How risk and uncertainty is used in supply chain management: a literature study

To comply with supply chain management dogma companies have cut their inventories to a minimum, lead times have been shortened, new suppliers have been chosen and the customer portfolio has been reduced. All of these activities impose a great deal of risk on the firms, jeopardising the survival of entire supply chains. In this article the author intends to investigate and document the use and meaning of risk and uncertainty within journals publishing material on supply chain management and logistics. Subsequently, suggestions for further research are proposed – the integration of risk management into the discipline of supply chain design.