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In the global business environment, outsourcing and offshore outsourcing are strategies forfirms to handle the increasing competition in their specific market segments by utilizing the capabilities of other firms in order to gain competitive advantages. China has become animportant player on the global market and is an attractive country for Western firms’ offshore outsourcing initiatives. Even though outsourcing and offshore outsourcing havebeen discussed in the literature for a long period of time, firms are still not able to reach andfulfill their strategic goals and many offshore outsourcing projects fail. The purpose of this thesis is to deepen the existing literature regarding offshore outsourcing to China by considering the Chinese suppliers’ perspective on competitive priorities, which are thepriorities that firms organize the production by, in order to understand how the buying firmscan be more successful in the Chinese context and reach their strategic goals.

Planering, styrning och uppföljning är viktiga processer inom materialplanering och inom dess flöde från leverantör till slutkund. Planeringsprocessens aktiviteter kan även ha en avgörande effekt på tillgängligheten av företagets produkter. I detta examensarbete granskas hur planeringen kan optimeras för olika produkter, med målet att ta fram rutiner kring hanteringen av produktplanering för att bidra till en bättre effektivitet ur ett helhetsperspektiv.Det finns ett behov av ett tydligt ramverk för att optimera förutsättningarna för planering av komplexa kundorder. Planeringsprocessen är i behov av kringliggande aktiviteter för ett optimalt utfall och baseras på logistiska och ekonomiska verktyg och metoder. Vid effektiv tillämpning kan ledtiderna reduceras och bakåtplaneringen förenklas, då rätt produkter lagerhålls och orderläggning sker vid rätt tidpunkt, med optimerad beställningskvantitet för att minimera de kostnader som kan uppstå. Därutöver krävs ett helhetstänk, där hela försörjningskedjan är involverad. Relationerna i nätverket är en viktig aspekt för en optimerad planering för säkerställande av en god leveransprecision.Det ramverk som tagits fram inkluderar ett grundtänk med logiskt tänkande, effektiva kommunikationsvägar och rätt sak på rätt plats vid rätt tillfälle. Men det bör poängteras att varje organisation är unik och bör anpassa tillvägagångssätt efter sin egen verksamhet, men ändå tillämpa det tankesätt som ramverket medför. / Planning, control and monitoring are key processes in material planning and its flow from supplier to end customer. The activities within the planning process can also have a crucial effect on the availability of the company’s products. This thesis examines how planning can be optimized for different products, and aims to develop procedures for the handling of product planning in order to contribute to a better efficiency from a holistic perspective.There’s a need for a clear framework to optimize the conditions for the planning of complex customer orders. The planning process is in need of ancillary activities for optimal outcomes and is based on logistical and financial tools and methods. If these are applied effectively, the lead times can be reduced and the backward scheduling can be simplified, since the right products are stocked and orders are being placed at the right time, with the optimum order quantity for minimizing the costs that may arise. Additionally, a holistic approach is required, where the whole supply chain is involved. The relationships within the network are an important aspect for an optimized planning, to ensure a high delivery precision.The framework that have been produced, includes a basic idea of logical thinking, effective communication channels and the right thing at the right place at the right time. But it should be emphasized that each organization is unique and should adapt this approach to its own business, but still apply the mindset that the framework entails.

