Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Global commodity chain perspective'

This thesis locates the global heroin trade within a world-systems theoretical framework. While the thesis identifies some of the factors responsible for the success of the international heroin trade, the primary aim is to focus on one facilitating aspect – global financial flows of ‘illegal’ or ‘hot’ money. Central to the argument is that international production and trade in illegal heroin are buttressed by cycles of economic contractions within the world economy and by a global financial system that provides the means for the heroin trade’s profits to be easily laundered and invested in the legal economy. To illustrate the utility of these approaches in terms of a world-systems context, the thesis employs a global commodity chain perspective and elaborates the case study of Hüseyin Baybasin, a highly prominent convicted Kurdish businessman who has sometimes been identified as the world’s leading international heroin trafficker. This particular case study permits us to examine not only the complex web of historical, cultural, social, economic and political interactions within the international heroin trade, but also how the global heroin commodity chain is relevant to the broader debate about secessionist ethnic nationalism and development in the Third World. Focusing on Turkey, the thesis outlines the early historical periods in which different traditional patterns have prevailed for the majority of Kurdish people, and explains the disappearance of these patterns through the process of modernisation and globalisation, and how this relates to the global heroin trade. The argument thus provides an alternative, world-systems perspective to the more familiar accounts of international heroin trafficking that tend to focus on conventional interpretations of supply and demand and the activities of law enforcement agencies in physical interdiction.

Thesis (M.A. in anthropology)--Washington State University, May 2009.
Title from PDF title page (viewed on July 28, 2009). "Department of Anthropology." Includes bibliographical references (p. 91-103).

Supply chain optimization is one of the key components for the effective management of a company with a complex manufacturing process and distribution network. Companies with a global presence in particular are motivated to optimize their distribution plans in order to keep their operating costs low and competitive. Changing condition in the global market and volatile energy prices increase the need for an automatic decision and optimization tool. In recent years, many techniques and applications have been proposed to address the problem of supply chain optimization. However, such techniques are often too problemspecific or too knowledge-intensive to be implemented as in-expensive, and easy-to-use computer system. The effort required to implement an optimization system for a new instance of the problem appears to be quite significant. The development process necessitates the involvement of expert personnel and the level of automation is low. The aim of this project is to develop a set of strategies capable of increasing the level of automation when developing a new optimization system. An increased level of automation is achieved by focusing on three areas: multi-objective optimization, optimization algorithm usability, and optimization model design. A literature review highlighted the great level of interest for the problem of multiobjective optimization in the research community. However, the review emphasized a lack of standardization in the area and insufficient understanding of the relationship between multi-objective strategies and problems. Experts in the area of optimization and artificial intelligence are interested in improving the usability of the most recent optimization algorithms. They stated the concern that the large number of variants and parameters, which characterizes such algorithms, affect their potential applicability in real-world environments. Such characteristics are seen as the root cause for the low success of the most recent optimization algorithms in industrial applications. Crucial task for the development of an optimization system is the design of the optimization model. Such task is one of the most complex in the development process, however, it is still performed mostly manually. The importance and the complexity of the task strongly suggest the development of tools to aid the design of optimization models. In order to address such challenges, first the problem of multi-objective optimization is considered and the most widely adopted techniques to solve it are identified. Such techniques are analyzed and described in details to increase the level of standardization in the area. Empirical evidences are highlighted to suggest what type of relationship exists between strategies and problem instances. Regarding the optimization algorithm, a classification method is proposed to improve its usability and computational requirement by automatically tuning one of its key parameters, the termination condition. The algorithm understands the problem complexity and automatically assigns the best termination condition to minimize runtime. The runtime of the optimization system has been reduced by more than 60%. Arguably, the usability of the algorithm has been improved as well, as one of the key configuration tasks can now be completed automatically. Finally, a system is presented to aid the definition of the optimization model through regression analysis. The purpose of the method is to gather as much knowledge about the problem as possible so that the task of the optimization model definition requires a lower user involvement. The application of the proposed algorithm is estimated that could have saved almost 1000 man-weeks to complete the project. The developed strategies have been applied to the problem of Caterpillar’s global supply chain optimization. This thesis describes also the process of developing an optimization system for Caterpillar and highlights the challenges and research opportunities identified while undertaking this work. This thesis describes the optimization model designed for Caterpillar’s supply chain and the implementation details of the Ant Colony System, the algorithm selected to optimize the supply chain. The system is now used to design the distribution plans of more than 7,000 products. The system improved Caterpillar’s marginal profit on such products by a factor of 4.6% on average.

