from the questionnaires shows that people think that the quality of IKEA’s products has decreased. In the analysis, the details are showed. What happened, and why did it  happen? From this we suggest that IKEA should slow down the steps to expansion and pay more attention to the quality of the products. Originality/ value: The topic about IKEA’s expansion is a totally new area, which hasn’t been researched upon before. Most people think IKEA is a miracle and they always hope IKEA will build more stores in the world, but with this we disagree. Based on these findings we would argue that IKEA should slow down the steps to expansion and pay more attention to the quality of the products. This study has value for all the large-scale companies that want to find a way to analyze if a company expands too fast.

Much attention has been paid to relationships between supplier and buyer finns, especially in the field of product development and in particular in the automotive industry. There has been a growing debate on the need to increase the responsibilities for suppliers and have a win-win relationship with them instead of an adversarial relationship. Research has been extensive, dealing with issues like location of suppliers, just in time, tiering of suppliers, etc., although little attention has been paid to the issue of specifications and contracts which are an important part of the product development process. The specification flow between the buyer and suppliers is necessary in order to obtain the product. Specifications could be validated' with the help of written contracts and thus can be seen as an important part of the contracts. The objective of the study is to understand the role of specifications and contracts in these companies and thus contribute to knowledge and the understanding of practitioners. One automotive OEM located in Europe was used for the case study. One aircraft OEM, also located in Europe, was used for supplementary data collection. In-depth interviews in five first-tier suppliers, and an open ended questionnaire survey (internal and external) have been used to provide complementary perspectives. The research2 is guided by a qualitative inductive approach and is aimed at developing ideas grounded in field observations. Strauss & Corbin's (1990) method for coding qualitative data has been followed in order to model the role of specifications and contracts. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with various managers in the OEMs and supplier companies, participant and direct observation, internal documents, and questionnaires. Specifications were identified to have a role in guiding outsourcing decisions, function as a means of communication, help decide the time of involvement of the suppliers, help differentiate suppliers, create visions for suppliers and help provide competitive advantage. Contracts were identified to have a role in reaching agreements for continuing supply and help assist in the validation of specifications.

The presented work relates with the purchasing management in construction. It consists of two parts. In the first part, we will focus on the theory of purchasing, then discuss the individual steps of the purchasing management and inventory management in the business. Moreover, we will bring insights from the area of suppliers - their selection and evaluation. In second, practical part, we analyze the current state of the purchasing management in selected companies. The output of attached work is a proposal for improvements and recommendations for business purchase following performed analysis.