In their search for sources of global competitive advantage to succeed in the new economy, multinational companies have turned to Global Sourcing Strategies, balancing the opportunities coming from global, centralised purchases, and the need for local supply adjustment and exploitation. In this context, relationships with suppliers provide a significant opportunity for companies to develop a strategic source of efficiency and to enhance global competitive advantages, thus becoming a key decision variable in the definition of Global Sourcing Strategies. The literature shows that buyer-supplier relationships evolve from competitive to cooperative relationships, going through several stages or modes primarily to respond to key factors, such as purchasing product and market characteristics, and globalisation process evolution. This research work shows how Global Sourcing Strategy behaviour patterns related to supply source globalisation and purchasing centralisation constitute a key factor at play with Supplier Management Strategies

Pese a agrupar a 4.000 millones de personas, el sector conocido como la base de la pirámide económica (BDP) todavía no es cabalmente atendido ni integrado a los mercados más formales. La principal razón son ciertos supuestos falsos respecto de los consumidores de bajos recursos, supuestos que disuaden a las empresas que intentan llegar a este segmento de tanto potencial. Esto también ocurre en nuestro continente, pero afortunadamente también en nuestra región hay empresas que están actuando de otra manera. A partir de un estudio en profundidad sobre ocho empresas (incluyendo entrevistas a altos ejecutivos), los autores crearon un modelo cíclico en el que la atractividad, la asequibilidad, la accesibilidad y la aceptabilidad son los ejes que permiten llegar rentablemente a los sectores más portergados, como consumidores y como actores de la cadena de valor. Lo interesante es que para lograr este viraje no hay que hacer un gran esfuerzo estratégico, sino que es más importante la excelencia operacional que se expresa en las diversas fases del ciclo ya enunciado. Finalmente, los autores extraen cinco lecciones muy concretas a partir de las empresas que han hecho negocios exitosamente con la BDP: pensar en la integración de los consumidores más postergados; idear nuevos modelos de negocio; pensar en alternativas adecuadas para el sector; generar relaciones de confianza y cooperación con el segmento; crear valor internamente y tener un impacto social al formalizar las relaciones con el segmento, ya sea como empleados o socios.

Purpose – According to the reviewed literature, in order to build effective and efficient global supply (GS) strategies, multinational companies (MNCs) need to define and implement adequate headquarters' control and follow-up systems for GS management performance in order to guarantee world supply consistence and alignment. The purpose of this paper is to shed some light on how key variables affect GS headquarters-subsidiary control systems and their complementary behaviours across culturally similar business units. Design/methodology/approach – Multiple case study methodology, with a sample including seven Italian MNCs, has expanded their operations to the Mercosur area (Latin America's Southern Common Market) and designed to guarantee theoretical replication in the analysis of the empirical evidence. Findings – It was found that, although cultural similarities strongly influence MNCs' GS headquarters-subsidiary control systems, other factors, such as purchasing and globalization sourcing strategy centralization and globalization process evolution, lead companies to implement complementary formal control systems that are consistent with the sharply personalized profile set by cultural proximity. Research limitations/implications – In order to expand and deepen these conclusions, further research will be necessary to validate these findings in a wider sample, including companies from various countries of origin and destination. In any case, a longitudinal study could help to shed some light on the evolution of headquarters-subsidiary relationships within global sourcing strategies. Originality/value – The paper enables better understanding of the impact of and interactions between key driving factors in GS headquarters-subsidiary control systems in cases of strong cultural similarities through a multi-case sample study.

In the past few decades, the strong competition and globalisation featured by world markets have led companies to pursue internationalisation strategies for their supply management in order to effectively support their globalisation process. The literature reveal a strong link between two key dimensions in global supply strategy (GSS) development: international sourcing – i.e., the level of supply globalisation - and purchasing location – i.e., the level of centralisation in relevant purchasing decisions. All the same, other variables are discussed as relevant for supporting GSS deployment. This research, based on the study of seven Italian MNCs that have expanded their operations to the MERCOSUR area, intends to explore the process of GSS definition and development, focusing on the key dimensions and identifying the driver criteria used in each of them, as well as their impact on decision-making processes.

