Evolution of the mobile phone supply chain : the case of Ecuador

The cell phone industry is growing at a vertiginous pace. It has a life-changing impact on individuals and businesses in developing countries, where it can make up for the lack of infrastructure. In Latin America, the cell phone supply chain faces challenges specific to developing countries. Success in these environments requires creative solutions and adaptable supply chains. Ecuador is no exception, and the rapid evolution of the industry over the last decade has led to various changes in the supply chain of mobile devices. This thesis characterizes the supply chain challenges faced by the cell phone industry in Latin America. Key challenges characterizing emerging markets are highlighted. By using the case of a leading wireless network service provider in Ecuador, the document explores changes in the supply chain structure resulting from the evolution of its relationship with a supply chain solutions company, Brightstar. This evolution is represented by three different cell phone supply chains. The supply chains provide examples of responses to the supply chain challenges. The performances of the supply chains are compared based on the notion of responsiveness. To this end, system dynamics is used as a tool to analyze the different systems and the dynamics in action. Based on this analysis, recommendations are formulated regarding the current supply chain structure.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2010

Author dc:creator

• Savannet, Santolina

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Edgar Blanco and Charles Fine.

• Engineering Systems Division.
• Technology and Policy Program.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/59693

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/59693