In September 2018, A powerful earthquake hit the Japanese island of Hokkaido. As a result. Toyota was forced to suspend production at a key plant, disrupting the supply of components to Toyota's factories across Japan as well as other countries, including the U.S. and Canada. The earthquake and a recent typhoon in Japan highlight how vulnerable global supply chains can be to natural disasters. Discuss:

The advantages and disadvantages of relying on a limited number of production facilities for critical component parts?

Impact on the cost of capital to rebuild in an area subject to earthquakes.

How companies can make their supply chains more stable against the whims of Mother Nature.