Cambridge Business Association
Supply Chain Security
Book

Supply Chain Security

International Practices and Innovations in Moving Goods Safely and Efficiently

Andrew R. Thomas
Praeger, 2010
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

Everyone talks about globalization, but almost no one ever discusses the gritty details about how goods actually move around the world. This two-volume set changes that situation with 24 comprehensive essays on international best practices in supply chain security. The first volume deals with “The Context of Global Supply Chain Security,” and the second volume covers “Emerging Issues in Supply Chain Security.” These collections of thorough, practical, well-written articles by leading experts in security, crime prevention and logistics cover a range of issues and detailed information from legal exposure and risk assessment to supply chain management. They include specific precautions for those involved in transporting goods worldwide by air, road, rail and sea. These essays are focused, revealing and fully documented with citations and bibliographies. While some chapters are redundant and technical, this is a worthwhile, unusual and timely package of deeply informative books. getAbstract highly recommends it to global supply chain managers, shipping industry practitioners and their clients, and anyone concerned about the compounding, disruptive effects of terrorism and crime on a global economy. (And if you’re a terrorist or an international cargo thief, just forget these inside prevention tips, OK?)

Summary

Supply Chain Theft

Theft is all too common in business, from outright stealing to online schemes to the purchase of stolen goods. To complicate the problem, thieves commonly use legitimate channels to ship and sell stolen merchandise, including guns, drugs, and counterfeit goods. Each year, criminals steal about $50 billion in goods worldwide at various points along the supply chain. Theft is even more likely when manufacturers ship goods directly or send them through complex supply lines, when items are stored in poorly secured areas, and when high market demand boosts the profit potential for selling stolen goods.

In practice, a “cross-dock” theft operation can work like this: Thieves take a stolen shipment to a public warehouse and unload the merchandise. This gives them a distribution and transit point, and it enables them to establish a new “phantom” carrier with a clean bill of lading. The thieves then hire freight firms to redistribute the merchandise. Legitimate carriers have no way of knowing about the switch. In some cases, thieves mix stolen merchandise with legal goods, which further complicates the verification process. At this point, the stolen goods ...

About the Author

Andrew R. Thomas is Assistant Professor of Marketing and International Business at the University of Akron, Ohio.

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