Title

Vulnerabilities and Synergies of Supply Chain Networks in a Global Economy: What We Can Learn from Half a Century of Advances in Transportation

Abstract

In this talk I will discuss some of our recent research in identifying both vulnerabilities in supply chains as well as possible synergies in terms of mergers & acquisitions from a network perspective. I will overview the methodological framework, which is based on transportation network equilibrium, as the paradigm for critical infrastructure. I will discuss a network performance/efficiency measure that enables us to assess which nodes and links “really matter,” with implications for planning, infrastructure management/maintenance, and security. Applications that will be discussed include electric power supply chains and financial networks. Finally, I will provide insights into the merger paradox and show how the exploitation of the full supply chain network structure yields more reasonable behavior than that which has been obtained via classical oligopoly models. Not only will corporate applications of supply chain networks be overviewed, but humanitarian ones, as well.