The last two decades have seen unprecedented increases in the global fragmentation and dispersion of production and trade. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as global value chains (GVCs) and is largely driven by the actions of multinational enterprises (MNEs). It is widely accepted, both within academic and policy spheres, that rising GVCs accelerate the advancement of domestic firms in developing countries through new market access and knowledge transfer from MNEs. This research critically investigates the common assumption that this transfer of knowledge enables domestic firms to “upgrade” to generate higher value-added. To date, we have not measured or theorised upgrading in a meaningful way. As such, existing work has only emphasised superficial indicators of the effects of GVC participation. Employing transaction cost economics (TCE) and power-dependence theory as a foundation, I refine our understanding regarding the impact of GVC participation on developing economy firms. I show that while GVC participation may lead to various upgrading trajectories, it can also produce mechanisms that enable asymmetric value-added appropriation by MNEs. Using empirical insights from an in-depth embedded case study, I demonstrate that TCE’s core efficiency seeking assumption is overly static and only one of the motives driving an MNE’s choice of governance structure. In this sense, the contractual relationship that allows for transaction cost minimisation may not be the one that is pursued by the MNE. While prior research has investigated this assumption, the arguments put forward are justified from a constrained perspective. Such theorization positions suboptimal contractual relationships as an organisational decision of “last resort”. This thesis proposes a novel theoretical argument, one where MNEs may intentionally engage in relationships that conform to the notion of suboptimality. The analysis suggests that MNEs can strategically engage in suboptimal contracts in order to create the conditions needed to maintain a favourable long-term bargaining position. Beyond this 1st tier theorization, I provide much needed insight into the implications of GVC participation on the lower tiers of the value chain. GVCs rarely comprise of value-adding processes that involve only the MNE and a single tier of producing firms. Instead, it is common for value-adding tiers to exist beyond MNE-1st tier relationships. Even so, GVC and linkage studies have focused on understanding the effects of interactions between the MNE and its immediate suppliers. The empirical analysis suggests that in the presence of 1st tier supplier lock-in, the MNE can extend its control beyond its direct contractual relationships.

The overall purpose of this study is to examine what consequences might be connected to Swedish meat consumption. To illustrate this, the production chain of beef meat, produced in Brazil and consumed in Sweden, has been mapped and investigated. The analytical focus of this study has been on power distribution within the chain, aiming to outline its socio-economic consequences in the Brazilian context. The empirical data was collected partly from secondary sources, but also from primary sources through interviews with key informants in the buyer-end of the production chain. The Global Value Chain approach served as a methodology for mapping the production chain and as a theoretical device for analysing the embedded power structures.

The main result, besides an overview of the beef production chain, was an identification of the chain as buyer-driven. Power is particularly concentrated around supermarket chains, which have very specific requirements on production and processing, implemented by the importing firms, thus also having a huge influence. Power concentration was also discovered in the levels of farming and processing, where the number of acting units declines frequently. The Swedish beef consumption thus seems to contribute, however small-scaled, to the process of power concentration along the chain of production, making market entrance a scarce asset. Potential socio-economic consequences of this process, besides unequal access to influence, might be longer travels or changed city of residence for workers, or even employment losses due to inadequate education. Low-income consumers might become vulnerable since cheap low-quality meat becomes inaccessible. Moreover, this thesis has also raised additional questions, suitable for further research, regarding the impacts of Swedish meat consumption.

