Cross-Border Research Association

Purpose– Supply chain stakeholders may perceive security risks differently and thereby misalign mitigation strategies. Hence, causing weak spots in supply chains and thereby disruptions. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether supply chain companies actually perceive security risks and effectiveness of mitigation strategies differently.Design/methodology/approach– Two survey studies measuring perception of security risks and effectiveness of measures have been developed and used to collect data from European and Latin American companies, grouped as cargo owners and logistics companies.Findings– The findings of the surveys unveil that only two (out of six) security risks, namely, violation of customs non-fiscal regulations and illegal immigration, show significant differences between the two groups of companies. In addition, the surveys show that companies perceive equally the effectiveness of security measures. This study concludes that supply chains seem to have good visibility over the security risks of their partners. Hence, in terms of security, supply chain companies seem to have achieved a common understanding of risks and furthermore are able to act jointly to secure assets and operations.Originality/value– Previous research claim supply chain stakeholders may perceive risks differently and thereby may fail to correctly align mitigation strategies. Yet, to the authors knowledge, previous research has not empirically demonstrated these differences in perceptions of risks and mitigation strategies.

An avalanche of new supply chain security (SCS) standards, programs and regulations have emerged since 2001. These have been developed and promoted by various governmental, supply chain and standardization parties. Due to political, economic, technical and legal reasons, no dominating global standard has been developed that covers all possible aspects of SCS. Instead, we have seen national and regional, transport mode-specific, crime issue-specific, and other types of more focused SCS standards gaining some popularity within supply chain operating communities. This paper intends to capture and explain the most relevant SCS standard characteristics, in order to form a pragmatic framework for the analysis and design of SCS standards for the benefit of governmental policy makers and business community supply chain and security experts. A theoretical framework derived from the literature is tested and further developed in a real-life SCS standardization feasibility study project. Recommendations are made as to how the framework might be exploited, and topics for future research are suggested.