Submitted by Fábio Silva de Andrade (fabioandrade1982@gmail.com) on 2016-12-13T14:04:18Z No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertação pós banca Fabio Andrade.pdf: 1135682 bytes, checksum: c8d843b6a43dc9fd5d460ce3a90cfa50 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by ÁUREA CORRÊA DA FONSECA CORRÊA DA FONSECA (aurea.fonseca@fgv.br) on 2016-12-13T14:34:01Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertação pós banca Fabio Andrade.pdf: 1135682 bytes, checksum: c8d843b6a43dc9fd5d460ce3a90cfa50 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-26T12:54:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertação pós banca Fabio Andrade.pdf: 1135682 bytes, checksum: c8d843b6a43dc9fd5d460ce3a90cfa50 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-11-29 / A atual pressão fiscal e as restrições orçamentárias têm aumentado a necessidade de cortar gastos e garantir que os contratos das esferas governamentais ofereçam o melhor valor para a sociedade. A gestão estratégica de suprimentos busca uma abordagem global para as contratações, obtendo uma melhor qualidade do gasto público. Por meio da metodologia, são verificados, não apenas os preços finais pagos pelos serviços ou aquisições, mas também se analisa o custo total em todas as etapas do ciclo de vida do produto ou serviço adquirido. Busca-se uma nova relação com o mercado fornecedor, com estratégias de longo prazo. Este trabalho concentra-se na iniciativa do governo do Estado do Rio de Janeiro na aplicação da metodologia de gestão estratégica de suprimentos. A análise mostra os desafios enfrentados na condução do projeto, identificando os fatores racionais, organizacionais e políticos presentes no processo decisório, além de sugerir alternativas para o melhor aproveitamento da metodologia, que já possuiu ampla utilização em organizações privadas, em organizações públicas. / The current fiscal pressure and budgetary constraints have increased the need to cut spending and ensuring that all levels of government contracts offer the best value to society. Strategic sourcing seeks a global approach to procurement, getting a better quality of public spending. Through the methodology are checked not only the final prices paid for services or purchases but also are analyzed the total costs at all stages of the product or service life cycle. It is sought a new relationship with the supplier market, with long-term strategies. This work focuses on the initiative of Rio de Janeiro government in the application of strategic sourcing methodology. The analysis shows the challenges faced in conducting the project, by identifying rational, organizational and political factors in decision making, and suggests alternatives through the lessons learned, for better utilization of the methodology, that has already an extensive use in private organizations, in public organizations.

[pt] As mudanças ocorridas na economia mundial nos últimos anos, advindas da globalização, quedas das barreiras comerciais, desregulamentações de mercados, expansão do comércio eletrônico, entre outras, têm tornado os mercados cada vez mais competitivos. Uma estratégia que as empresas têm adotado para enfrentar este novo cenário é a terceirização de atividades da cadeia de valores, fazendo internamente somente as atividades que as diferenciam, as chamadas competências centrais. Outra estratégia adotada pelas empresas têm sido a de fazerem as suas compras através da Internet, usando todo o potencial do comércio eletrônico. Todas estas mudanças tornaram as áreas e processos de compra mais importantes e complexos. Este trabalho de pesquisa visa propor um processo estruturado de compra estratégica, que, com o auxílio das ferramentas de compra eletrônica, ajude as empresas a enfrentar este novo cenário competitivo. Este processo será estruturado em oito fases interligadas com os mercados eletrônicos e as ferramentas de compra eletrônica. Adicionalmente, apresentaremos um estudo de caso da aplicação conjunta do processo de compra estratégica e das ferramentas de compra eletrônica, numa empresa brasileira. / [en] The changes in world economy over the last years resulting from globalization, lifting of trade barriers, market deregulation, e-commerce expansion, among others, have made markets increasingly competitive. To face this new scenario, companies have adopted the strategy of outsourcing value chain activities and only the activities that differentiate them - called core competencies - are carried out internally. Companies have also adopted the strategy of purchasing through the Internet, making use of the enormous potential provided by the e-commerce. All of these changes increased the importance and complexity of purchasing areas and processes. The objective of this research is to propose a structured process for strategic sourcing, which combined with the e-procurement tools, will help companies face this new competitive scenario. This process is structured in eight phases interconnected with the e-marketplace and e-procurement tools. In addition, a case study will be presented, involving the joint use of strategic sourcing process and e-procurement tools in a Brazilian company.

