This volume presents new theoretical insights practical strategies and policy initiatives in
the rapidly evolving field of global supply chain security. As businesses governments and
society at large have become increasingly dependent on a global network to provide goods and
services protecting global supply chains has become an issue of vital importance for
industries nations and regions. The supply chain encompasses all the links connecting a
manufacturer to end users of its products. Links may take the form of plants supplier
warehouses vendor facilities ports or hubs retail warehouses or facilities and outbound
shipping centers. Links also involve all the ways goods are moved-by truck ship airplane or
rail car.A great deal can go wrong in the supply chain due to company or systemic mismanagement
and inefficiency criminal activity employee or technology errors or terrorism to name just
a few of the threats. Then there are government regulation industry or association oversight
and security agencies (both public and private) keeping track. Globalization stricter security
regimes and increasingly sophisticated criminal activity have made cross-border cargo
movements more complex putting the integrity of end-to-end supply chains at much greater risk.
This is why the security of the supply chain has become such an important issue for business
people: there is too much at stake to let problems proliferate or stagnate. It has been
estimated for example that thieves now steal $50 billion in goods each year from various
points along the supply chain.Synthesizing the most current research practical application
and policy Global Supply Chain Security covers a range of emerging topics-from risk assessment
to technology deployment to continuity planning-and will serve as a useful resource for anyone
concerned with supply chain security issues including scholars students business executives
and policymakers.