In the past few decades, the strong competition and globalization featured by world markets have led companies to develop international purchasing strategies involving dramatic price reductions, quality and delivery enhancements, improved cycle times, increased responsiveness to customers and better financial conditions. As a result, companies have been forced to pursue internationalization strategies for their purchase management in order to effectively support their globalization process. The literature studies, focusing on Multinational Companies’ (MNC) corporate purchasing strategy influence on affiliates’ global supply strategy (GSS) development, reveal a strong link between two key dimensions: supply source – i.e., the level of supply globalization as related to MNC’ s worldwide operating needs - and purchasing location – i.e., the level of centralization in relevant purchasing decisions. This research, based on the study of a sample of seven Italian MNCs that have expanded their operations to the MERCOSUR (Southern Common Market) area, intends to explore the purchasing strategy definition and development process, focusing on the relationship between its two key dimensions and identifying the definition criteria used in each of them, as well as their impact on decision-making processes.

No se un título más, ni surge porque una ronda de gurús y expertos de la comunicación hayamos sido asesorados en esta línea. Por el contrario, es la idea fuerza, el concepto patrón,que retumbaba en nuestras cabezas cada vez que con colegas terminábamos un seminario de especialidad en Servicios. Era el clamor,la angustia, la ilusión, el deseo de muchos empresarios y directivos que pertenecen a empresas de servicios y que frente al enorme desafío de gerenciar negocios en tiempo real y con experiencias cambiantes día a día clamaban por eso: un Manual de Supervivencia, casi en tono melodramático, cómo dar un servicio excelente sin morir en el intento. Una empresa de servicios es un laboratorio técnico y una obra de teatro al mismo tiempo. Conviven procesos,estándares y normas de calidad con sentimientos,humores de clientes y empleados, emociones y diseños de ambientes. Tan complejo y desafiante que es una ciencia y arte al mismo tiempo y por eso liderar une empresa de servicios demanda una alta exigencia en capacidades y virtudes. El propósito de este libro es facilitarla la tarea a los empresarios y directivos en: 1. Predisponiéndolos e ilusionándolos con un CAMBIO hacia conducir empresas diferentes y únicas 2. Ofreciéndoles un Modelo de Gestión que equilibra la fidelización de clientes con la de empleados y busca reforzar continuamente la ecuación de valor que entregamos en nuestros productos y servicios. 3. No dejar solo al lector en la implementación de las ideas conceptos que se detallan. Se detalla un Hoja de Ruta para la implementación que facilitará el avance en cada una de las etapas e hitos que se proponen a lo largo de las páginas.

La innovación es uno de los temas que figura como prioritario en las agendas de las empresas y de los gobiernos de todo el mundo. Está altamente demostrado que no se puede competir en forma sustentable a través de commodities si no que hay que hacerlo a travès de productos y servicios de alto valor agregado. Para generarlos la innovación en producto y proceso es uno de los pilares fundamentales. Como resultado de nuestras investigaciones regionales en Sudamérica y de la extensa actualización en las mejores prácticas internacionales para innovar, presentamos un esquema integral que nos permite abordar la problemática de la innovación desde lo elemental hasta un modelo de gestión que permite a las empresas poner en marcha la innovación en forma estratégica y gestionarla tácticamente. Nuestro enfoque es abarcador y se despliega concretamente integrando un modelo sistémico que integra estrategia de innovación, gestión de tecnología abierta de cara a interactuar con los sistemas de ciencia y tecnología, como gestionar un portafolio de proyectos de innovación, políticas de desarrollo de nuevos productos socialmente responsable, las mejores prácticas para desarrollar el proceso de innovación desde la creación de ideas a la concreción del producto/servicio, gestión de los equipos humanos para innovar creando un clima y cultura adecuado para que la innovación en la empresa no sea un hecho puntual si no una actitud competitiva permanente.

Este libro desarrolla el nuevo paradigma para la competitividad de la empresa: la innovación. Se ilustran temas que tienen que ver con la tecnología, el diseño, el desarrollo de nuevos productos y la creatividad, a través de una novela vivida por el personaje central. También se apela a la responsabilidad de las empresas frente a la generación de “falsas” necesidades.

