Core Competencies and International Trade核心竞争力和国际贸易
Recent concerns about safety issues with food and toys from China are causing businesses to reevaluate national and international supply chains.最近关注的安全问题与食品和玩具来自中国造成企业重新评估的国家和国际供应链。A lesson learned again is that a supply chain is no better than its weakest link.汲取的教训再次是，供应链没有优于其最薄弱的环节。Almost all companies will try to shorten supply chains and improve internal controls, but few will move to vertically control the entire process because an individual company is usually not efficient at all segments of an industry and must choose only a few to focus on as core competencies.几乎所有的公司将尽力缩短供应链和改善内部控制，但很少有人将转向纵向控制整个过程，因为个别公司通常是没有效率在所有阶层的一个行业，必须选择只有少数专注于核心能力。
AstraZeneca, Britain’s second largest pharmaceutical company with $26.5 billion in worldwide sales and 27 manufacturing plants in 19 countries, recently announced that over the next 10 years it will outsource all its drug manufacturing activities.阿斯利康，英国第二大制药公司， 265亿美元的全球销售额和27家工厂在19个国家最近宣布，在未来10年内将外包其所有制造毒品的活动。The company’s 2006 Annual Report highlights its activities, “We discover, develop, manufacturer and market prescription pharmaceuticals…” In a Times of London story, David Smith, Executive Vice President of Operations said, “Manufacturing for AstraZeneca is not a core activity.该公司2006年年度报告突出强调其活动， “我们发现，开发，制造和市场处方药... ”在伦敦时报的故事，大卫史密斯，执行副总裁的行动说， “制造阿斯利康公司是不是一个核心活动。AstraZeneca is about innovation and brand-building…There are lots of people and organizations that can manufacture better than we can.” Smith previously worked for Estee Lauder and Timberland clothing where outsourcing is common as it is in industries like electronics and automobiles.阿斯利康公司是创新和品牌建设...有许多个人和组织，可以制造比我们所能。 “史密斯以前工作的雅诗兰黛和地方的Timberland服装外包是常见，因为它是在工业，如电子产品和汽车。
“Core competencies” is a modern phrase for a fundamental concept in international trade called comparative advantage. “核心能力”是一个现代用语的一个基本概念在国际贸易中所谓的比较优势。People in some countries are better at certain economic activities than others and focus on those activities and trade internationally with producers of other items they need, but don’t produce.人们在一些国家更好地在某些经济活动比其他的重点放在这些活动和国际贸易与生产的其他项目需要，但不生产。An international company like AstraZeneca has the same challenge of choosing a few core competencies and letting other companies focus on the rest.一家国际公司阿斯利康一样具有同样的挑战，选择一些核心竞争力，并让其他公司的重点放在休息。With 66,000 employees in over 100 countries, running everything top down in a vertically integrated chain is not as economically efficient as allowing the company to specialize in a few areas and trade with other companies that have expertise in other areas.随着66000的员工在100多个国家，一切运行自上而下的垂直整合链是不是经济效率的允许该公司专注于少数几个领域和贸易与其他公司有专门知识的其他领域。
Mr. Smith noted that quality and safety would remain a core competency.史密斯先生指出，质量和安全将仍然是一个核心竞争力。That’s logical because the rest of the company has no value if quality and safety are not built into the supply chain.这是合乎逻辑的，因为其他公司已经没有任何价值，如果质量和安全性不纳入供应链。AstraZeneca is also not cutting staff in the research and development unit that has 12,000 people at 16 centers in eight countries.阿斯利康公司也没有裁员的研究和开发单位，有12000人在中心16日在8个国家。They spend $16 million each working day on discovering and developing new medicines.他们花1600万美元每个工作日的发现和开发新的药品。
In the US the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) is addressing concerns about the quality and safety of imported foods.在美国的食品杂货制造商协会（全球海洋环境状况评估）正在处理关注质量和安全的进口食品。They have developed a Four Pillars of Food Safety program to build food safety and quality into the supply chain.他们制定了四大支柱食品安全计划，以建立食品安全和质量的供应链。GMA President and CEO Cal Dooley stated, “Because we cannot simply inspect our way to a safer food supply, industry can apply its vast knowledge and practical experience along the entire supply chain to prevent problems before they arise.”全球海洋环境状况评估公司总裁兼首席执行官卡尔多利指出， “因为我们不能简单地检查我们的方式建立一个更安全的食品供应，工业可以申请其庞大的知识和实际经验以及整个供应链，以防止问题出现之前。 ”