Thesis (S.M.M.O.T.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Management of Technology Program, 2004.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-76).
Consumers are constantly demanding better products, at lower prices, along with better overall services and customer support. Organizations, on the other hand, are struggling with shorter product life cycles, increased product variety and lower profit margins due to fierce global competition and faster commoditization of products and services. In a new, global world, targeting local markets does not seem to be enough for long-term company survival. Good supply chain management and design is becoming a key factor for resource optimization, overall user experience enhancement and to achieve a competitive strategic advantage in order to gain sustainable growth ratios. This thesis analyses how current trends in Supply Chain Management are affecting the global wine supply chain, and builds on the specific case of Argentinean wineries that sell their products in the U.S. market. I start by analyzing each tier of the supply chain using Porter's Five Forces model in order to understand the characteristics of each tier, how these forces impact the supply chain as a whole, and how companies interact between tiers. While doing so, I also analyze how current trends in Supply Chain Management are affecting the current state of the supply chain. Finally, I describe possible changes in the supply chain configuration due to the adoption of these new trends by organizations along the chain, and describe some of the major aspects that Argentinean wineries should take into account in order to gain a better competitive advantage along the chain.
by Cristian Adamo.
S.M.M.O.T.

Thesis: M.B.A., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2019, In conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT
Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2019, In conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 63-65).
As Boston Scientific's supply chain becomes more versatile in mixing their supply networks across divisions, there is new opportunity to re-optimize product flow downstream of manufacturing based on unique product attributes and network capabilities instead of solely legacy divisional flow. The current organizational structure, methods, and systems prompts product flow to be optimized within functional silos. However, there are no current methods or tools that readily enable management to evaluate the total system in an integrative manner or with respect to specific product attributes. This project aims to improve BSC's ability to determine optimal product flow by introducing a tool that optimizes across the downstream supply chain via an integrative perspective that accounts for product and network attributes.
The integration involves the major cost activities, such as freight, handling, and inventory costs, or what can be termed the total "Cost-to-Deliver" product from a manufacturing facility to end customers. The proposed optimization framework includes the inter-dependencies of cost drivers across the supply chain that are typically missed when solving in functional silos. We develop a decision support tool to determine optimal product flow across the various nodes within the downstream supply chain (manufacturing, sterilization, and multiple tiers of distribution centers) over a single period horizon that can be extend to multi-periods through a present value approach. This tool enables the decision maker to compare directly the trade-offs between two different constrained flows, as well as vary product parameters within this scenario comparison to uncover ideal product segmentation with respect to flow decisions.
To demonstrate the value for the tool, we used it to segment products with respect to the choice of transportation mode on a freight lane. We find that changing the standard transportation mode for several current products would yield five-year net present value savings of 10-35% of their current annual cost-to-deliver. Ultimately the insights gained, and framework leveraged, are relevant to other industries with multinodal supply chains with high-mix products and not just constrained to the Medical Device industry.
by Christopher DiAndreth.
M.B.A.
S.M.
M.B.A. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management
S.M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; in conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT, 2013.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 60-61).
The explosion of the mobile phone industry in 1990s and 2000s has introduced more than a billion mobile phones to consumers in the emerging markets of the world. The mobile phone manufacturing industry's increased competition and growth have led to significant innovation in product development and supply chain planning. With respect to serving the needs of consumers in emerging markets, because of the consumers' relatively high price-sensitivity, there is significant pressure for supply chains to develop cost-efficient distribution channels. The replacement of air freight by ocean freight on Nokia Corporation's outbound logistics presents a potential opportunity for substantial supply chain cost reduction. This thesis investigates the impact across the supply chain when Nokia's outbound shipments of finished goods switch from air freight to ocean freight. An analytical model is developed in this thesis to quantify the net margin impact of switching from air freight to ocean freight. The model considers the tradeoff between transportation cost saving and inventory carrying cost increase commonly studied by previous research literature. The model examines these cost categories in detail and includes a third cost category of financial cost related to the transfer of goods. Additionally, the model adjusts its outcomes based on foreign exchange fluctuations, a risk that is prevalent for many industries engaged in international commerce. Applying the model across different shipment lanes globally, it is evident that switching from air freight to ocean freight for outbound logistics in many cases has a negative impact on combined net profit of Nokia and Nokia's distributor customers under typical supply chain conditions. In some of the trans-ocean shipment lanes analyzed, Nokia sees a positive impact on net margin, Nokia's distributor sees a negative impact on net margin, and the impact on the combined net margin is negative. In other cases where the transportation savings are greater, the combined net margin impact is positive, but those shipment lanes do not necessarily share a common set of characteristics. A sensitivity analysis of the various supply chain parameters indicates that the volume of the shipments, the financial position of the distributor, the risk posed by currency fluctuations, and the variability in seaport customs lead time are amongst the most significant influences on the net profit margin calculations. The analytical model demonstrates the relative impact of ocean freight under different supply chain conditions, although the accuracy of the global model's cost estimates could be further improved with modifications specific to each local market.
by Wilson C. Yum.
S.M.
M.B.A.