El sistema de transporte urbano no sólo facilita la circulación de las personas, sino que la infraestructura asociada al mismo es esencial para el crecimiento de un área, ya que puede inducir la expansión de la ciudad y determinar el movimiento de las personas dentro de la misma. Antes de la década del sesenta, muchos de los problemas de la ciudad de Curitiba giraban alrededor de la incomodidad de la concentración céntrica del comercio y de la prestación de los servicios públicos. Como el área central de la ciudad era un caos vehicular debido a que no existía una política clara que rigiera tanto el sistema de transporte como el uso del suelo, se llevó a cabo un planeamiento urbano para ordenar y generar un crecimiento lineal de la zona, principalmente a través de cinco largos ejes estructurales, tangenciales al centro, y de circulación rápida. En este estudio de caso se destaca que el modelo de Curitiba es considerado un proceso paradigmático de urbanización, ya que pudo solucionar problemas relacionados con el movimiento de las personas y, sobre todo, porque lo hizo mejorando la calidad de vida de las mismas mediante soluciones originales y eficaces. Esto fue posible porque el objetivo de ese modelo fue la integración social y geográfica de los habitantes, algo que se logró, principalmente, a través de la instalación de la tarifa única de viaje. Otro acierto del modelo de gestión fue la creación de un ente de regulación autónomo, que contrarrestó la clásica separación entre lo técnico y lo político y que permitió que la planificación urbanística no se viera sometida a avatares gubernamentales o electorales.

El caso describe las complicaciones del desarrollo de este proyecto revolucionario, que según los analistas esta cambiando los paradigmas de la industria aeronáutica. El avión fue pensando para mejorar la eficiencia en el consumo de combustible, plantea un cambio radical de materiales utilizados, remplazando el aluminio tradicional por la fibra de carbono. Otra gran innovación fue la aplicación al proyecto de innovación del concepto “Open Innovation”, por el cual una gran cadena se proveedores seleccionados por Boeing se encargaron de diseñar los componentes y producirlos. Precisamente el caso describe las consecuencias de la aplicación de este concepto a un producto muy complejo como un avión, como asi también se ponen en evidencia los errores cometidos en el desarrollo.

El caso trata la problemática “Gestión de proyectos complejos en empresas de servicio” , resultantes de la fusión de dos bancos privados del Brasil: Real y Santander. Se trata de dos bancos con culturas diferentes y segmento de clientes diferentes. A partir de las premisas de integración el caso trata la organización del equipo de integración, los desafíos de la misma y la gestión de la integración tecnológica. Abordando diferentes alternativas posibles: cambio gradual o cambio integral de un día para otro. Se aborda también las implicancias para la estructura humana y la gestión del riesgo.

El caso se sitúa a fines de 2010 y se presentan los dilemas del desarrollo de un reactor nuclear innovador. Se aborda la problemática del desarrollo de proyectos innovadores complejos, organización del proyecto, conducción, tiempo de desarrollo, experimentación, rol de los proveedores. Se plantea la necesidad de generar un prototipo en tiempo adecuado dada la carrera competitiva con otros países que están desarrollando productos parecidos, esto conlleva un cambio de organización de un ente estatal la CNEA (Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica), la cual está organizada en forma funcional, dando lugar, en este proyecto, a una estructura matricial. Se aborda también el uso de nuevas herramientas virtuales para acortar los tiempos de desarrollo y mejorar los ciclos de refinamiento del producto a menor costo para que impacte menos en la inversión del programa de desarrollo y en el precio final del producto.

El caso cuenta el nacimiento de una empresa textil de moda, que incorpora nuevas tecnologías de materiales para generar productos de moda innovadores. Se plantea en primer término el dilema de como seguir creciendo y expandiendo la línea de productos y su expansión a mercados internacionales, en segundo lugar como armar un empresa flexible para diseñar y producir las prendas y en tercer lugar la preocupación de la empresa por su aporte al concepto de sustentabilidad.

