Critical supply chain systems and critical infrastructure protection

Secure management of Australia's commercial critical infrastructure presents ongoing challenges to both the owners of this infrastructure as well as to the government. It is currently managed through high-level information sharing via collaboration but does this situation suit the commercial sector? One of the issues facing Australia is that the majority of critical infrastructure resides under the control of the business sector and certain aspects such of the critical infrastructure such as supply chain management (SCM) systems are distributed across a number of entities. The paper focuses upon the security and risk issues associated with SCM systems within the realms of critical infrastructure protection.

Development of a supply chain management security risk management method : a conceptual model

This paper continues the prior research undertaken by Warren and Leitch (2009), in which a series of initial research findings were presented. These findings identified that in Australia, Supply Chain Management (SCM) systems were the weak link of Australian critical infrastructure. This paper focuses upon the security and risk issues associated with SCM systems and puts forward a new SCM Security Risk Management method, continuing the research presented at the European Conference of Information Warfare in 2009.This paper proposes a new Security Risk Analysis model that deals with the complexity of protecting SCM critical infrastructure systems and also introduces a new approach that organisations can apply to protect their SCM systems. The paper describes the importance of SCM systems from a critical infrastructure protection perspective. The paper then discusses the importance of SCM systems in relation to supporting centres of populations and gives examples of the impact of failure. The paper proposes a new SCM security risk analysis method that deals with the security issues related to SCM security and the security issues associated with Information Security. The paper will also discuss a risk framework that can be used to protect against high and low level associated security risks using a new SCM security risk analysis method.

Security of RFID systems - a hybrid approach

The use of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology can be employed for tracking and detecting each container, pallet, case, and product uniquely in the supply chain. It connects the supply chain stakeholders (i.e.; suppliers, manufacturers, wholesalers/distributors, retailers and customers) and allows them to exchange data and product information. Despite these potential benefits, security issues are the key factor in the deployment of a RFID-enabled system in the global supply chain. This paper proposes a hybrid approach to secure RFID transmission in Supply Chain Management (SCM) systems using modified Wired Equivalent Encryption (WEP) and Rivest, Shamir and Adleman (RSA) cryptosystem. The proposed system also addresses the common loop hole of WEP key algorithm and makes it more secure compare to the existing modified WEP key process.

Ionic conductivity and molecular dynamic behavior in supramolecular ionic networks; the effect of lithium salt addition

Supramolecular ionic networks combine singular properties such as self-healing behaviour and ionic conductivity. In this work we present an insight into the ionic conductivity and molecular dynamic behaviour of an amorphous and semicrystalline supramolecular ionic networks (iNets) that were synthesised by self-assembly of difunctional imidazolium dicationic molecules coupled with (trifluoromethane-sulfonyl) imide dianionic molecules. Relatively low ionic conductivity values were obtained for the semicrystalline iNet below its melting point (Tm =101°C) in comparison with the amorphous iNet for which the conductivity significantly increased (~3 orders of magnitude) above 100°C. Upon LiTFSI doping, the semicrystalline iNet reached conductivity values ~ 10-3 Scm-1 due to enhanced mobility of the network which was supported by solid-state static NMR. Furthermore, the overlapping of 19F and 7Li resonance lines from both the semicrystalline network and the LiTFSI suggests fast molecular motions.

Cyber attacks against supply chain management systems: A short note

Supply chain management (SCM) is increasingly dependent on electronic systems. At the same time, the vulnerability of these systems to attack from malicious individuals or groups is growing. This paper examines some of the forms such attacks can take, and their relevance to the supply function. Provides examples of attacks. Concludes that companies should consider the security aspects of electronic commerce before developing their systems. © MCB University Press.

Characterisation of ion transport in sulfonate based ionomer systems containing lithium and quaternary ammonium cations

Two sulfonated ionomers based on poly(triethylmethyl ammonium 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid) (PAMPS) and containing mixtures of Li⁺ and quaternary ammonium cations are characterised. The first system contains Li⁺ and the methyltriethyl ammonium cation (N1222) in a 1:9 molar ratio, and the ⁷Li NMR line widths showed that the Li⁺ ions are mobile in this system below the glass transition temperature (105°C) and are therefore decoupled from the polymer segmental motion. The conductivity in this system was measured as 10^-5 Scm^-1 at 130°C. A second PAMPS system containing Li⁺ and the dimethylbutylmethoxyethyl ammonium cation (N114(2O1)) in a 2:8 molar ratio showed much lower conductivities despite a significantly lower Tg (60°C), possibly due to associations between the Li⁺ and the ether group on the ammonium cation, or between the latter cations and the sulfonate groups.

