Business leaders increasingly grapple with longer and more complex supply chain nodes wrought by the globalization of corporate manufacturing processes. The flow of outsourced materials is also more vulnerable to high-profile product-harm crises, sabotage, product defect, and recall problems. The purpose of this single case study was to explore manufacturing strategies used by business leaders of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in the United States to minimize the defects in offshore-outsourced products. The sample was 2 OEM business leaders who have successfully reduced the defects in offshore-manufactured products in their Michigan facility. The conceptual framework was agency theory. Data were collected from observational field notes, company records, and transcripts of open-ended interviews. Data were coded and analyzed to identify emergent themes, which included factors the OEM considered in selecting offshore suppliers, strategies for minimizing defects, validation of the effectiveness of these strategies, and the development of trust and working partnerships with offshore suppliers. Reducing defect risks from outsourced products may decrease catastrophic fatalities and financial repercussions for businesses, and simultaneously improve consumer safety and trust as implications for social change.

The purpose of this degree project was to find and investigate how global cooperation works in the construction industry. The goal of this work is to evaluate whether this type of solution remains profitable in the future and includes four perspectives consisting of communication, resource seeking, costs and quality. A final goal of this degree project was to present concrete conclusions that make it easier for companies which are interested in initiating a collaboration with a foreign company. The work is based on a literature study that describes previous research in the field as well as a case study that includes document analysis and interviews. The document analysis was carried out at the client to contribute knowledge about how a quality system is structured. Interviews have been conducted with four companies who are active in the design industry to obtain responses related to communication, quality, costs and resources. The interviews have been conducted with Skype and with one of the companies the interview was held on-site. All interviews have been recorded to reproduce the correct results. The result of this work shows the importance of a long-term relationship between the Swedish and the foreign company to make the collaboration successful. Before the cooperation starts it is important to keep in mind the differences in cultures, find people with required educational background and to search for a company that understands what is requested. If the collaboration intends to make a profit, the total cost of the project needs to be minded and not just the lower engineering costs. The results of this work also show that to find the required competence in Swedish projects, it can be successful to find that competence in a foreign country. The right quality is achieved by the foreign engineers based on the Swedish standards due to clear guidelines and system for overlooking. The technical quality has not been affected by language and communication difficulties, this because of well-structured communication methods including video meetings and patience to understand each other. Cooperation with foreign companies can be successful, the Swedish company must however be prepared for the consequences that may occur and understand that it can require more planning than initially was predicted. If the co-operation is planned in a long-term perspective and exchange of knowledge takes place on an ongoing basis, the cooperation will hopefully be efficient and successful over time.

