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Lee (2004) articulated that alignment, adaptability, and agility are the basic ingredients for managing supply chain risks. While it is clear that flexibility (agility) enhances supply chain resiliency, it remains unclear how much flexibility is needed to mitigate supply chain risks. Without a clear understanding of the benefit associated with different levels of flexibility, firms are reluctant to invest in flexibility especially when reliable data and accurate cost and benefit analysis are difficult to obtain. In this paper, we present a unified framework and 5 stylized models to illustrate that firms can obtain significant strategic value by implementing a risk reduction program that calls for a relatively low level of flexibility. Some of our model analyses are based on or motivated by models presented in recent literature. Our findings highlight the power of flexibility, and provide convincing arguments for deploying flexibility to mitigate supply chain risks.

Supply chain risk management (SCRM) is a nascent area emerging from a growing appreciation for supply chain risk by practitioners and by researchers. However, there is diverse perception of research in supply chain risk because these researchers have approached this area from different domains. This paper presents our study of this diversity from the perspectives of operations and supply chain management scholars: First, we reviewed the researchers' output, i.e., the recent research literature. Next, we surveyed two focus groups (members of Supply Chain Thought Leaders and International SCRM groups) with open‐ended questions. Finally, we surveyed operations and supply chain management researchers during the 2009 INFORMS meeting in San Diego. Our findings characterize the diversity in terms of three “gaps”: a definition gap in how researchers define SCRM, a process gap in terms of inadequate coverage of response to risk incidents, and a methodology gap in terms of inadequate use of empirical methods. We also list ways to close these gaps as suggested by the researchers.

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Recent cases of product adulteration by foreign suppliers have compelled many manufacturers to re-think approaches to deterring suppliers from cutting corners, especially when manufacturers cannot fully monitor and control the suppliers' actions. Recognizing that process certification programs, such as ISO9000, do not guarantee unadulterated products and that product liability and product warranty with foreign suppliers are rarely enforceable, manufacturers turn to mechanisms that make payments to the suppliers contingent on no defects discovery. In this paper we study: (a) the deferred payment mechanism -the buyer pays the supplier after the deferred payment period only if no adulteration has been discovered by the customers; (b) the inspection mechanism -the buyer pays the supplier is immediately, contingent on product passing the inspection; and (c) the combined mechanism -a combination of the deferred payment and inspection mechanisms. We find the optimal contracts for each mechanism, and describe the Nash equilibria of inspection sub-games for the inspection and the combined mechanisms. The inspection mechanism cannot completely deter the suppliers from product adulteration, while the deferred payment mechanism can. Surprisingly, the combined mechanism is redundant: either the inspection or the deferred payment mechanisms perform just as well. Finally, the four factors that determine the dominance of deferred payment mechanism over the inspection mechanism are: (a) the inspection cost relative to inspection accuracy, (b) the buyer's liability for adulterated products, (c) the difference in financing rates for the buyer and the supplier relative to the defects discovery rate by customers, and (d) the difference in production costs for adulterated and unadulterated product.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a liposomal formulation of curcumin would suppress the growth of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines CAL27 and UM-SCC1in vitro and in vivo. Experimental Design: HNSCC cell lines were treated with liposomal curcumin at different doses and assayed for in vitro growth suppression using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. A reporter gene assay was done on cell lines to study the effect of liposomal curcumin on nuclear factor nB (NFnB) activation. Western blot analysis was done to determine the effect of curcumin on the expression of NFnB, phospho-InBa, phospho-AKT (pAKT), phospho-S6 kinase, cyclin D1, cyclooxygenase-2, matrix metalloproteinase-9, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, Mcl-1L, and Mcl-1S. Xenograft mouse tumors were grown and treated with intravenous liposomal curcumin. After 5 weeks, tumors were harvested and weighed. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot analyses were used to study the effect of liposomal curcumin on the expression of NFnB and pAKT. Results:The addition of liposomal curcumin resulted in a dose-dependent growth suppression of both cell lines. Liposomal curcumin treatment suppressed the activation of NFnB without affecting the expression of pAKTor its downstream target phospho-S6 kinase. Expression of cyclin D1, cyclooxygenase-2, matrix metalloproteinase-9, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, Mcl-1L, and Mcl-1S were reduced, indicating the effect of curcumin on the NFnB pathway. Nude mice xenograft tumors were suppressed after 3.5 weeks of treatment with i.v. liposomal curcumin, and there was no demonstrable toxicity of liposomal curcumin upon autopsy. Immunohistochemistry andWestern blot analysis on xenograft tumors showed the inhibition of NFnB without affecting the expression of pAKT. Conclusions: Liposomal curcumin suppresses HNSCC growth in vitro and in vivo. The results suggest that liposomal curcumin is a viable nontoxic therapeutic agent for HNSCC that may work via an AKT-independent pathway.

This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent Forthcoming, Production and Operations ManagementAbstract: Many social enterprises and some companies have developed supply chains with the poor as suppliers or distributors to alleviate poverty and to create revenues for themselves. Such supply chains have created new research opportunities because they raise issues fundamentally different from those examined in the existing operations management literature. We report this phenomenon of supply chains with the poor as suppliers or distributors in developing countries and identify OM research opportunities. We also provide some stylized models to serve as potential seeds for modeling-based research in this area.