Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management: Implications for the SOF Future Operating Environment

The emerging Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM) concept assists at all levels of the supply chain in managing and mitigating risks, and the authors define C-SCRM as the process of identifying, assessing, and mitigating the risks associated with the distributed and interconnected nature of information and operational technology products and service supply chains. As Special Operations Forces increasingly rely on sophisticated hardware and software products, this quick, well-researched monograph provides a detailed accounting of C-SCRM associated laws, regulations, instructions, tools, and strategies meant to mitigate vulnerabilities and risks—and how we might best manage the evolving and ever-changing array of those vulnerabilities and risks

Supply chain natural resource scarcity strategies and their implications for ogranisational performance.:an empirical study of manufacturing companies.

Concerns about natural resource scarcity are growing as some of these resources are critical for the successful functioning of firms. Research into the appropriate strategies for minimising dependencies caused by the scarcity of natural resources is still insufficient in the field of supply chain management. Whilst there is a growing recognition of the need to handle the issue of natural resource scarcity, there is limited empirical work on investigating what supply chain strategies should be utilised. This research provides insights from manufacturing companies and explores the conditions under which a specific natural resource will lead to buffering and/or bridging strategies and the implications for organisational performance. The research attempts to contribute to theory development by developing a Resource Dependence Theory based framework. The framework identifies the contingency factors that determine companies’ dependence that leads to specific supply chain strategies. This study contributes further into the identification of the impacts of these strategies on organisational performance. The proposed conceptual framework is validated through the means of exploratory research. The empirical research included the collection of qualitative data from thirteen companies that use different natural resources. In order to manage and analyse the 31 semi-structured interviews content analysis was conducted using the qualitative analysis software NVivo. After the qualitative first stage, quantitative research followed to validate the findings. Responses from 183 logistics, purchasing and supply chain managers were collected and analysed by using the partial least squares (PLS) method to verify the relationships between the constructs in the framework. The study reveals that there are three main contingent factors, namely; the importance of the scarce natural resource (e.g. the price of the natural resources), the supplier substitutability of the scarce natural resource (e.g. number of suppliers) and the discretion over the scarce natural resource (e.g. legislation and geopolitical risk). This is leading companies to natural resource dependencies thus to specific supply chain NRS strategies (i.e. buffering strategies and bridging strategies). The research has shown that the two strategies can improve both resource efficiency and a company’s competitive advantage

What Ukraine Taught NATO about Hybrid Warfare

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 forced the United States and its NATO partners to be confronted with the impact of hybrid warfare far beyond the battlefield. Targeting Europe’s energy security, Russia’s malign influence campaigns and malicious cyber intrusions are affecting global gas prices, driving up food costs, disrupting supply chains and grids, and testing US and Allied military mobility. This study examines how hybrid warfare is being used by NATO’s adversaries, what vulnerabilities in energy security exist across the Alliance, and what mitigation strategies are available to the member states. Cyberattacks targeting the renewable energy landscape during Europe’s green transition are increasing, making it urgent that new tools are developed to protect these emerging technologies. No less significant are the cyber and information operations targeting energy security in Eastern Europe as it seeks to become independent from Russia. Economic coercion is being used against Western and Central Europe to stop gas from flowing. China’s malign investments in Southern and Mediterranean Europe are enabling Beijing to control several NATO member states’ critical energy infrastructure at a critical moment in the global balance of power. What Ukraine Taught NATO about Hybrid Warfare will be an important reference for NATO officials and US installations operating in the European theater.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1952/thumbnail.jp

Energy service companies in China: The role of social networks and trust

China's energy-service companies (ESCOs) have developed only modestly despite favorable political and market conditions. We argue that with sophisticated market institutions still evolving in China, trust-based relations between ESCOs and energy customers are essential for successful implementation of energy efficiency projects. Chinese ESCOs, who are predominantly small and private enterprises, perform poorly in terms of trust-building because they are disembedded from local business, social, and political networks. We conclude that in the current institutional setting, the ESCO model based on market relations has serious limitations and is unlikely to lead to large-scale implementation of energy efficiency projects in China. --energy policies,energy service companies (ESCO),social networks,trust,China

The Next Billion: Lessons in off-grid electricity development from the global south

