Postscript: As I later discovered, there are in fact two separate articles, by the same authors, Ila Manuj and John T. Mentzer, with almost the same title, published the same year, 2008, in two different journals. Click here for Global Supply Chain Risk Management Strategies by Manuj and Mentzer.
The vulnerability of the transportation network as part of the supply chain is of particular interest in countries or regions with sparsely populated areas, and hence, a sparse transportation network. Typically traits of such regions are few transportation mode options and/or few transportation link options for each transportation mode, for example maybe only one railway line and two roads, no port, no airport. It should not come as a surprise then that the nature of sparse transportation networks, and thus sparse supply chains, makes them vulnerable to many different kinds of internal and external risks.
There are numerous definitions of the terms ‘Sustainable’ and ‘Supply Chain’, but in essence, this is a supply chain where the responsible manufacturer and retailer takes precedence over the green consumer. It is a supply chain, where resources are not just consumed but also replenished, and where business decisions consider long-term overall environmental and societal impacts. It’s not the opposite of just about business, but it is also not just about environment. It’s about
A sustainable supply chain is not primarily seeking to maximize profits.
It may not necessarily be less susceptible to disruption, but nonetheless, a disruption in a sustainable supply chain may be less likely to wreck widespread havoc, since a sustainable supply chain is not streamlined for profit, but is streamlined for resilience.
After publishing
