The Impact of COVID-19 on Supply Chain in UAE Food Sector

The COVID-19 outbreak has significantly impacted supply chains and has caused several supply chain disruptions in almost all industries worldwide. Moreover, increased transportation costs, labor shortages, and insufficient storage facilities have all led to food loss during the pandemic, and this disruption has affected the logistics in the food value chain. As a result, we examine the food supply chain, which is one of the key industries COVID-19 has detrimentally affected, impacting, indeed, on the entire business process from the supplier all the way to the customer. Retail businesses are thus facing supply issues, which affect consumer behavior by creating stress regarding the availability of food. This has a negative impact on the amount of food that is available as well as its quality, freshness, safety, access to markets, and affordability. This study examines the impact of COVID-19 on the United Arab Emirates food distribution systems and how consumer behavior changed in reaction to interruptions in the food supply chain and the food security problem. Hypothesis testing was used in the study's quantitative methodology to assess consumer behavior, and participants who were consumers were given a descriptive questionnaire to ascertain whether the availability and security of food had been impacted. The study used JASP 0.17.2 software to develop a model of food consumption behavior and to reveal pertinent connections between each construct. Results show that consumer food stress and consumption behavior are directly impacted by food access, food quality and safety, and food pricing. Furthermore, food stress has an impact on how consumers behave when it comes to consumption. Food stress, however, is not significantly influenced by food supply.

COVID-19: Agent-Based Simulation-Optimization to Vaccine Center Location Vaccine Allocation Problem

This paper presents an agent-based simulation-optimization modeling and algorithmic framework to determine the optimal vaccine center location and vaccine allocation strategies under budget constraints during an epidemic outbreak. Both simulation and optimization models incorporate population health dynamics, such as susceptible (S), vaccinated (V), infected (I) and recovered (R), while their integrated utilization focuses on the COVID-19 vaccine allocation challenges. We first formulate a dynamic location-allocation mixed-integer programming (MIP) model, which determines the optimal vaccination center locations and vaccines allocated to vaccination centers, pharmacies, and health centers in a multi-period setting in each region over a geographical location. We then extend the agent-based epidemiological simulation model of COVID-19 (Covasim) by adding new vaccination compartments representing people who take the first vaccine shot and the first two shots. The Covasim involves complex disease transmission contact networks, including households, schools, and workplaces, and demographics, such as age-based disease transmission parameters. We combine the extended Covasim with the vaccination center location-allocation MIP model into one single simulation-optimization framework, which works iteratively forward and backward in time to determine the optimal vaccine allocation under varying disease dynamics. The agent-based simulation captures the inherent uncertainty in disease progression and forecasts the refined number of susceptible individuals and infections for the current time period to be used as an input into the optimization. We calibrate, validate, and test our simulation-optimization vaccine allocation model using the COVID-19 data and vaccine distribution case study in New Jersey. The resulting insights support ongoing mass vaccination efforts to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on public health, while the simulation-optimization algorithmic framework could be generalized for other epidemics. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of IISE Transactions is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Impact of Pandemic Outbreak and Targeted Required Reserve Ratio Cut Policy on Stock Return Rate: Evidence from China

This study analyzed the impact of COVID-19 outbreak and targeted required reserve ratio cut policy on stock returns of Chinese listed companies. This paper uses the data of 3,449 A-share listed companies from February 3, 2020 to December 31, 2020 for research, the empirical results showed that stock prices of private enterprises with stronger debt-paying ability and looser financing constraints, and state-owned enterprises with less supply chain credit risks performed better, in the central and western regions, enterprises with stronger solvency and looser financing constraints have better stock price performance during the early stages of pandemic. After the implementation of the targeted RRR cut policy, the stock prices of enterprises with poor solvency, private enterprises, and enterprises in central and western regions with strong financing constraints, state-owned enterprises, and enterprises in eastern region with high credit risks all showed significant reversals, and the stock prices reflected the effect of the targeted RRR cut policy in the short and medium term. Over time, the pandemic has been controlled, and the resumption of work and production has freed most enterprises from financial difficulties. However, due to sporadic outbreaks, large private enterprises and eastern enterprises with strong risk resistance and loose financing constraints enjoy better stock price performance. This study is helpful for enterprises to understand the value of financial flexibility and solvency and provides a reference for enterprises to make financial decisions: how to balance the benefits and costs of solvency. © Tian Wang, Fang Fang and Linhao Zheng, 2023.

