Sup­ply Chain Risk Man­age­ment

Course content

It has been argued that in today’s world of increasing volatility, “the days of static supply chain strategies are over” (Simchi-Levi & Fine, 2010), and that we must learn to manage “supply chains in the era of turbulence” (Christopher & Holweg, 2011). Disruptive events such as the 2008 financial crisis, the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the 2013 Rana Plaza accident, the horsemeat scandal, and more recently, the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia–Ukraine war, have made it clear that organizations are increasingly exposed to risks beyond their immediate control. The Covid-19 pandemic, in particular, highlighted the systemic fragility and ripple effects across global supply networks (Sheffi, 2021), while recent literature points to the growing importance of resilience and sustainability-driven risks in managing complex supply chains. These developments underscore that traditional supply chain management must evolve to incorporate risk considerations, just as traditional risk management must expand to embrace a supply chain-wide perspective. This convergence forms the basis of Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM), defined as “the implementation of strategies to manage both everyday and exceptional risks along the supply chain based on continuous risk assessment with the objective of reducing vulnerability and ensuring continuity” (Wieland & Wallenburg, 2012; Wieland, 2021).

Building on knowledge from other courses on operations and supply chain management, this course covers:

1. The processes and stages of SCRM – from risk identification to mitigation and monitoring.
2. Types of supply chain risks and disruption, viewed through theoretical lenses.
3. Quantitative and qualitative tools for risk assessment and decision-making under uncertainty.
4. Emerging risk issues related to sustainability and resilience.

Through interactive lectures, group discussions, and case-based learning, students will acquire the ability to evaluate, design, and apply risk management strategies in complex, dynamic supply chain environments.