Submitted by Jalba Miniussi (jalba.miniussi@gvmail.br) on 2017-02-14T18:18:08Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Jalba_Miniussi_PhD_dissertation.pdf: 3465440 bytes, checksum: e76c7729cdbabdae9d35c1b23a08ef98 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Pamela Beltran Tonsa (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br) on 2017-02-14T18:20:47Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Jalba_Miniussi_PhD_dissertation.pdf: 3465440 bytes, checksum: e76c7729cdbabdae9d35c1b23a08ef98 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-15T14:10:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Jalba_Miniussi_PhD_dissertation.pdf: 3465440 bytes, checksum: e76c7729cdbabdae9d35c1b23a08ef98 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-10-20 / While is widely accepted the dynamic nature of value creation in business relationships, most of the research presents cross-sectional and dyadic approaches. This research takes a more dynamic approach by examining how and why a buyer-firm transfers orders from a supplier to another in a strategic sourcing context through a certain period of time. We explore the managerial situation of two suppliers competing for the buyer preference, and the process of buyer’s choice between two suppliers in search of higher value creation and appropriation. We analyze six cases of strategic sourcing, each one formed by a triad (two dyads linked by a common buyer), in a longitudinal-retrospective approach. Integrating two different streams of value creation theories (industrial marketing and strategic management), and dynamic capabilities theory, we propose a conceptual model that includes both buyer’s and supplier’s perspectives of value creation and appropriation. According to the model, there are four consecutive stages of value creation in a strategic sourcing context. Buyer-firms choose the most suitable stage of value creation for a given strategic sourcing according to the degree of uncertainty in the business environment, its internal demands and business opportunities. The chosen supplier will be the one that has the attributes to transact at this stage of value creation. On the other hand, supplier-firms seek to establish business relationships with buyer-firms that enable them to expand sales, thanks mainly to the reputation of being a supplier of an exigent customer. Moving to superior stages of value creation can lead to a higher value appropriation and, eventually, to competitive advantage. However, this movement requires investments of the parties to strengthen operational capabilities and developing dynamic capabilities. We shed light on the tradeoffs faced by purchasing managers in their search for competitive advantage, as well as the contingent factors present in strategic sourcing. The model may guide purchasing and sales managers in finding the most suitable stage of value creation to strategic sourcing relationships, according to their level of environmental uncertainty, internal needs, and investment capacity. / Embora seja amplamente aceita a natureza dinâmica da criação de valor nos relacionamentos interorganizacionais, a maior parte da pesquisa apresenta abordagens transversais, com foco na díade ou em uma das partes envolvidas no relacionamento. Este estudo adota uma abordagem mais dinâmica ao examinar como e por que uma empresa compradora transfere pedidos de compras de um fornecedor para outro em um contexto de fornecimento estratégico durante um período de tempo. Exploramos a situação gerencial onde dois fornecedores competem pela preferência da mesma empresa compradora, assim como o processo de escolha do comprador entre dois fornecedores em busca de maior criação e apropriação de valor. Analisamos seis casos de fornecimento estratégico, cada um formado por uma tríade (duas díades ligadas por um comprador comum), em uma abordagem longitudinal-retrospectiva. Integrando duas vertentes teóricas de criação de valor (marketing industrial e gestão estratégica), além da teoria de capacidades dinâmicas, propomos um modelo conceitual que inclui perspectivas de criação de valor e apropriação tanto do comprador como do fornecedor. De acordo com o modelo, há quatro estágios consecutivos de criação de valor em um contexto de fornecimento estratégico. A empresa compradora elege o estágio de criação de valor em que deseja atuar para cada fornecimento estratégico, levando em conta o grau de incerteza no ambiente de negócios, suas demandas internas e oportunidades de negócios. O fornecedor escolhido será aquele que possui os atributos necessários para atuar neste estágio de criação de valor. Por outro lado, as empresas fornecedoras procuram estabelecer relacionamentos comerciais com os compradores que lhes permitem expandir suas vendas, graças principalmente à reputação de serem fornecedores de um cliente exigente. Estabelecer relacionamentos comprador-fornecedor em estágios superiores de criação de valor pode levar a uma maior apropriação de valor e, eventualmente, à vantagem competitiva. No entanto, este movimento exige investimentos das partes para fortalecer as competências operacionais e desenvolver capacidades dinâmicas. Lançamos luz sobre os tradeoffs enfrentados pelos gerentes de compras em sua busca por vantagem competitiva, bem como nos fatores contingentes presentes no fornecimento estratégico. O modelo pode orientar gerentes de compras e profissionais de vendas a encontrar o estágio mais adequado de criação de valor para as relações de fornecimento estratégicas, de acordo com seu nível de incerteza ambiental, necessidades internas e capacidade de investimento.