Demand Forecasting in SCM for Automobile Industry based on Time-series Modeling

In supply chain management (SCM), product classification and demand forecasting are crucial pillars to ensure companies to have production in the right category and quantity for long-term profitability. Due to COVID-19 from 2019, the automobile industry has been seriously negatively affected as the demand dropped dramatically. Therefore, it is necessary to make reasonable product classification and accurate demand forecasting to facilitate automobile companies in SCM to reduce unpopular product manufacture and unnecessary storage costs. In this paper, the Canada automobile market has been chosen with the period from 1946 to 2022. To classify a number of different types of motor vehicles into several categories with general characteristics, K-means Clustering method is applied. With the seasonal patterns and random generated features for auto sales, the time series models ARIMA and SARIMA are adopted for demand forecasting. According to the analysis, the automobiles fitting in the category with high demand and low price are valuable for further production. In addition, SARIMA Model is more accurate and fits better than ARIMA Model for both the training and test datasets for long-term prediction. The classification and forecasting results shed light on guiding manufacturers to adjust production schemes and ensuring auto dealers to predict more accurate sales in order to optimize the strategic planning. © 2023 SPIE.

Applying blockchain technology to ensure compliance with sustainability standards in the PPE multi-tier supply chain

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, urgent surging demand for healthcare products such as personal protective equipment (PPE) has caused significant challenges for multi-tier supply chain management. Although a given firm may predominantly focus on an arms-length solution by targeting the first-tier supplier, the firm can still struggle with extended multi-tier suppliers it cannot choose which use unsustainable practices. One key goal is compliance across various dimensions with production, environmental and labour standards across the multi-tier supply chain, a goal that blockchain technology can be applied to manage. Based on a comprehensive literature review, this research develops a system architecture of blockchain-based multi-tier sustainable supply chain management in the PPE industry designed to identify and coordinate standards in production and social and environmental sustainability in multi-tier PPE supply chains. The architecture was validated by theoretical basis, expert opinions and technical solutions. We conclude with managerial implications for implementing blockchain technology to advance sustainable multi-tier supply chain practices.

Managing disruptions in the maritime industry – a systematic literature review

PurposeThis paper presents a systematic review of the literature in the domain of maritime disruption management, upon which future research framework and agenda are proposed. Two review questions, i.e. the measures that are employed to manage disruptions and how these contribute to resilience performance, were pursued.Design/methodology/approachThe systematic literature review procedure was strictly followed, including identification and planning, execution, selection and synthesis and analysis. A review protocol was developed, including scope, databases and criteria guiding the review. Following this, 47 articles were eventually extracted for the systematic review to identify themes for not only addressing the review questions but also highlighting future research opportunities.FindingsIt was found that earlier studies mainly focused on measures, which are designed using mathematical models, management frameworks and other technical support systems, to analyse and evaluate risks, and their impacts on maritime players at the levels of organisation, transport system and region in which the organisation is embedded. There is, however, a lack of research that empirically examines how these measures would contribute to enhancing the resilience performance of maritime firms and their organisational performance as a whole. Subsequently, a Digitally Embedded and Technically Support Maritime Disruption Management (DEST-MDM) model is proposed.Research limitations/implicationsThis review is constrained by studies recorded by the Web of Science only. Nevertheless, the proposed research model would expectedly contribute to enhancing knowledge building in the specific domain of maritime disruption management and supply chain management overall while providing meaningful managerial implications to policymakers and managers in the maritime industry.Originality/valueThis research is perhaps one of the first studies which presents a systematic review of literature in maritime disruption management and proposes a future research framework that establishes the link between disruption management and resilience and organisational performance for empirical validation.

Criteria Clustering and Supplier Segmentation Based on Sustainable Shared Value Using BWM and PROMETHEE

With the advent of healthy visions, two of the trends that have become extremely important in the supply chain in recent decades are corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability, which have affected the activities of buyers and suppliers. The next trend that is emerging is the vision of creating shared value (CSV), which wants to move the supply chain toward solving social problems in a completely strategic way. This research intends to develop a step-by-step framework for evaluating and segmenting suppliers based on CSV criteria in the supply chain. In the first stage, the criteria for creating sustainable shared value (CSSV) are obtained through existing activities in the field of CSR. The obtained criteria are then divided into two categories, strategic and critical, and then the weight of each criterion is obtained using the best–worst method (BWM). In the next step, based on the Kraljic model, the suppliers are divided into four clusters using the preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation (PROMETHEE) technique. This framework helps the buyer to conclude and select purchasing decisions and relationships with suppliers through the lenses of CSV and sustainability.

