Introduction

Climate change is at the forefront due to the potential catastrophic risks posed to human lives and activities (Keohane and Victor, 2010; UNECE, 2010; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2012). Schaeffer et al. (2012) warn that by 2100, sea levels may be up to 80 centimeters than what they are today. It is too late to avoid all the deleterious effects of climate change, in no small part due to uncertainties on how the problem should be addressed (Applegate, 2010). Thus, adaptation is not a choice but a necessity. In this case, supply chains are especially vulnerable to such risks. Despite strong evidence suggesting that institutional systems influence climate change adaptation due to ambiguity and competing political interests (Wheeler et al., 2009; Keohane and Victor, 2010; Preston et al., 2011; Osthorst and Manz, 2012), most attention focuses on physical and technical details of capitalintensive engineering projects, for example, elevation, levee, dykes and so on (National Research Council of the USA (NRC), 2010a). Adaptation is still not adequately investigated, especially in terms of the reduction of uncertainty in decision- making, public policy, and institutional practice. Indeed, the sustainability of supply chains depends on the extent to which supply chain facilities and infrastructures can adapt and remain resilient to climate change impacts.

Understanding such, this chapter dissects the dilemmas of climate adaptation planning. It investigates whether climate change adaptation has catalyzed a transformation of the nature and practice of planning. Two port cases, namely, San Diego (United States) and Vancouver (Canada), are used in our discussions. Ports are appropriate targets for illustrative purpose as they play important roles in affecting the efficiency of supply chains (Ng and Liu, 2014).

Introduction

Logistics industry is traditionally one of the four economic pillars of Hong Kong (The Census and Statistics Department, 2016). Within service, the logistics industry has generated 6 percent of Hong Kong's total GDP in 2015. Thanks to the domestic demand and investments, Hong Kong's annual growth rate (in terms of GDP) has recorded an average of 5.38 percent between 1974 and 2015 (The Census and Statistics Department, 2016). Recently, Hong Kong has become an international hub for trade, business and finance, notably, with Mainland China entering the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, the introduction of Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) in 2003 and the introduction of the “Belt and Road” initiative in 2015. As such, the logistics industry has made significant economic contributions to the ever- changing global environment. However, Hong Kong's logistics industry has faced keen competition with neighboring countries in the Asia- Pacific regions. To further strengthen and consolidate the competitiveness of Hong Kong's logistics industry in the world, it would be crucial to develop a comprehensive logistics education. In today's global and dynamic environment, there has been increasing concern that professional education could be an effective approach to improve productivity, and employees of the highest quality have the quality and competency to respond effectively to continuous changes (Becker, 1993). Recently, there has been a tremendous growth in academic institutions considering apprentice- style, non academic learning approaches to add on their “professional” and “practicebased” programs (Bourner et al., 2001).

Supply Chain Management

The field of SCM emerged over a half century ago and continues to evolve. In the early 1980s, scholars began to connect SCM to “systems theory” and “holism” (New, 1997). In the 1990s, research on SCM significantly increased (Huan et al., 2004). However, the definitions of “supply chain” and “supply chain management” are not universally shared, with different scholars providing different perspectives. Before reviewing the role of outbound logistics in supply chains, we may develop a clear understanding of the supply chain. Thus, we examine some central concepts as follows.

Many scholars have tried to provide effective interpretations of SCM through different approaches. Simchi- Levi et al. (2009, p. 1) offered the following definition: “supply chain management is a set of approaches utilized to efficiently integrate suppliers, manufacturers, warehouses, and stores, so that merchandise is produced and distributed at the right quantities, to the right locations, and at the right time, in order to minimize systemwide costs while satisfying service level requirements.” SCM concerns the coordination of all activities related to the entire supply chain, starting with raw materials and concluding with a satisfied customer. The main objective of SCM is to reshape the supply chain to maximize an operator's competitive advantage over others (Heizer et al., 2017). In addition, Christopher (1992, p. 12) provided this explanation: “The supply chain is the network of organizations that are involved, through upstream and downstream linkages, in the different processes and activities that produce value in the form of products and services in the hands of the ultimate customer.”

Introduction

A supply chain is a series of organizations that interact with one another in order to bring products (goods or services) to the final consumer. Typically a supply chain includes customer or consumer, retail or retail stages, merchants or distributors, manufacturers or manufacturers and suppliers, among others (Chan et al., 2012; Tang and Lau, 2013; Lau et al., 2018).

One of the main purposes of managing supply chains is the coordination and improvement of interorganizational processes. The world's bestrecognized definitions come from the Council of Professional Supply Chain Management, formerly known as the Council of Logistics Management.

Before the 1990s, companies were oriented to managing their internal processes, but as the approach to supply chain management emerged, the emphasis shifted to managing interorganizational processes, which went beyond the boundaries of one's own institution.

In an integrated supply chain approach, organizations realize that they need to include not only their suppliers and customers, but also third- party service providers (intermediary and service providers) to identify and improve their critical processes, in such a way that can be gained collaboratively through synergies, in order to meet customer requirements at a lower cost, with greater quality and speed (Figure 6.1).

Introduction

Only a few decades ago, the world spoke about “quality” as a concept to add value in products and services; then the “just in time” concept appeared some years after. At that time, engineers, administrators and logistics strategists focused on designing intelligent and reliable strategies that would boost the concept of “supply chain” and guarantee greater efficiency in the delivery of products and services on time. It was essential to do what was necessary to achieve such, the production lines did not stop for any reason and added to the previous concept of quality and the consumers satisfied their need, taste or desire as soon as possible.

Quality refers to the ability of an object to meet implicit or explicit needs according to a parameter, a fulfillment of quality requirements (Figure 9.1). It is a subjective concept related to the perceptions of each individual to compare the thing with any other of the same species, and various factors such as culture, product or service, needs and expectations directly influence this definition.

The term quality of Latin is “qualitative.” A current view of the concept of quality in marketing indicates that quality is not delivering to the customer what they want, but delivering what they had never imagined they were looking for and that once they get it, realize it is what they have always wanted.

There is also quality control, quality assurance and quality management concepts that are related to quality in industries and services.