Submitted by Pablo Possamai (pablopossamai@hotmail.com) on 2018-10-18T10:10:22Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Pablo Possamai_ Dissertacao MPA.pdf: 1765131 bytes, checksum: 4e094916d32dc4277f82617c65e9b309 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Mayara Costa de Sousa (mayara.sousa@fgv.br) on 2018-10-25T15:10:05Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Pablo Possamai_ Dissertacao MPA.pdf: 1765131 bytes, checksum: 4e094916d32dc4277f82617c65e9b309 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Suzane Guimarães (suzane.guimaraes@fgv.br) on 2018-10-26T12:47:47Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Pablo Possamai_ Dissertacao MPA.pdf: 1765131 bytes, checksum: 4e094916d32dc4277f82617c65e9b309 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-10-26T12:47:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Pablo Possamai_ Dissertacao MPA.pdf: 1765131 bytes, checksum: 4e094916d32dc4277f82617c65e9b309 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-09-20 / A busca por eficiência e constante redução de custos tem levado muitas organizações a reestruturarem seus processos e suas atividades de compras com o objetivo de gerar maior competitividade para o negócio a partir de processos mais robustos. As compras estratégicas de bens e serviços indiretos têm ganhado espaço nas organizações, o que pode ser explicado, em parte, pela competitividade global, pressão por resultados financeiros e mudanças estruturais na indústria. O objetivo deste trabalho foi demonstrar, mediante estudos de caso centrados em serviços de marketing, jurídico e de logística internacional, como as compras indiretas podem ser gerenciadas de forma mais estratégica, para tanto, analisando como esses processos são conduzidos em uma indústria de cosméticos e como se comparam com a literatura. Este estudo abordou as diferentes situações de gastos indiretos, nesse sentido, identificando os gaps e as oportunidades existentes que possam ser explorados. Neste estudo foi abordado como o gerenciamento por categorias de compras, de acordo com a Matriz de Kraljic (1983), comparase com a classificação interna da empresa segundo as áreas clientes e compras. Demonstra-se que as compras de bens e serviços, quando realizadas de forma estratégica, com o uso de tecnologia e uma estrutura independente, geram ganhos competitivos por meio da redução de custos e permite que as áreas funcionais concentrem seus esforços na atividade principal da área. Os campos analisados foram: gerenciamento por categoria, processo de compras e como compras se relaciona com as outras áreas. Na conclusão, algumas recomendações são propostas para aumentar a efetividade da gestão de compras indiretas de serviços. / The search for efficiency and constant cost reduction has led many organizations to restructure their processes and their sourcing activities in order to generate greater competitiveness for the business thru more robust processes. Strategic sourcing of indirect goods and services have gained space in organizations, which can be partly explained by global competitiveness, pressure for financial results and structural changes in industry. The objective of this work was to demonstrate, through case studies focused on marketing, legal and international logistics services, how indirect sourcing can be managed in a more strategic way, by analyzing how these processes are conducted in a cosmetics industry and how they are compared to the literature. This study addressed the different situations of indirect costs, in this sense, identifying the existing gaps and opportunities that can be explored. In this study it was approached how the category management, according to the Kraljic Matrix (1983), compares with the internal classification of the company according to the internal customers and sourcing areas. It is demonstrated that the sourcing of goods and services, when carried out in a strategic way, using technology and an independent structure, generates competitive gains through cost reduction and allows the functional areas to concentrate their efforts on thei main activities. The fields analyzed were: category management, sourcing processes and how the sourcing interacts with the other areas in the organization. In the conclusion, some recommendations are proposed to increase the effectiveness of indirect sourcing management.