Economic Aspects of a Resource Sharing Manufacturing Network under Turbulences

Nowadays, manufacturing companies face more difficulties than ever. Unrest in global supply chains triggered by fluctuating customer demand, raw material shortages and crises (Covid pandemic, global warming, wars) complicate the utilization of production resources necessary for economic success. Also, the rapidly changing environment causes existing production plans to be adapted, which results in order changes, causing additional costs for manufacturers. One solution to cope with these problems is cooperation and sharing resources: requesting capacity from partners when having shortages and offering them temporarily in case of excess capacity. In this paper, a platform-based resource sharing mechanism is investigated from the economic perspective. In the mechanism, requests and offers are matched by a central platform applying a complex matching logic. The platform provides valid alternatives based on the incoming ordersthat the requesting company can choose from. Companies are rating each other's performance after each interaction based on delivery accuracy;choosing between resource offers is made based on the cumulated rating about the offeror and the price of the offer. Within this paper, the aim is to investigate the resource sharing mechanism from the economic point of view based on an approach to the responsiveness of a supply chain structure to turbulence, to support decision-makers trying to cope with unexpected changes. For this purpose, here the mechanism is briefly introduced, and basic concepts about turbulences in supply chains are also presented. Cost types related to resource sharing manufacturing companies are distinguished, and the model is validated with agent-based simulation. A simulation experiment is performed to investigate the use-case of outsourced jobs having different price levels. Based on the experiment, it can be concluded that there is a price level limit in such a resource sharing federation, under which it is worth it to collaborate with partners by outsourcing certain jobs to them. © 2022 Authors. All rights reserved.

Guest editorial: Post-COVID-19 sustainable supply chain management in emerging markets

Since the early 2000s, emerging markets have become the heart of global supply chains hosting a large volume of industrial productions. The second article looked into the barriers to attaining sustainability in supply chain of the Bangladeshi pharmaceutical sector and developed a hierarchical structure of those barriers using interpretive structural modeling and MICMAC analysis. The eleventh article explored a new way to assess suppliers' suitability by considering pseudo-resilience factors to achieve SSC in the post-COVID-19 era using an analytical hierarchy process and R. It also provided a case study of three smartphone processor suppliers (Jessin et al., 2023).

Supply chain analytics and post-pandemic performance: mediating role of triple-A supply chain strategies

PurposeThe abrupt outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) hit every nation in 2020–2021, causing a worldwide pandemic. The worldwide COVID-19 epidemic, described as a "black swan”, has severely disrupted manufacturing firms' supply chain. The purpose of this study is to investigate how supply chain data analytics enable the effective deployment of agility, adaptability and alignment (3As) strategies, resulting in improving post-COVID disruption performance. It also analyses the indirect effect of supply chain data analytics on disruption performance through the 3As supply chain strategies.Design/methodology/approachThe hypothesis and theoretical framework were tested using a questionnaire survey. The authors employed structural equation modelling through the SMART PLS version 3.2.7 to analyse data from 163 textile firms located in Pakistan.FindingsThe results revealed that the supply chain data analytics contributed positively and significantly to the agility and adaptability, while all 3As supply chain strategies impacted the PPERF substantially. Further, the connection between supply chain data analytics (SCDA) and disruption performance has substantially been influenced through 3As supply chain strategies.Practical implicationsThe results imply that in the event of low likelihood, high effect disruptions, managers and decision-makers should focus their efforts on integrating data analytics capabilities with 3As supply chain policies to ensure long-term company success.Originality/valueThis research sheds fresh light on the importance of data analytics in effectively implementing 3As strategies for sustaining company performance amid COVID-19 disruptions.

Resilient product and production adaptation in a large-scale disaster: Does it pay off?

Pandemic outbreaks can disrupt firms' normal operations, so they demand a resilient response. Firms can combine social responsibility initiatives with resilient responses by reconfiguring their production resources for pandemic relief. It remains unclear, however, whether pandemic-relieving product adaptation (in short, PRPA) improves financial performance. We draw on stakeholder theory to analyze the effect of a PRPA strategy on the stock returns of US-listed manufacturing firms during the COVID-19 pandemic—the most enduring and large-scale pandemic in recent history. The results reveal that the stock market reacts more positively to PRPA under severe pandemic circumstances and for firms with low political connectedness, low media coverage, and/or more unique production technology. The findings offer important implications for operations theory and practice. © 2023 Decision Sciences Institute.

Next normal for business post pandemics: COVID-19

The world's supply chains are changing as both expected and unexpected environmental pandemics occur. Even though some may be expected, the full extent and ramifications a pandemic will have is an estimate at best. Thus, both flexibility and resiliency are becoming crucial to efficient supply chain systems. This study analyses the recent COVID-19 phenomenon and uses it to gauge reactions, best practices, resilience-based issues and operational performance metrics in order to assist with potential future pandemics. Education, as seen, plays a pivotal role in effectively offering options to combat uncertainty and fluid situations. Such dynamic environments have historically posed a serious problem to operations;however, with proper preparation and care taken options are available today that help marginalize harm of future pandemics.