Syfte: Syftet med studien är att kartlägga om och hur modeföretag har anpassat sin försörjningskedja under Covid-19. Studien kommer främst att fokusera på om det har skett geografiska förändringar i sin sourcingstrategi, samt hur företagens inköpsvolymer har förändrats under pandemin. Design/ metod: De två forskningsfrågorna besvarades genom fem semistrukturerade intervjuer med flera personer på svenska modeföretags inköpsavdelningar och med hjälp av en tematisk analys. Originalitet/värde: Studien bidrar till ökad kunskap inom ämnet hur svenska modeföretag har anpassat sina värdekedjor under Covid-19 pandemin. Eftersom att Covid-19 pandemin skedde nyligen finns det begränsat med forskning inom ämnet. Studien ger även en inblick i hur olika svenska modeföretag har arbetat under denna tidsperiod för att hantera de risker som uppstod i värdekedjan. Resultat och slutsats: Efter att en analys hade sammanställts så kom det fram att det fanns skillnader i hur de mellanstora och stora företagen i studien hade agerat kring sourcing och inköpsvolymer under Covid-19 pandemin. De medelstora företagen hade redan större delen av sin sourcing i Europa medans de större modeföretagen hade större delar av sin sourcing i Asien. Alla intervjupersoner beskriver att de upplevde mer eller mindre fördröjningar i sina leveranser där det var värst för de som hade stor produktion i Asien. För att minska riskerna gällande inköpsvolymer så var flexibilitet en viktig faktor för att flytta volymer mellan sina sourcingplatser och producera närmare sina marknader. Det kom även fram att de medelstora företagen ville satsa på större lager i framtiden medans de stora företagen ville minska sina lager för att inte överproducera. I framtiden ser samtliga intervjupersoner att det kommer bli större konkurrens kring produktion i Europa då fler företag vill producera närmare sina marknader. / Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how textile companies have adapted their supply chain during Covid-19. The study will mainly focus on outlining geographical changes in its sourcing strategy, as well as how companies' product range volumes have changed during the pandemic. Design/Methodology: The two research questions were answered through five semi-structured interviews with several people in Swedish fashion companies purchasing departments and with the help of thematic analysis. Results and Findings: After an analysis had been compiled, it emerged that there were differences in how the medium-sized and large companies in this study had acted regarding sourcing and purchasing volumes during the Covid-19 pandemic. The medium-sized companies already had most of their sourcing in Europe, while the larger fashion companies had larger parts of their sourcing in Asia. All interviewees described that they experienced more or less delays in their deliveries, where it was more critical for those who had larger production in Asia. To reduce the risks regarding purchasing volumes, flexibility was an important factor in moving volumes between their sourcing sites and producing closer to their markets. It was also revealed that the medium-sized companies wanted to invest in larger stock levels in the future, while the large companies wanted to reduce their stock levels in order not to overproduce. In the future, all interviewees see that there will be greater competition for production in Europe as more companies want to produce closer to their markets. Originality/Value: The study contributes to increased knowledge in the subject of how Swedish fashion companies have adapted their value chains during the Covid-19 pandemic. Because the Covid-19 pandemic occurred recently, there is limited research on the subject. The study also provides an insight into how different Swedish fashion companies have managed the risks that arose in the value chain during this time period.

Expanding on a general equilibrium model of offshoring, we analyze the effects of a unilateral emissions tax increase on the environment, income, and inequality. Heterogeneous firms allocate labor across production tasks and emissions abatement, while only the most productive can benefit from lower labor and/or emissions costs abroad and offshore. We find a non-monotonic effect on global emissions, which decline if the initial difference in emissions taxes is small. For a sufficiently large difference, global emissions rise, implying emissions leakage of more than 100%. The underlying driver is a global technique effect: While the emissions intensity of incumbent non-offshoring firms declines, the cleanest firms start offshoring. Moreover, offshoring firms become dirtier, induced by a reduction in the foreign effective emissions tax in general equilibrium. Implementing a BCA prevents emissions leakage, reduces income inequality in the reforming country, but raises inequality across countries.