This paper examines how and why a mediation process may transform an antagonistic labor-management relation, in two post-privatized telecommunications companies in an emerging economy, and make it evolve from severe confrontation to responsive collaboration. We deem that the analysis of such process allows gaining a better understanding of the positive impact that frank dialogue and trust may have on an organizational conflict, even when the prevalent social and political context, present in a good number of the Latin American countries, encourages labor-management altercations (Reade & Reade McKenna, 2009). After a decade of structural reforms that dismantled the state-owned economic apparatus, social turmoil, economic depression and extreme political weakness led, by the end of 2001, the Argentinean government to collapse. A new government, inaugurated in 2003, proclaimed the instatement of a new policy of wealth distribution guided by equity that eased the access to power within their organizations to the most combative union members and, consequently, made labor-management conflicts proliferate. After a tumultuous episode in 2004, both Telefónica de Argentina’s (TASA) and Telecom de Argentina’s (TECO) management and the Federación de Obreros y Empleados Telefónicos de la República Argentina – Sindicato Buenos Aires’ (FOETRA-BA) leadership agreed to carry out a mediation process seeking to transform their unproductive confrontation into fruitful collaboration without relinquishing their respective interests. The contribution of this exploratory case study is the exposure of the transformative capabilities of a mediation process on a previously strenuous labor-management relation.

In this extended abstract we intend to show that, in several of the Latin American (LA) countries, the outcomes that may derived from the interactions between Multinational Corporations (MNCs) and the ever widening variety of interest groups that are part of civil society are deeply influenced by the recipient country’s government political and economic attitudes regarding Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs). There are other effective ways to reduce the non commercial risks that FDIs, even when MNCs from environmentally ill reputed industries are involved, confront in the region: the Social License to Operate (SLO). Our research, in the form of a case study, analyzes the processes by which two different mining MNCs implemented their respective projects; the presence or absence of the SLO, as part of their corporate ethical behavior, led to polar outcomes: how and why that happened is the subject of our research.

In their search for sources of global competitive advantage to succeed in the new economy, multinational companies have turned to Global Sourcing Strategies, balancing the opportunities coming from global, centralised purchases, and the need for local supply adjustment and exploitation. In this context, relationships with suppliers provide a significant opportunity for companies to develop a strategic source of efficiency and to enhance global competitive advantages, thus becoming a key decision variable in the definition of Global Sourcing Strategies. The literature shows that buyer-supplier relationships evolve from competitive to cooperative relationships, going through several stages or modes primarily to respond to key factors, such as purchasing product and market characteristics, and globalisation process evolution. This research work shows how Global Sourcing Strategy behaviour patterns related to supply source globalisation and purchasing centralisation constitute a key factor at play with Supplier Management Strategies. In this sense, our findings show that, although some contingent drivers — primarily related to supply product, market characteristics and globalisation stage — relevantly influence Supplier Management Strategies and Global Sourcing Strategies (GSS), there seems to be a strong interaction between both strategic dimensions, with GSS acting as a key factor in Supplier Management Strategy definition process, particularly as regards buyer-supplier relationship types, coordination mechanisms and supplier development practices.

Innovation- New Product Development (NPD) and the best practices (BP) (Kahn, 2006), are considered to be core sources of sustained competitive advantage and growth (Barney, 1991). Our research is an empirical cross-case study, which aims to study BP in firms operating in economies in Stage 2 and Transition from Stage 2 to Stage 3 of development (e.g. Hungry, Poland, Argentina) according to the WEF’s competitiveness classification (López-Claros, 2006). A frame work to array best NPD practices and effective implementation had been developed based on more than twenty-five Chilean and Argentinean companies. The objective is to clarify the contribution of best NPD practices to firms’ innovation performance (IP). The best NPD practices were selected after a careful study of literature (Dooley 2002; Cooper 2004) and have been distributed in three dimensions: internal networking, development of innovation strategy and external networking. Innovation performance has been measured in terms of a) frequency of firm’s new product launch; b) innovativeness of new products. Although BP have demonstrated to be associated with performance improvement through broad real-life implementation, no single practice can guarantee success. The effectiveness of BP strongly depends on implementation context and its strategic impact (Eisenhardt & Martin, 2000). CEOs of the case-studies firms were asked to characterize the implementation (Szulanski, 1996) of the best NPD practices on the basis of 5-point Likert-scale. Some of the dimensions used are: a) perceived contribution of each practice to the IP; b) mechanisms used to incorporate each practice; c) degree of involvement of the organization, resources assigned and the hierarchy of the implementation leader. Our main theoretical and managerial contribution highlights that the impact of the best NPD practices on the IP depends on a balance between strategically selected practices and implementation pattern of the practices. To our knowledge, little research has been done on the contribution of best NPD practices to the firms’ IP in efficiency-driven economies. Thus, we expect this paper will encourage scholars and practitioners to further explore this field.

