There is great hope – and worry – that trade regulations will be one of the saviours – or accelerators, depending on your view – in this current downfall. An experienced purchaser will probably reduce the risk of either by ensuring a flexible supply chain that can deliver value in any case. Ensuring supply – at market prices, with the wanted quality – is after all a core aspect of purchasing. So why the need for flexibility.
British philosopher (slash anthropologist, slash author, slash semiotician, slash linguist etc) Gregory Bateson once suggested that civilizations will expire by the loss of flexibility, and that flexibility is automatically lost if not exercised.
To me the important passage here is the act of exercising your flexibility. It needs to be done, not just planned for. And in times like these, this is more important than ever. Locking yourself into long, rigid contracts or government induced trade regulations will – in the end – cause a new downfall.
