Operations Management: Sustainability and Supply Chain Management, Twelfth Edition

A Global View of Operations and Supply Chains

Today’s successful operations manager has a global view of operations strategy. Since the early 1990s, nearly 3 billion people in developing countries have overcome the cultural, religious, ethnic, and political barriers that constrain productivity. And now they are all players on the global economic stage. As these barriers disappear, simultaneous advances are being made in technology, reliable shipping, and inexpensive communication. These changes mean that, increasingly, firms find their customers and suppliers located around the world. The unsurprising result is the growth of world trade (see Figure 2.1), global capital markets, and the international movement of people. This means increasing economic ...