An Empirical Examination of Supply Chain Performance along Several Dimensions of Risk

First, a recent series of crises and catastrophes has attracted public attention. Natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina devastating the Gulf Coast of the United States in 2005, terrorist acts such as the attacks of September 11, 2001, and epidemics like S ARS in South-East Asia in 2003 are violent reminders that we live in an unpredictable and increasingly unstable world. Moreover, there is strong evidence that such catastrophic events are becoming more frequent (Coleman 2006). Elkins, Handfield, Blackhurst, and Craighead (2005) observed that there has been an mcrease both in the potential for disruptions and in their magnitude. Likewise, Munich Re (2007, p. 46) stated in its annual report on natural hazards that "[s]ince 1950, there has been a long-term upward trend in the number of events and the amount of economic and insured losses."