Blog Archives

The effects of brand reputation on supply chain risk

One of the major fallouts from the current finical crisis is the loss of brand reputation, and it may not even be the company’s fault. SAAB owes money to some 1400 debtors, and rumors have it that some suppliers have stopped deliveries because of delinquent payments.

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7 out of 10 businesses without a continuity plan

Is ICT forgotten in supply chain risk management? I hope not. ICT is an integral part of any supply chain. In my humble opinion, not having an ICT contingency plan show how little businesses understand (or care) about their supply chain.

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Global Risks 2009 – Countries at risk?

How will the current financial downturn affect supply chains? The 2009 Global Risk Report by the World Economic Forum takes a broad look, not a certain industries or sectors or parts of the economy, but looks at whole countries and their risk preparedness.

Posted in REPORTS and WHITEPAPERS
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Supply Chain Disruptions – Does Location Matter?

How are companies located in sparse transport networks affected by supply chain disruptions? Are businesses located in regions with sparse transportation networks more prone to supply chain disruptions than businesses located in more favorable locations? Does a sparse transportation network constrain the supply chain setup, such that it is more vulnerable and more likely to be disrupted?

Posted in my PUBLIC PRESENCE
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Practical Supply Chain Risk Management

Supply chain trends such as offshore manufacturing, global outsourcing and lean sourcing continue to impact the supply chain and supply chain risk management has taken center stage as a vital risk management priority.

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Business Intelligence – a key element in Supply Chain Risk Management

In my postings on supply chain risk and supply chain disruption, there is one thing that I have overlooked: Business Intelligence. Well, not overlooked, maybe, but underestimated, because Business Intelligence is a key component in mitigating supply chain risk and also a key component in recovering critical information after a supply chain disruption.

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Will your business byte the dust?

To backup or not to backup? Honestly, you shouldn’t even be asking yourself this question. Can you afford not to backup? Data recovery can be very costly, while data backup is a cheap insurance premium.

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From the back room to the board room

Supply chain management used to be relegated to the logistics department of businesses and hardly thought of as matters concerning the top-level management. In his 2004 paper, Joseph L. Cavinato points out five sub-networs within the supply chain that need special attention:Physical – the actual movement of goods, shipping and warehousing
Finance, Information, Relations, Innovation.

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The Handbook of Business Continuity Management

Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) has many similarities with Business Continuity Management (BCM), which is why SCRM can and should draw upon BCM for advice. One of many good references for further reading on this subject is the The Definitive Handbook of Business Continuity Management

Posted in BOOKS and BOOK CHAPTERS
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Supply Chain Risk – Business Continuity Management

Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) has many similarities with Business Continuity Management (BCM). That is why SCRM can and should draw upon BCM for advice. A well-handled supply chain disruption can mean business continuity, while an ill-handled supply chain disruption can mean business dis-continuity.

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Categorization of Supply Chain Risk

Supply chain risks can include a number of different issues, and the article structures these issues along three dimensions: 1) the Supply Chain itself, 2) Risk Management processes and 3) Types of Risk.

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Why we need to think the unthinkable

To think the unthinkable, to plan for the unthinkable is maybe not what is most on people’s mind and more often than not, it is only after a crisis that our thinking shifts. Then however, it may be too late.

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Supply Chain Management – Emergency Management

Readiness, Response and Recovery are four key elements in the New Zealand Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002. But how can this be related to supply chain management?

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ARTICLES and PAPERS
Adaptation versus Transformation
Many businesses believe themselves to be nested in a stable environment and are confounded when thin[...]
Perspectives on risk management in supply chains
Today's article is actually not an article on it's own, but an editorial to a special 2009 issue of [...]
BOOKS and BOOK CHAPTERS
Book Review:Managing Risks in Supply Chains
To make up for yesterday's perhaps overly harsh critique of just one article from this book, this is[...]
Book Review: Single Point of Failure
Just out a few days ago, Single Point of Failure is a fascinating read. The author, Gary S. Lynch, i[...]
REPORTS and WHITEPAPERS
Global Risks 2008 - A prediction come true
In my post on Hyper-optimization and supply chain vulnerability: an invisible global risk? I highlig[...]
Global Risks 2009 - Countries at risk?
How will the current financial downturn affect supply chains? That's what we all wonder about, isn't[...]
from HERE and THERE
Save costs and the environment
Hitting two birds with one stone? Can you shrink manufacturing costs while at the same time operate [...]
How Effective Pallet Management Can Benefit the Full Supply Chain
pps pallet pooling
One seemingly small link in the supply chain of goods is pallets; those little timber crates on whic[...]