MIT Sloan Management Review

As companies rely increasingly on external suppliers, there is an emerging and compelling need for “maestros”

A comparison of two Mexican factories suggests that global companies should go beyond monitoring codes of conduct and attack the problem of poor working conditions at its source by collaborating with their suppliers to implement new management systems.

Employees spend increasing amounts of time in meetings and love to complain about them. But privately they see meetings as a productivity tool -- one that companies can learn to use better.

How the colonization of American manufacturing by distributors has pushed U.S. companies overseas.

Many manufacturers have established product development activities in different countries around the world. Yet their senior managers often struggle to tie those decentralized organizations into a cohesive, unified operation that can efficiently drive growth and innovation. New empirical frameworks may help unlock practices with which managers can deploy well-coordinated global product development strategies.

Before investing in China, venture capitalists and private equity investors need to take the time to understand the differences between Eastern and Western business practices.

In developing countries, examples of successful sustainable enterprise often involve informal networks that include businesses, not-for-profit organizations and communities.

Global sourcing is an increasingly popular business strategy, but it's not easy to execute. There are seven typical characteristics of organizations with outstanding global sourcing.

RESEARCH BRIEF: Companies increasingly need to engage a wide range of stakeholders, but managers often underestimate the complexity of the task.

Spreading foreign operations and outsourcing relationships over a broad, well-balanced mix of regions and countries reduces risk and increases potential reward.