The present study examined Fairtrade certification from the perspective of sustainable development, with a focus on social, cultural, environmental, economic and political factors taking into account the perception of the actors in charge of the first part of the global value chain of the Central of Apicultural Cooperatives in Brazilian Semiarid - CASA APIS. Casa Apis is a solidary enterprise structured under PROMEL, a program to generate employment and income and combat poverty in the Northeast of Brazil. The Central aforementioned is located in the city of Picos-PI and currently gives assistance to about 960 beekeepers that are placed in 08 cooperatives in 52 municipalities in Piauà and CearÃ. With a view to improving the competitiveness of cooperatives, Casa Apis seeks constantly to obtain the seals of the most important beekeeping industry certifications, including certification of Fair Trade, which was acquired in 2007 and made it the first certified apicultural exporter cooperative in Brazil. Fair-trade certification primarily aims at the sustainable development of small producers organizations by checking the fulfilling of policies and principles which value the small producer, who formerly had an unfair treatment in the traditional trade model, especially in relation to payment. These principles are supported by the Sustainable Development proposal. According to Sachs (2009), equity in social, cultural, environmental, economic, and political aspects, among others, is essential for Sustainable Development. We chose Casa Apis as an object of this study because of its importance for the sustainable development of the Brazilian semiarid region. Fairtrade certification requires sustainable development through production practices and trade which are socially fair, environmentally-oriented and economically ethical. This case study adopted content analysis and triangulation methods to analyze data (BARDIN, 2011; YIN (2011). We found out that Fairtrade certification promotes Sustainable Development from the perspective of the dimensions chosen for the study. Nevertheless, it was observed that the model of development within these dimensions are not equally developed as proposed in the model of Sachs (2009), but is still in process of development
O presente estudo analisou a certificaÃÃo do ComÃrcio Justo sob a Ãtica do Desenvolvimento SustentÃvel, com enfoque nas dimensÃes social, cultural, ambiental, econÃmica e polÃtica a partir da percepÃÃo dos atores envolvidos no inÃcio da cadeia global de valor da Central de Cooperativas ApÃcolas do SemiÃrido Brasileiro (CASA APIS). A Casa Apis à um empreendimento solidÃrio, estruturado no Ãmbito do Programa de GeraÃÃo de Emprego e Renda e Combate à Pobreza no Nordeste (PROMEL). A Central fica situada na cidade de Picos/PI e beneficia atualmente cerca de 960 apicultores distribuidos entre 08 cooperativas singulares em 52 municÃpios nos Estados do Piauà e CearÃ, e com o intuito de melhorar a competitivade de suas cooperativas, vem buscando adquirir os selos das mais importantes certificaÃÃes do setor apÃcola, entre eles a certificaÃÃo do ComÃrcio Justo, pelo qual adquiriu em 2007, tornando-se a primeira cooperativa apÃcola exportadora certificada no Brasil. A certificaÃÃo do ComÃrcio Justo visa, sobretudo, o desenvolvimento sustentÃvel das organizaÃÃes dos pequenos produtores atravÃs do cumprimento de suas polÃticas e princÃpios que oportunizam e valorizam o pequeno produtor, outrora injustiÃado pelo modelo de comÃrcio tradicional, principalmente em relaÃÃo ao pagamento injusto. Esses princÃpios sÃo sustentados pela proposta do Desenvolvimento SustentÃvel. Segundo Sachs (2009), para que haja Desenvolvimento SustentÃvel à necessÃrio a equidade entre as dimensÃes social, cultural, ambiental, econÃmica, polÃtica, dentre outras. Optou-se pela Casa Apis enquanto objeto deste estudo pela sua importÃncia para o desenvolvimento sustentÃvel da regiÃo do semiÃrido brasileiro. Para haver certificaÃÃo do ComÃrcio Justo à necessÃrio o desenvolvimento sustentÃvel, atravÃs das prÃticas de produÃÃo e comercializaÃÃo socialmente justo, ambientalmente correto e economicamente Ãtico. Este estudo de caso adotou como mÃtodo para a anÃlise dos dados a anÃlise de conteÃdo e triangulaÃÃo do dados (YIN, 2010; BARDIN, 2011). Inferiu-se que a certificaÃÃo do ComÃrcio Justo promove o Desenvolvimento SustentÃvel sob a Ãtica das dimensÃes escolhidas para o estudo. Contudo, observou-se que o modelo de desenvolvimento no Ãmbito dessas dimensÃes nÃo estÃo equitativamente desenvolvidas conforme propÃe o modelo de Sachs (2009), mas encontra-se ainda em processo de formaÃÃo e desenvolvimento

