Building Supply Chain Excellence in Emerging Economies

The rapidly developing new economies in China, India, Hungary, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil, etc., are at the crossroads of almost all major supply chains. In fact, these emerging economies are in fact growing faster than the established industrial economies of the world. However, given the physical, social and cultural characteristics of the emerging economies, managing supply chains there could be even more challenging than in developed economies. How can we manage supply chains well in emerging economies, coordinate information flows with multiple partners, tackle challenges such as unexpected disruptions, diversify the risks and increase flexibilities, be efficient but at the same time contribute to the social and environmental developments of these economies, and use supply chain concepts and practices to improve the economic welfare of these countries, such as basic infrastructure developments and disaster relief, are the topics and issues of the book.

BUILDING SUPPLY-CHAIN EXCELLENCE IN EMERGING ECONOMIES provides some insights on the answers to the above questions and will enable practitioners to gain insights on the developments, challenges and opportunities when operating supply chains in emerging economies. Innovative approaches are outlined and illustrated with examples of real-world experiences by progressive companies and thought leaders. We also hope that this collection will stimulate researchers to gain deeper understanding and develop methods in operating supply chains in emerging economies.

We have organized the book in three key sections. Global Supply Chain: General Strategies and Framework develops the overall framework in managing global supply chains and developing strategies. Supply Chain Management in Emerging Economies: Challenges and Opportunities describes the challenges and opportunities in supply chain management of emerging economies – the infrastructure constraints, the logistics inefficiencies, and limitations in service operations; and discusses how to create opportunities in such adverse conditions. Building Supply Chain Excellence: Innovations and Success Cases is devoted to a number of industrial cases that showcase innovative approaches to gain excellence, and share insights and lessons from such experiences.