ABSTRACT
The disruption in the supply chain imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic has posed important challenges for companies. This study explores the consequences of the pandemic on the supply chain of companies, identifying the main problems and proposing solutions for future disruptive situations. The qualitative study presented is based on the study of multiple cases obtained through interviews with Portuguese companies. Exploring the multiple cases of companies revealed that companies with less resilient and more vulnerable supply chains, both upstream and downstream, were most affected by the pandemic. The supply chain that includes redundancies and adopting appropriate risk management tools by companies guarantees greater flexibility for supply chains to adapt more quickly to disruptive situations. This exploratory study contributes to the approach of the Complex Adaptive System theory and brings new insights into the consequences of the pandemic on supply chains. © 2022, Czestochowa University of Technology. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The covid-19 pandemic brought the opportunity to accelerate the acceptance and usage of existing behaviors and innovations by society and the market. Amongst these innovations, e-commerce food stands out, allowing food companies to redesign their models to face the demand during the pandemic. This research aims to recognize the profile of online food buyers within Portugal and understand the determinants of online food purchase intention in the context of the pandemic. The methodology applied is quantitative, using the Partial Least Squares method to test the hypotheses formulated by the proposed structural model. The data used resulted from applying an online questionnaire to 358 food consumers in Portugal. The results show that situational factors directly related to eating behavior positively impact the online food shopping experience, increasing the intention to purchase food online during covid-19. Concerning the profile of the e-consumer, it seems that owning a vehicle negatively influences the intention to purchase food in e-commerce, as opposed to the level of income, which is a positive factor. On the theoretical side, this research contributes to the literature by contributing on the theme of food e-commerce in a pandemic time, which is currently very scarce. As for practical contributions, through the identification of the trends in consumer behavior during and after the pandemic, companies can better anticipate and prepare for new consumer needs and profiles, consequently developing new strategies and increasing their e-commerce sales. Since Portugal has a small digital population and less than 35% of digital natives, the prominence of studies in this area is minor. The current research is original and innovative, as studies that analyze consumer behavior in food e-commerce in this country, specifically during a pandemic, are scarcer. © 2023, Universidad Nacional de Colombia. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The economic and social environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has brought additional pressure on supply chains because they now have more pressure to develop and adapt to a context of economic constraint. Delays in the supply chain can bring consequences such as the lack of food products by retailers, transporters and manufacturers. Thus, this study aims to examine the supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic in small- and medium-sized food companies in the central region of Portugal, identifying potential problems and pointing out the respective solutions. For this purpose, the study uses a qualitative methodology through semi-structured interviews. It was found that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) do not have a codified supply chain and that generally, these companies have a minimal budget, which requires a constant search for new suppliers that represent a reduction in costs. Moreover, most of the companies surveyed faced unexpected challenges, such as a lack of alternative suppliers. The present paper is original because it studies the supply chain in SMEs in the food sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it allows the ascertainment of practical suggestions for these companies to improve, as well as contributing to the clarification of the literature on the supply chain in times of crisis such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.