The management of financial flows in the relationship with suppliers : the IMA S.p.A. case

This thesis comes from the experience of an internship, aimed at studying and supporting Supply Chain & Operation processes incurred after an acquisition. The thesis presents an empirical example of integration, analysis, and optimization of financial processes within the supply chain. Specifically, it focuses on financial aspects related to the commercial transactions between a foreign company, acquired by the Italian Group IMA, and a medium-sized Italian supplier. Firstly, research has been carried out on specific literature in order to identify theoretical frameworks to apply in the real case. Among the different topics, Supply Chain Finance (SCF) and its applications have been analysed in depth, in order to provide different insights on conditions under which SCF works. This intersectional study, applied to the timeless challenge of effective cash flow management, has motivated the assessment of Cash-To-Cash metric that portrays the operating cycle of a firm. Then, it identifies the supply chain and post-merger operational strategies leading to operational savings for the acquired firm. Through an empirical example, so, this thesis helps in understanding the impact of collaborative solutions in the supply chain, from both financial and operational perspectives.