Supply Chain Risk Management

There is constant pressure on managers to improve the efficiency of their supply chains, allowing materials to move quickly and at low cost.  This pressure has encouraged a stream of new initiatives and methods.  But there is a growing realization that these new methods also bring unforeseen problems.  In particular, they increase the supply chain’s vulnerability to disruptions.  By removing the slack that used to protect supply chains from unforeseen events, they create inflexible chains where even a small, unexpected event can bring everything to a standstill.   These unexpected events define the risks, and supply chain risk management is the function responsible for managing them.  Supply Chain Risk Management introduces the principles of this function.  It reviews the current thinking on the subject, describes methods that are most widely used, and shows where the subject is heading.  It takes a straightforward approach, developing ideas in a logical sequence without being diverted into philosophical discussion or getting lost in the latest jargon.   This book is aimed at anyone who wants to know about risk management and its growing impact on the supply chain.  The early chapters outline the importance of the subject and review the core areas of risk and supply chain management.  Then the book develops the principles of supply chain risk management, from the steps needed to introduce it to the complexities of emergency planning.