Entrepreneurial strategies for coping with supply chain disruptions in the grocery-retail sector

PurposeThis study aims to explore business strategies adopted by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK's grocery-retail industry to cope with supply chain (SC) disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted two phases of research methods. In Phase 1, in-depth interviews were conducted with ten SMEs from England. Whilst abiding by national guidelines on the travel restrictions imposed by the government, in Phase 2 email-based interviews were conducted with 22 SMEs across the UK's grocery-retail industry. The thematic analysis technique was adopted to analyse the data.FindingsThis study reveals that SMEs need clearer avenues of communication with the government and better resources for learning and training. SMEs also need to expand their implementation of information technology to improve SC collaboration. In the meantime, they need to improve their power positions in SCs and reduce dependence on SC partners.Originality/valueSMEs in the grocery-retailer industry have been increasingly under pressure to compete with bigger grocery retailers. During the pandemic they have faced great challenges and been looking for strategies to improve their performance. While a major proportion of participants in the grocery-retailer industry are fragmented SMEs, the majority of studies have focussed on larger retailers and end consumers. With the help of the social exchange theory, this research reveals new insights into business strategies to cope with SC disruptions, and offer the foundation for a new line of research on preparation for future disruptions.

Achieving resilience through knowledge management practices and risk management culture in agri-food supply chains

PurposeGiven the increasingly turbulent business landscape and unprecedented incidents (e.g. Covid-19), firms must achieve supply chain resilience (SCRes) as a dynamic capability to bounce back from adversities and ensure continuity of operations. The purpose of this study is to integrate the three interrelated [knowledge management, risk management culture (RMC) and resilience] but often separately discussed concepts to advance the understanding of their intertwined influence on SCRes in the agri-food supply chains.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a cross-sectional survey approach where quantitative data is collected from 349 participants from the Australian agri-food supply chains to test the proposed hypotheses.FindingsExposure to supply chain risks triggers the deployment of specific knowledge management practices in the agri-food supply chains. Further, the analysis on serial mediation suggests that firms' knowledge management practices work sequentially (knowledge acquisition, assimilation and application) and develop a RMC to achieve SCRes amid supply chain risks.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study inform practitioners and policymakers who seek to understand the key mechanisms that facilitate the development of SCRes when facing supply chain risks, particularly in the Australian agri-food supply chains.Social implicationsThe growth of the food industry through more resilient food supply chains could ensure sustained food supply and more employment opportunities.Originality/valueUsing dynamic capability theory, the authors devise a novel empirical model that explicates how knowledge management practices and RMC instigate the dynamic capability of SCRes amid supply chain risks facing agri-food supply chains.

Resilience in healthcare supply chains: a review of the UK's response to the COVID19 pandemic

PurposeThe purpose of this explorative research is to analyse the resilience of the United Kingdom's (UK) healthcare supply chains from a customer's perspective in the light of the coronavirus pandemic.Design/methodology/approachUsing the capabilities of preparedness, robustness, recovery and adaptability as the foundational percept for supply chain resilience, 22 healthcare professionals in 17 of the UK's National Health Scheme (NHS) Trusts were interviewed to explore their personal and organisational approaches adopted relative to the provision of eye protection, gloves, gowns, aprons, masks and respirators. The Dynamic Capabilities View is mapped to the resilience capabilities and used to analyse the data from a transformational supply chain research perspective.FindingsThe supply chains were largely unprepared, which was not particularly surprising even though the availability of gloves was significantly better compared to the other personal protective equipment (PPE). Techniques adopted to ensure robustness and recovery revealed the use of unsanctioned methods such as extended use of PPE beyond recommended use, redefinition of guidelines, protocols and procedures by infection control and the use of expired PPE – all of which compromised customer well-being.Research limitations/implicationsAs the paper views resilience through the lens of customers, it does not provide the perspectives of the supply chain practitioners as to the reasons for the findings and the challenges within these supply chains.Practical implicationsThe compromise of the well-being of healthcare workers due to the vulnerabilities of healthcare supply chains is highlighted to managers and prescriptions for post-disruption adaptability are made.Originality/valueThis paper introduces transformative research to supply chain resilience research by uniquely looking at resilience from the customers' well-being perspective.

Supply chain resilience: the role of supplier development in the form of contract farming in fast-food outlets in Zimbabwe

Purpose>The study sought to determine the possibility of supplier development in the form of contract farming as a determinant of supply chain resilience in fast-food outlets. This is against the background of the restaurant having been designated as one of the industries that remained operational when the other industries were affected by the two-decade-long economic meltdown and more recently COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approach>Data were collected using questionnaires from the consenting restaurants with the most senior procurement personnel in target restaurants as the informants and analysed using analysis of moment structures (AMOS) software.Findings>The results revealed that indeed supplier development in the form of contract farming leads to supply chain resilience as indicated by improved supply chain visibility, supply chain flexibility, and supply chain redundancy. Fast-food restaurant businesses that have not yet adopted supplier development in the form of contract farming are therefore encouraged to adopt it as a way of enhancing their resilience to traditional supply chain disruptions such as transport shortages, droughts, and more recently COVID-19 pandemic.Originality/value>It is to the best knowledge of these researchers, that no studies have attempted to analyse the three drivers of supply chain resilience, namely supply chain redundancy, supply chain flexibility, and supply chain visibility in a single study and link them to a single antecedent.

Challenges of agri-food supply in city region food systems: an emerging economy perspective

Purpose>This paper explores the challenges of food security from source to consumption of agri-food value chain by considering urban–rural linkages in city region food systems (CRFSs) and proposes a strategic framework for CRFS identifying strategies to promote urban–rural linkages among multiple stakeholders.Design/methodology/approach>A qualitative case study approach to a fruit and vegetable value chain from rural source to consumption in the Colombo City region identifies the challenges of food security. A snowballing sampling method was used to gather information from retailers, wholesalers, commission agent, farmers and consumers. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews, observations and secondary data sources. The data were analysed using thematic analysis.Findings>Challenges in food security in the value chain related to five areas: input and production, infrastructure, public institutional support and policy, finance, and food market. Colombo city is heavily dependent on food sourced from other cities due to limited land and lack of locally situated commercially oriented farmers.Research limitations/implications>This research is limited to a selected number of fruits and vegetables in the Colombo city region and leaves out other food items.Originality/value>This study contributes to informing policy and decision-making processes to promote a more balanced rural to city food value chain in Colombo City that could benefit all stakeholders from rural small-scale producers to urban consumers.

Sustainable food supply chains: overcoming key challenges through digital technologies

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to offer a consolidative approach in exploring the potential contribution of digital technologies in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) for the sustainable performance of food supply chain business, through the circular economy concepts.Design/methodology/approachAs a single case study, this qualitative, interpretivist research was based on one of the largest food producers in the United Kingdom. The research utilises semi-structured interviews and applies thematic analysis to offer rich insights into SSCM challenges and their relationship with the business performance, through ten in-depth interviews.FindingsFindings derived from thematic analysis of the interview transcripts suggest four main critical success factors underpinning SSCM practices and businesses performance – i.e. business continuity, waste reduction, performance measurement approach, and organisational learning, which could use the help of digital technologies to improve. This led to seven propositions to be addressed in the future research.Originality/valueThis research offers real, practical insights into SSCM challenges, within the context of food supply chain and explores the potential of digital technologies in overcoming them. Accordingly, the primary contribution of this work is grounded in the identification of critical success factors in SSCM for food supply chains (FSC). Hence, this work contributes further to the literature on SSCM, as well as circular economy, by providing a study of a business in the context of the highly pertinent and valuable food industry.