Demand supply network opportunity development processes in emerging markets: Positioning for strategy realization in Russia

This paper aims to shed light on the management of supply chains, or rather, demand supply networks (DSN) in emerging markets by foreign companies. According to our definition, specific DSN opportunity development processes are directed towards better functionality and coordination of product, finance and information flows across the DSN. As a consequence, improved performance of the DSN may be achieved, in order to support and realize competitive business strategy and facilitate value creation for customers. To illustrate the concepts and the model, empirical evidence is presented that establishes the role of changing network structures and incumbent capabilities as constraints for DSN opportunity capture, especially in emerging markets. Our results show that DSN positioning strategies designed to overcome these constraints and facilitate opportunity capture, must be proactive, well-timed and innovative. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.