Med ett generellt ökat hållbarhetsfokus i samhället har Atlas Copco upplevt att de behövt vidareutveckla hållbarhetsarbetet i hela organisationen, vilket resulterade i att de 2021 anslöt sig till Science Based Targets initiative, samt att hållbarhet fått ett utökat fokus i företagets senaste treårsstrategi. Företagets nya ambition och målsättningar handlar om att reducera klimatpåverkan, där varje avdelning har i uppgift att finna lösningar och förbättringar för att nå dessa mål. Inköpsavdelningen har stor möjlighet att påverka inflödet av material och komponenter till Atlas Copco, framför allt genom vilka leverantörer som ska få leverera till företaget. Inköpsavdelningen önskade dock vägledning kring vart fokus bör läggas för att på ett resurseffektivt sätt bidra till företagets nya ambitiösa målsättningar. Därför, formulerades denna studies syfte till:  Syftet med studien är att identifiera samt föreslå förbättringsförslag för Atlas Copco Industritekniks leverantörsval för att effektivt bidra till minskad klimatpåverkan. För att kunna besvara studiens syfte delades studien in i tre steg. Det första steget syftade till att identifiera nuläget, både avseende hur leverantörsval går till idag och vilka resurser som nyttjas, men även leverantörsbasens karaktäristik, för att veta hur ett alternativt läge skulle kunna påverka utsläpp och klimatpåverkan. När nuläget var fastställt, identifierades i steg två möjliga förbättringar, vilka sedan i steg tre utvärderades utifrån resursåtgång och potentiell effekt avseende en reducerad klimatpåverkan. Steg tre resulterade därmed i en rekommendation avseende de mest resurseffektiva förslagen för en reducerad klimatpåverkan, för Atlas Copco Industritekniks inköpsavdelning.  För att fastställa det nuläge som undersökts i det första steget, utfördes flertalet intervjuer med representanter från Atlas Copcos inköpsavdelning. Under intervjuerna framkom att leverantörsval idag utförs på två sätt, där det ena går ut på att välja in en ny leverantör i leverantörsbasen, medan det andra innefattar val av leverantör från den befintliga leverantörsbasen, för inköp av en komponent eller ett material. Intervjuerna gav även insyn i karaktäristiken för dagens leverantörsbas, som kan beskrivas som spridd avseende hållbarhetsmognad. I studiens andra steg genererades 25 förbättringsförslag, dels genom analys av det föregående steget, men även genom att identifiera förbättringar som presenterats i litteraturen. Som komplement till detta, utfördes även två intervjuer med externa aktörer, för att bringa klarhet i vad andra företag gör inom inköp för att nå en reducerad klimatpåverkan. Till sist, i studiens tredje och sista steg, analyserades de 25 förbättringsförslagen utifrån resursåtgång och möjlig effekt avseende reducerad klimatpåverkan, där förslagen kategoriserades till någon av de tre kategorierna; liten, medel eller stor, för respektive aspekt. Grunden till analysen var dels intervjuer med representanter från Atlas Copco och de utomstående företagen, men även dokumentinsamling samt vad som framgick i litteraturen nyttjades för att värdera förslagen. Två av förslagen kunde värderas till att ha en stor potentiell effekt, och en liten resursåtgång vilket gjorde att de kunde anses vara resurseffektiva. De två förslagen var att Övergå från flygtransport till båt- eller tågtransport samt Kravställa användning av fossilfri energi hos leverantören. Även förslag med en stor potentiell effekt, men med en större resursåtgång rekommenderades för implementering på längre sikt, och förslag med mindre effekt men också liten resursåtgång rekommenderades på kort sikt för att komma igång med arbetet mot att nå en reducerad klimatpåverkan. Förslagen har dessutom olika karaktär, både avseende tidshorisont och grad av konkretisering, vilket i denna undersökning försvårat jämförelsen mellan olika förslag. Slutligen lyfts även av författarna att resultatet bör ses som ett underlag, både inför framtida planering av utvecklingsprojekt på inköpsavdelningen, men även för att undersöka vissa förslag vidare och säkerställa resurseffektivitet samt fastställa hur de bör implementeras. / With a generally increased focus on sustainability in society, Atlas Copco have experienced a need to advance the sustainability work throughout the organization. This resulted in Atlas Copco joining Science Based