The Nature of Supply Networks

Book excerpt: Supply chains are networks. The concept of the supply chain is an oversimplification of the complex dynamics involved between the individuals, organizations, and resources required to produce and deliver a product. No firm exists in isolation, and every firm must operate in connection with other firms. As firms work together, they become organized into supply networks. Written by a leading authority on supply chain management, The Nature of Supply Networks synthesizes decades of research to understand supply networks as a complex adaptive system. Incorporating network concepts and theories, Thomas Y. Choi describes the basic structural elements of supply networks and their organization--buyer-supplier relationships, supplier-supplier relationships, supply bases, and extended supply chains--and examines the dynamic and evolutionary patterns of supply networks. He then considers a host of specific issues: control vs. emergence, nexus suppliers, and cyber security, as well as how supply networks will evolve with increased disruptions from extreme weather patterns, trade wars, and other unforeseen events. Importantly, Choi also provides an in-depth look into the distributive nature of supply chain management, arguing that no one firm or government can completely orchestrate entire supply networks. Bringing together the concepts of network theory and extending them specifically to supply chains and buyer-supplier relationships, Choi provides a critical resource on how to strategically manage supply networks and to create more resilience.