This empirical single case study studies the role played by successive New Product Developments (NPDs), conducted within transnational Technological Alliances (TAs), on an Argentinean Small to Medium size Enterprise (SME) active in its home country agricultural seed breeding sector along the last twenty five years. This explanatory case exposes how the firm´s management faced the challenges posed by different NPDs based on transnational TAs. A within-case analysis of two collaborations, with polar outcomes, between the Argentinean SME and, in both instances, an American counterpart was conducted with the purpose of identifying the relevant factors which intervened in these particular inter organizational collaborations´ outcomes. This article is grounded on existing bodies of literature on NPDs and on TAs. Although this study focuses on only one Argentinean SME our approach can’t support decision makers in private and public organizations with a focus on biotechnological SMEs.

Over the past few decades, strong competition and globalisation featured by world markets have led companies to pursue internationalisation strategies for their supply management in order to effectively support their globalisation process. Current literature shows how significant global sourcing and purchasing strategies are for global supply strategy (GSS) development –specifically when related to supply globalisation purchasing decision centralisation. Nevertheless, other dimensions are discussed as relevant for supporting GSS deployment, such as Buyer-Supplier Relationships and Headquarters – Subsidiaries Relationships. These are regarded by many authors as key issues to support global supply development and to guarantee adequate performance. This research, a sample of seven Italian MNCs operating in Latin America’s MERCOSUR (Southern Common Market) region, aims to explore the process of GSS definition and development, by focusing on the key dimensions and by identifying the driver criteria used in each case, as well as their impact on decision-making processes.

Innovation (Bates and Flynn, 1995) as well as the so-called best practices (Kahn et al., 2006; Marjorie et al. 2006; Davies and Kochhar, 2002), are considered to be sources of sustained competitive advantage (Barney, 1991; Peteraf, 1993). This empirical cross-case study (Yin, 1981; Eisenhardt, 1989) analyses the way an array of best New Product Development (NPD) practices is implemented in nine private manufacturing companies, in order to clarify the contribution of best NPD practices to the firms’ innovation performance in efficiency-driven economies (López-Claros et al., 2006).  

In the past few decades, the strong competition and globalisation featured by world markets have led companies to pursue internationalisation strategies for their supply management in order to effectively support their globalisation process. Current literature shows how significant global sourcing and purchasing strategies are for global supply strategy (GSS) development –specifically as related to supply globalisation purchasing decision centralisation. All the same, other dimensions are discussed as relevant for supporting GSS deployment, such as Buyer-Supplier Relationships and Headquarters – Subsidiaries Relationships are regarded by many authors as key issues to support global supply development and to guarantee adequate performance. This research, based on the study of seven Italian Multinational Companies (MNC’s) that have expanded their operations to the MERCOSUR area, intends to explore the process of GSS definition and development, focusing on the key dimensions and identifying the driver criteria used in each of them, as well as their impact on decision-making processes.

As reported extensively in academic literature, companies have been forced by increasing global competition to devise and pursue international purchasing strategies that hinge on reducing prices and optimising quality, fulfilment, production cycle times, responsiveness and financial conditions. As a result, purchase management has turned to increased internationalisation to support companies’ globalisation processes. Specifically, research studies focusing on Multinational Companies’ (MNC) corporate purchasing strategy influence on affiliates’ global supply strategy (GSS) development reveal a strong link between two key dimensions: supply source –i.e., the level of supply globalisation as related to MNC’s worldwide operating needs- and purchase location –i.e., the level of centralisation in relevant purchasing decisions. In this research, a sample of seven Italian MNCs operating in Latin America’s MERCOSUR (Southern Common Market) region have been studied in an attempt to analyse their purchasing strategy definition and development processes. The focus of this study has zeroed in on the interactions between both dimensions and the variables used for definitions in each of them, reviewing also their impact on companies’ decision-making processes.

