Rewriting the Rules: Global Trade, Sustainability & Supply Chain Research

This summer, the Center for Responsible Supply Chain Management at ASU’s W. P. Carey School and the Institute for Environmental and Social Sustainability at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business are hosting a webinar series:

Rewriting the Rules: Global Trade, Sustainability, and Supply Chain Research

Our second session in the series will take place on August 12 at 9:00 a.m. PT / noon ET / 6:00 p.m. CET, building on the foundation established in the first session. While our earlier discussion explored big-picture trends and emerging research opportunities, this session takes a closer look at two industries that sit at the center of today’s global trade and sustainability debates: agribusiness and consumer electronics.

The agribusiness segment will feature Tim Richards, Morrison Endowed Chair of Agribusiness in the W. P. Carey School of Business at ASU, who will provide a framing of key supply chain challenges shaping the sector, from shifting federal policies to environmental and labor pressures. Tim will also lead a discussion with Doug Baker, Vice President of Industry Relations at FMI – The Food Industry Association. Doug will share insights into how advancements in retail logistics, technological innovation, and the entry of international players are reshaping the food industry and what implications this has for consumers and supply chain professionals

The session will then turn to the consumer electronics industry, with a featured presentation by Doug Guthrie, Executive Director of Thunderbird China and Professor at the Thunderbird School of Global Management. Drawing on his experience as a former senior director at Apple in Shanghai—where he led Apple University’s leadership and organizational development efforts—Doug will examine how Apple’s evolving manufacturing network offers a revealing case study in the broader geopolitical and supply chain shifts affecting the sector.

About the series:

With trade policy evolving rapidly and sustainability concerns becoming increasingly urgent, supply chain management research is at the forefront of addressing these global challenges. This is a unique opportunity for the operations management community to lead: to shape how we understand and respond to global interdependence, to inform managerial decisions and public policy, and to guide what we teach the next generation.

Join us for this timely conversation as we continue to explore how global trade and sustainability challenges are reshaping supply chain research, industry practice, and policy.