外文翻譯--全球價值鏈下的本地升級：近期的研究成果

1、英文 英文 2200 單詞， 單詞，1.2 萬英文字符，中文 萬英文字符，中文 4700 字出處： 出處：Schmitz H, Schmitz H. Local upgrading in global chains: Recent Findings[J]. Institute of Development Studies Sussex, 2004.LOCAL UPGRADING IN GLOBAL CHAINS: RECENT FI

2、NDINGSHubert SchmitzAbstract: The upgrading prospects of local enterprises differ according to the type of global value chain they feed into. This is the main theme of the paper. It pulls together recent evidence and d

3、raw out the strengths and limitations of the global value chain approach to upgrading. The focus on chain governance does not imply that other factors are not important. The proposition is that the upgrading opportunit

4、ies of local enterprises are often structured by the relationships in global value chains. In other words, the chain approach has a profound effect on the order of questions asked in the debate on upgrading and it

5、 provides an analytical grip on the local-global interface.Key words: Upgrading, development, trade, global value chains, inter-firm organisation, production capabilities, innovation capabilities1

6、. IntroductionIt is universally acknowledged that the amount of trade that regions engage in has a fundamental effect on their economic development. There is much less knowledge about how trade is organised and how thi

7、s affects economic development. Recent global value chain analysis has made some important advances in this field. Its central proposition is that it matters how trade is organised: it matters for understanding market

8、access, the acquisition of capabilities and the distribution of gains.In the thinking on trading relationships, one can broadly distinguish between three phases: - Traditionally, the relationships between producers and

9、 customers are thought to be market-based. This assumption continues to prevail (though not always explicitly) in many text books concerned with international trade.- In the 1970s, the importance of intra-firm trade w

10、as highlighted in research on multinational corporations and their subsidiaries.- In the 1990s, a new form of co-ordinated trade was shown to be of increasing importance: lead firms from developed countries co-ordinate

11、 (or govern) the trade with developing country firms that remain nominally independent.Over the last two decades, this latter form of trade has grown faster than the others. It gave rise to a new line of research which

12、 investigated different forms of chain governance and their developmental impact. This paper summarises the findings of a recent IDS research project which was particularly concerned with the question of how the gover

13、nance of global value chains affects the upgrading opportunities of developing country producers. The detailed assessment can be found in Humphrey and Schmitz (2004). This paper gives a short summary.2. The optimistic

14、view on local upgrading in global chainsIn order to explore the connection between chain governance and upgrading it is useful to One of the clearest findings from recent studies is that in chains characterised by captiv

15、e relationships, developing country producers experience rapid product and process upgrading. When it comes to functional upgrading (moving up the value chain) the experience is different but we will deal w

16、ith this later.In a field of research which has shown enormous variability, there is agreement that working to the specifications of large global buyers provides a fast track to upgrading processes and products. The ev

17、idence comes from many sectors, including garments, footwear, furniture and electronics.In order to explain this finding one needs to understand why global buyers set and enforce the parameters under which other firms

18、in the chain operate. Why do they go to the trouble and expense of setting up and supervising supply chains? Why do they not simply buy the required products on the market? We suggest two reasons:- Product definition.

19、The more the buyers pursue a strategy of product differentiation, for example, through design and branding, the greater the need to provide suppliers with precise product specification and to monitor that these specifi

20、cations are met.- Risk of supplier failure. The increasing importance of non-price competition based on such factors such as quality, response time and reliability of delivery, together with increasing concerns about

21、safety and other standards, means that buyers have become more vulnerable to shortcomings in the performance of suppliers.The fast upgrading of the suppliers results from the dual role of the buyers: they are extremely

22、 demanding but they also need to provide assistance so that these demands are met. Much of this assistance takes place in the context of detailed monitoring, i.e. not just exposing failures but also showing how they ca

23、n be overcome. It is this combination of high challenge and support which propels the supplier forward and leads to fast improvement in processes and products.5. Obstacles to functional upgradingThere is no agreement

24、on whether insertion in captive global chains provides a route to functional upgrading, i.e. moving into the design, branding and marketing functions in the chain. There is some evidence of firms progressing to design

25、but very little sign of producers developing their own brand or setting up their own marketing channel. Most studies suggest that firms’ competences remain limited to production. The obstacles for functional upgrading

26、 are of two types: buyer power and resource requirements.The source of power in global value chains lies increasingly in non-production activities, notably in branding, marketing, product development and the co- ordinat

27、ion of inter-firm relations. The lead firms (global buyers) focus on and invest in these activities as they regard them as their core competence. It is thus not surprising that these lead firms do not share this core

28、competence with their suppliers and in some cases try to prevent them acquiring such new competences. Where developing country firms do try to develop their ownbrands or set up their marketing channels in US