AT THE END of August , the US Government Accountability Office ( GAO ) released its second report on the Securities and Exchange Commission conflict minerals reporting requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act . The GAO report found that , while more of the companies were able to determine the origin of the minerals that formed their products , nearly all reported that they had difficulty ascertaining whether those minerals were acquired with the assistance of armed groups . This is an important reminder to companies of the increased scrutiny on their supply chains , both in terms of materials and more generally on the overall human rights impacts . The analysis below considers the history of such legislation and where supply chain professionals go from here .

The procurement of goods used to be about price , delivery , and performance . Companies then began to manage their supply chains to maximize efficiency , with supply chain activities covering everything from product development , sourcing , production and logistics . Awareness

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