According to the reviewed literature, in order to build effective and efficient Global Supply Strategies(GSS), multinational companies(MNCs) need to define and implement adequate headquarter’s control and follow-up systems. In turn, the type of control used by MNCs to oversee their subsidiaries is primarily dependent on factors associated with organizational culture, company internationalization level, environmental conditions and local economic stability. In this sense our findings show that, although cultural similarities strongly influence MNC’s global supply headquarters-subsidiary control systems, other factors, such as purchasing and globalization sourcing strategy centralization and globalization evolution, lead companies to implement complementary formal control systems that are consistent with the sharply personalized profile set by cultural proximity. This research, based on the study of a sample of seven Italian MNCs that have expanded their operations to Latin America’s MERCOSUR (Southern Common Market) area, intends to analyze the impact of relevant influential factors on global supply headquarters-subsidiary control systems in cases of cultural similarities across organizations, as well as their complementary interactions.

This cross-case project studies innovation in Argentine SMEs through the interplay of strategy development, internal and external networking. We set out to develop a framework combining these dimensions to better understand the implications of this relationship. The constructed framework is intended to help in the mapping of a firm’s current position and to envisage future innovation plans. We also propose the Innovation Rate as a measure to evaluate firm-specific decisions over time. This article is grounded on existent literature on innovation strategy, networking and leadership. The approach can be of interest to worldwide decision-makers in private and public organizations.

This empirical cross-case study studies innovation in eight Argentinian SMEs (Small to Medium Enterprises) through the interplay of three dimensions: a) the stage of development of the innovation strategy, b) internal networking and c) the firm’s external networking (i.e. scientific-technological public-private collaboration). We set out to develop a framework combining these three key dimensions to better understand the implications of this complex relationship. This article is grounded on an existing body of literature on innovation strategy, S&T cooperation, leadership and innovation culture. Although this study focuses on eight Argentinian SMEs, our innovation approach can be a matter of interest to worldwide decision-makers in private and public organizations with an SME focus.

In the past few decades, the strong competition and globalisation featured by world markets have led companies to pursue internationalization strategies for their supply management in order to effectively support their globalization process. Literature reveals a strong link between two key dimensions in global supply strategy (GSS) development: international sourcing – i.e., the level of supply globalization – and purchasing location – i.e., the level of centralization in relevant purchasing decisions. All the same, other variables are discussed as relevant for supporting GSS deployment. This research, based on the study of seven Italian MNCs that have expanded their operations to the MERCOSUR area, intends to explore the process of GSS definition and development, focusing on the key dimensions and identifying the driver criteria used in each of them, as well as their impact on decision-making processes.

In their search for sources of global competitive advantages to succeed in the new economy, multinational companies (MNCs) have turned to Global Supply Strategies (GSS), focusing on their relationships with suppliers. Relationships with suppliers provide a significant opportunity for companies to develop a strategic source of efficiency and to enhance global competitive advantages (Ford et al. 1988; Morgan and Hunt, 1994; Zaheer et al., 1998, and Peck et al. 1999). The literature shows that buyer-supplier relationships emerge as a process, evolving through several stages or modes primarily to respond to key factors, such as purchasing product and market characteristics (in terms of economic supply relevance or customisation level), buyer firm size and exchange relationship duration (Bensaou’s, 1999; O'Toole and Donaldson, 2000; Moller et al, 2000; and Kashani K., 2004). This research, based on the study of a sample of seven Italian MNCs that have expanded their operations to the MERCOSUR (Latin America’s Southern Common Market) area, intends to explore buyer-supplier strategy development in GSS, trying to identify variables influencing such strategies and to analyze their impacts and interactions with relevant factors.

