Pandemic

Anything related to pandemics, but particularly impact on supply chains, as well as supply chain practices to prepare for and deal with pandemics

Can We Minimize Coronavirus Deaths Without Destroying the Economy?

Ongoing debates on what to do about the COVID-19 pandemic focus on the tradeoff between the economic pain of extreme suppression measurements vs. the societal/health consequences of not doing enough. Here we look at the “Hammer and the Dance”; a proposed approach to limiting the peak infection and death rates, while simultaneously limiting the economic and social costs to society.

The Coronavirus Pandemic’s Impact on Different Sectors and Their Supply Chains

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted supply chains to a degree not seen for nearly a century or perhaps ever in modern times. As bad as things are, this is only the beginning. We explore the very different issues that different sectors are facing, how they are meeting those challenges in very different ways, and some early lessons learned.

ROI Thoughts on Product Integrity

In the months to come, we promise to delve more into the issues associated with supply chain vulnerability and risk – how to mitigate it.

But contemplate these examples. These are not wild unpredictable events, we might add – Katrina, Tsunami and Pandemic type events. Although these are real events that businesses have to plan for, these are usually not the grist (unfortunately) of day to day planning.

Executive Summary: Pandemic Preparedness for Businesses and their Supply Chains

Many experts predict that it is only a matter of time before the H5N1 Pandemic Flu arrives. And, when it does come, the impact on global business will be devastating–failed operations and business shutdowns, due to the collapse of business and transportation infrastructures, because key human resources have refused or are unable to come to work. Businesses
will be unable to obtain supplies to continue operations. As consumer priorities change, many goods will become scarce. Entertainment and luxury items will fall out of favor as the need for survival goods grows. There will be decreased productivity due to fear, stress, high absenteeism, low morale, enforced isolation, and depletion of the work force. There will be restricted face-to-face contact, and public service shutdowns of gathering places in an effort to reduce personal contact. Many economists predict a severe economic
depression, depending on the length and severity of the pandemic.

RFID Searches for a Home on the Range

While the use of RFID to track livestock is fertile ground for humor, the story in this arena plays out all the issues inherent in any large scale Business Process Improvement (BPI) project but colored by stakeholders who are fiercely independent and complicated by whether market forces or governmental regulation will drive implementation.

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