Today about a third of the world’s population has no access to electricity, and another third has only limited access. Driven by the push for development on one hand and the reality of climate change on the other, a combination of for-profit companies, NGOs, missions, and aid organizations is looking for the silver bullet to sustainable electricity development. In order to understand the challenges facing off-grid electricity projects I used recent literature in the form of peer-reviewed journals, agency reports, news articles, and technical documents; stakeholder interviews; and on-site observations in selected case studies in Nepal, India, and Tanzania. In each case I explored and classified methods of electrification; challenges facing each method; and the larger political, cultural, and economic contexts of the projects in question. The full range of considerations precludes drawing broad generalizations regarding effective and sustainable approaches to rural electrification. I address questions raised by these case studies regarding the role of off-grid electricity globally. The sought-after silver bullet does not exist; instead, sustainable electrification requires unique, bottom-up approaches specific to each local community and environment. Ultimately, the diversity of methods is an advantage in a rapidly changing energy climate

The drivers of Corporate Social Responsibility in the supply chain. A case study.

Purpose: The paper studies the way in which a SME integrates CSR into its corporate strategy, the practices it puts in place and how its CSR strategies reflect on its suppliers and customers relations. Methodology/Research limitations: A qualitative case study methodology is used. The use of a single case study limits the generalizing capacity of these findings. Findings: The entrepreneur’s ethical beliefs and value system play a fundamental role in shaping sustainable corporate strategy. Furthermore, the type of competitive strategy selected based on innovation, quality and responsibility clearly emerges both in terms of well defined management procedures and supply chain relations as a whole aimed at involving partners in the process of sustainable innovation. Originality/value: The paper presents a SME that has devised an original innovative business model. The study pivots on the issues of innovation and eco-sustainability in a context of drivers for CRS and business ethics. These values are considered fundamental at International level; the United Nations has declared 2011 the “International Year of Forestry”

Commercial High Technology Innovations Face Uncertain Future Amid Emerging BRICS Compulsory Licensing and IT Interoperability Frameworks

The pathways that lead to the success of cutting-edge technologies are often fraught with risk, difficulty, and uncertainty. These issues are particularly prevalent under a regime involving lengthy time horizons for competent research, development, and commercialization, which may require regulatory approvals. These challenges are known to be endemic to capital-intensive technology development which requires significant follow-on funding, particularly in highly regulated industries such as life sciences (e.g., pharmaceuticals/biotechnology and electronic medical devices ) and clean technology (which may be subdivided into clean or renewable energy generation and clean or renewable energy efficiency technologies and services, the former having more direct exposure to the regulatory environment ). Such conditions also pose considerable obstacles to the development and introduction of new paradigm-setting information and communication technologies (ICTs) categorized by reference to the economic activities generated by their application to and use within other industry sectors, including healthcare, energy and the environment, transportation, information and education, emergency and disaster management, and defense and national security. According to one recent study, the ICT sector undertakes large investments in R&D and is very innovative. In terms of R&D expenditures, patents, and venture capital investment, it exceeds other industries by a large margin

Late standardization and technological catch-up

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2006.Includes bibliographical references (p. 325-335).In this study, we examine the process of "late standardization," in which latecomers engage in standards activities in order to move towards and beyond the technological frontier. Based on case studies of latecomers in the semiconductor and mobile telecommunication industries in South Korea and Thailand, we analyze the strategic, organizational, and institutional aspects of the late-standardization process. We hypothesize that latecomer firms and states must engage in standards activities to progress beyond catch-up, because standards are a prerequisite to technological development. Standards are strategic leverages that allow latecomers to link with and learn from technology leaders. Specifically, latecomer firms have to engage internally in quality standardization to take advantage of latecomer advantages. Quality standards help improve production capability, while enhancing credibility and reputation. Without quality control, latecomers cannot become part of global value chains and have difficulty in acquiring advanced technologies from forerunners. As latecomers become fast followers, they have to participate in external standardization. The goal is to acquire knowledge about emerging technologies and standards.(cont.) By linking with and learning from forerunners, fast followers enhance second-mover advantages derived from ramp-up capability. Once their R&D efforts bear fruit and they become technology leaders, advanced "late standardizers" have to lead external standardization efforts. This would enable them to exploit innovation capability and gain first-mover advantages derived from proprietary technologies and learning-curve effects. As latecomers move towards the technological frontier, standards activities become the core of research and development strategy and policy. They also adjust organizational structures and human resource management to accommodate standards efforts. The state plays critical yet changing roles throughout the late-standardization process. It sets up standards institutions and provides "infratechnologies" for quality control. The state also mitigates technology and market risks associated with new standards, while facilitating networking among late-standardizing firms. As late standardizers become technology and standards leaders, the state pursues "standards diplomacy" for overseas adoption of its domestic standards, while strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights.by Apiwat Ratanawaraha.Ph.D