The aim of the research reported in this thesis is to gain understanding of global
sourcing practices of companies in the UK and to develop a framework to improve
sourcing strategy implementation. This research was conducted by carrying out
literature review, analysis of case studies through semi-structured interviews, analysis
of an online-based survey, development of a global sourcing framework, feedback
process and finally the refinement of the framework.
The global sourcing practices, in terms of eight critical success factors, which were
identified through literature, was investigated through case studies. This research also
provides insights into how critical certain factors are to the effectiveness of the
company‟s sourcing strategy and how broadly were those factors actually implemented.
The gaps between the perceived importance of global sourcing practices and the actual
implementation were explored through survey. The information gathered from the
literature, case studies and survey provided the input to develop a global sourcing
framework.
As more and more studies create awareness of the critical success factors that are
important for implementing a global sourcing strategy, there is a need for a framework
to be developed to help a company identify areas where they can improve in terms of
implementation of the sourcing strategy. The global sourcing framework was developed
to assess the current sourcing level of companies, providing guidance for companies to
identify the areas for improvement in their approach to global sourcing and helping
companies determine where they need to be in terms of the global sourcing strategy and
having it aligned with their corporate strategy. The framework has been validated and
found to be feasible, usable and useful to improve a company‟s sourcing strategy