Essay on Supply Chain Security

Submitted By Buffering1
Words: 1532
Pages: 7

Part A
The global supply chain links industry with the rest of the world though a interlocking web of nodes and edges. Nodes are the events or places occurring in the supply chain such as factories or ports and edges are transportation such as roads or information links .The global supply chain is a network of suppliers manufacturing centers, warehouses and retail stores that takes raw materials and transforms them into a finished product. The starting point for any supply chain is raw materials. Whether they are harvested from the ground, minded, or farmed this begins the process of the supply chain. Once the raw materials are gathered they are shipped though an edge, they are processed in a raw materials processing plant. Once the materials are at the processing plant, the raw materials are treated and made ready to be put into manufacturing and production. During the production stage the refined raw material is made roughly into the product, depending on the product it may be sent to a fabrication factory where the finishing touches are made for consumer purchasing. During this juncture in the supply chain the product is mass conglomerated and sent to a warehouse. These warehouses tend to be large storage facilities usually grouped regionally. From here wholesale companies will buy in bulk the product and store them at semi regional or big city epicenter where they will be distributed to a plethora of different local retail stores.

Part B John Boyds OODA loop is a very important concept that applies to military strategy as well as business. The OODA loop is a recurring cycle of Observe Orient Decide and Act. Using this technique an individual or organization can gain an advantage on an opponent by making a decision more rapidly. Boyds diagram are based on observations of the evolving situation tempered with implicit filtering of the issue being addressed. The New York Times article Murky Legacy Of Hired To Fight Piracy speaks about a Militia that was formed to be an anti-piracy task force. The miscellaneous group of African mercenaries where privately hired to seek out pirates and keep safe the seas around Somalia. The article dives into the controversial tactics that the organization used to train recruits that include the tortured death of one of the recruits. The biggest concern in the article is the loyalty in question about this task force. Since 2008- 2009 there has been a decline in events and the force was abandoned leaving them with out any clear leader. Although the mercenaries helped in some instances, the highly volatile east Africa region can possibly higher these trained armed locals. What these companies have done is armed and abandoned possible terrorist. Now it is becoming a threat that may have to be dealt with in the near future In Securing Global Transportation Networks Luke Ritter has sets of recommendations used to help secure the supply chain. Ritters Pillars, Enablers, Value chain V’s, Security D’s and Solution Sets are some guidelines one should look into when managing a supply chain. Enacting these procedures helps create value towards your organization though total security management procedures. Total security management starts with a certain cornerstone of TSM, which is the Five Strategic Pillars. PILLAR 1# Total security must be base in crating value. Value is crated both by the addition crisis readiness and the resiliency afforded to a organization that may suffer a discontinues event. PILLAR 2# Total security involves everyone in your value chain. A disruption can happen anywhere in your supply chain, if one node of the supply chain takes a hit the whole chain down the line will also be effected.. PILLAR#3 Total security implies continual improvement. As the world changes so dose up to date technology and security practices. All security practices should be up to date and be constantly analyzed for possible improvement. PILLAR 4# Total security helps firms avoid or minimize