The first pillar of the plan is all importers would be required to adopt a foreign supplier quality assurance program and verify that imported products meet Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety and quality requirements.第一支柱的计划是所有进口商将需要采取一种外国供应商的质量保证程序，并确认进口产品符合食品和药物管理局（ FDA ）的安全和质量要求。The program would be based on industry best practices and FDA guidance and be enforced by FDA.该计划将根据行业的最佳做法和FDA的指导和强制执行美国FDA 。The second pillar would allow companies/importers to qualify products as lower risk by sharing with FDA in a confidential manner test results, data and supply chain information.第二个支柱将使公司/进口商资格的产品低风险，分享与FDA以保密的方式测试结果，数据和供应链信息。At the point of import these products would receive expedited service and free up FDA resources to focus more on higher risk imports.在这一点进口这些产品将得到快速的服务和免费林业局资源更多地集中于高风险的进口。Companies would be assuming the task of guaranteeing that products meet the standards.公司将承担的任务是保证产品符合标准。
The third pillar is to more closely align the food safety standards of other governments with those of FDA by providing assistance to upgrade their safety standards (often referred to as capacity building).第三个支柱是更加紧密地统一食品安全标准的其他国家的政府与美国提供援助，以提高他们的安全标准（通常称为能力建设） 。The last pillar is increased funding for FDA to meet its increased responsibilities.最后支柱是更多的资金用于林业局以满足其更大的责任。
The Four Pillars program is a “life-cycle” approach to food safety centered on prevention.四大支柱项目是一个“生命周期”的办法，以食品安全为中心的预防工作。Life-cycle is the latest buzz phrase that generally refers to looking at all parts of a system or supply chain rather than just one segment.生命周期是最新留言词组，一般是指看所有地区的系统或供应链，而不仅仅是一个部分。Sixty years ago the preferred approach would have been a vertically integrated company on the mistaken notion that knowledge can be concentrated at the top of a system and managed downward. 60年前最好的办法将是一个垂直整合的公司就错误的概念，知识可以集中在顶部的制度和管理的下降。Companies have learned that knowledge is widely disbursed throughout a supply chain and no one at the top knows enough or has enough power to direct how knowledge is used throughout a supply chain.公司了解到，知识是广泛发放整个供应链，没有一个顶部知道不够，或有足够的权力直接知识是如何使用的供应链。The same is true for government regulations; they only work when they meet specific needs at the individual supply chain level.这同样适用于政府规章;他们只当他们的工作满足特定需求的个别供应链的水平。
AstraZeneca is making its changes to prepare for a time of lower profits when patents expire on key medicines.阿斯利康公司正在改变其准备时间的利润低于预期的专利到期时的关键药物。The GMA has a more immediate problem of rebuilding confidence in imported products on their customers’ retail shelves.全球海洋环境状况评估有一个更直接的问题，重建信心的进口产品对顾客的零售货架上。Other companies and trade groups will come up with programs that meet specific needs.其他一些公司和贸易集团将拿出方案，以满足特定需求。Few of them are likely to reject the benefits of international trade as a way to resolve supply chain safety and quality issues.少数人有可能拒绝利益的国际贸易，以此来解决供应链的安全和质量问题。They will seek out ways to harness the disbursed knowledge needed to develop a life-cycle approach to safety and quality.他们将寻找途径，利用发放知识需要制定一个生命周期的角度来安全和质量。
The ultimate success of these programs will be determined by how supplier countries respond to these efforts to strengthen safety and quality.最终取得成功的这些计划将取决于供应国如何应对这些努力，以加强安全和质量。The GMA proposal to help countries develop better safety systems is an encouraging sign that expertise will be available.全球海洋环境状况评估的建议，以帮助各国建立更好的安全系统是一个令人鼓舞的迹象，专家将可用。The pharmaceutical industry has long operated under tight government regulations and may be better prepared to work with new country standards.制药业长期以来一直紧张的情况下经营的政府规章和可能是更好的准备工作，新的国家标准。These efforts will result in higher quality products without sharply higher costs and improved consumer safety.这些努力将导致更高的产品质量不大幅提高成本，提高消费者的安全。
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