Thursday, July 26, 2018

Word of the Day: keiretsu

Word of the Day WhatIs.com
Daily updates on the latest technology terms |July 26, 2018
keiretsu

Keiretsu is a business network composed of manufacturers, supply chain partners, distributors and financiers who remain financially independent but work closely together to ensure each other's success.

In Japanese, the word keiretsu means "group." In business, the word is often used as a synonym for partnership, alliance or extended enterprise. The formation of a keiretsu allows a manufacturer to establish stable, long-term partnerships, which in turn helps them to stay lean and focus on core business requirements.  

 

Keiretsu are often established to share best practices and improve risk management by lowering unknown variables. In Japan, for example, companies belonging to a keiretsu often hold a large amount of each other's stock to prevent the threat of hostile takeovers. The close relationships that a keiretsu provides may also be used to stabilize a supply chain, protect proprietary technology and discourage partners from disclosing information about each other to competitors.

 

The stability a keiretsu provides, however, can sometimes be a liability and prevent the manufacturer from responding quickly to changes in the economy, culture or technology. Keiretsu can also lead to closed markets and monopolies that control every step in an economic chain, which in some countries can result in legal sanctions.

Quote of the Day

"Companies with standout supply chains take an end-to-end view of the supply chain's function in the company, rather than viewing functions in silos." - Greg Gerstenhaber

 

Trending Terms

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_______ a DevOps culture to establish partnerships in a data center isn't easy, but it brings great rewards.
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Answer

 

 

 

Stay In Touch
For feedback about any of our definitions or to suggest a new definition, please contact me at: mrouse@techtarget.com

 

Visit the Word of the Day Archives and catch up on what you've missed!

 

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