They’ve been there all along; we just haven’t been able to find the hidden suppliers. and our models are only as good as the data. But still, there is a lot to be said for an analytic approach. That will improve the database in the long run. This study comes from Arizona State University, one of the top supply chain schools, and it uses a form of social network analysis to find the critical supply chain members.
Hidden Suppliers Can Make or Break Your Operations – HBR.
Sidelight: ASU is NOT where I got my PhD!. I went to the University of Arizona’s MIS department!
Supply Chain and Logistics 