Research by the Value Chain Innovation Initiative

We analyze the sourcing decision of a buyer choosing between two supplier types: responsible suppliers are costly but adhere to strict social and environmental responsibility standards, whereas risky suppliers are less expensive but may…

The U.S.-to-China business-to-consumer e-commerce market, a large and expanding trade corridor, presents a sizable opportunity for U.S. merchants and logistics providers to grow their business. Several new logistics models developed by merchants…

Technology is driving a heightened level of innovation in product and service offerings in the last mile parcel delivery market, and is transforming the way delivery providers interact with their customers. Customers have ever-increasing demands…

In June 2015, Peter Phillips, Chief Operating Officer of Frontier Services Group (FSG), was preparing an update for the board on how operations would support the company’s new strategy. Given the ongoing decline in the price of oil and the…

In rural areas of resource-poor countries, basic access to health workers, medicines, and supplies is often stalled by the poor condition of health transportation. Social enterprise Riders for Health strengthens African health supply chains by…

Firms are increasingly looking to eradicate social and environmental non-compliances at their suppliers in response to increasing regulations, consumer demand, potential for supply chain disruptions, and to improve their social, environmental,…

Intangible assets and intellectual property (IP) are increasingly important in today’s knowledge-based economy. Yet, all too often protection of a company’s intellectual capital is controlled by the legal department, with most companies failing…

Li & Fung Limited (LF), a Hong Kong-based multinational, was a global leader in consumer goods design, development, sourcing, and distribution.  LF managed the entire supply chain for retailers and brands around the world by working with a…

This presentation is an overview of supply chain best practices that can improve health access and delivery in emerging economies.

Today’s multinational companies are held to myriad social, environmental, and ethical standards in their supply chains. But despite efforts at monitoring, buyers routinely face challenges when working with suppliers to meet and exceed standards.…

Inefficiency and inequity are two challenges that plague humanitarian operations and health delivery in resource-limited regions. Increasing capacity in humanitarian and health delivery supply chains is one option that has the potential to…

Over the last few years, a growing number of companies have put increased attention on issues related to social and environmental responsibility. As part of this trend, they have been gradually moving away from sole reliance on audits, and…

As the world population exceeded 7 billion by the end of 2011, various agencies working to alleviate poverty had come to a general consensus that pure charity was not a sustainable solution. In the absence of venture capital and angel investors…

Nike’s approach to managing supplier responsibility has greatly evolved since the 1990s, when the media uncovered claims of child labor, underpaid workers, and poor working conditions in several Asian countries. This report explores how Nike’s…

Despite multinational firms’ continued investments in factory audits and other practices aimed at tackling social and environmental issues in their supply chains, lapses in employee labor standards, health and safety standards and environmental…

An increasingly demanding business environment, combined with more complex and distributed supply chains, have led a growing number of companies to take steps to improve electronic communication capabilities and B2B collaboration. Part 2 of this…

In today’s global and often fragmented market, Business-to Business (B2B) capabilities are critical for successful collaboration with supply chain partners, significantly improving business efficiency and quality of the information exchanged.…

This is an update to GS-61, describing developments at the company through 2011, including a major acquisition, distribution in China, and an initiative to cultivate start-ups that might grow into future clients.

For millions of people across Africa, health interventions such as vaccines, HIV counseling and treatment, and other public health expertise are out of reach. Barriers to health care can include shortage of health personnel, scarcity of medicines…

Laws, regulations, and enforcement have controlled drug counterfeiting the United States, but there is growing evidence of organized groups profiting from drug counterfeiting. The practice of inference, using evidence rather than opening outer…

The bullwhip effect is the amplification of demand variability along a supply chain: a company bullwhips if it purchases from suppliers more variably than it sells to customers. Such bullwhips (amplifications of demand variability) can lead to…