Cycles of pan(dem)ic and neglect

In 2018 we talked to  Prof. Henk A. Akkermans about Supply Chain Tsunamis and the research paper Prof. Akkermans co-authored with Prof. Luk Van Wassenhove.  Their research introduced supply chain tsunamis as a major strategic supply chain phenomenon. Like their ecological counterparts, supply chain tsunamis occur at relatively long intervals and are therefore easily mistaken for unique events, rather than recurring phenomena. In contrast to ocean tsunamis, they can in principle be prevented through timely and adequate managerial action. However, their immediate impact is just as sudden and disruptive, and their ability to reshape supply chains of companies and even industries equally long-lasting. They are fundamentally different from phenomena like the bullwhip effect and black swan events. This study further explores a preliminary typology of supply chain tsunamis by Akkermans and Van Wassenhove (2013).  https://www.journalofsupplychainmanagement.com/new-blog/2018/1/5/spotlightsupply-chain-tsunamis-research-on-low-probability-high-impact-disruptions

This week Henk and Luk discussed the current global situation in Supply Chain Management Review:
At first glance, the chaos created by COVID-19 seems unique and unexpected. In trying to make sense of what’s going on, many people have called the pandemic a ‘Black Swan,’ a term coined in 2007 by the essayist Nassim Taleb in his book, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable. Taleb, for one, has taken exception to the label, telling Bloomberg Television last spring that it’s not “a cliché for any bad thing that surprises us.”

The full article in SCMR can be found here: https://www.scmr.com/article/cycles_of_pandemic_and_neglect