From supplier to center of excellence and beyond: The network position development of a business unit within “IKEA Industry”

This study aims to develop a more dynamic and relational view of centers of excellence (CoE) within multinational enterprises (MNEs), that is, business units with specific and highly valuable competencies and knowledge, which are transferred and leveraged by other units of the MNE. We employ a longitudinal case study to analyze how, between 1986 and 2014, an external supplier progressively became a CoE within IKEA and even improved this role,...