Visual analysis of supply network risks: Insights from the electronics industry

In today's complex, global supply networks it has become increasingly challenging to identify, evaluate, and mitigate risks of disruption. Traditional supply chain practices have primarily focused on dyadic risk management, rarely considering risks in the sub-tier supply network. However, this approach severely limits a decision maker's ability to understand the highly interconnected nature of systemic risks and develop corresponding mitigation strategies. Grounded in theories of supply chains as complex systems, network analysis, and risk management, we demonstrate the importance of visual decision support for supply network risk assessment. We empirically illustrate our approach with supply network visualization examples from the electronics industry. We conclude the study with implications for the design and implementation of visual supply network decision support systems and future research opportunities. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.