Probably most companies source at least some parts for their products from global sources. This could be the steel from Australia, electronics from Taiwan or cloth from India. The reasons for international sourcing usually include cost and quality, which might be superior compared to local sources.
On the other hand longer shipment ways and less direct access and control may also increase the risks of quality failures, delays or even disruptions.
Is there consensus about the role of product design as the leading function in the supply chain? Not yet! This article introduces the topic of integrating decisions in product and supply chain design and gives a short glimpse on the “how to implement” part.
Even though supply chain risk has been analyzed in the literature for some time (eg. the Newsvendor / Newsboy problem, with the only uncertainty being demand). Nevertheless there are still many gaps (or opportunities) within this field.
In 2007 Khan and Burnes created a research agenda for the future and most of the topics covered still can be viewed as open.
Major Issues
The authors identify two major shortcomings of the current literature.
1) Locate itself within the wider literature on the theory of risk and the practice of risk management
