I've never been a fan of outsourcing as it means losing control, despite what suppliers promise in their Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Outsourcing is part of (horizontal or vertical) disintegration. I need, want and believe in (self-) control, even while knowing that it's an illusion in certain circumstances. In 1983, a Harvard Business Review article wondered:...
Tuesday, the Dutch PM visited the US president to discuss (a.o.) the American export ban for ASML, a Dutch company that specializes in the development and manufacturing of high-tech machines, which are used to produce high-tech computer chips. This American export ban hurts ASML's profits. Several decades ago, Western companies moved production facilities...
Each day, I receive some 150 newsletters from various backgrounds. I scan all topics and read several articles. There’s a considerable overlap in their topics, which allows me to create some efficiencies. Some articles look promising initially, but are not. The opposite also happens. I’ve plenty of time, being without a paid job. I use that time to read, think and...
Recently, Politico's Digital Bridge newsletter featured a plea by the Economic Round Table of Industrialists (ERT) against the political reshoring agenda, including its plea for political strategic autonomy. Apparently, this plea is news today. Before, such a plea was considered as common sense. An excerpt: “I think the principle should be: Avoid it. Avoid...
In my view, an exit clause and/or strategy is the most important element in an agreement, a contract or in a certain situation (eg, Covid-19 exit strategy). However, it's also an underestimated step despite that (marriage) contracts do end prematurely (eg, divorce). Outsourcing contracts may have the worst exit strategies as if people forgot to even think about it....
On 2 March 2018, the 45th U.S. President stated that "trade wars are easy to win" (CNBC). Initially, his statement was ridiculed, like most of his statements, and even at the UN. Expert opinions have changed since then. At this moment, analysts think that the US will indeed win the trade war because China is being hurt more than the USA (eg, Bloomberg, CNBC,...
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