ABSTRACT
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations experienced supply chain disruptions to various degrees. Due to the nature and magnitude of the pandemic, many commonly practiced supply chain practices became impractical, highlighting the importance of building up resilience in the supply chain network to enable them to operate effectively in uncertain conditions. In an organizational context, modern-day supply chains are prone to experience quick disruptions because of their inherent complexity. Due to the nature of the Sri Lankan economy, the scope of disruption to trade and the ripple effect of disruptions to associated industries would be different from those of developed nations. The objective of this study is to understand the concept of supply chain resilience and its applicability when facing a critical disruptive force such as a pandemic. A thorough literature review and interviews were conducted with leading FMCG companies in Sri Lanka to determine how supply chain resilience could be achieved by overcoming the most critical risks encountered during a pandemic. Based on the data collected, a conceptual framework was developed to support strategic decision-making to achieve supply chain resilience during high-impact low-frequency disruptions such as a pandemic. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
Decision-making during a crisis impacts the performance of an entire organization. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations had undergone supply chain disruptions due to the forward and backward propagation of disruptions in the global supply chain networks, implying the importance of building up resilience in the supply chain networks. This study intends to systematically review the existing literature to determine the impact of optimal decision-making during crises to build up supply chain resilience. The paper has focused on the need for evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the FMCG industry and how supply chain resilience would improve in performance during such crises. The study also assessed the existing decision support systems for resilience in a supply chain network and their applicability during a crisis. Some of these models could be used to facilitate decision-making during an epidemic as well. Precisely determining resilience factors affected during an unexpected circumstance would enhance the value of the decision support system in use. Furthermore, it was concluded that the use of quantitative models should be further investigated, as most published work focuses on the conceptualization of a restricted number of resilience factors instead of the development of integrated, comprehensive approaches. © 2021 IEEE.