Targets initiative in 2021 and that sustainability has been given extra attention in the company's latest three-year strategy. The company's new ambition and goals are about reducing its climate impact, and each department has the task of finding solutions and improvements to achieve the overall goals. The sourcing department has a great opportunity to influence the inflow of materials and components to Atlas Copco, especially through which suppliers will be allowed to deliver to the company. However, the purchasing department wanted guidance on which area to focus to contribute in a resource efficient way to the company's new ambitious goals. Therefore, the purpose of this study was: The purpose of the study is to identify and propose improvement suggestions for Atlas Copco Industrial Technique's supplier selection to effectively contribute to reduced climate impact for the company. To be able to answer the purpose of the study, the work was divided into three steps. The first was about identifying the current situation, both in terms of how supplier selection is carried out today and what resources that are used, but also how the supplier base is today, to know what an alternative situation could look like and how it relates to climate impact. Once the current situation was determined, possible improvements were identified in step two, which later were evaluated in step three based on resource consumption and potential effect regarding a reduced climate impact. Step three resulted in a recommendation regarding the most resource efficient suggestions for a reduced climat impact, for Atlas Copco Industrial Technique's sourcing department. To determine the current situation in the first step, several interviews were conducted with representatives from Atlas Copco's sourcing department. During the interviews, it emerged that supplier selection today is carried out in two different ways, where one involves selecting a new supplier into the supplier base, while the other involves selecting a supplier from the existing supplier base, for the purchase of a component or a material. The interviews also provided insight into the characteristics of today's supplier base, which can be described as dispersed in terms of sustainability maturity. In the second stage of the study, 25 improvement suggestions were generated by analyzing the previous stage and identifying improvements presented in the literature. As a complement to this, two interviews were in parallel conducted with external companies, to bring clarity to what other companies are doing in purchasing to achieve a reduced climate impact.Finally, in the third and final step of the study, the 25 improvement suggestions were analyzed based on resource consumption and possible effect regarding reduced climate impact, where the improvement suggestions were categorized into one of the three categories; small, medium or large, for each aspect. The basis for the analysis was interviews with representatives from Atlas Copco and the external companies. Document collection and the literature research that was conducted earlier in the study were also used to evaluate the improvement suggestions. Two of the suggestions could be valued as having a large potential effect, and a small resource consumption, which meant that they could be considered resource-efficient. The two suggestions were to Change from air transport to boat or train transport and Require the use of fossil-free energy at the supplier. Improvement suggestions with a large potential effect, yet with a greater resource consumption were also recommended for implementation in the longer term, and suggestions with a smaller effect and resource consumption were recommended in the short term to get started with the work towards achieving a reduced climate impact.  The suggestions are also very different in nature, both in terms of time horizon for implementation, and in specificity, which in this study made it difficult to compare some of the proposals with each other. Finally, the authors also emphasize that the result should serve as a basis for future planning of new projects in the purchasing department. However, it can also be used as a starting point for further investigation of certain suggestions to ensure they are resource efficient and to determine how they should be implemented.

