Big Gains With Small Partners Essay

Report July 2009

Big Gains With Small Partners What MNCs Look For in Their SME Suppliers
Trade, InvesTmenT PolIcy and InTernaTIonal cooPeraTIon

Big Gains With Small Partners: What MNCs Look For in Their SME Suppliers by Tim Krywulak and Vadim Kukushkin

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Preface
Big Gains With Small Partners examines what multinational corporations (MNCs) look for in their small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) suppliers, and how MNCs can develop sustainable value chains by effectively incorporating the key capabilities of their SME partners. The report is based on a literature review; interviews with 12 MNC procurement executives and eight owners and managers of SME suppliers; an online survey with over 70 SME owners and managers; and three multi-stakeholder roundtables with senior executives and procurement managers from MNCs, owners and managers of SMEs, representatives of industry associations, and officials from federal government departments and agencies involved in procurement and international trade policy. This report presents insights about the best practices for MNCs in partnering with SME suppliers and how MNCs can manage their supplier relationships for the benefit of both the MNC and its SME partners.







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