Title: Nokia Siemens Networks company: a case study of service visibility in global procurement

Authors: Belle Selene Xia

Addresses: Department of Economics, University of Helsinki and HECER, P.O. Box 17 (Arkadiankatu 7), FI-00014, Finland

Abstract: This research concentrates on the management of service visibility, which is an important concept in the field of procurement. The objective of this research is to propose a framework to analyse service visibility and forecasts in global procurement. The company under focus is Nokia Siemens Networks. The results are obtained via the contribution of logistics experts, business managers and process owners in NSN and can be generalised to similar telecommunication companies worldwide. We found the need for improvements both in the current processes and tools used in the procurement practises. Specifically, proactive communication and data sharing are needed to achieve information transparency, while the integration of stand-alone tools would eliminate transaction costs. In addition, long-term planning, mid-term forecasts and short-term demand visibility all support the effective management of service visibility through supplier visibility and accurate forecasts. New research avenues are opened in process co-design.

Keywords: supply management strategies; global procurement; inventory management; e-procurement; electronic procurement; Nokia Siemens Networks; service visibility; supply chain management; SCM; telecommunications industry; supplier visibility; forecasting accuracy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPM.2012.049713

International Journal of Procurement Management, 2012 Vol.5 No.6, pp.753 - 764

Published online: 16 Aug 2014 *

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