Turnaround across diverse global supply chains using shared metrics and change methodology: The Case of Amer Sports Corporation

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to document the outcome of a global three-year long supply chain improvement initiative at a multi-national producer of branded sporting goods that is transforming from a holding structure to an integrated company. The case company is comprised of seven internationally well-known sport brands, which form a diverse set of independent sub-cases, on which the same supply chain metrics and change project approach was applied to improve supply chain performance. Design/methodology/approach - By using in-depth case study and statistical analysis the paper analyzes across the brands how supply chain complexity (SKU count), supply chain type (make or buy) and seasonality affect completeness and punctuality of deliveries, and inventory as the change project progresses. Findings - Results show that reduction in supply chain complexity improves delivery performance, but has no impact on inventory. Supply chain type has no impact on service level, but brands with in-house production are better in improving inventory than those with outsourced production. Non-seasonal business units improve service faster than seasonal ones, yet there is no impact on inventory. Research limitations/implications - The longitudinal data used for the analysis is biased with the general business trend, yet the rich data from different cases and three-years of data collection enables generalizations to a certain level. Practical implications - The in-depth case study serves as an example for other companies on how to initiate a supply chain improvement project across business units with tangible results. Originality/value - The seven sub-cases with their different characteristics on which the same improvement initiative was applied sets a unique ground for longitudinal analysis to study supply chain complexity, type and seasonality.

Normalisation et dimension culturelle des délocalisations de services : les cas du Maroc et de l'Inde

Cette thèse explore le rôle de la normalisation technique dans les délocalisations de services en Inde et au Maroc. La recherche appréhende le phénomène en opposant explicitement ou implicitement deux modèles. Un modèle serviciel dans lequel les activités de services sont difficilement délocalisables parce que non-mesurables ; un modèle industriel qui articule des activités de services mesurables par les normes techniques et susceptibles d'être délocalisés dans les pays du Sud à bas salaires. Notre thèse s'interroge sur la manière dont les relations Nord-Sud peuvent s'appréhender au sein de cette dichotomie et propose une réflexion épistémologique sur les représentations culturelles induites au sein de ce cadrage. A partir d'une perspective qui combine les apports de l'économie politique culturelle, la sociologie économique et les études postcoloniales au sein de l'économie politique internationale, elle mobilise trois catégories (la normalisation technique, l'imaginaire économique, la qualité). Ces catégories nous permettent de suggérer la centralité des enjeux de pouvoirs dans la définition de ce que sont les activités de services. L'analyse empirique suggère que les délocalisations de services au Maroc et en Inde expriment des réalités plus poreuses et plus dynamiques que la dichotomie entre modèle serviciel et modèle industriel laisse entendre. Elle met en évidence la capacité d'agir des acteurs des pays du Sud et suggère que les normes techniques ont une fonction politique à travers leurs fonctions de mesure. Abstract This thesis explores the role of technical standards in offshore outsourcing in India and Morocco. Current research captures the phenomenon while opposing explicitly or implicitly two models of production. A service-based model in which service activities are difficult to relocate because they are non-measurable; an industrial model that articulates service activities measured with technical standards and that may be outsourced to developing countries with low wages. Our thesis questions how North-South relations can be grasped within this dichotomy and offers an epistemologica! reflection on cultural representations induced within this framework. From a perspective that combines the contributions of cultural political economy, economic sociology and postcolonial studies in international political economy, it mobilizes three categories (technical standardization, the economic imaginary and quality). These categories allow us to suggest the centrality of power issues in the definition of service activities. The empirical analysis suggests that offshoring of services in Morocco and India express more porous and dynamic realities than the dichotomy suggested between a service model and an industrial model. It highlights the ability of the actors to act in the South and suggests that technical standards have a political function through their measurement functions.