Submitted by Yen-Tsang Chen (yentsang.chen@gmail.com) on 2015-03-24T17:51:58Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Final - Chen - Biblioteca.pdf: 2943345 bytes, checksum: 4c170e7c8b4f9e096626e1777b3f690e (MD5) / Rejected by PAMELA BELTRAN TONSA (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br), reason: Boa tarde Chen, Conforme conversamos estou rejeitando seu trabalho. Favor submeter novamente, Qualquer duvida estamos a disposição. Att, Pâmela Tonsa 3799-7852 on 2015-03-25T20:18:42Z (GMT) / Submitted by Yen-Tsang Chen (yentsang.chen@gmail.com) on 2015-03-26T14:47:27Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Final - Chen - Biblioteca.pdf: 2851494 bytes, checksum: 333f7f24515b050792b3e4eff742b9a3 (MD5) / Rejected by PAMELA BELTRAN TONSA (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br), reason: Chen, Agradecimento só pode em Português. Fazer a alteração e submeter novamente, Att. Pâmela Tonsa on 2015-03-26T14:53:21Z (GMT) / Submitted by Yen-Tsang Chen (yentsang.chen@gmail.com) on 2015-03-26T17:53:18Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Final - Chen - Biblioteca.pdf: 2851494 bytes, checksum: 333f7f24515b050792b3e4eff742b9a3 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by PAMELA BELTRAN TONSA (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br) on 2015-03-30T12:15:34Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Final - Chen - Biblioteca.pdf: 2851494 bytes, checksum: 333f7f24515b050792b3e4eff742b9a3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-30T12:27:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Final - Chen - Biblioteca.pdf: 2851494 bytes, checksum: 333f7f24515b050792b3e4eff742b9a3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-25 / Choosing properly and efficiently a supplier has been challenging practitioners and academics since 1960’s. Since then, countless studies had been performed and relevant changes in the business scenario were considered such as global sourcing, quality-orientation, just-in-time practices. It is almost consensus that quality should be the selection driver, however, some polemical findings questioned this general agreement. Therefore, one of the objectives of the study was to identify the supplier selection criteria and bring this discussion back again. Moreover, Dickson (1966) suggested existing business relationship as selection criterion, then it was reviewed the importance of business relationship for the company and noted a set of potential negative effects that could rise from it. By considering these side effects of relationship, this research aimed to investigate how the relationship could influence the supplier selection and how its harmful effects could affect the selection process. The impact of this phenomenon was investigated cross-nationally. The research strategy adopted was a controlled experiment via vignette combined with discrete choice analysis. The data collections were performed in China and Brazil. By examining the results, it could be drawn five major findings. First, when purchasers were asked to declare their supplier selection priorities, quality was stated as the most important independently of country and relationship. This result was consistent with diverse studies since 60’s. However, when purchasers were exposed to a multi-criteria trade-off situation, their actual selection priorities deviate from what they had declared. In the actual decision-making without influence of buyer-supplier relationship, Brazilian purchasers focused on price and Chinese buyers prioritized delivery then price. This observation reinforced some controversial prior studies of Verma & Pullman (1998) and Hirakubo & Kublin (1998). Second, through the introduction of the buyer-supplier relationship (operationalized via relational capital) in the supplier selection process, this research extended the existing studies and found that Brazilian buyers still focused on price. The relationship became just another criterion for supplier selection such as quality and delivery. However, from the Chinese sample, the results suggested that quality was totally discarded and the decision was majorly made through price and relationship. The third finding suggested that relational capital could legitimate the quality and sustainability of the supplier and replaces these selection criteria and made the decisional task less complex. Additionally, with the relational capital, the decision-makings were associated to few biases such as availability cognition, commitment, confirmatory and perceived biases. By analyzing the purchasers’ behavior, relational capital inducted buyers of both countries to relax in their purchasing requirements (quality, delivery and sustainability) leading to potential negative effects. In the Brazilian sample, the phenomenon of willing to pay a higher price for a lower quality offer demonstrated to be a potential counterproductive and suboptimal decision. Finally, the last finding was associated to the cultural effect on the buyers’ decisions. From the outcome, it is possible to observe that if a purchaser’s cultural background is more relation-oriented, the more he will tend to use