We support rigorous research that is immediately applicable to real-world situations related to the choices and challenges faced by today’s global value chain leaders.
Projects may be structured as theoretical or model-based research, empirical research, or detailed field-based studies in any the following themes:
- Electronic commerce
- Global trade dynamics
- Retail supply chains
- Agricultural value chains
- Data-driven decision-making
- Electronic marketplaces
- Omnichannel fulfillment and logistics
- Service value chains
- Product digitization
- Shared value chain strategies
- Social media in the value chain
Delegation vs. Control of Component Procurement Under Asymmetric Cost Information and Price-Only Contracts
A manufacturer must choose to delegate component procurement to its tier-1 supplier, or to control component procurement by contracting with both…
Market Liquidity: Asset Pricing, Risk, and Crises
This book presents the theory and evidence on the effect of market liquidity and liquidity risk on asset prices and on overall securities market…
Improving Environmental Performance in Your Chinese Supply Chain
It’s not easy, but some leading companies have found that the right incentives and collaborative efforts can help their suppliers achieve better…
The Greening of WalMart’s Supply Chain… Revisited
In 2007, SCMR featured an article on Walmart’s burgeoning sustainability program, focusing on eight specific initiatives being undertaken at the…
Information Goods vs. Industrial Goods: Cost Structure and Competition
Mountain Hazelnuts: Social Entrepreneurship in Bhutan
Mountain Hazelnut Venture Limited (“Mountain Hazelnuts”) was founded with economic, social, and environmental objectives. It planned to distribute…
The Ghana Shea Value Chain Reinforcement Initiative
As part of its long-term strategic commitment to accelerate economic development in previously excluded markets, in 2009 SAP launched a program…
Don’t Tweak Your Supply Chain — Rethink it End to End
With the best of intentions, companies experiment with isolated efforts to improve sustainability — only to encounter a long string of…
Fueling Growth
Riders for Health had won international acclaim for its novel approach to maintaining health transport vehicles in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet the…
Service Provider Competition: Delay - Cost Structure, Segmentation and Cost Advantage
Shanzhai (“Bandit”) Mobile Phone Companies: The Guerrilla Warfare of Product Development and Supply Chain Management
In 2008, more than 750 million cell phones were produced in China. A significant portion (20 percent, or about 150 million units) of these phones…
Toward a More Responsible Supply Chain: The HP Story
Hewlett-Packard’s Supply Chain Social and Environmental Responsibility (SER) program has evolved steadily in recent years. Today, it’s not only…
Effects of E-Waste Regulation on New Product Introduction
This paper investigates the impact of e-waste regulation on new product introduction in a stylized model of the electronics industry.…
Information Sharing and Order Variability Control Under a Generalized Demand Model
This paper examines the value of information sharing and how it can address the bullwhip effect. We start with a general demand model, coupled…
Multiple Sourcing and Procurement Process Selection with Bidding Events
We examine the procurement process selection problem of a large industrial buyer who employs reverse auctions for awarding procurement contracts.…
Cisco Systems, Inc.: Collaborating on New Product Introduction
In November 2007, a global, cross-functional team at Cisco Systems, Inc. was seeking management approval to start manufacturing a new router, code…
The European Recycling Platform: Promoting Competition in E-Waste Recycling
The European Recycling Platform was the only pan-European recycling organization created in response to the European Union’s groundbreaking…
Zappos.com: Developing a Supply Chain to Deliver WOW!
Zappos was founded in 1999, during the Internet boom, to sell shoes online. The company’s founding premise was to provide the ultimate in…
The Whose, Where and How of Inventory Control Design
Most companies have more freedom than they imagine to organize their supply chains for maximum efficiency. By rethinking inventory control in…
Business Benefits to HP Suppliers from Responsible Practices in China
In recent years, the electronics industry has made important improvements in social and environmental responsibility (SER) conformance among first…
Trends in Organic, Transitional and Sustainable Cotton
This article, published in the Center for Social Innovation Newsletter (Spring 2008, Vol. 4), summarizes a white paper that addresses trends in…
Renault's Logan Car: Managing Customs Duties for a Global Product
Operations network design is about where to locate your supply sources and manufacturing and distribution operations, as well as the deployment of…
Unsafe For Children: Mattel’s Toy Recalls and Supply Chain Management
In August and September 2007, Mattel made a series of product recalls, totaling more than 20 million toys. The recalls were for excessive lead and…
Eco-Design Value Alignment: Keys to Success
In a world of globalization and outsourcing, environmental legislation became a main driver for doing eco-design. Eco-innovation and green money…