Kevin Cornish (atrisk.net) recently blogged about situational values and fake parts in the supply chain.  His best line?  ". . . the human element matters more than ever . . ."

Citing the loquacious, but nearly always on-target, Tom Friedman from the New York Times, Cornish introduced the ultimate reality that all partners in supply chain relationships must become more responsible because we can't shield ourselves from the irresponsibility of others.

Right on, Kevin; right on, Tom!

But, do consider this.  The issue of values among supply chain collaborators would be much easier to deal with in those cases of building the right kinds of relationships with the right kinds of people (i.e., organizations) in the first instance. 

Think about the potential for financial and emotional catastrophes lurking in trying to extricate oneself from an E&J Gallo-induced marriage to a pole dancer of recent acquaintance.

It's much tougher to reconcile value systems after the fact, when commitments have been made on a superficial basis, cost per transaction for example, rather than on the value of integrated and collaborative efforts in a competitive marketplace.