relational capital as a decision heuristic, thus, the purchaser will be more susceptible to the potential relationship’s side effects / Escolher adequadamente e eficientemente um fornecedor tem desafiado gestores e acadêmicos desde 1960. Desde então, inúmeros estudos tem sido realizados e mudanças relevantes do cenário econômico tem sido considerados tais como global sourcing, orientação à qualidade e práticas de just-in-time. É quase consenso que qualidade deveria ser o a diretriz para a seleção, no entanto, alguns resultados polêmicos questionaram esse consenso. Posto isto, um dos objetivos do presente trabalho é identificar os critérios de seleção de fornecedores e trazer de volta esta discussão. Além disso, o presente estudo observou que Dickson (1966) sugeriu a possibilidade de uso da relação comercial como critério de seleção, portanto, uma a importância da relação comercial foi revisada e potenciais efeitos negativos que podem originar da relação debatidos. Ao considerar os efeitos colaterais do relacionamento, este estudo visou investigar como o relacionamento pode influenciar o processo de seleção de fornecedores e como esses potenciais efeitos negativos podem manifestar neste processo. O impacto deste fenômeno foi investigado transnacionalmente. A estratégia de pesquisa adotada é baseada em experimento controlado com analise de escolha discreta. A coleta de dados foi conduzida na China e Brasil. Ao examinar os resultados, foi possível extrair cinco principais achados. Primeiro, quando um comprador é solicitado a declarar suas prioridades de seleção, independentemente do país, a qualidade é declarada como sendo a mais importante e o relacionamento o menos. Este resultado é consistente com diversos estudos desde a década de 60. Entretanto, quando o comprador é submetido a uma situação de multicritério e trade-off, as prioridades reais divergem das declaradas. Na seleção real sem a influência do relacionamento comprador-fornecedor, os compradores brasileiros focaram no preço e os chineses na entrega e preço. Esta observação reforça alguns achados controversos anteriores de Verma & Pullman (1998) e Hirakubo & Kublin (1998). Segundo, ao introduzir o relacionamento comprador-fornecedor no processo de seleção de fornecedores (operacionalizado via capital relacional), esta pesquisa estendeu os estudos anteriores. Os resultados apontaram que os compradores brasileiros ainda focam no preço e a relação é apenas mais um critério de seleção como qualidade e entrega. Entretanto, da amostra chinesa os resultados apontaram que a qualidade foi desconsiderada e a decisão era pautada em preço e relacionamento. O terceiro achado sugere que o capital relacional poderia legitimar a qualidade e práticas de sustentabilidade dos fornecedores e substitui esses critérios, fazendo a decisão menos complexa. Adicionalmente, com o capital relacional, os tomadores de decisão são associados a alguns vieses tais como de disponibilidade cognitiva, de compromisso, de confirmação e de percepção. Analisando o comportamento dos compradores, o capital relacional induziu aos compradores de ambos os países a relaxarem nos requisitos de qualidade, entrega e sustentabilidade, assim, conduzindo a um potencial efeito negativo. Na amostra brasileira foi possível observar também uma predisposição a pagar mais por uma oferta de menor qualidade, o qual demonstra ser contraditório e potencial decisão subotima. Por fim, o ultimo achado está associado ao efeito cultural nas decisões do comprador. Partindo do resultado, pode-se observar que quanto maior é a orientação ao relacionamento do comprador, mais ele tenderá a usar o capital relacional para a heurística de decisão, consequentemente, mais suscetíveis aos potenciais efeitos danosos da relação.

Submitted by Fábio Tescari (fabio.tescari@gmail.com) on 2015-06-25T19:10:47Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Texto Tese Fábio Tescari Versão Final.pdf: 1145134 bytes, checksum: 15234a9a464c7600892bd4b921411d2f (MD5) / Rejected by Pamela Beltran Tonsa (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br), reason: Boa Tarde Fábio, Infelizmente seu trabalho não encontra-se correto - Normas APA/ABNT. Por gentileza, para que possamos auxilia-lo favor comparecer a Secretaria de Registro 2º Andar - Atendimento ao Aluno. Procurar a Tereza. Qualquer duvida estamos a disposição, Att, Pâmela Tonsa 3799-7852 on 2015-06-25T19:47:13Z (GMT) / Submitted by Fábio Tescari (fabio.tescari@gmail.com) on 2015-06-25T21:17:46Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Texto Tese Fábio Tescari Versão Final ABNT.pdf: 1056652 bytes, checksum: ff130f54e4a3d43007ba62d73e7d08ec (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Tereza Fernandes Conselmo (maria.conselmo@fgv.br) on 2015-06-26T13:50:25Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Texto Tese Fábio Tescari Versão Final ABNT.pdf: 1056652 bytes, checksum: ff130f54e4a3d43007ba62d73e7d08ec (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-06-26T14:35:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Texto Tese Fábio Tescari Versão Final ABNT.pdf: 1056652 bytes, checksum: ff130f54e4a3d43007ba62d73e7d08ec (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-05-20 / Relationships among firms have been studied as a factor that pushes the limits for the value that is created by the firms individually, through the joint construction of benefits that could not occur if the relationship is not established. The total value created in a dyadic relationship, which is captured by the parties, is the relationship value. The benefits transcend the financial characteristics of the transaction. They can be converted into other aspects of the relationship, such as technical learning, service delivery, innovation and reputation. The shared and exchanged resources become sources of value creation. These resources stem from two different perspectives. First, from the resources that belong previously to each party, which I defined as intrinsic value. Second, from the resources that are jointly developed by the parties during the relationship, defined as relational value. In this context, this study aims to investigate the different characteristics of the parties that are sources of value creation in relationships, and to examine the factors influencing its capture by the parties. The study involved three steps. The first, a theoretical essay, aimed to explore the value dimensions in the relationship, regarding their definition and their sources. The following two steps focused on empirically testing the effect of these components of relationship value on value creation and capture. A cross-sectional survey and a multiple case study were performed. The theoretical perspectives that permeates the study is the Resource Based View, since it assumes that the firm resources generate economic value that transcends the limits of the firm and is captured by its customers and suppliers. The ontological approach is the critical realism, which allows a better understanding of empirically observed events. The results contribute to a better theoretical understanding of relationship, since the constructs of intrinsic value and relational value integrate different sources of benefits that may derive from relationships. The relationship between these constructs and their individual influence on value capture also bring a theoretical contribution to the study of buyer-supplier relationships. The main managerial contributions concern the fact that it is possible to capture value even if the relationship is not collaborative. Moreover, the results shed light on the need for firms to explore deeply how to extract more benefits from the other party and from the relationship itself, especially considering non-financial sources. / O relacionamento entre firmas vem sendo estudado como um fator que amplia os limites do valor criado pelas firmas individualmente, por meio da construção conjunta de benefícios que não poderia ocorrer caso o relacionamento não se estabelecesse. O valor total criado no nível da díade, que é capturado pelas partes, é o valor do relacionamento. Os benefícios obtidos transcendem as características financeiras da transação, podendo converter-se em outros aspectos da relação entre as firmas, tais como capacitação técnica, oferta de serviços, capacidade de inovação e reputação. Os recursos compartilhados e trocados entre as partes são fontes de criação de valor no relacionamento, mas originam-se de duas perspectivas diferentes. Eles podem pertencer previamente a uma delas, compondo um valor que é intrínseco, ou desenvolverem-se ao longo do relacionamento em si, resultando numa parcela de valor relacional. Neste contexto, este estudo propõe-se a investigar as diferentes características das partes que são fonte de criação de valor em um relacionamento, bem como analisar os aspectos que influenciam sua captura pelas partes. O estudo envolveu três etapas. A primeira, de cunho teórico, visou a explorar as dimensões do valor do relacionamento, no que se refere à sua definição e suas fontes. As duas etapas seguintes objetivaram testar empiricamente o efeito das fontes do valor do relacionamento na criação e captura de valor, por meio de uma survey transversal e um estudo de casos múltiplos. A perspectiva teórica que permeia o estudo é a Visão Baseada em Recursos, uma vez que ela pressupõe que os recursos das firmas produzem valor econômico que transcende os limites delas e é capturado por seus clientes e fornecedores. A abordagem ontológica é a do realismo crítico, a qual permite um melhor entendimento dos acontecimentos empiricamente observados. Os resultados contribuem para um melhor entendimento teórico sobre valor do relacionamento, uma vez que os construtos de valor intrínseco e valor relacional integram diferentes fontes de benefícios que podem advir de relacionamentos. A relação entre esses construtos e sua influência individual na captura de valor também trazem uma contribuição teórica ao estudo de relacionamentos comprador-fornecedor. As principais contribuições gerenciais dizem respeito ao fato de que é possível capturar valor mesmo que o relacionamento não seja colaborativo. Adicionalmente, os resultados enfatizam que as empresas deveriam explorar mais como fazer para extrair mais benefícios da outra parte e do relacionamento em si, em especial de fontes não-financeiras.

