International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

Joseph L. Cavinato

2004 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/09600030410545427

Risks and uncertainties are ever more noted and factored into decision making today, and those stemming from supply chains are prominent in the competitiveness and viability of companies and organizations. The idea that every supply chain is made up of five internal chain/network constructs is presented, and these are physical, financial, informational, relational, and innovational. Further, four categorizations of relevant product/supply costs are presented as are four types of supply risks.

Martin Christopher; Hau Lee

2004 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/09600030410545436

Today's marketplace is characterised by turbulence and uncertainty. Market turbulence has tended to increase for a number of reasons. Demand in almost every industrial sector seems to be more volatile than was the case in the past. Product and technology life‐cycles have shortened significantly and competitive product introductions make life‐cycle demand difficult to predict. At the same time the vulnerability of supply chains to disturbance or disruption has increased. It is not only the effect of external events such as wars, strikes or terrorist attacks, but also the impact of changes in business strategy. Many companies have experienced a change in their supply chain risk profile as a result of changes in their business models, for example the adoption of “lean” practices, the move to outsourcing and a general tendency to reduce the size of the supplier base. This paper suggests that one key element in any strategy designed to mitigate supply chain risk is improved “end‐to‐end” visibility. It is argued that supply chain “confidence” will increase in proportion to the quality of supply chain information.

George A. Zsidisin; Lisa M. Ellram; Joseph R. Carter; Joseph L. Cavinato

2004 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/09600030410545445

Purchasing organizations are exposed to risk in their interactions with suppliers, whether it is recognized and managed, addressed in a cursory manner, or altogether ignored. In order to understand the supply risk that exists, purchasing organizations can proactively assess the probability and impact of supply risk in advance, or reactively discover risk after a detrimental event occurs. The purpose of this study is to explore, analyze, and derive common themes on supply risk assessment techniques. Findings from this research indicate that purchasing organizations can assess supply risk with techniques that focus on addressing supplier quality issues, improving supplier processes, and reducing the likelihood of supply disruptions. From an agency theory perspective, these risk assessment techniques facilitate the obtaining of information by purchasing organizations to verify supplier behaviors, promoting goal congruence between buying and selling firms, and reducing outcome uncertainty associated with inbound supply.

Robert E. Spekman; Edward W. Davis

2004 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/09600030410545454

The notion of risk is receiving greater attention in research on supply chain management by academics and practitioners alike. As firms collaborate and combine forces to compete as extended enterprises against other integrated supply chains, risk is linked to the interdependence among supply chain partners. Academic interests appear to focus mostly on the risks associated with logistics and its impact on the timely delivery of goods. Beyond these concerns, the events of 9/11 have heightened consideration for supply chain risks related to possible security breaches and terrorism. This paper highlights six areas of supply chain‐related risks. It discusses these risks at length, showing how they are endemic to the extended enterprise, and attempts to develop a typology for categorizing them. It also addresses the implications for supply chain managers as they balance a concern for risk with their efforts to search for, select, nurture, and manage their set of supply chain partners.

Andreas Norrman; Ulf Jansson

2004 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/09600030410545463

Supply chain risk management (SCRM) is of growing importance, as the vulnerability of supply chains increases. The main thrust of this article is to describe how Ericsson, after a fire at a sub‐supplier, with a huge impact on Ericsson, has implemented a new organization, and new processes and tools for SCRM. The approach described tries to analyze, assess and manage risk sources along the supply chain, partly by working close with suppliers but also by placing formal requirements on them. This explorative study also indicates that insurance companies might be a driving force for improved SCRM, as they now start to understand the vulnerability of modern supply chains. The article concludes with a discussion of risk related to traditional logistics concepts (time, cost, quality, agility and leanness) by arguing that supply chain risks should also be put into the trade‐off analysis when evaluating new logistics solutions – not with the purpose to minimize risks, however, but to find the efficient level of risk and prevention.