In recent years, we have observed a cyclical pattern in the architecture of the supply chains of individual sectors of the economy. Sometimes we see a vertical integrated sector, composed of large dominating companies, other times we see the same sector horizontally disintegrated, constituted of a great number of companies competing in marketing niches. In this highly competitive environment, the command of core competencies with higher added value is essential to the survival of any organization. This article intends to throw some light on this subject by analyzing the evolution of the classical make-buy models and evaluating their adequacy to economic sectors of high-speed evolution.
Supply chain design; supply chain management; make-buy models; strategic outsourcing; core competence