Cette thèse analyse les enjeux du développement économique liés aux dynamiques des cours des matières premières en général et ceux du coton en particulier. Traditionnellement, les travaux s’inscrivant dans une optique de long terme questionnent la pertinence des spécialisations primaires des PMA. À moyen terme l’intérêt porte davantage sur l’instabilité dont les conséquences sont d’autant plus importantes que la dépendance des pays à l’exportation de tels produits est forte. Les enjeux s’articulent alors autour des modalités de régulation des marchés, du choix d'outils (publics ou marchands) pour la gestion des incertitudes, le tout dépendant de l’appréhension de l’instabilité comme un phénomène endogène ou exogène. Dans un contexte nouveau marqué par l’affirmation d’oligopoles de firmes, la segmentation du processus productif mondial, et la financiarisation des marchés de matières premières, nous proposons un cadre analytique permettant d’aborder différemment ces problématiques. Nos travaux montrent d’abord comment les approches du type chaînes globales de valeur peuvent être mobilisées pour mieux orienter les stratégies commerciales / industrielles des PMA. S’appuyant sur la notion de rationalité limitée dans le cadre de modèles de comportements hétérogènes, ils prouvent ensuite l’existence d’une forte composante endogène dans l’instabilité et par là même, l'inefficacité des seuls outils marchands. Au final, pour les pays africains producteurs de coton, il apparait qu’il reste possible de mettre ce produit au service d’une stratégie globale de développement. Cela passe par le recours à des mécanismes hybrides de gestion de l’instabilité, combiné au renforcement des dynamiques de coopération transfrontalières en vue d’une structuration de chaînes régionales de valeur
This thesis analyzes the economic development issues related to the medium and long-term dynamics of commodities prices in general and cotton prices in particular. Studies on the long-term perspective traditionally question the relevance of primary specializations of LDCs. In the medium term, the interest is relates to price instability for which the consequences are all the more important as countries’ dependency on the exports of such products becomes stronger. The stakes then revolve around market regulation modalities, and the choice of risk management tools (e.g. public or private interventions). These depend on the apprehension of price fluctuations as a phenomenon arising from endogenous or exogenous market factors. In a new economical context influenced by the growing importance of oligopolistic firms, a segmentation of the productive process and the financialization of commodity markets, we address differently these issues through a new analytical framework. The proposed analysis first shows how approaches such as the ones related to global value chains are more adapted to tackle industrial/commercial policies in commodity dependent LDCs. Second, in a context of heterogeneous behavioral models, we rely on the concept of bounded rationality to show the presence of a strong endogenous component in instability. Thus, it proves the inefficiency of private interventions to counter instability. Considering these findings in the case of African cotton producers, we conclude that it remains possible to incorporate the commodity in a global development strategy. But this involves the use of hybrid-type mechanisms (public-private) for managing uncertainty, combined with a reinforcement of cross-border cooperation dynamics in order to structure regional value chains

