Within global and rapidly changing environments, cooperation and networking offer possibilities for sharing costs and risks, as well as keeping up with constantly renewed information from outside the firms' boundaries. In line with this, an effective management control of supply chain processes seems to be relevant to compete against other supply chains and to get the required information. In this context, an implementation of a management control institution for inter-firm relations, like a supply chain management control (SCMC), that provides relevant qualitative and quantitative data to manage supply chains reflects an important issue. However, a comprehensive approach with regard to the management control of the entire supply chain and how it can be fulfilled has received scant attention in prior research. The aim of this thesis is therefore to analyze management control systems in global supply chains by means of a mixed methods design with special regard to functional, institutional and instrumental issues. In this context, qualitative data are combined with theoretical insights to develop an empirical model which is tested by means of a quantitative study. Following this, insights into management control aspects, organization of the supply chain management control, management control mechanisms, and the integration of suppliers are provided.

Within the international agri-food community at least four theoretical targets are attracting increasing attention. They are: (1) the established notions of networks and commodity chains that are being revisited by way of critical engagement informed by the insights of in-depth empirical work, (2) the metrics of calculation and institutional embedding that underpin the rise and functionality of governance technologies, (3) the place of regional networking in creating conditions that make possible agri-food producer participation in local provisioning and supply, and (4) the geo-historical dimensions of interconnection and interdependency in the agri-food sphere. This volume brings together an interdisciplinary team of anthropologists, economists, business and management academics and geographers to examine a wide range of case studies illustrating various agri-food commodity chains and networks around the world and to discuss how they link globally.

Features emerging trends that are shaping supply chain operations worldwide as well as impacting the global business landscape Beginning with the assertion that supply chains are an overlooked factor behind anemic economic growth, Protean Supply Chains: Ten Dynamics of Supply and Demand Alignment provides a comprehensive overview of the developments occurring in the field of supply chain management. A broad range of topics in facility location, inventory, strategic sourcing, and supply chain coordination are addressed in addition to coverage of major developments within the field. The author's main position is that supply chains must be more than agile or flexible; rather, they must become protean and capable of changing shape in response to a volatile global business landscape. The author, a well-known editor and researcher in the field, presents current real-world examples combined with insights into the impact of recent trends that are expected to affect the global business landscape over the next decade. Highlighting companies with leading-edge supply chains as examples, the book discusses methods to reduce spending, increase revenues, and achieve streamlined productivity in a changing economic climate. The book utilizes further examples from the growth of online retailing and automation in distribution centers, as well as the use of protean supply chains to gain competitive advantages internationally. In addition, the book features the following ten emerging trends, which are shaping supply chain operations worldwide: The rise of regional theaters of supply Global risk management through control towers Customer segmentation Real demand realization Demand swing alignment with production and distribution Omnichannel retailing challenges Customer of one service Sustainability challenges Collaboration vs. competition in the new economy Financial dynamism The book is an ideal reference for professionals and practitioners in operations research, business/management science, applied mathematics, and industrial engineering as well as an appropriate supplement for undergraduate and graduate-level courses in supply chain management.

In this book the results are presented of a comprehensive inventory of pork chains that has been conducted through expert interviews and in-depth case studies. The main focus of the book is on how well diverse and fragmented supply in the European pork sector matches differentiating demands for pork products in rapidly evolving markets. One of the central topics discussed in the book is management of quality in diverse mainstream and specialty European pork chains. Inter-enterprise information systems, governance forms, logistics and sustainability aspects of European pork chains are also presented, as well as a number of interesting innovations in the chains. 'European pork chains' consists of four chapters that discuss the European pork chain as a whole and nine chapters that present case studies. The latter comprise three specialty pork chains (Iberian ham from Spain, Mangalica pork from Hungary, and organic pork from the Netherlands) and three regional pork chains in Europe (a Greek integrated chain, the German 'Eichenhof' chain and the French 'Cochon de Bretagne' chain). To enable comparison with chains outside Europe, a review of pork chains in China, Canada, Brazil and South Africa has been included. The book gives a comprehensive picture of the structure, functioning and challenges of the European pork sector. It is intended to be a valuable source of information for practitioners as well as scientists.

