Managing supply chain risk is at the core of any company in today’s business context. Supply chain risk management (SCRM) is one of the fastest growing research streams within operations and supply chain management, and increasingly offered as teaching programs/courses in major business and engineering schools. As the Norwegian industry in line with the global economy increasingly becomes “projectified” (Lundin and Söderholm, 1998), new types of supply chain risks occur, which presupposes new ways of dealing with them. Project based organizations (PBOs) organize their main value creating activities in projects, from which they derive most of their income. Examples of PBOs include construction companies, oil and gas companies, disaster relief/humanitarian organizations, and organisations/companies organising events and expeditions. The challenges with regard to SCRM in these particular contexts relate to the temporary nature of the supply chains feeding the projects with the required activities and resources. Furthermore, the globalization of trade and labour markets means that these temporary supply chains cross not only firm boundaries, but also national borders, accentuating the uncertainty and thus the risks.

The objective of the course is to provide the students with an insight into the challenges of SCRM in project-based industries, particularly but not exclusively, in the Norwegian setting. This includes the identification and assessment of types of supply chain risks, quantifying and prioritising supply chain risks, and strategies and tools for mitigating supply chain risks in different project based contexts.