ABSTRACT
The supply chain has gained increasing prominence and scrutiny over recent years in a world that’s ever more interconnected, where no business is an island. Attitudes to purchasing what a company needs once included ‘we’ve always used them’ and ‘we buy the cheapest’ but those simple days are gone. As the profile of the supply issues have risen so have transparency and accountability, even through new laws. The supply chain has emerged as a major source of potential risk, whether in terms of convenience (‘delivery might be late’), reputation (‘your shirts are made by children’), politics (‘no supplies since last week’s coup’) or resources (‘keep going at this rate and there’ll be nothing left’).