Med inspiration av rådande Coronakris analyserar denna rapport de kriser som påverkat svensk industri under de senaste tre decennierna med avseende på tre perspektiv: globalisering, automatisering och standardisering. En generell definition av en kris ges som grund för rapporten; det är plötsliga och snabba förändringar som bidrar till ett oförutsägbart händelseförlopp som inte sällan hamnar utom kontroll. Arbetet beaktar de tre olika perspektiven genom hela rapporten vilka alla kopplar samman mot kriser på flera sätt. Analysen är baserad på en fallstudie genom intervjuer samt en litteraturstudie och mynnar ut i separata resultat med följande diskussion. Nedan följer en sammanfattning av respektive perspektiv. Globalisering är något som påverkar industrin på många sätt men i denna rapport är tillverkande företags globala distrubutionsnätverk i huvudfokus. Frågan som undersöks i rapporten är hur globalisering påverkar industrin vid en kris, hypotesen är att en större grad av globalisering leder till ökad risk för påverkan vid en kris. Slutsatsen är att globalisering kan leda till en ökad påverkan vid en kris och är en viktig faktor vid riskbedömning av distributionsnätverk. Dock innebär de globaliseringen en ökad komplexitet vilket gör riskerna svårhanterliga. Automatisering är något som påverkat den tillverkande industrin sedan början av industrialismen. I takt med att nya teknologier utvecklas har frågor höjts om automatiseringens långsiktiga effekter på produktionen. Denna rapport fokuserar därför på huruvida automatisering kan bidra till att svenska industrier blir mer motståndskraftiga vid kommande kriser. Slutsatsen är att en ökad automatisering bidrar till en högre ergonomi inom svenska industrier, bättre möjligheter för onshoring och en förbättrad flexibilitet. Därtill finns det inget som tyder på att behovet av mänskliga arbetskraft skulle minska på grund av en ökad automatiseringen. Däremot blir det en förskjutning av arbetsmarknaden mot högre akademisk kompetens. Standardiseringsperspektivet tar sig ett generellt uttryck inom Lean produktion och mer specifikt och djupgående i Kanban och linjeoptimering. Hypotesen som perspektivet bygger på är vilka möjligheter svenska industriföretag har för att med hjälp av standardiseringsförändringar lindra konsekvenserna av en kris. Slutsatsen är att standardisering kan ha viss inverkan på hur ett företag klarar sig genom en kris. Förutsättningarna för det är däremot oerhört individuella beroende företagens olika förutsättningar / Inspired by the current Corona crisis, this report analyzes the crises that have affected Swedish industry during the past three decades with regards to three perspectives: globalization, automation and standardization. A general definition of a crisis is provided as the basis for the report; it is sudden and rapid changes which contribute to an unpredictable course of events that not uncommonly gets out of control. The work takes into account the three different perspectives throughout the report, all of which are linked to crises in several ways. The analysis is based on a case study through interviews and a literature study and results in separate results with a following discussion. Below is a summary of each perspective. Globalization is something that affects the industry in many ways, but in this report, manufacturing companies’ global distribution networks are the main focus. The issue examined in the report is how globalization affects industry during a crisis, the hypothesis being that a greater degree of globalization leads to an increased risk of impact in a crisis. The conclusion is that globalization can lead to increased impact in a crisis and is an important factor in the risk assessment of distribution networks. However, with globalization comes increased complexity, which makes the risks difficult to manage. Automation is something that has affected the manufacturing industry since the beginning of industrialism. As new technologies develop, questions have been raised about the long-term effects of automation on production. This report therefore focuses on whether automation can help Swedish industries become more resilient in coming crises. The conclusion is that increased automation contributes to higher ergonomics in Swedish industries, better opportunities for onshoring and improved flexibility. In addition, there is no indication that the need for human labor would decrease due to increased automation. On the other hand, there is a shift in the labor market towards higher academic competence. The standardization perspective takes on a general expression in Lean production and more specifically and in-depth in Kanban and line optimization. The hypothesis being investigated is what conditions and opportunities Swedish industrial companies have for using the above-mentioned concepts to make changes that reduce the consequences of a crisis. The conclusion is that standardization can have a certain impact on how a company copes through a crisis. The prerequisites for this, on the other hand, are extremely individual dependent companies’ different conditions.

<p>Global software development has been a phenomenon of growing interest for almost past decade or so; and its adoption trend continues to gain momentum. Globally distributed work istaken up as an alternative to single-site mainly because of the economic and strategic benefits itoffers. Software development at geographically distributed environment is not a straightforwardtask and entails numerous challenges which are unique to this form of development.</p><p>Requirements change management is considered challenging even in the best of conditions andit becomes even harder when performed at geographically distributed development locations.There is no existing model for managing requirements change in globally distributed softwaredevelopment context.</p><p>This study uses qualitative research method to explore requirements change managementprocess and investigates the underlying causes of requirements change in geographicallydistributed software development. The research work proposes a model for requirementschange management for global software development. This model tries to incorporate the roles,activities and artifacts identified in the change management models.</p>

