TY  - JOUR
AB  - As China emerges as a centre of manufacturing of the world, more and more small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) start to outsource their production and related supply chain management in China. But it is very difficult to effectively manage the international outsourcing and supply chain mainly because their limited size and resources. International outsourcing agents emerge as a potential solution pursued by many western companies. Currently it has very limited information from both practical and theoretical aspects to understand the agents and their characteristics. This paper, based on four case studies of agents in three major industrial sectors in China, introduces business models and growth paths of the international manufacturing outsourcing agents, and establishes a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) for evaluation. The paper seeks to help western SMEs and hightech startups recognize the Chinese maturing and an ideal system for implementation, and to provide theoretical insights about the agents role and characteristics in international supply networks.
VL  - 2
IS  - 1
SN  - 1558-7894
DO  - 10.1108/15587890780001278
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/15587890780001278
AU  - Liu Zheng
AU  - Shi Yongjiang
PY  - 2007
Y1  - 2007/01/01
TI  - The Emergence of International Outsourcing Agents in China: A New Type of Player in International Supply Networks
T2  - Journal of Asia Business Studies
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 1
EP  - 13
Y2  - 2024/09/21
ER  -