Research Initiatives – Securing Supply Chains Against Human-Initiated, Criminal Threats

• Research Initiatives

  Securing Supply Chains Against Human-Initiated, Criminal Threats

  Global supply chains are susceptible to security breaches that result, for example, in the removal or diversion of goods flowing towards or from a manufacturer (e.g., cargo theft), introduction of a substitute good (counterfeit) or a second good (contraband) into the physical flow of another good, and/or contamination of the good that is physically flowing (tampered goods). These security breaches are often preceded or facilitated by information breaches (e.g., cybersecurity).

  This initiative complements the “Ensuring Resilient and Robust Supply Chains” initiative and delves into a specific type of supply disruption risks – namely criminal acts that trigger supply disruptions. These criminal acts of ingress or egress create tremendous financial losses and impact the well-being of humans. This initiative supports projects that advance a theory of supply chain securitization involving people, processes, and technology and associated tools, methods, and practices to protect global supply chains from experiencing breaches. We encourage transdisciplinary efforts, engaging diverse methods, to culminate integrative insights that advise individual decision-makers, organizations, and governments.

  The initiative is expected to produce research publications and educational materials that:

  1. Provide frameworks and their validation for strengthening global supply chains against acts of ingress and egress.

  2. Identify global or industry-specific metrics tracking supply chain capabilities to guard against acts of ingress and egress.

  3. Develop tools and models to identify structural and informational vulnerabilities in supply chains which open up opportunities for acts of ingress or egress.

  EXAMPLE:

  Su, H-C., M. Rungtusanatham, and K. Linderman. Forthcoming. “Retail Inventory Shrinkage, Sensing Weak Security Breach Signals, and Organizational Structure.” Decision Sciences. (ACCEPTED: April 2, 2021).

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