A Natural Resource Scarcity Typology: Theoretical Foundations and Strategic Implications for Supply Chain Management

orld population growth and increased consumption stemming from economic leveling are leading to scarcity of a number ofnatural resources on a global scale. Scarcity of critical natural resources such as oil, water, food, and precious metals has thepotential to greatly impact commercial activity as the twenty-first century progresses. The challenge of continuing to provide neededgoods and services in the face of these constraints falls to supply chain managers, who are ultimately responsible for delivering utilityto customers. Unfortunately, there has been almost no research focused on supply chain strategies aimed at mitigating natural resourcescarcity’s (NRS) potential effects. The current research positions NRS as a supply chain risk and proposes an NRS typology based onkey resource attributes. Supply chain mitigation strategies to counter each resource status are offered, with an overall objective ofimproving supply chain performance. The study recommends future research aimed at further developing theory and methods forcountering NRS based on resource, systems and behavioral theories. In addition, this study has critical implications for practitionersfaced with the growing threat of NRS in their supply chains.Keywords: natural resources; supply chain management; population growth; supply chain risk; sustainabilityThree convergent societal forces described in both popularand academic literatures jeopardize global commercial activ-ity. First, human population growth and migration challengeindustries’ abilities to link demand for essential goods and ser-vices with adequate supply. Second, global Internet pervasive-ness has led to worldwide consumerism, flattening nationaldemand curves. Third, and consequently, natural resourcesneeded to sate future product demand are rapidly depleting(i.e., Biswas 2005; Diamond 2005; Lahart et al. 2008;Eccleston 2009; Friedman 2009; Pullman et al. 2009). Accord-ingly, supply chain managers should consider natural resourcescarcity (NRS) a critical supply chain risk factor for theforeseeable future.Economists and physical scientists (i.e., Hotelling 1931;Barnett and Morse 1963; Nelson and Honnold 1976; Koberg1987; Krautkraemer 1998; Baumgarten et al. 2004;Kronenberg 2008)