Transportation Research Part E 41 (2005) 531–550 www.elsevier.com/locate/tre Global supply chain design: A literature review and critique
Mary J. Meixell a a,*

, Vidyaranya B. Gargeya

b,1

School of Management, Enterprise Hall, MSN 5F4, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030-4444, United States b Information Systems and Operations Management Department, 479, Bryan Building, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27402, United States

Abstract In this paper, we review decision support models for the design of global supply chains, and assess the fit between the research literature in this area and the practical issues of global supply chain design. The classification scheme for this review is based on ongoing and emerging issues in global supply chain management and includes review dimensions for (1) decisions addressed in the model, (2) performance metrics, (3) the degree to which the model supports integrated decision processes, and (4) globalization considerations. We conclude that although most models resolve a difficult feature associated with globalization, few models address the practical global supply chain design problem in its entirety. We close the paper with recommendations for future research in global supply chain modeling that is both forward-looking and practically oriented. Ó 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Supply chain design; Globalization; Outsourcing; Supply chain integration; International sourcing

1. Introduction The last decades of the twentieth century witnessed a considerable expansion of supply chains into international locations, especially in the automobile, computer, and apparel industries
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1

Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 703 993 1776; fax: +1 703 993 1809. E-mail addresses: mmeixell@gmu.edu (M.J. Meixell), vbgargey@uncg.edu (V.B. Gargeya). Tel.: +1 336 334 4990;