Submitted by thiago souza cruz amaral (thiagoscamaral@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-01-15T17:58:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Thiago Amaral_Versão FINAL (ENTREGUE).pdf: 1827167 bytes, checksum: ccb6a7cdf39460899d9a8a6c84eaf5e5 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Janete de Oliveira Feitosa (janete.feitosa@fgv.br) on 2016-01-19T12:44:28Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Thiago Amaral_Versão FINAL (ENTREGUE).pdf: 1827167 bytes, checksum: ccb6a7cdf39460899d9a8a6c84eaf5e5 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2016-01-21T18:08:29Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Thiago Amaral_Versão FINAL (ENTREGUE).pdf: 1827167 bytes, checksum: ccb6a7cdf39460899d9a8a6c84eaf5e5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-21T18:08:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Thiago Amaral_Versão FINAL (ENTREGUE).pdf: 1827167 bytes, checksum: ccb6a7cdf39460899d9a8a6c84eaf5e5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-16 / This study aims to analyze the interplay between contractual and relational governance mechanisms in buyer-supplier relationships and their impact on complex projects outcomes. Governance of inter-organizational relationships and its strategic importance for firms' performance and to achieve competitive advantages have been the subject of many recent studies in the strategy field, as well as in related areas. More specifically, the importance of such relationships in management literature has been increasing, mainly in contexts involving emerging economies. The literature shows a convergence about two main types of governance in inter-organizational relationships: the contractual governance, related to contracts and rules formally established between firms to generally safeguard against opportunistic behavior, and relational governance, which is based mainly on trust and relational norms to coordinate such relationships. Although many studies have investigated contractual and relational governance in inter-organizational relationships, there is no consensus in the literature about the nature of their interplay. This study aims to investigate the interplay of governance mechanisms through a case study about a complex procurement project in the Brazilian offshore oil and gas industry, involving innovative technology. The findings suggest that contractual and relational governance mechanisms play important roles in the buyer-supplier relationships and their interaction impacts project outcomes, assessed in terms of time, cost and quality. Governance mechanisms play simultaneously and influence each other to a great extent. The case also demonstrates that accents on different mechanisms can change during the run of a project, depending on the context. Finally, it is concluded that project outcomes in the context studied can not be fully explained only by the interplay between governance mechanisms. These outcomes have to be contextualized, since many institutional environment factors act as moderators of the interplay between governances. / Este trabalho buscou investigar a interação entre os mecanismos de governança contratual e relacional na relação comprador-fornecedor e seus impactos sobre os resultados de projetos complexos. A governança dos relacionamentos interorganizacionais e sua importância estratégica para o desempenho das firmas e para a obtenção de vantagens competitivas têm sido tema de muitas pesquisas recentes na área de estratégia, bem como em áreas correlatas. Mais especificamente, é crescente a importância de tais relacionamentos na literatura de gestão, especialmente em contextos envolvendo economias emergentes. A literatura apresenta uma convergência acerca de dois tipos principais de governança nos relacionamentos interorganizacionais: a governança contratual, que se refere aos contratos e regras formalmente estabelecidas entre as firmas para geralmente coibir comportamentos oportunistas, e a governança relacional, que se baseia principalmente na confiança e em normas relacionais para coordenar tais relacionamentos. Embora diversos estudos tenham investigado a interação entre essas governanças, não há um consenso na literatura sobre a natureza dessa interação. Este estudo teve por objetivo investigar a interação dos mecanismos de governança contratual e relacional por meio de um estudo de caso sobre a implantação de um megaprojeto na indústria brasileira do petróleo offshore, envolvendo tecnologia inovadora. Os resultados indicam que os mecanismos de governança contratual e relacional desempenham importantes funções no relacionamento comprador-fornecedor e que a interação entre eles impacta os resultados do projeto em termos de prazo, custo e qualidade. Tais mecanismos atuam de forma simultânea e influenciam uns aos outros em grande medida. Percebe-se ainda que o nível de influência de cada um desses mecanismos varia ao longo do tempo, a depender do contexto. Por fim, conclui-se que os resultados do projeto, no contexto estudado, não podem ser plenamente explicados apenas pela interação entre esses mecanismos. Tais resultados precisam ser contextualizados, uma vez que diversos fatores do ambiente institucional atuam como moderadores da interação entre governanças.

