Study: Enhancing NAFTA Logistics: Synthesizing Opportunities for Companies and their Supply Chains

本研究的目的是提供一个愿景，以促进未来的研究，将提高国际企业在北美自由贸易协定（NAFTA）下的盈利能力。研究目标是：(1)连贯地描述一个国家的比较优势如何随着时间的推移而演变；(2)评估如何利用NAFTA成员国的邻近性来支持准时制生产；(3)评估NAFTA供应链中运输和库存之间的关系；(4)评估各种采购策略对供应商绩效的影响。(5)学术界可以利用研究需求的愿景来确定北美自由贸易协定下的丰富研究机会。这项研究涉及三位共同研究人员的国际合作：Wilbert Wilhelm（美国），James Bookbinder（加拿大）和Fernando Mata Carrasco（墨西哥）。每个Co-PI都在为一个目标独立寻求资助（分别是美国国家科学基金会、社会科学与人文研究委员会和CONACyT），并为另外两个目标寻求合作。Co-PI Bookbinder计划举办一个实践者研讨会，征求研究小组将与研究结果相结合的观点，以综合研究需求的愿景。智力价值来自于整合不同的材料，综合观点，制定模型，并合作形成研究需求的愿景。更广泛的影响包括促进发现和理解；促进教学、培训和学习；扩大代表性不足群体的参与；加强研究和教育的基础设施；并广泛传播以增进科学和技术的了解。实践者研讨会将通过协作互动扩大影响。该研究将补充现有的合作项目大学交换博士生和教师的项目。社会将受益于研究需求的愿景，这将促进对最重要主题的研究，并最终通过应用未来的研究来刺激北美自由贸易协定成员国的经济发展。

The purpose of this study is to provide a vision to foster future research that will enhance the profitability of international enterprises under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Study objectives are (1) a coherent description of how the comparative advantages of a country evolve over time, (2) an assessment of how the proximity of NAFTA-member countries can be exploited to support Just-in-Time production, (3) an evaluation of the relationship between transportation and inventories in NAFTA supply chains, (4) an assessment of the impacts of various sourcing strategies on supplier performance, and (5) a vision of research needs that academics can use to identify fertile research opportunities under NAFTA. This study involves international collaboration among three Co-PIs: Wilbert Wilhelm (U.S.), James Bookbinder (Canada), and Fernando Mata Carrasco (Mexico). Each Co-PI is seeking funding independently (National Science Foundation, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and CONACyT, respectively) for one objective and collaboration on two others. Co-PI Bookbinder plans to hold a practitioner workshop to solicit viewpoints that the study team will integrate with its findings to synthesize a vision of research needs.Intellectual merit derives from coalescing disparate materials, synthesizing perspectives, formulating models, and collaborating to form a vision of research needs. Broader impacts include advancing discovery and understanding; promoting teaching, training and learning; broadening participation of under represented groups; enhancing the infrastructure for research and education; and disseminating broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding. The practitioner workshop will broaden impact through collaborative interactions. The study will complement established programs by which the Co-PIs universities exchange doctoral students and faculty. Society will benefit from the vision of research needs, which will promote work on the most important topics and, ultimately, by the application of that future research to stimulate economic development of NAFTA-member countries.