Offshore Outsourcing and Buyer-supplier Matching in the Mobile Phone Industry

Juan Alcacer (Harvard Business School)

Ramon Lecuona (London Business School)

Joanne Oxley (University of Toronto)

Abstract: We document the evolution of innovation-related supplier relationships in an industry that has witnessed a dramatic rise in offshore outsourcing and the emergence of a multitude of specialized suppliers over the past decade. Through analysis of a comprehensive and detailed dataset of supply relationships for the design and manufacture of all mobile handsets introduced worldwide from the beginning of the outsourcing trend, we explore the evolving logic guiding supplier choice in this industry.