Governance and Upgrading in Global Value Chains: a study in the manufacturing industry

The globalization phenomenon compelled researchers and practitioners to look at Supply Chains (SCs) from a global perspective. In this sense, the Global Value Chain (GVC) analysis can be beneficial to SC management by bringing new lenses of analysis, through the concepts of governance and upgrading. Based on the analysis of the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey, this paper tries to explore the effect that governance (here measured in terms of collaboration with suppliers and customers) has on the different upgrading typologies. Moreover, the interaction of GVC configuration, evaluated in terms of global sourcing and distribution, is considered. Results shows that collaboration enhances upgrading, but this effect changes depending on how much the company is involved in a GVC.