This study investigates possible ways of managing commodity price volatility from a purchasing perspective and how the applicability of tools depends on company specific circumstances. Covid-19 has created large disruptions in global supply chains and led to increased price volatility for virtually all commodities. As these negative effects are believed to remain in the near future, and in preparation for future crises, research on managing commodity price volatility becomes important. The subject area also lacks empirical data, as stated by previous researchers, which this study provides. The research has been divided into the three sections: Covid-19 implications, aspects affecting the purchasing approach, and tools available for managing commodity price volatility. Data has been collected through interviews in a multi-case study, where five Swedish industrial companies have been investigated. The results show that the companies are actively managing commodity price volatility but lack background work of explicitly analyzing the exposure to risk from commodity price volatility and creating risk objectives accordingly. The most effective and commonly used tool was escalator clauses, which enables adjusting purchasing price as the commodity price fluctuates. Other common tools were switching supplier, staggering contracts, and passing price, but additional tools were also analyzed and discussed. The conclusion is that there does not exist a best practice for managing commodity price volatility and that the applicability of tools depends on company specific circumstances. / Den här studien har undersökt olika verktyg för att hantera volatila råmaterialspriser utifrån ett inköpsperspektiv. Covid-19 har orsakat stora störningar i försörjningskedjor globalt, vilket lett till ökad volatilitet på råmaterialsmarknaderna. Dessa negativa effekter väntas kvarstå inom en nära framtid, vilket i kombination med potentiella framtida kriser gör forskning på området relevant. Denna studie bidrar även med empirisk data till forskningsområdet, vilket tidigare forskare uttryckligen efterfrågat. Studien är uppdelad i delarna: följder av Covid-19, faktorer som påverkar inköpsstrategien och verktyg som kan användas för att hantera volatila råmaterialspriser. Datan har samlats in genom en flerfallsstudie, där fem svenska industriföretag har deltagit. Resultatet visar att företagen aktivt hanterar prisvolatiliteten, men att de saknar grundarbete i form av att konkretisera vilka råmaterial företagen är exponerade mot och utifrån detta skapa riskmål. Det mest effektiva och vanligast förekommande verktyget var materialklausuler, vilka möjliggör justering av produktpriset baserat på hur råmaterialspriserna fluktuerar. Andra verktyg som också användes av företagen i studien var att byta leverantör eller justera produktionsfördelningen, ha kontraktsperioderna omlott och att föra prisökningar vidare till kunden. Några ytterligare verktyg som användes i mindre utsträckning analyserades och diskuterades också. Studiens slutsats är att det inte finns något optimalt sätt att hantera volatila råmaterialspriser på, utan att verktygens lämplighet beror på varje företags specifika förutsättningar.

