Não é sobre estas jeitosas que vos quero falar, embora os trapinhos que elas envergam tenham genuinamente a ver com aquilo que voz quero dizer. Tudo isto para informar que começa amanhã a 3rd Iberian International Business Conference, a ter lugar na Universidade de Aveiro. Um dos artigos a apresentar, da co-autoria entre João S. Areias e eu próprio, intitula-se "Competing through cooperation within an international clothing supply network" e trata pecisamente da empresa que veste as beldades da passarele. Eis o resumo: «This paper focuses on the competitive issues that arise from the management of interdependence within supply networks of major international retailers. When small and medium manufacturers are dependent from a major retailer, their capability in allocating resources to activities capable of building a competitive position is limited. Firms in this dependent position need to develop and implement strategies that enable them to deal with such dependence. This paper analyses how the cooperative capability of manufacturing firms positioned within a major retailer's international supply network contribute to their competitive position. The paper presents a case study developed within the Portuguese clothing industry and explores evidence on how several local small and medium-sized manufacturers develop their relationships with Zara, a major international retailer. The case was studied based on document analysis and data gathered through semi-structured interviews with several clothing manufacturers. We identify factors that influence the development of cooperation in international relationships between manufacturers and retailers, and discuss how manufacturers within the retailer's international supply network manage their interdependence and develop their competitive capacity through a cooperative approach.»