Durability in concrete : new instruments : new opportunities

New infrastructure, particularly in the developing countries, demands substantial capital investment and a loss of durability of the concrete means a waste of oportunity. Improving durability of concrete structures is a non-trivial task. The durability of concrete has been related to its ability to resist the transport of water and the potentail imporvements to concrete durability using supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) has been well documented. With access to neutron and synchrotron facilities it has become possible to; (a) measure the ability of SCM to inhibit transport of water in concrete (b) measure particle size increase of hydrating cements (with and without SCM) by ultra-small angle neutron scattering (c) use neutron tomography combined with x-ray tomography to determine the three dimensional flaws in the structure of concretes that enable water ingress into structures, and (d) determine the amount of curing or degree of hydration on the durability of SCM/OPC blends. This review will detail preliminary results on cement and concrete obtained using the newly available neutron, synchrotron and other facilities in Australia and Brazil and highlights their ability to estimate factors which determine the service life of concrete

Barriers to implementing reverse logistics in South Australian construction organisations

Purpose - This paper aims to present a survey of the perceptions of the barriers to implementing reverse logistics (RL) practices in South Australian (SA) construction organisations. Despite the extensive research on forward logistics and RL, there is a paucity of studies that examine the barriers to implementing RL particularly within the Australian construction industry. This study builds on the ongoing research being undertaken by the authors, entitled “Designing for reverse logistics (DfRL) within the building life cycle: practices, drivers and barriers”, which is examining the best practices and drivers that could be used as a “road map” for developing appropriate solutions for the successful implementation of RL. Design/methodology/approach - Data were collected by utilising a triangulated data collection approach, a literature review and 49 questionnaires. The review of the literature identified 16 barriers to implementing RL. The quantitative survey data were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics with correlation analysis to examine the relationships between different pairs of variables comprising RL’s critical barriers. Findings - The following barriers were indicated as most significant: lack of incorporation of salvaged materials by designers; regulation restrictions to usage of recovered materials and components; potential legal liabilities; higher costs; and longer-time association with deconstructing buildings. The least ranked barriers were mostly drawn from the operational and industrial categories as being: organisational lack of support for deconstruction due to incompatible design; lack of organisational support for deconstructing buildings due to higher health and safety risks; and inadequate skills and experience for deconstruction (operational). The industrial barrier was related to “higher costs of salvaged materials in comparison to virgin products”. Research limitations/implications - First, the reported findings are focussed on one study that used questionnaire surveys within the construction industry; therefore, the results may not be generalisable to other contexts. Further, studies should be conducted and extended to other industrial sectors beyond the construction industry. Second, the quantitative study (n 49) used a smaller sample, and the survey items were based on the review of the literature. Practical implications - The identified barriers could be used as a “road map” for the development of appropriate solutions for the successful implementation of RL, and to improve the environment-related decision-making processes of contractors. Originality/value - This study makes a contribution to the body of knowledge on the subject of RL within a previously unexplored SA context. In addition, the study provides some insights on the contributory effects of the barriers to the implementation of RL. It is the first work undertaken to determine the barriers to the adoption of RL within the SA construction industry.

Drivers for adopting reverse logistics in the construction industry : a qualitative study

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate and analyse the perceptions of South Australian construction practitioners on drivers affecting the implementation of reverse logistics (RL). In this context, RL is defined as the process of moving goods from their typical final destination for the purpose of capturing value or ensuring proper disposal.

Design/methodology/approach - Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight practitioners to collect data and the interview transcripts were analysed using the NVivo (version 10) package. Cluster analysis was used to cross-validate the findings and provide an in-depth insight into the findings.

Findings - The findings indicate that most of the drivers identified in earlier research are relevant for the construction industry. In addition, the study identified some new drivers that are categorised as "targeted demands by an exclusive clientele". These drivers were found to be complementary to the economic, environmental and social drivers as previously conceptualised. In addition, a set of factors affecting the strength of drivers that had been overlooked in previous studies emanated from the interview analysis. These include the type of project and the attributes of clients, both of which strongly affect the drivers of RL implementation in construction.

Research limitations/implications - The major limitations are the relatively small size of the sample of interviewees and having interviewees from one geographic area with specific socio-economic characteristics.

Practical implications - The identified drivers and the clustering of RL themes could be used by practitioners as a "road map" for the development of appropriate solutions to successfully promote RL within the construction industry. Organisational energies could thus be channelled towards the drivers that need the most improvement.

Originality/value - The study contributes to this research sphere by employing cluster analysis to customise and contextualise the drivers that were previously identified. The study goes beyond the extant literature by discovering the prominent effects of these drivers on the impact of targeted demands by an exclusive clientele. This could be of great value in terms of creating avenues for future investigations on the topic.