Artificial Intelligence technology has become increasingly important from a business perspective. In strategic sourcing, the technology has not been explored much. However, 67% of CPO:s in a survey showed that AI is one of their top priorities the next 10 years. AI can be used to identify patterns, predict prices and provide support in decision making. A qualitative case study has been performed in a strategic sourcing function at a large size global industrial company where the purpose has been to investigate how applicable AI is in the strategic sourcing process at The Case Company. In order to achieve the purpose of this study, it has been important to understand the strategic sourcing process and understand what AI technology is and what it is capable of in strategic sourcing. Based on the empirical data collection combined with literature, opportunities of applying AI in strategic sourcing have been identified and key areas for an implementation have been suggested. These include Forecasting, Spend Analysis & Savings Tracking, Supplier Risk Management, Supplier Identification & Selection, RFQ process, Negotiation process, Contract Management and Supplier Performance Management. These key areas have followed the framework identified in the literature study while identifying and adding new factors. It also seemed important to consider factors such as challenges and risks, readiness and maturity as well as factors that seems to be important to consider in order to enable an implementation. To assess how mature and ready the strategic sourcing function is for an implementation, some of the previous digital projects including AI technologies have been mapped and analysed. Based on the identified key areas of opportunities of applying AI, use cases and corresponding benefits of applying AI have been suggested. A guideline including important factors to consider if applying the technology has also been provided. However, it has been concluded that there might be beneficial to start with a smaller use case and then scale it up. Also as the strategic sourcing function has been establishing a spend analytics platform for the indirect team, there might be a good start to evaluate that project and then apply AI on top of the existing solution. Other factors to consider are ensuring data quality and security, align with top management as well as demonstrate the advantages AI can provide in terms of increased efficiency and cost savings. The entire strategic sourcing function should be involved in an AI project and the focus should not only be on technological aspect but also on soft factors including change management and working agile in order to successfully apply AI in strategic sourcing. / Artificiell Intelligens har blivit allt viktigare ur ett affärsperspektiv. När det gäller strategiskt inköp har tekniken inte undersökts lika mycket tidigare. Hursomhelst, 67% av alla tillfrågade CPO:er i en enkät ansåg att AI är en av deras topprioriteringar de kommande tio åren. AI kan exempelvis identifiera mönster, förutspå priser samt ge support inom beslutsfattning. En kvalitativ fallstudie har utförts i en strategisk inköpsfunktion hos ett globalt industriföretag där syftet har varit att undersöka hur tillämpbart AI är i strategiskt inköp hos Case-Företaget. För att uppnå syftet med denna studie har det varit viktigt att förstå vad den strategiska inköpsprocessen omfattas av samt vad AI-teknologi är och vad den är kapabel till inom strategiskt inköp. Därför har litteraturstudien gjorts för att undersöka hur man använt AI inom strategiskt inköp tidigare och vilka fördelar som finns. Baserat på empirisk datainsamling kombinerat med litteratur har nyckelområden för att applicera AI inom strategiskt inköp föreslagits inkluderat forecasting, spendanalys & besparingsspårning, riskhantering av leverantörer, leverantörsidentifikation och val, RFQ-processen, förhandlingsprocessen, kontrakthantering samt uppföljning av leverantörsprestation. Dessa nyckelområden har följt det ramverk som skapats i litteraturstudien samtidigt som nya faktorer har identifierats och lagts till då de ansetts som viktiga. För att tillämpa AI i strategiska inköpsprocessen måste Case-Företaget överväga andra aspekter än var i inköpsprocessen de kan dra nytta av AI mest. Faktorer som utmaningar och risker, beredskap och mognad samt faktorer som ansetts viktiga att beakta för att möjliggöra en implementering har identifierats. För att bedöma hur mogen och redo den strategiska inköpsfunktionen hos Case-Företaget är för en implementering har några av de tidigare digitala projekten inklusive AI-teknik kartlagts och analyserats. Det har emellertid konstaterats att det kan vara fördelaktigt för strategiskt inköp att börja med ett mindre användningsområde och sedan skala upp det. Eftersom strategiska inköpsfunktionen har implementerat en spendanalys plattform kan det vara en bra start att utvärdera det projektet och sedan tillämpa AI ovanpå den befintliga lösningen. Andra faktorer att beakta är att försäkra datakvalitet och säkerhet, involvera ledningen samt lyfta vilka fördelar AI kan ge i form av ökad effektivitet och kostnadsbesparingar. Därtill är det viktigt att inkludera hela strategiska inköps-funktionen samt att inte endast beakta den tekniska aspekten utan också mjuka faktorer så som change management och agila metoder.