The aim of this research is to examine the extent to which the offshoring and outsourcing practices in Multinational Corporations, when the headquarters are registered and located in either the UK or Germany; are embedded in the institutional contexts of their respective home countries. There are six research questions relating to differences in approach and choice of location, ownership and coordination, employment practice, cultural proximity, trade union influence and finally the extent of re-shoring. These are primarily assessed through the 'varieties of capitalism' perspective. A comparative case study approach has been adopted with a focus on two sectors; airlines and engineering; in each case a major UK and German organisation are compared. Fourteen in-depth, semi-structured interviews took place in both the home countries and overseas locations in Europe, India and Asia. The sample size is small, however, each was with a senior executive and the transcripts revealed 'rich data' for compiling the case studies and answering the research questions. The contribution to original thinking is a conceptual framework posited by proposing a taxonomy to analyse the relationship between coordinated and liberal market economies and the components of the offshoring and / or outsourcing process. Reference is made to theory drawn from the resource based view, global production networks, dynamic capabilities, embeddedness as well as varieties of capitalism to focus on competences, spatial dimensions and power. It is this collective approach that is considered to be novel. Qualitative analysis is deployed to re-construct the actual framework for each industry sector. Constructs (Reichertz, 2004) combining abduction, deduction and induction are used to develop propositions that lead to conclusions. The similarities between the two UK companies and the two German companies confirms the usefulness of the taxonomy and allows for its extension to other firms and sectors. Key findings and conclusions from the two case studies are that German organizations are less inclined to outsource (in both sectors) preferring to reduce costs and retain control through captive offshoring. The UK businesses were less risk adverse and more flexible and agile in their sourcing policies. There was evidence that the UK companies regarded outsourcing and offshoring as options for closer co-operation that may lead to strategic alliances and mergers or acquisition. The relationships with trade unions/works council was also found to be very different, with a reluctance by management in Germany to progress radical initiatives. Other differences in terms of autonomy and division of labour were found. From an institutional perspective the German CME's cases were less able to deploy outsourcing and offshoring strategies with the degrees of freedom that the UK LMEs typically enjoyed. CMEs are constrained by their policies, interconnectedness and style of working. A number of ambiguities are highlighted. The thesis argues that the outsourcing and offshoring practices are embedded to a high degree in the institutional practices of the home countries. Finally, the empirical novelty lies in the 'rich data' generated by valuable insights from the senior executive interviewees to which the researcher was privileged to have access.

This thesis deals with the globalization of production, a salient feature of the modern economy. The development of international outsourcing as a widespread business practice and the simultaneous decrease in trade and transport costs have contributed to the growth of a phenomenon known as global value chains. The main aim of the thesis is to understand how global value chains alter the location of economic activity. The thesis also studies the extent of firms' participation in global value chains and its consequences for firm performance.   The thesis consists of four papers studying the behavior of firms in global value chains. Paper 1 analyzes how production fragmentation influences the importing and exporting behavior of Swedish firms in the manufacturing sector. Paper 2 focuses on manufacturing firms in the ICT sector and analyzes the effect of global sourcing on firm performance. In Paper 3, the thesis examines deeper implications of global production by investigating whether exposure to trade raises firms' sensitivity to external shocks. The final paper in the thesis studies the location patterns of multinational firms and analyzes the effect of institutional distance on the number of multinational entries in developing countries.   A number of patterns emerge from these studies. The first is that Swedish manufacturing firms increasingly participate in global value chains by sourcing production inputs from overseas to create products for local and foreign customers. As a result, global value chains help to alter the specialization patterns of manufacturing firms. The second finding is that firms reap benefits from global sourcing in the form of greater efficiency. However, global sourcing may also raise the responsiveness of firms to negative external shocks. The final key result points to a developing trend in the location of activity in which emerging market multinational firms are becoming significant sources of foreign direct investment flows and their investment patterns challenge existing theories of multinational location choice.

