Empirical Insights: Case Studies of Global Value Chain Resilience

Federica Sacco ()
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Federica Sacco: University of Pavia, Department of Economics and Management

Chapter Chapter 4 in Rethinking Global Value Chains for Resilience in a Turbulent World, 2026, pp 65-99 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This chapter investigates how multinational enterprises (MNEs) build resilience within their global value chains (GVCs) in an era marked by unprecedented disruptions. Through a qualitative multiple-case study of Continental Oil (oil and gas equipment), Pioneer Motors (automotive), and Delta Semiconductor (semiconductors), the chapter examines how firms managed shocks generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions, regulatory transformations, logistics instability, and structural shifts in technology and demand. The analysis draws on interviews with senior executives and extensive secondary sources, exploring four dimensions of each firm’s GVC: industry context, value chain structure, sources of disruption, and resilience-building mechanisms. Findings show that disruptions were multidimensional and mutually reinforcing, revealing the vulnerabilities of pre-pandemic GVC designs optimized for efficiency rather than resilience. Across cases, firms adopted a wide range of mechanisms, including multi-sourcing, selective vertical integration, digital visibility, geographical diversification, and stronger supplier relationships, to preserve operational continuity. However, resilience pathways presented differences as well, determined by the industry intrinsic characteristics (e.g. manufacturing processes, availability of raw materials). In the end, these cases demonstrate that resilience is a dynamic organizational capability built over time rather than a static attribute. Overall, the chapter argues that rather than signalling de-globalization, firms are recalibrating their GVCs to implement geographical diversification and to balance interdependence with autonomy.

Keywords: Global value chains; Resilience; Multinational enterprises; Geographical diversification; Inter-organizational relationships (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-032-25878-6_4

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-25878-6_4

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