Supply Chain Operations Management in Pandemics: A State-of-the-Art Review Inspired by COVID-19

Muhammad Umar Farooq,Amjad Hussain,Tariq Masood,Muhammad Salman Habib

doi:10.3390/su13052504

Abstract

Pandemics cause chaotic situations in supply chains (SC) around the globe, which can lead towards survivability challenges. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that has severely affected global business dynamics. Similar vulnerabilities have been caused by other outbreaks in the past. In these terms, prevention strategies against propagating disruptions require vigilant goal conceptualization and roadmaps. In this respect, there is a need to explore supply chain operation management strategies to overcome the challenges that emerge due to COVID-19-like situations. Therefore, this review is aimed at exploring such challenges and developing strategies for sustainability, and viability perspectives for SCs, through a structured literature review (SLR) approach. Moreover, this study investigated the impacts of previous epidemic outbreaks on SCs, to identify the research objectives, methodological approaches, and implications for SCs. The study also explored the impacts of epidemic outbreaks on the business environment, in terms of effective resource allocation, supply and demand disruptions, and transportation network optimization, through operations management techniques. Furthermore, this article structured a framework that emphasizes the integration of Industry 4.0 technologies, resilience strategies, and sustainability to overcome SC challenges during pandemics. Finally, future research avenues were identified by including a research agenda for experts and practitioners to develop new pathways to get out of the crisis.

Highlights

Disruptions to business operations and global supply chains (SC) caused by disasters have led the practitioners and researchers to focus on survivability, which is the most concerning topic these days [1]
The journals with a focus on operations and supply chain managelogistics, and production represent a major portion of the selected publications
The study presented a systematic analysis of the sustainability and viability perspective of SCs, by using a structured literature review and the extraction of future research avenues, which have not been comprehensively focused before

Summary

Introduction

Disruptions to business operations and global supply chains (SC) caused by disasters have led the practitioners and researchers to focus on survivability, which is the most concerning topic these days [1]. There have been several threats, such as climate changes leading to natural disasters, man-made circumstances (in terms of terrorism), and several other potential risks. Companies look for ways to survive in tough times and sustain their positions after such events. A potential roadmap for ensuring both objectives is to transform their operations and SC activities into transparent, agile, and reliable cyber–physical systems. Many industrial tycoons have started the journey towards digitalization [2]. To survive during disasters, the focus on improving market-share, ecological consciousness, and differentiation through technology leadership, along with a reliable and sustainable SC network requires a workable framework.

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Conclusion