Strategies and effective decision-making against terrorism affecting supply chain risk management and security. A novel combination of triangulated methods
| Pages | 1528-1546 |
| Date | 13 August 2018 |
| Published date | 13 August 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-09-2017-0449 |
| Author | Muhammad Naveed Khan,Pervaiz Akhtar,Yasmin Merali |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information systems,Data management systems,Knowledge management,Knowledge sharing,Management science & operations,Supply chain management,Supply chain information systems,Logistics,Quality management/systems |
Strategies and effective
decision-making against terrorism
affecting supply chain risk
management and security
A novel combination of triangulated methods
Muhammad Naveed Khan
Department of Management Systems and Logistics,
Faculty of Business, Law and Politics, University of Hull, Hull, UK
Pervaiz Akhtar
Department of Management Systems and Logistics,
Faculty of Business, Law and Politics, University of Hull, Hull, UK and
IESEG School of Management, Paris, France, and
Yasmin Merali
Centre for Systems Studies, Faculty of Business, Law and Politics,
University of Hull, Hull, UK
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to investigate the knowledge gaps in the published research on
terrorism-related risk in supplychains, and to develop a frameworkof strategies and effectivedecision-making
to enablepractitioners to addressterrorism-related risksin supply chain risk management(SCRM) and security.
Design/methodology/approach –The study adopts a novel combination of triangulated methods
comprising a systematic literature review (SLR), text mining and network analysis. These methods have not
been jointly utilized in past studies, and the approach constitutes a rigorous methodology that cross-validates
results and ensures the reliability and validity of qualitative data.
Findings –The study reveals a number of key themes in the field of SCRM and security linked with
terrorism. The authors identify relevant mitigation strategies and practices for effective strategic decision
making. This subsequently leads us to develop a strategic framework of strategies and effective
decision-making practices to address terrorism-related risk, affecting SCRM and security. The authors also
identify key knowledge gaps in the literature and explore the main contributions by disciplines (e.g. business
schools, engineering and maritime institutions) and countries.
Practical implications –Theauthorsprovideastrategicframeworkofstrategies and effective decision-making
practices that managers can use to minimize terrorism-related risk in the context of SCRM and security.
Originality/value –This paper introduces a novel methodological combination for improving the quality of
SLRs. It uses the approach to systematically review the strategies and effective decision-making practices
interlinked with terrorism risk, affecting SCRM and security. It identifies significant knowledge gaps and
defines directions for future research.
Keywords Effective decision-making, Mitigation strategies, Novel combination of triangulated methods,
Supply chain risk management and security, Terrorism risk
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Terrorism is among the top five factors affecting supply chain risk management (SCRM)
and security (World Economic Forum, 2013). Global supply chains and logistical
infrastructures are particularly vulnerable to disruption due to their scope, scale and
complexity (Stecke and Kumar, 2009). The British Standards Institute (2017) reported that
terrorist attacks on international trade and supply chains increased by 16 percent between
2016 and 2017. In 2016 alone, a total of 346 attacks took place on supply chains, averaging at
Industrial Management & Data
Systems
Vol. 118 No. 7, 2018
pp. 1528-1546
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0263-5577
DOI 10.1108/IMDS-09-2017-0449
Received 30 September 2017
Revised 31 December 2017
Accepted 4 February 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0263-5577.htm
1528
IMDS
118,7
3.7 per week. The literature highlights the direct and indirect effects of terrorism on the cost
and performance of global supply chains (Thissen, 2004). The costs of securing global
supply chains vary with the amount of global trade utilized by particular international
firms. The supply chain costs triggered by terrorism stem not only from securing the
transportation of goods, but also from the need to underwrite the risk of delay or disruption
of global supply chains. Examples of cost escalation include the potential for terrorist
attacks to increase the cost of contracts due to the requirement for specialized security
measures, high insurance premiums, and the need to conform to evolving counterterrorism
regulations (MacPherson, 2008). Global supply chains incurred an extra $56bn worth of
combined costs due to terrorist threats, extreme events, the migrant crisis and crime (Marle,
2016). These implications and impacts of terrorism on SCRM and security
clearly demonstrate the significance of the topic and the need for systematic research
studies to provide effective strategies and basis for decision-making to counter terrorism
risks affecting supply chain security (Markmann et al., 2013; Shan and Zhuang, 2014;
Ni et al., 2016).
Our initial review of the literature on terrorism-related risk in SCRM and security
identifies the following major gaps. First, although several authors have carried out
literature reviews on SCRM at various stages over the last 15 years, there is no systemic
literature review on terrorism risk and its links with SCRM and security. Second, whilst the
frequency of terrorist attacks and associated threats to global supply chains is increasing,
existing strategies and relevant decision-making frameworks to address the risk arising
from terrorism are inadequate and have not been systematically investigated (Markmann
et al., 2013; Ni et al., 2016). Additionally, although a few studies provide some guidelines
(Sheffi, 2001; Nurthen, 2003; Bueno-Solano and Cedillo-Campos, 2014; Shan and Zhuang,
2014), the contributions to the topic by different academic disciplines and countries have not
been systematically categorized in order to explore differences in academic perspectives or
the peculiarities of contextual settings.
In order to address these gaps, this paper seeks to advance our understanding of the
terrorism-related risks affecting SCRM and security, providing key insights for developing
strategies and effective decision-making to counter the impact of terrorism on supply
chains. In carrying out the review and analyzing the data, our contributions are as follows:
first, we identify developments in the research on terrorism risk in the context of SCRM and
security and develop a strategic framework to help practitioners in strategic decision
making to counter the impact of terrorism on supply chain performance and security. The
framework encompasses three key components: terrorism risk management strategies,
effective decision-making practices and SCRM and security. Second, we identify the
knowledge gaps and categorize the key contributions to the topic from different disciplines
(e.g. business schools, engineering and maritime institutes) and countries. Lastly, we
introduce a novel combination of rigorous triangulation methods (a systematic review with
text mining and network analysis) for cross-validating findings and ensuring the reliability
and validity of data.
The paper is structured as follows. The next section provides a context for our study.
Subsequent section describes our methodology, followed by the results of our systematic
literature review (SLR) and framework development. We then identify the knowledge gaps
in the extant literature and discuss our contributions to the field. The final section concludes
with proposed directions for future research.
Context for the study
Terrorism and supply chain risk
Defining terrorism is not a simple matter: there is no single internationally accepted
definition of what represents terrorism and the terrorism literature abounds with competing
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Terrorism
affecting
SCRM and
security
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