All are dependent on efficient and reliable transportation and communication systems, an obvious point, but one that is often overlooked [4]. These issues are the subject of the Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management's ongoing programme of research into supply chain risk and vulnerability. The work presented in this paper forms part of the wider body of research, funded by the UK's Department for Transport, which aimed to increase the resilience of economic activity to all manner of potential threats [5]. This paper reports on some of the findings and recommendations of the second stage of that programme. The work is empirically based and draws on insights from a number of important industries including food retailing, oil and petrochemicals, pharmaceutical, packaging, electronics, transport services and the distribution of automotive spares. It also includes input from private and public sector organisations involved in the provision of health care and in defense. In particular it focuses on the development of a managerial agenda for the identification and management of supply chain risk, with recommendations to improve the resilience of supply chains. Supply Chain Resilience When working effectively and efficiently modern supply chains allow goods to be produced and delivered in the right quantities, to the right places, at the right time in a cost effective manner. Until recently the term 'supply chain' was not widely used beyond the confines of academia, specialist sectors of industry and the professional management community. Now, in the wake of a number of farreaching supply chain disruptions to economic activity it has crossed over into the everyday vocabulary of politicians, general managers and the wider public. The term 'supply chain' is itself a relatively new addition to the lexicon of management, first used in the early 1980s when writers coined the phrase to describe an emerging management discipline [6]. This new discipline was a

In recent years the issue of supply chain risk has been pushed to the fore, initially by fears related to possible disruptions from the much publicised 'millennium bug'. Y2K passed seemingly without incident, though the widespread disruptions caused by fuel protests and then Foot and Mouth Disease in the UK, and by terrorist attacks on the USA have underlined the vulnerability of modern supply chains. Despite increasing awareness among practitioners, the concepts of supply chain vulnerability and its managerial counterpart supply chain risk management are still in their infancy. This paper seeks to identify an agenda for future research and to that end the authors go on to clarify the concept of supply chain risk management and to provide a working definition. The existing literature on supply chain vulnerability and risk management is reviewed and compared with findings from exploratory interviews undertaken to discover practitioners' perceptions of supply chain risk and current supply chain risk management strategies.

Fashion markets are synonymous with rapid change and, as a result, commercial success or failure in those markets is largely determined by the organisation's flexibility and responsiveness.Responsiveness is characterised by short time-to-market, the ability to scale up (or down) quickly and the rapid incorporation of consumer preferences into the design process.

Purpose -This paper aims to report on findings of a cross-sector empirical study of the sources and drivers of supply chain vulnerability. Design/methodology/approach -The research was undertaken in accordance with the realist tradition. It begins with a descriptive exploratory stage involving an in-depth exploratory case study of aerospace industry supply chains, validated through in-depth interviews with managers representing other "critical sectors" of the UK economy. This is followed by an explanatory theoretical stage. The work is supported throughout with reference to relevant literature sources. Findings -The findings highlight the absence of any widespread understanding of the scope of and dynamic nature of the problem, which should be considered from multiple perspectives and at four levels of analysis: value stream/product or process; asset and infrastructure dependencies; organisations and inter-organisational networks; and social and natural environment.Research limitations/implications -The paper is normative rather than positive, so focuses on understanding why supply chains are vulnerable to disruption, rather than presenting itself as a prescription for management. The paper does not investigate academic definitions or existing taxonomies of risk. Practical implications -The work provides some useful insights for practising managers and policy makers. Originality/value -The paper reports on empirical research, then draws as appropriate on network theory and complex systems perspectives to produce a conceptual model of a supply chain as in interactive adaptive system.