Dans un environnement économique toujours plus compétitif, tendu et incertain, les entreprises doivent faire preuve d’adaptabilité, de précaution et d’anticipation. Ce manuscrit aborde ainsi plusieurs thématiques liées à ce constat, qui touchent de près la notion de gestion de trésorerie. Le premier essai de cette thèse montre que la distribution d’un dividende en actions permet aux entreprises de temporairement réduire la rémunération de leurs actionnaires, sans être sanctionnées par ces derniers. Ce mécanisme permet aux entreprises de conserver liquidités et flexibilité en période de contraction de l’économie. Le second essai traite du lien entre risque client et politique de gestion des liquidités. Un risque client accru semble alors pousser les entreprises à détenir plus de trésorerie et à moins recourir aux lignes de crédit. Enfin, le troisième essai justifie de l’intérêt d’établir des relations clients-fournisseurs de long terme. Ces partenariats apparaissent alors comme une source d’efficience et de profitabilité accrues du cycle opérationnel des entreprises. / The increasingly competitive and uncertain economic environment requires firms to show caution and to anticipate their needs. Based on this observation, this thesis discusses several topics that are closely related to corporate cash management choices. The first chapter of this thesis show that offering an optional stock dividend enables firms to temporarily reduce cash outflows to shareholders without being penalized by the market. This peculiar type of payout then allows firms to maintain their levels of liquidity and flexibility during economic downturns. The second chapter focuses on the link between customer risk and corporate liquidity management choices. High customer risk then appears to firms holding higher cash reserves compared to credit lines. Finally, the third chapter highlights the benefits of maintaining long-term buyer-supplier relationships. These partnerships then arises as sources of increased operating efficiency and profitability for firms.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to identify the challenges that small garments manufacturers in Pakistan face in an IOR with large retailers regarding power dominance. The paper also seeks to examine how those garment manufacturers can use the Boundary Control Systems as a strategic response to power dominance. Methodology: The study is Qualitative, Exploratory in nature. It adapts critical realism as its research philosophy while developing the study with an Abductive Approach. The data for this paper was collected through related literature, articles, and a series of semi-structured interviews. The collected Empirical Data was analyzed using Creswell's Six Steps method. Findings: The paper explores the challenges faced by the small garments manufacturers in an IOR with large retailers in the Garments Industry of Pakistan, which include the struggle to have fair pricing, dominant behavior of the retailer, over-controlling inspections of the production, unavailability of resources to manage the production scale, overly strict sanctions or price cut by the retailers, and misunderstandings created by cultural and lingual diversity. These challenges almost always start from the Negotiation stage of the collaboration leaving the small garments manufacturer little to no room for mitigating them. The most effective strategy that the small garments manufacturers can adopt while dealing with power dominance. It is to apply Boundary Systems as early as the Negotiation Stage to prevent the retailer from imposing opportunistic behavior. Involving Boundary Spanners can be useful to have better control over the challenges. Originality and Contribution: The paper attempts to explore the fairly under-studied area of power dominance between small garments manufacturers and large retailers working in the developing garments manufacturing-supplying industry in Pakistan and how Boundary Systems can be used in this dynamic. A significant lack of awareness and studies were identified while researching for this study. Hence this paper can be considered a new and fresh way to look at the issue that has been previously undermined. And a contribution to the literature and future researchers to further the studies in this area.

Water has been classified as an increasingly stress resource, according to the last World Water Development Report. Concerns about clean drinking water and water sanitation are also focal points of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Moreover, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), as well as start-ups, are interested in water management innovation and reaching countries with difficult access. This project is motivated by a desire to identify and classify the challenges of reaching water-stressed regions or people living at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) that are facing water scarcity as well as the aim to recognize approaches of how partnerships - strategic alliances, joint ventures, co-opetition, and buyer-supplier relationship - address some of those challenges. The importance of partnerships, their specific motives, and the assets and activities interchanged in each experience, have been examined through different interviews. By focusing attention on the relation between challenges, partnerships, and business model levels, this paper suggests that partnerships are essential to reach emerging markets, but not all of them are valuable at the earlier stages of a start-up. In addition, according to the challenges that are expected to address, a particular type of partnership should be established, which implies different adaptations in the business model. Therefore, the contribution of this study is to provide orientation to small companies on how to use partnerships based on the challenges to overcome reaching regions with water scarcity. / Vatten har klassificerats som en resurs som allt mer drabbas av vattenstress enligt senaste rapporten från World Water Development. Bekymmer om rent dricksvatten och vattenrening hamnar i fokus i de Globala målen för hållbar utveckling (SDG). Dessutom fokuserar små till medelstora företag och startups är intresserade av innovation inom vatten management och att nå länder där tillgång till vatten är svår. Detta projekt motiveras av en vilja att identifiera och klassificera utmaningarna av att nå vattenstressade regioner och människorna som lever i botten av pyramiden (BOP) som drabbas av vattenbrist och att hitta de metoder som med samarbetspartners, strategiska samarbeten, samriskföretag och leverantörssamarbeten kan hjälpa med dessa utmaningar. Betydelsen av samarbeten, deras specifika mål och tillgångar och aktiviteter som spridits i form av utbyte för varje händelse har examinerats genom olika intervjuer. Genom att fokusera på sammanhanget mellan utmaningarna, samarbeten och olika nivåer av affärsmodeller föreslår denna studie att samarbeten är grundläggande för att kunna nå utvecklingsområden, men inte alla är viktiga i de tidigare skeden i en startup. Dessutom enligt de utmaningar som uppkommer, en speciell typ av samarbete ska etableras som innebär olika anpassningar av affärsmodellen. Därför bidrar denna studie till att ge små företag riktlinjer på hur man använder sammarbetspartnerskap baserat på utmaningarna för att nå de regioner som har vattenbrist.

