CAPS Research studies are bias-free, disciplined, and executable.
Led by notable professors in the supply management space from top universities worldwide in collaboration with supply management executives, reports are designed to give you a head start on the topics that shape the profession.
A future-looking agenda with practical application today
The CAPS research schedule
CAPS research studies are member-driven and future-focused, ensuring that the actions you take today give your organization the upper hand for the future of the profession. Through our research pipeline meetings, members guide our agenda and it is carried out by researchers over the following year.
Designing Antifragile Supply Chains in a Geopolitically Uncertain World
Researchers: Mahyar Eftekhar, Andres Jola-Sanchez, Adegoke Oke
Geopolitical risks, including trade wars, conflicts, sanctions, political instability, and resource scarcity, pose significant challenges that can disrupt global supply chains and affect markets, currencies, and commodity prices. These risks can also impact employee safety and labor availability. To address these challenges, organizations need to develop resilience strategies that enable them to thrive amidst geopolitical disruptions. The study focuses on exploring the current and future impacts of geopolitical factors on supply strategies and identifying innovations firms use to succeed in volatile environments.
Business Continuity in Times of Turbulence: Relationship Management Across the Supply Network - June
Business Continuity in Times of Turbulence: Relationship Management Across the Supply Network
Researchers: Robert Wiedmer, Adegoke Oke
Disruptions are unexpected events that interrupt normal business operations and supply chain processes, occurring at any stage and varying in severity from minor delays to major crises. They can arise from internal or external factors and challenge a firm's ability to meet customer demands and maintain efficiency. Recent years have seen an increase in disruptions due to natural disasters, geopolitical issues, and cybersecurity threats, impacting access to critical resources and affecting operations, sales, and relationships within the supply chain. To mitigate these impacts, firms must build resilience into their supply chains to ensure business continuity and procurement supply assurance. In this study, we will look at the type and reach of relationships implemented by companies to build resilience to ensure business continuity and supply assurance.
CAPS research reports
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Sign up for our newsletter or subscribe to our YouTube channel for short preview videos. Each report consists of the full study, a brief with report highlights, and illustrative examples and use cases. Our newest research reports are available to members immediately upon release with login. Non-members with an account in the CAPS Library may access research published more than 7 years ago.
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ESG Regulations Meet Supply Chain Realities
Published April 2026 by CAPS Research
Researchers: Hitendra Chaturvedi, Craig Carter
This study examines how ESG regulations are reshaping supply chains at the sourcing stage, well before impacts appear in inventory or reporting. Based on survey and interview data, it explores how supplier selection, contracting, and network design are evolving, and highlights the resulting effects on cost, lead times, and working capital, along with key tradeoffs organizations need to manage.
CAPS Research members: Register for an account or login to access all reports in the CAPS Library now.
CAPS Research members: Register for an account or login to access all reports in the CAPS Library now.
ESG Regulations Meet Supply Chain Realities
Published April 2026
Researchers: Hitendra Chaturvedi, Craig Carter
This report explores how ESG regulations are reshaping supply chains, particularly through their impact on sourcing decisions and operational structures. It highlights how compliance requirements extend beyond reporting to influence cost, resilience, and supplier networks. By offering a clear, mechanism-based perspective, the report helps managers and policymakers better understand ESG’s real operational effects and make more informed decisions in navigating evolving regulatory demands.
Negotiation Bots: An AI Supported Framework for Procurement Contract Negotiations
Published January 2026
Researchers: Rui Yin, Scott Webster, Yalin Wang
This white paper shows how AI is already reshaping procurement negotiations and introduces Negotiation Bots — a framework that models anchoring, power asymmetry, and emotions. Drawing on academic research and pilots like Walmart and Maersk’s use of Pactum, it illustrates how AI can automate routine negotiations, boost efficiency, and strengthen relationships. It also outlines why many pilots stall — fragmented data, weak governance, and limited readiness — and offers a roadmap for CPOs to invest in clean data, integrated platforms, AI literacy, and clear autonomy/transparency rules to make negotiation AI a strategic capability or risk being out-negotiated.
Emerging Applications of AI in Cybersecurity
Published November 2025
Researcher: Robert Handfield
As cyber threats grow more sophisticated and supply chain attacks become a significant source of risk, organizations are turning to AI to strengthen their defenses. This report explores how organizatons are leveraging AI to counter increasingly sophisticated cyber threats and vulnerabilities across interconnected supply networks. Key findings include supply chain attack trends, AI-driven threat detection and response, outcome-based governance metrics, the human factor (social engineering), contracting levers like SBOMs and policies for managing LLMs.
CAPS research reports are practitioner-focused, practically-applicable, and relevant to the evolving supply management landscape. We leverage our powerful network of supply management executives at leading companies worldwide and the expertise and discipline of notable supply management academics from top institutions.
Our researchers' higher education institutions:
- Arizona State University
- Colorado State University
- ESADE Business School (Spain)
- Miami University
- Michigan State University
- North Carolina State University
- Northeastern University
- Ohio State University
- Portland State University
- Rutgers The State University of New Jersey
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) (Switzerland)
- Texas A&M University
- University of Houston
- University of Minnesota
- University of Notre Dame
- University of North Texas
- University of Tennessee
- Wake Forest University
- Wayne State University
Soliciting research participants
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