Blog Archives

Global Risks 2012

Are economic imbalances and social inequality risk reversing the gains of globalization? Should we shift our concern from environmental risks to socioeconomic risks? Those are the questions asked by this year’s Global Risk Report, published by the World Economic Forum.

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Supply Chain Security

Today’s supply chains circle the globe and form the backbone of world trade and a are major factor in the global economy, and this increasingly tighter connected world is also increasingly dangerous, and it thus imperative to secure supply chains against any form of man-made and natural disruption.

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Supply Chain and Transport Risk

In our quest for greater efficiency and greater choice, are we really developing robust global transport networks or simply building a house of cards? That is what the Supply Chain and Transport Risk Initiative, nested within the Risk Response Network of the World Economic Forum is trying to answer.

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Global Risk and Compliance – Are you protected?

Trade Compliance and Export Control are not just buzzwords in global supply chain. They represent significant risks, and breach of trade rules and regulations can have serious ramifications for businesses, Consequently, knowing the risks is important for any international company.

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Call for papers: Global Supply Chain Risk Management

Are you currently planning to write or actually writing a paper on supply chain risk and wondering what would be a good journal to publish it in? Here is one for you: A special issue of Production and Operations Management titled Global Supply Chain Risk Management

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2010 – the year of catastrophe

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal, an article that paints 2010 as the year of the catastrophe, and the insurance company Swiss Re estimates that worldwide economic losses from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters reached $222 billion last year – more than triple the losses in 2009.

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Risky cities – want to work there?

AON has now published a people risk map that shows which countries are high or low risk. The accompanying report provides a comparative overview of risks associated with recruitment, employment and relocation in 90 cities worldwide.

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Outsourcing – risking it all?

This paper presents some fundamental concerns about the current trend towards global outsourcing and its consequences. Yes, it may be cutting the costs, but it is not cutting the risks.

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Book Review: Single Point of Failure

This book shows you how everyone is involved in the supply chain itself, often on several levels at the same time, how the chain is exposed to an infinite number of constantly changing threats; how weak links in the chain represent threats and vulnerabilities, to profitability, continuity, safety and health; and how these threats can be mananged, reduces and eliminated.

Posted in BOOKS and BOOK CHAPTERS
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Book Review: Global Supply Chain Management

This is a handbook indeed, allowing the reader to focus on one area of investigation at the time, while never leaving the whole chain out of sight. My interest in it stems from the fact that it contains a chapter on risk management.

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Supply chain disruption risk on the rise

Global supply chains are increasingly becoming more vulnerable to potential disruption to trade. Every year, Aon publishes a political risk map, and in 2009 the number of countries tagged with ‘supply chain vulnerability’ has increased from 38 to 54.

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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.

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Airports – vital to supply chains?

Is the temporary shut-down of Bangkok’s two international airports important in a supply chain perspective? So far, the issue has been stranded tourists, maybe as many as 100000. Not only that, air freight will also be impacted, but why is this important?

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Strategies for managing risk in multinational corporations

In my post two days ago, reviewing the article by Manuj and Mentzer (2008) titled Global Supply Chain Risk Management, I mentioned that they cited a paper by Ghoshal (1987) titled Global Strategy: An Organizing Framework as one of their references for listing risk management strategies. Today, I will take a closer look at that paper.

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Global Risks 2008 – A prediction come true

It is now frightening to see how true the predictions in this report were in Global Risks 2008, a report prepared by the World Economic Forum. I can only hope that the global financial turmoil does not translate into a global supply chain turmoil.

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Supply chain vulnerability: an invisible global risk?

Supply chain disruption – a global issue? All companies and governments dependent on external suppliers are exposed to the risks of disruption in their supply chain. Even a relatively small supply chain disruption caused by a local risk event may ultimately have consequences across the global economic system.

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A risky business? The top 10 challenges of offshoring

Organisations embarking on offshoring face multiple challenges; many of which can be extremely daunting. Sridhar Vedala, Director – Global Sourcing at EquaTerra explores the top 10 challenges of offshoring today and provides suggestions on how to tackle them head on.

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Managing risk in global supply chains

The book Strategies for Building Successful Global Businesses, by the INSEAD-Wharton Alliance on Globalizing, contains 6 articles on managing risk and uncertainty. Today I will look at one of these articles that deserves further mentioning.

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ARTICLES and PAPERS
How to secure your supply chain - 3/7
Today's post is part three of my continuing journey through the Swedish handbook titled "Säkra föret[...]
Importance and Exposure – Measures of Vulnerability?
Today I am presenting a paper from an old friend of mine. Well, "friend" is perhaps a slight exagger[...]
BOOKS and BOOK CHAPTERS
Book Review: Customs Risk
International trade and global supply chains are filled with goods that are criss-crossing the globe[...]
Organizing Resilience
Resilience. A word that his been in the media perhaps more than ever before these days. I am of cour[...]
REPORTS and WHITEPAPERS
Hiperos - the Integrated View of Supplier Risk
Supply chains have gone global. No longer are they a point-to-chain of goods flowing from a source t[...]
Global Risks 2008 - A prediction come true
In my post on Hyper-optimization and supply chain vulnerability: an invisible global risk? I highlig[...]
from HERE and THERE
A crisis is NOT an opportunity
Time to debunk one of biggest and most persistent myths that has plagued crisis management for more [...]
Food commodity supply chains at risk?
Have the prices gone up at your local supermarket recently? Maybe your favorite chocolate is suddenl[...]