Supply Chain Management Opportunities for Regional Economic Development

Global competition has intensified geographic repositioning of supply chain activities with implications for the economic prosperity of specific regions and geographies affected by such shifts. Despite recent advancements made in the theory and practice of facility location decisions, a gap exists in understanding how these decisions are influenced by regional geographies and their respective supply chain capabilities. As economic development agencies recognize the value inherent in location-specific and geographically concentrated supply chain capabilities, this research explores how these affect regional prosperity and economic development. Through a combination of exploratory Delphi panels, web content analysis, and cluster mapping procedures, the research suggests a framework highlighting the potential role of regional supply chain capabilities and public sector strategies on economic development outcomes. Findings indicate that regional geographies are differentially and uniquely qualified to serve as supply chain hubs by capitalizing on these capabilities through actionable public- and private sector interventions. Regional differentiation lies in supply chain elements that are place-luck embedded and as such difficult to acquire, change, or modify.