As companies become more and more dependent upon other organisations, they also become more and more vulnerable to ripple effects from accidents or business disruptions cascading through the supply chain. The British foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2001, for example, affected the agriculture industry more severely than previous outbreaks precisely because local and regional supply networks had become national and international. The effects were also felt outside of the agricultural industry, eg. luxury car manufacturers throughout Europe were forced to delay deliveries due to a shortage of quality leather.
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