How to combine global and local sourcing: A multiple case study within the automotive industry.

The present thesis aims to bring insight on how automotive companies combine global and local sourcing. Actually, the factors to determine the right mix of global and local sourcing remain uncertain. The purpose of this paper is to compare the literature on the subject with the business reality to see which parameters are relevant within the automotive industry when it comes to the optimal mix of global and local sourcing. To do so, the first part of this paper reviews the literature on local and global sourcing as well as the parameters that influence the allocation between the two. A multi-case approach is then used in the second part to tackle the research question. By confronting the insights gained during the interviews with the literature, several propositions will be made to try to give an explanation on how to combine the both strategies in the automotive industry.