Thesis (Ph. D.)--New School for Social Research, 2003.
Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 339-364). Also available in electronic format on the World Wide Web. Access restricted to users affiliated with the licensed institutions.

碩士
國立中山大學
公共事務管理研究所
94
With the maturity of the semiconductor and communication technology, and vehicle technology is unable to break through obviously, therefore automobile corporations begins to try to apply the electronic product to the field of the vehicle in order to separate the difference district of the products, besides offering and is different from the function that machinery displays, its range of application is not only products, such as engine, transmission or chassis, but march toward with voluntarily safe, driving convenience, functional intelligence, relevant products of taking comfortableness and high dependability gradually, so involving the new industry in relevant technology, such as car making, electron, photoelectricity, communication, the auto-electron is attracted attention by the world. In global capitalism, economic activity is not only international in scope, it is also global in organization. ''Internationalization'' refers to the geographic spread of economic activities across national boundaries. As such, it is not a new phenomenon. Indeed, it has been a prominent feature of the world economy since at least the seventeenth century when colonial empires began to carve up the globe in search of raw materials and new markets for their manufactured exports. ''Globalization'' is much more recent than internationalization because it implies functional integration between internationally dispersed activities. So synthesize above-mentioned, I am going to use this regard globalizing the concept as theory ''Global commodity chain'' of foundation, to inspect the electronic industry of the automobile of Taiwan, and plus the policies of automobile electron like ''IA completed vehicle plan'' and its network structure. This research, in order to obtain each other''s network inter-dynamic relation among industry, manufacturer, adopt the depth interview. The result of study is found, one of two kinds of driven ways derived out for the global commodity chain of the electronic industry mode of production of the automobile of Taiwan is ''buyer driven'', the main reason is to urge the strength of industry''s technology and products trend is coming from automobile corporation as ''branded manufacturers'', and is absorbed in belonging to the roles of ''the factory'' in the electronic manufacturer of Taiwan of the production field; And this industry is new industries derived out after combining with the electronic industry by the automobile, so the automobile and electron are on the inter-dynamic relation, and cooperative through ''security regardless parts'', ''system software'', ''call-center service’; However government policies can actually drive the industry to develop, and combine the energy of the automobile and electronic industry, but government should offer more encourage policies to replace managing, restricted ones.