An increase in global supply chain disruption, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, has exposed vulnerabilities in supply chains. This has caused a reassessment of current supply chain management practices and highlighted a need for more resilient approaches. Despite an increased focus on this research area, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are further challenged. Current practices are not well suited for these kinds of firms as they face resource and operational constrains. SMEs tend to build resilience through safety stocks, which provide a buffer against disruptions. However, maintaining inventories can be costly and inefficient. Furthermore, supply chain relationships have shown to enable collaborative efforts and increase visibility in the chain, thereby improving resilience. In light of this, the research focuses on exploring the effect of buyer-supplier relationships on SMEs resilience and how inventory management can align with SMEs efforts to build resilience. For this, a qualitative approach was employed, involving a case study of a manufacturing firm in Sweden. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with six employees and seven direct suppliers, along with observations and archival data. The findings highlight the importance of long-term relationships in fostering supply chain resilience (SCR), emphasizing the need for transparent communication and collaboration. Therefore, a managerial framework is provided to guide the assessment of these relationships fostering the resilient benefits of supplier relationships. Additionally, the findings indicate the need for SMEs to balance inventory management practices with risk mitigation efforts like dual sourcing. The research concludes by outlining the benefits and risk associated with buyer-supplier relationships, emphasizing the importance of internal structures, and how inventory management practices can enhance SCR for SMEs. / En ökning av globala störningar, såsom Covid-19-pandemin, har avslöjat sårbarheter i försörjningskedjor. Detta har lett till en omvärdering av nuvarande metoder för hur försörjningskedjan ska hanteras och framhävt behovet av mer motståndskraftiga tillvägagångssätt. Trots ett ökat fokus på detta forskningsområde utmanas små och medelstora företag (SMEs) ytterligare. På grund av deras resurs- och verksamhetsbegränsningar är nuvarande metoder inte fullt tillämpliga. SMEs väljer ofta att bygga motståndskraft genom säkerhetslager eftersom detta utgör en buffert mot störningar. Att upprätthålla denna typ av lager kan dock vara kostsamt och ineffektivt. Vidare har det visat sig att relationer i försörjningskedjan möjliggör samarbeten och ökar synligheten, därigenom förbättrat försörjningskedjans motståndskraft. Mot denna bakgrund fokuserar studien på att utforska effekten av relationen mellan köpare och leverantör på SMEs motståndskraft, samt hur lagerhantering kan linjera med SMEs ansträngningar för att bygga motståndskraft. Studien genomfördes i form av en fallstudie hos ett tillverkande företag i Sverige och antog ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt. Data samlades in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex anställda och sju direkta leverantörer, observationer och arkivdata. Resultatet understryker vikten av långsiktiga relationer för att främja motståndskraft i försörjningskedjan och betonar behovet av transparent kommunikation och samarbete. Av denna anledning tillhandahålls ett ramverk för att främja de motståndskraftiga fördelarna med leverantörsrelationer. Ramverket har sitt främsta syfte att vägleda utvärderingen av dessa relationer. Vidare visar resultaten att SMEs behöver balansera lagerhanteringsmetoder med riskreducerande insatser. Slutsatsen av denna studie beskriver fördelarna och riskerna förknippade med relationen mellan köpare och leverantör, vikten av interna strukturer och hur lagerhanteringsmetoder kan förbättra motståndskraften i försörjningskedjan för SMEs.