This book provides research results and shares experiences in the area of supply chain management. It addresses topics such as risk reduction of lesser marginal profits, disrupted supply chain management, and potential points of business failure. This book explores the “new normal” of the business supply chain. The didactic approach informs global enterprises on how to deal with the most significant issues in the current supply chain management. The book shows an in-depth analysis of post-COVID opportunities and challenges and acts as an initiative for readers to understand the risks, opportunities, and concerns resulting from the pandemic situation and is a key driver for business management among industry professionals and enterprises. Readers will learn new insights and procedures to better manage multitier supply chains, predictability, and estimation of binding capacity. The book details modeling and technology-based customer demand and response management solutions. New techniques, methods, and perspectives dealing with the estimation, acceleration or deceleration, and flexibility of logistics capacity are particularly emphasized throughout the manuscript. Real-world cases dealing with various aspects of the new normal for supply chains are analyzed. The book is useful for industry professionals and enterprise firms in business management to effectively understand risks, opportunities, and concerning the pandemic situation.

'An apple a day keeps the doctor away'. While it may be true that a balanced diet is a prerequisite for good health, how good is what we eat and drink every day? And is it actually possible to fulfil every customer desire with the vast array of foodstuffs on offer? BSE, dioxin in eggs, EHEC sprouts: in the light of repeated food safety crises, the issue of quality assurance as well as customer-oriented quality management has become of prime importance for the agri-food industry. This sector features highly complex value-added chains, which means that quality deficiencies or contaminations can quickly lead to far-reaching problems with serious consequences for consumers and businesses. What can be done to reduce this vulnerability to crises? The only solution is to establish systematic methods of quality management which will facilitate the establishment and protection of high standards across companies. This book will show which methods are available and how they can reasonably be used. The authors present an easy-to-read guide which not only includes the most important legal provisions, standards and accreditation and certification procedures, but also develops practical quality assurance strategies and shows how they can be implemented within the agri-food industry.

This edited volume provides a collection of historical and contemporary commodity chain studies placing labor at the centre of their analysis. It represents an important contribution to commodity chain research, but also to the fields of social-economic and global labour history.

This publication comprises material on recent studies on quality management in agri-food chains. Due to several food crisis’s (e.g. BSE, Foot-and-Mouth disease) and growing demands for food quality and safety, quality management systems and quality assurance schemes have been widely adopted in different countries in recent years. Scientific knowledge about the features, the acceptance and the effectiveness and efficiency of these newly introduced quality management initiatives, has remained scarce until now. The material by experts in the field, focuses on the evaluation of quality management systems and quality assurance schemes. The main issues are the costs and benefits of quality management given the influence of the public sector and consumers' expectations about food quality and safety. Not only are benchmarking and harmonisation methods examined with regard to their impact on the effectiveness of quality assurance schemes, but, also the role of trust, cooperation and integration for efficient quality management is discussed. Different economic theories such as microeconomics, organization and marketing theory as well as advanced statistical methods are applied. Concepts are discussed from the various points of view of industrialised, export-oriented and developing countries throughout the book. The information in this book give a comprehensive review of quality management concepts in food chains and highlight future research directions from a global perspective. This book is of interest to all those who concern themselves with the topic, be it in academia or in the professional sector.

Global Value Chains and Production Networks: Case Studies of Siemens and Huawei presents theories and frameworks that facilitate the evolution of GPN studies, from macro perspectives based on territory and industry to the use of micro (firm-level) data. The book explores these theories and frameworks through detailed case studies of two major corporations, Siemens and Huawei. With the GPN/GVC structure of Chinese firms not well known outside China, despite the growing importance of Chinese firms in the global economy, this guide plays a pivotal role in facilitating the use of data that promise to unlock economic cooperation and value. Emphasizes micro-data analytical models and their methodological underpinnings Illustrates how these data illuminate the economic structures of two comparable GPNs within highly divergent institutional contexts Suggests how companies can cooperate with foreign partners to enhance their global management capacity and reshape their advantages in international competition

Unarguably, preserving the ecosystem, securing sustainability and understanding the dynamics of agro-food chains have all become vital policy objectives with several interlinked dimensions. The main objectives of this book are to draw the attention of researchers, policymakers and businesspeople to the relation between agro-food chains and the ecosystem, and to demonstrate the importance of building resilient agro-food chains that take into account climate change and environmental challenges. Agro-food chains as they function today can serve as powerful tools for promoting sustainable forms of agriculture, consumption and production that are embedded in a viable ecosystem. The book addresses a range of environmental, methodological and societal issues from a transaction perspective, while also providing extensive background information on the topic, and outlining future applications and research directions.