Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a synthesised conceptual framework for global sourcing (GS) strategy and structure. Design/methodology/approach The authors adopt a systematic literature review method and analyse through content analysis techniques 52 peer-reviewed journal...

Discusses a recent practical experience of reconfiguring a logistics system in Europe. Begins by outlining the changing market boundaries and asserts that, whilst the trend is towards global manufacturing and a simplification of the supply chain and standardization of products, conflicts are...

Analysis of the organisational structures utilised to conduct international purchasing activities was undertaken at 24 multinational corporations. The majority of the corporations studied had decentralised purchasing organisations and all had corporate purchasing staffs. Four basic approaches...

In recent years, more firms have chosen to use outside service vendors to provide at least a portion of their logistical support requirements. The analysis presents projected usage trends for selected services as identified by logistics executives. Differences in anticipated usage levels of...

As businesses continue to globalize, attention has increasingly turned to logistics. Examines global logistics in depth, beginning with a brief overview, to provide a working context. Discusses the development of global logistics strategy, taking a bottom‐up approach. Assesses the effects of...

Posits that, in recent years, more firms have chosen to use outside service vendors to provide at least a portion of their logistical support requirements. Presents projected usage trends for selected services as identified by logistics executives. Discovered differences in anticipated usage...

Progressively acknowledged as a systemic function and an organizational integration factor, logistics is slowly becoming a major strategic issue for organizations. Small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), defined as enterprises with fewer than 500 employees and management centralized...

This work presents the results of the survey “Organisational structures and logistics in the branded product history of the grocery section in Italy” developed with the aim of pointing out the organisational structures for the logistics co‐ordination of successful firms. Starting from a...

The responses of 222 logistics managers in manufacturing firms were analysed to identify logistics strategies and evaluate relationships between organisational environment and logistics strategy. The findings were integrated with previous research to develop a contingency model of logistics...

The fundamental weakness in traditional supply‐chain management thinking is that of trying to change the behaviour of everyone involved by exhorting them to create and maintain a shared vision and strategy. This is fruitless, particularly in global and cross‐cultural situations. A pragmatic,...