Title: Managing supply chain risks in emerging economies - the case of timber supply chains in Vietnam

Authors: Luca Urciuoli; Thi Thu Hien Phan; Juha Hintsa

Addresses: Department of Industrial Economics and Management, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Lindstedsvägen 30, SE 11214, Stockholm, Sweden; MIT-International Logistics Programme, Zaragoza Logistics Centre, Spain ' School of Economics and International Business, Foreign Trade University, Vietnam ' Cross-Border Research Association (CBRA), Chemin du Bois de Menton 7, CH-1066 Epalinges, Switzerland

Abstract: This paper performs an exploratory case study with Vietnamese timber firms, to discover what supply chain risks are perceived by companies. Emerging economies like Vietnam enjoy important advantages like low labour and production costs, access to internal resources, favourable geographic position and trading schemes issued by the European Union. Yet, diverse supply chain risks may hinder further growth, including risks related to access to supplies, compliance management, infrastructure, obsolete production machinery, and lack of skilled workforce. Compared to previous research, this paper contextualises existing knowledge in supply chain risks and mitigation strategies in an emerging economy like Vietnam. From a practitioner viewpoint, decision makers can boost the timber sector through targeted investments in modern infrastructure and adapting timber plantations to existing quality standards.

Keywords: supply chain risks; risk mitigation strategies; international trade; timber supply chain management; Vietnam supply chain risks; emerging economies supply chain; Vietnam.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLSM.2024.140063

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 2024 Vol.48 No.3, pp.350 - 374

Received: 11 Aug 2021
Accepted: 24 Nov 2021
Published online: 19 Jul 2024 *

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