Management of service innovation could be considered one of the most challenging research objectives, relevant both for academics and practitioners. This article focuses on innovation in destination services (e.g thematic parks): a particular type of services that offer a broad variety of activities with high experience content, over an extended period of time, and provided for a wide variety of customer segments. We start from the empirical observation that some destination services often expand their business beyond the boundaries of the firm, i.e. adding restaurants, travel agencies, hotels etc. What are the reasons of these expansions, how do they impact on revenues and if there is a relationship between the firm lifecycle and the innovations that are introduced, are the main questions we tried to answer to. The article proposes a model that identifies four main operational variables that constitute the revenue of a destination: attracted visitors (N), repetition factor (d), Average Spent per time unit ($ / time) and Average stage (time). Moreover the article focuses on two different kinds of innovation called Temporal expansion (within the customer primary activity chain) and Spatial Expansion (out of the customer primary activity chain). Evidences from four in-depth cases in the Italian thematic park industry allowed us to draw hypotheses about when and why choosing a specific kind of innovation, showing also that more effective strategies could be characterized for alternating both of these types of expansions in the right time.

Se trata de una investigación en el grado de innovación y en el reflejo económico del mismo. Dicho estudio se lleva a cabo en empresas Argentinas de Capital puramente nacional de los siguientes rubros: Software, Electrodomésticos, Alimentos y Bebidas, Metalmecánica y Maquinaria en la Argentina.

There are three main streams of literature on the impact of firms’ innovativeness on business performance, one regarded to market orientation, other focused on innovation, and the last one related to National Innovation Systems. All of them agreed upon the importance of innovation to business performance and focus on how internal and external facilitating factors influence on it. Successful innovation largely depends on how the process of turning knowledge into commercial ends is well organized and implemented. An empirical study on innovation in Argentinean small and medium enterprises from the Software, Electronics, Home & Electrical Appliances, Iron & Steel, Machinery, Metal Mechanics and Food & Beverages sectors we have performed highlights what strategies companies are pursuing in terms of innovation processes at industry level, and their results. Findings reveals how firms organize and deal with innovation and R&D policies, best practices, cooperation with science and technology centers, market or technology orientation, and intellectual property rights and how that impacts on the firm’s innovativeness and sales growth.

In the past few decades, the strong competition and globalization featured by world markets have led companies to develop international purchasing strategies involving dramatic price reductions, quality and delivery enhancements, improved cycle times, increased responsiveness to customers and better financial conditions. As a result, companies have been forced to pursue internationalization strategies for their purchase management in order to effectively support their globalization process. The literature studies, focusing on Multinational Companies’ (MNC) corporate purchasing strategy influence on affiliates’ global supply strategy (GSS) development, reveal a strong link between two key dimensions: supply source – i.e., the level of supply globalization as related to MNC’s worldwide operating needs - and purchase location – i.e., the level of centralization in relevant purchasing decisions. This research, based on the study of a sample of seven Italian MNCs that have expanded their operations to the MERCOSUR (Southern Common Market) area, intends to explore the process of purchasing strategy definition and development, focusing on the relationship between its two key dimensions and identifying the definition criteria used in each of them, as well as their impact on decision-making processes.

As a result of the enhanced competitiveness that characterizes the global market, multinational corporations have been forced to develop international purchasing strategies to purchase from foreign suppliers, that involve price reductions, increased access to technologies, better quality controls, and the introduction of competition at the domestic supply base. As a result, companies have been forced to pursue internationalisation strategies for their purchase management in order to effectively support their globalisation process through supplies. According to companies’ evolution in their globalization processes, literature studies reveal a strong link between the two key dimensions of international purchasing strategy: supply source –i.e., the level of supply globalisation as related to MNC’s worldwide operating needs- and purchase location – i.e., the level of centralisation in relevant purchasing decisions. Our research, based on the study of a sample of seven Italian MNCs that have expanded their operations to the MERCOSUR (Southern Common Market) area, explores the process of purchasing strategy definition and development, focusing on the relationship between the two key dimensions and identifying key drivers, as well as their impact on decision-making processes.