博士
國立臺灣大學
建築與城鄉研究所
93
As existing theories of globalization of agriculture are largely focused on agro-food multinational corporations in advanced capitalist countries, how small producers in less developed countries participate in the global economy has been paid little attention. This research takes Phalaenopsis orchid industry as an example to explore some of the unique globalization processes of Taiwan’s export agriculture. Phalaenopsis, a non-traditional export crop, has a ‘new’ way of agricultural production and consumption which is indicated by a ‘new’ technological, social, economic and geographical development. Since globalization of the Phalaenopsis industry is characterized by a vertically articulated live commodity chain and particular traits of cultural consumption, the author argues that the tensions between biological rigidity, trade flexibility and consumer heterogeneity serve as the driving force in shaping the division of labor in the commodity chain. The way Taiwanese orchid growers deal with the tensions is to practice just-in-time production through a combined effort of agricultural industrialization, cross-border logistics and defining commodity value for various market niches. Yet, on the other hand, due to constraints resulting from the tensions and positions in the labor-division network, the just-in-time production practice is in an asymmetric relationship to accelerate buyers’ turnover rate at the expense of suppliers’ over production. This story of Taiwanese orchid growers’ participation in the global economy epitomizes the idiosyncrasies of Taiwan’s agricultural globalization in the context of the post-colonial heritages as well as the industrialization development being one of New Industrial Countries. It reveals a hybrid synergy resulting from a historical conjuncture of European and Japanese horticultural colonization and Taiwan’s agricultural restructuring, export-oriented industrialization and upgrading, rather than, as postulated by mainstream theories, an isolated transformation process of a traditional agricultural sector, a mechanical input-output linkage between agricultural and industrial sectors, a cross-sectoral and cross-border integration initiated by giant multinationals, or an integrated process introduced by foreign creditors.

Learning theories playa prominent role in new theories of competitive advantage. Despite the recent progress in understanding interorganizationallearning (inter-firm knowledge sharing), gaps and shortcomings remain. Inter-firm knowledge sharing involves risks and dilemma. Little is known about the charactetistics of global supply chain design that would encourage inter-firm knowledge sharing, and how these collaborative activities could lead to improving the long-term performance ofthe individual companies and the supply chain as a whole. Furthermore, previous studies on inter-firm collaboration mainly looked at operational efficiency as the key performance measurement. Relationship value should be taken as a more critical criterion variable when firms are driven by more demanding customers, global competition, and slowgrowth economies. Building from the resource-based view, transaction cost economics, relational exchange view, and political economy paradigm, this study seeks to provide insight to how firms commit their resources to engage in knowledge sharing activities with their overseas supply chain partners, and the implications on horizontal (i.e., crossborder) segmentation pertaining to firms' sourcing and marketing strategy. Using the extant literature fronl the fields of marketing, supply chain management, and international business, a theoretical model was constructed and then tested through a Web survey involving 105 supply chain dyads (210 responses) from 4 manufacturers representing 3 industries with facilities located in 19 countries. The survey data were analyzed using structural equation modeling to simultaneously test the 8 hypotheses. Both the buyers and the sellers in this study shared the consensus that environmental uncertainty, environmental fit, organizational fit, and idiosyncratic investments facilitate inter-firm knowledge sharing in spite ofthe risks and dilemma associated with such activities. Both sides ofthe dyad also found the investments in such activities worthwhile, when outcomes were measured by relationship value, explored from the perspectives of both the buyers and the sellers.

