# WoN Mapping Rules — Supply Chain Infospace

## Purpose of Mapping

The mapping stage asks: which Wealth of Nations concept does this supply
chain entity most directly correspond to? The goal is not to find a
superficial name match but to identify structural correspondence — same
mechanism, same trade-off, same systemic role — even when the surface form
is entirely different.

Smith had no concept of just-in-time inventory or logistics platforms. But
he had detailed accounts of circulating capital, merchant intermediaries,
and market price oscillation. The mapping discipline asks whether modern
concepts are genuinely new structures or modern instantiations of mechanisms
Smith already described.

## Mapping Strength Calibration

**Strong**: The modern concept and the WoN concept are the same mechanism
in different historical settings. The supply chain entity could be used
as an example in a modern edition of Smith's chapter, with only contextual
updating needed.

Example: Vendor-Managed Inventory is a Strong map to Division of Labour —
the function of inventory management is delegated to the party with the
greatest competence and information, which is precisely Smith's argument
for specialisation.

**Moderate**: The concepts share structural logic but differ in important
ways — the modern concept has features Smith's lacks, or operates under
conditions Smith did not analyse. The WoN concept illuminates the modern
concept but does not fully characterise it.

Example: Bullwhip Effect is a Moderate map to Natural Price as Central Price —
both describe oscillation of a market signal around a theoretical equilibrium,
but the bullwhip's amplification mechanism is an information distortion Smith
did not analyse in this form.

**Weak**: The mapping is analogical — useful for analysis but the
correspondence is partial or strained. The WoN concept provides a useful
frame but should not be treated as explanatory of the modern concept.

## One-to-Many Mappings

A supply chain entity may map to more than one WoN concept. Where this
occurs, create a separate mapping entry for each WoN concept, explaining
the different facets each illuminates.

## Unmappable Entities

If no plausible WoN mapping exists (the concept is genuinely novel),
document this explicitly with a brief explanation of what Smith's framework
lacks that would be needed to capture the concept.

## VSM Inheritance

Every WoN entity in the reference set has a VSM system assignment. When
a supply chain entity maps to a WoN entity, it inherits that VSM position.
If the supply chain entity maps to multiple WoN entities with different VSM
assignments, note the primary inheritance and explain any secondary VSM roles.
