The Brief – February 2024

Countries with over half the world’s population go to the polls this year. While none of these elections represent absolute good vs. evil, the outcomes will still make a big difference. In this global tug-of-war of ideas and institutions between democracy and autocracy, much is at stake for all of humanity, including peoples’ rights and liberties, the rules-based global order, world peace, and global prosperity. [ Read: 2024: The World at Crossroads—Part Two ]

---

A Wider Middle East Conflict Could Worsen Supply Chain Disruptions – Here’s Where and How

As disruptive as Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea have been for supply chain and logistics, the prospect of a wider regional conflict between the U.S. and Iran could quickly make it go from bad to worse. [ Read: A Wider Middle East Conflict Could Worsen Supply Chain Disruptions – Here’s Where and How ]

---

Quantifying the Value of Blockchain-Based Supply Chain Networks—Part Five

Value of Inventory Optimization and Anti-Counterfeiting for Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceutical manufacturers can realize value by carefully and methodically reducing inventory, reducing the amount of drugs that expire, and reducing counterfeits in their supply chain, all by using a supply chain network solution. Here we describe the mechanisms and estimate the value of those improvements. [ Read: Quantifying the Value of Blockchain-Based Supply Chain Networks—Part Five ]