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