1. Discuss the reasons why a firm would use a third-party external agent for worldwide sourcing. 2. Discuss some of the sources of information a buyer can use to identify potential offshore sources of...

sourcing. 2. Discuss some of the sources of information a buyer can use to identify potential

offshore sources of supply. 3. How do international purchasing and global sourcing differ? Do you think the differences are meaningful? Why? 4. How do outsourcing, near shoring and off shoring and re-shoring differ? What characteristics determine if a firm chooses to offshore and/or near shore, and why?