Risk management

The complexity of the challenges faced in the world today, including those related to sustainability and technology, requires revisiting our approaches in the business world. The procurement function is uniquely positioned within the firms and the supply networks to design and manage long-term value-creating systems. Major events, such as those related to the financial crisis, Suez Canal, or the Covid-19 pandemic, have repeatedly highlighted the importance of procurement and supply management in responding to crises and maintaining resilience of our systems towards, while transforming our systems.

Capabilities and position of the procurement function has been clearly tied to the performance of firms in this respect. We need research between firms and academia to develop working methods and frameworks for pursuing an understanding on how procurement can address challenges such those related to sustainability and technology and to create resilient supply network systems moving forward. This is something the MTC network can help achieve.

Ala Arvidsson, Associate Professor, Chalmers University of Technology

The IPSERA Conference 2021 held in Jönköping on March 29 – April 1 highlighted the latest research trends in capability development, risk management and sustainability.

Key takeaways include:

Future business environment and requirements of soft and hard skills
Framework and practices to manage sustainability-related risk in multi-tier supply chains
High reliability networks and need for anticipation strategies and collaboration
Framework for reshoring decision in light of sustainability considerations

IPSERA Best Paper Award: Sponsored byJonkoping International Business School in honor of Professor Bjorn Axelsson: Philip Beske-Janssen, Thomas Johnsen, Francois Constant and Andreas Wieland (2022) Exploring new competences for innovative and sustainable procurement: Findings from a Delphi study

Best Paper with Practical relevance: Sponsored by School of Engineering at Jonkoping University: Anni-Kaisa Kahkonen, Kati Marttinen, Antti Kontio and Katarina Lintukangas (2022) Strategies and practices of sustainability-related risk management in multi-tier supply chains

Best Paper in Risk and Resilience – Sponsored by the the Supply Chain Risk and Resilience Research Institute: Esmee Peters, Louise Knight, Kees Boersma and Niels Uenk (2022) Managing medical product supply in times of crisis: A high reliability perspective on the case of the Netherlands

Best Paper in Sustainability – Sponsored by the Sustainability Procurement Pledge: Ronan Mclvor, Lydia Bals, Tim Dereymaeker and Kai Forstl (2022) Reshoring for sustainability: A multi-theory decision-making framework

Relevant research

Vega, D., Arvidsson, A., & Saïah, F. (2022). Resilient supply management systems in times of crisis. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, (ahead-of-print).

Kähkönen, A. K., & Patrucco, A. (2022). A purchasing and supply management view of supply resilience for better crisis response. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 100803.