Le phénomène de délocalisation des services est de plus en plus prégnant avec le développement des technologies d'information et de communication. Mais aussi avec l'avènement de la modularisation au sein du processus de production. Ce phénomène consiste à transférer la réalisation d'un ou de plusieurs modules d'une activité de service du pays d'origine vers un autre pays hôte. Le choix de délocaliser vers un pays d'accueil signifie que ce dernier présente de meilleurs caractéristiques pays pour le service à produire. En outre, les destinations retenues dépendent du type de service à délocaliser. Deux aspects à savoir l'intensité en connaissance et le degré de désintégration définissent le type de service. Les pays en voie de développement renforcent les caractéristiques pays afin d'améliorer leur capacité d'accueil. Ce sont les caractéristiques pays essentiels à l'accueil de services et les caractéristiques pays indispensables pour certains types de service. Les caractéristiques pays essentiels à l'accueil de services sont ceux que les pays en voie de développement doivent présenter pour être plus avantageuses que les pays de départ. Quant aux caractéristiques pays indispensables pour certains types de service, il s'agit des caractéristiques pays qui assurent la primauté sur certains services selon leurs spécificités. D'où notre interrogation sur le potentiel de délocalisation de chaque activité de service en fonction des spécificités. Nous essayons également de déterminer la destination appropriée pour chaque type de service tout en se concentrant sur la concordance entre ces spécificités de services et les caractéristiques des pays d'accueil. / The service offshoring phenomenon is significant, supported by the development of information and communication technologies. But also with the advent of modularization in the production process. This phenomenon consists in the transfer of the realization of one or more modules of a service activity from the country of origin to the host country. Choosing a host country means that this country shows the best country characteristics for the production of the service. Two aspects which are the knowledge intensity and the disintegration degree define the service type. So, the destinations retained depend on the type of the service to offshore. The developing countries strengthen their country characteristics in order to improve their host capacity. These are the crucial country characteristics to receive services and the essential country characteristics for certain type of services. The crucial country characteristics are those that the developing countries should have to be more profitable than the countries of origin. Concerning the essential country characteristics for different type of services, it suggests that some country characteristics advantage certain services depending on their features. That is why our argument is on the offshoring potential of each service activity based on their features. We also try to determine the suited destination for each service type by taking into account the link between the service features and the host country characteristics.

The study presented in this thesis investigates Offshore Information Technology Outsourcing (IT offshoring) relationships from clients’ perspective. With more client companies outsourcing their IT operations offshore, issues associated with the establishment and management of IT offshoring relationships have become very important. With the growing volume of offshore outsourcing, the numbers of failures are also increasing. Therefore, both clients (service receivers) and suppliers (service providers) face increasing pressure to meet with the objectives of IT offshoring initiatives. Improving the quality of the relationship between client and supplier has frequently been suggested in the literature as probable solution area, however not much literature and empirical evidence is available in this respect. The aim of the study is to make a theoretical and practical contribution by studying the interplay between the critical factors influencing the relationship intensity level of the exchange partners and suggest measures that can potentially increase the success rate in IT offshoring engagements. The objectives of this study are: 1. To identify the relevant critical factors and explore its causes and effects (antecedents and consequences) on the relationship intensity significance level. 2. To develop an integrated conceptual framework combining the hypothetical relationship among these identified critical factors. 3. To empirically validate the conceptual framework. To accomplish the first objective and building the theoretical platform for the second objective, three research questions are identified and answered through empirical study backed by literature evidence. The second objective is addressed through an integrative conceptual framework by analysing the related studies across other disciplines, gaps in the existing theories and models in the outsourcing literature. Coupled with literature gap analysis, the researcher adopted some of the relevant features from across various disciplines of management and social sciences that are relevant to this study. After that, the third objective, the research hypotheses are validated with empirical examination conducted in Europe. Seven research hypotheses are developed based on literature analysis on the relationship of the key constructs in the conceptual framework. This study is explanatory and deductive in nature. It is underpinned mainly by a quantitative research design with structured questionnaire surveys conducted with stratified sampling of 136 client organisations in Europe. Individual client firm is the unit of analysis for this study. Data analysis was conducted using partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modelling techniques. In this research, empirical support was found for most of the research hypotheses and conclusions of the study is derived. An investigation into trust as a concept is used to denote relationship intensity, as the central construct of the framework. The validated conceptual framework and tested hypothesis results are the main contributions of this study. The results of this study will also be useful in terms of adopting the conceptual framework linked with hypotheses as a point of reference to begin with, in order to accomplish a healthy exchange relationship. However, a further deep dive and fine tuning the sub-units/composition characteristics of each critical factor may be needed for individual outsourcing initiative(s). This study is particularly relevant to the client-supplier firms already engaged in a relationship but can also be useful to those clients who are planning to begin their journey in IT offshoring in the near future, as a preparatory platform.