El crecimiento poblacional desordenado que se produce en los países en vías de desarrollo genera importantes problemas urbanísticos y de calidad de vida relacionados con el sistema de transporte, tanto para los usuarios del mismo como para los que no. Uno de esos importantes problemas suele transformarse en la congestión en el tránsito vehicular. Las experiencias en la gestión de calidad de servicio en los sistemas de transporte de las grandes y medianas ciudades distan enormemente de poder brindar un servicio de calidad en estos aspectos. Sin embargo, existen algunas experiencias en Sudamérica que se podrían denominar a priori exitosas en tanto que lograron ordenar la ciudad basándose en al sistema de transporte de pasajeros: estas son Curitiba y Bogotá. Estas dos ciudades se muestran hoy como ejemplos exitosos en lo que a sistema de transporte urbano de pasajeros se refiere. Asimismo, e independientemente de las experiencias de estas dos ciudades por separadas, resulta interesante poder captar y entender cuáles fueron los procesos estratégicos que siguieron dichas ciudades para poder alcanzar ser una buenas prácticas a nivel urbano, ya que uno de los aportes al que pretende arribar este paper es poder ilustrar cómo se llega a efectivizar un eficiente sistema de transporte urbano de pasajeros en Sudamérica.

¿Atendemos a persona o a “números en un sistema?” Un debate propuesto por dos profesores del IAE poner sobre la mira el trato que brindan las empresas a s sus clientes y empleados, haciendo uso de las nuevas tecnologías.

Dicho trabajo de investigación elaborado en forma conjunta ente el IAE y Expotrade S. A. a lo largo del 2009-2010, buscaba poder establecer un diagnóstico objetivo sobre la realidad del sector logístico argentino, que permitiera proponer una agenda de cambio y mejora para el futuro inmediato y de mediano plazo del sector. El trabajo involucro un relevamiento a través de un Consejo Consultivo con directivos clave del sector; el desarrollo de encuesta de evaluación de nivel de gestión a empresas del sector; y una jornada taller de diagnóstico y validación con directivos involucrados a empresas del sector.

¿Son las cadenas de suministro en el país muy diferentes a lo que suponíamos? ¿Cuáles son sus fortalezas y debilidades? ¿Estamos en condiciones de poder superarnos en aquellas falencias que nos alejan de las mejores prácticas mundiales?

De los commodities, a los productos, y luego a los servicios. Ahora llegó el momento de la experiencia, que pone en el centro de la propuesta de valor al cliente y busca generar en él un acontecimiento memorable. Pero ¿cómo pueden ser gestionadas las experiencias en una empresa de servicios? ¿Cómo influye el contexto en las preferencias del usuario?

Por la crisis, los mares se han embravecido y la tierra firme parece estar muy lejos de nuestra vista. ¿Los capitanes, es decir, los directivos, están preparados para salir victoriosos de esta tormenta? Aquí repasamos algunos principios básicos de "navegación"

Mientras el gigante vecino camina con paso firme hacia un lugar de privilegio en el contexto internacional, los argentinos nos vemos atrapados en el desacuerdo permanente. Cómo evolucionar a través de la negociación cooperativa.

¿Cuáles son las prácticas de gestión más recomendadas, a la hora de enfrentar una crisis? En este artículo, el autor analiza las competencias relevantes en empresas exitosas, cómo focalizar recursos y las distintas formas de flexibilizar los procesos.

La tercerización de actividades puede ser una buena alternativa para obtener mejores resultados de performance. Alcances y oportunidades competitivos y diferenciadores.

La innovación ha acelerado el lanzamiento de nuevos productos y servicios, esto produce en el sistema natural un aceleramiento del consumo de recursos no renovables, un aceleramiento de la contaminación ambiental y la degradación de la vida. La nota aborda diferentes formas de evitar esta degradación desde el diseño innovador de los productos, servicios y procesos.

La realidad moderna de los procesos productivos plantea la necesidad de mayor customización de los productos, la reducción de los lotes de producción y la rapidez en la entrega, sin perder de vista los costos por unidad y la calidad de los productos. Para poder llegar a estos desafíos es necesario desarrollar procesos flexibles. Uno de los principales problemas que hacen que los procesos no sean flexibles y tengamos que producir grandes lotes de productos estandards a bajo costo son los setups de máquinas. En esta nota planteamos en forma introductoria la metodología SMES (single minute exchange of die) la cual permite reducir los setups en forma significativa ganando en flexibilidad los procesos por el cambio rápido de trabajo.