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Research Director, Center for Supply Chain Innovation

Robert Glenn Richey

Robert Glenn Richey is the Harbert Eminent Scholar in supply chain management at Auburn University and serves as the research director in the Center for Supply Chain Innovation. With a background in managerial roles across procurement, sales, and logistics, Richey has published over eighty articles in renowned scholarly journals and has received accolades such as the Cavusgil Award and the LaLonde award for his research contributions. He holds research professorships at the University of Bath and the University of Edinburgh and has taught globally, mentoring doctoral students at various universities. Richey is an associate editor for the Journal of Business Logistics and the Journal of Supply Chain Management, and he received Emerald Publishing’s Leading Editor Award. His service extends to organizations like FEMA, DHS, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

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Contributor Brief·Robert Glenn Richey · 1 article
Updated Jul 27, 2023

Speed-obsessed delivery economy masks structural fragility beneath.

Richey argues that the modern delivery economy's reliance on just-in-time logistics and aggressive labor compression creates hidden systemic vulnerabilities that a single labor disruption can expose. He contends that the speed-first business model is fundamentally incompatible with sustainable labor practices and supply chain resilience.

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UPS strike averted; structural fragility remains unresolved

“Speed-obsessed delivery economy hides structural fragility.”

A UPS Strike Was Averted, But Supply Chain Fragility and its Labor Model Are Now Back in Focus

Core tensions in modern logistics operations

Delivery speed optimization10
Labor cost minimization9
Supply chain resilience4
Worker sustainability3
System redundancy2

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36%Delivery speed
Delivery speed optimization
Labor cost minimization
Supply chain resilience
Worker sustainability
+1 more

narrowly averted

labor dispute exposes hidden fragility in speed-first model

Hidden fragility underlying the speed-obsessed delivery economy.

A UPS Strike Was Averted, But Supply Chain Fragility and its Labor Model Are Now Back in Focus

Labor dispute exposes the hidden fragility underlying the speed-obsessed delivery economy.

A UPS Strike Was Averted, But Supply Chain Fragility and its Labor Model Are Now Back in Focus

“Supply chain fragility and labor model now back in focus.”

Themes:Speed-first economics masks structural fragilityLabor model sustainability incompatible with delivery optimizationSupply chain resilience requires reckoning with labor reality

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