碩士
臺北市立大學
人文藝術學院國民小學教師在職進修公民與社會教學碩士學位班
106
In response to the changes in division of labor and production models introduced by the global value chain, the manufacturing sectors in various countries continue to develop and influence the role that Taiwan plays in the global value chain. Through analytical modeling of the global value chain, this study hopes to explain Taiwan’s place in the global value chain and to calculate the extent of the effects of the red supply chain on Taiwan’s major industries, in order to help formulate appropriate responses by Taiwanese firms. Using data from the World Input-Output Database published by the EU in 2016, this study applies Robert Koopman’s quantitative methodology to analyze value added throughout the global value chain and thereby clarify the economic challenges facing Taiwan’s export market. The main conclusions of this study are as follows: First, Taiwan’s share of global GDP decreased between 2000 and 2014. During that period, the proportion of Taiwan’s national GDP represented by exports to its main export partners from its primary and secondary industrial sectors decreased, while the proportion of national GDP represented by exports from its tertiary industrial sector increased. Second, mainland China’s value-added contribution to Taiwan’s exports of computers, electronics, and optical products, as well as its exports of machinery and equipment n.e.c., has increased year after year. Taiwan’s manufacturers of food products, beverages and tobacco products have been relatively less affected by this trend. Third, the important logistical support industries behind Taiwan's major exporters are manufacturers of related metals, chemical materials and chemical products. Finally, China's demand for Taiwan's computers, electronics optical products, and machinery and equipment n.e.c. has decreased, while its demand for food products, beverages and tobacco products from Taiwan has increased slightly. As a part of the global value chain, Taiwan is deeply dependent on trade with other countries due to its limited resources and markets. Taiwan therefore needs to reconsider the direction of its future development in light of its industrial overreliance on mainland China. The results of this study suggest that Taiwan should pursue future growth by: (a) creating new industrial opportunities; (b) promoting its computer and IT-related industries; (c) leveraging collective efforts to create a win-win situation; (d) cooperating with other countries; (e) cultivating and supporting logistics industries; and (f) educating and recruiting professionals. It is hoped that this study’s findings can inform public and private-sector planning and policymaking.

博士
國立成功大學
企業管理學系碩博士班
93
To meet global competition, many business-to-business buyers and their sellers are changing the way they do business—moving from traditional, arm’s-length relationships to-ward closer, long-term relationships. The supplier’s willingness to make transaction-specific investments is one of the key factors when buyer faces with the choice of which suppliers to partner with. While supplier’s specificity investment is always seen as the commitments from the supplier, previous studies on this research issue are almost conducted from the buyer’s perspective. Regarding the strategic benefits which supplier’s specificity investments could bring to the supplier are limited and subject to further validation. Thus, the major concern of this study is to identify whether supplier’s specificity investments could raise the strategic benefits for suppliers. 　This paper conduct a survey methodology using data from 148 exporters of the manu-facturing industries in Taiwan to test the hypotheses relating supplier firms’ specificity in-vestments to the profile of their relationship learning, competence building, and competence upgrading. The results conclude that (1) suppliers can raise relationship learning benefits by devoting specificity investments, (2) benefits of competence building as well as competence upgrading from supplier’s specificity investments are mediated by supplier’s relationship learning, (3) removing the indirect effect of relationship learning, the level of supplier’s specificity investments has negative influence on supplier’s potential of exploration, (4) con-cerning the moderating effects of relationship factors on the relationship between supplier’s specificity investments and relationship learning, the variable of norms is verified as a facili-tator to enhance the above relationship, while customer power advantage is viewed as an in-hibitor to attenuate the above relationship, and (5) regarding the moderating effects of rela-tionship factors on the relationship between supplier’s specificity investments and compe-tence building, the variable of norms is verified as an inhibitor to attenuate the competence building which is promoted by specificity investments, while customer power advantage is viewed as a facilitator to enhaance the above relationship. 　These results highlight the importance of recognizing the facilitating role as well as re-straining role of supplier’s specificity investments to articulate benefits to suppliers. In addi-tion, the importance of relationship factors in promoting and hindering this exploiting process is also verified.

碩士
國立交通大學
運輸與物流管理學系
103
The quality of a country’s logistics has long been considered as one of the most important factors for a country’s competitiveness. Hence, many studies have been researching into factors influencing countries’ logistics performance. Among many of which, this study hypothesizes that the logistics performances of a country’s trading partners may play a large role in affecting the country’s logistics performance from a global supply chain perspective. This research utilizes spatial analysis to investigate the hypothetical spatial correlation in terms of countries trading values. Spatial regression models are employed to test the spatial effect while controlling for other confounding factors. This study adopts the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI) as a measure of the quality of a country’s logistics. This study focuses on 42 Indonesia’s trading partners as all of which accounts for about 93 percent of the annual total trading value. Our results show that a country’s LPI is significantly influenced by its major trading partner’s LPI.