Key supply chain strategies for post-COVID-19 recovery: evidence from an Indian smart furniture industry

PurposeSmart furniture is an essential part of research that has been designed to best complement easy and safe human interaction. The purpose of smart furniture is to save the space of the house and make the products unique, awesome and safe, functional, strong and also make it works better so the people can live better with it. This research aims to explore the key supply chain strategies implemented by the Indian smart furniture industry to reduce the impact of a post-COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThis work utilized a case study and conducted semi-structured interviews with the top leadership of the smart furniture manufacturing industry to explore key supply chain strategies to reduce the influence of the post-COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, key supply chain strategies have been analyzed using a multi-criteria decision-making technique known as grey relational analysis (GRA) to determine their ranking significance in the smart furniture industry.FindingsThe results of this study discovered that "Inventory-Categorization” is essential in ensuring business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic and helps reduce the amount of stock they have on hand. It enhanced the opportunity for employees to properly focus on their work and an opportunity for better work-life balance. The results of the study can also help supply chain stakeholders in their establishment of critical strategies.Research limitations/implicationsThe implications of this research work help the Indian furniture industry to make supply chain investment decisions that benefit the organization to sustain itself.Originality/valueThis is the first study to explore key supply chain strategies for the post-COVID-19 era. This work will assist managers and practitioners in helping the organization decide which supply chain strategies are more critical to the betterment of the organization.

Characterizing food systems to better understand their vulnerabilities: a case study in Québec and São Paulo

Characterizing food systems, i.e., describing their organizational features, can help to generate a better understanding of the structural vulnerabilities that constrain transitions towards sustainable food security. However, their characterization across different economic contexts remains challenging. In this paper, by linking key concepts from research on food regimes, food system vulnerabilities and responsible innovation, we aim to characterize food systems in a developing and a developed economy to identify their shared vulnerabilities. We applied a case study design to characterize food production, processing and distribution in the province of Québec (Canada) and in the state of São Paulo (Brazil). In both cases, the processing and distribution stages have higher economic predominance when compared to the agricultural production stage. Furthermore, we observed concentration in a few activities in both food systems, with a shared focus on export-oriented supply chains. Vulnerabilities in both food systems include: (1) increased interdependence because some supply chains are export-oriented or depend on foreign labor and are, therefore, exposed to external risks;(2) concentration in a few activities, which threatens present and future local food diversity and (3) unequal power relations, making small and medium players vulnerable to decisions made by big players. The characterization developed in this study shows that the two food systems are mainly pursuing economic goals, following the institutional logics of the neoliberal food regime, which are not necessarily aligned with food security goals. It also exposes the presence of characteristics of ‘responsibility' that may eventually help overcome food systems' vulnerabilities and support transitions toward sustainability.

Understanding COVID-19: An Introduction of Social and Cultural Realities

COVID-19 (SARS-Cov-2) was declared a global pandemic by The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. The virus became a pandemic with initial small chains of spread followed by increasingly wider transmission across most countries of the world. As a result, within a short period, the virus has affected almost every continent. Even with a risk of fatality of 1%, it is now known to kill healthy adults and children as well as elderly people with underlying health problems. The virus has created fear, anxiety and panic among people everywhere. Months of living in isolation and lockdown have negatively affected the mental health of large numbers of people. Most developing and underdeveloped countries are facing severe economic crisis, together with significant societal problems. Even in developed countries, the negative outcomes are clear. Any contagious pandemic outbreak has lethal effects on individuals and society. However, the outcomes of COVID-19 have created a situation the world is unprepared for (Rashid, 2020). Not only has the virus identified the existing loopholes in our systems, it has also shown that our lives will never be the same again. This chapter intends to critically analyses on impact of COVID-19 on socio-economic and cultural milieu of global society. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022, corrected publication 2022.

Empirical investigation into impact of IT adoption on supply chain agility in fast food sector in Pakistan

Information technology and supply chain agility are in vogue. The present study aims to investigate the impact of information technology (IT) on supply chain agility and its outcomes such as cost reduction and operational performance in fast food companies' chains. A total of 240 employees from fast food chains were selected as respondents. Data was collected using five-point Likert scale questionnaire developed from previous studies. The statistical results confirmed that adoption of IT is playing a vibrant role in achieving supply chain agility and supply chain agility helps to reduce cost and improves operational performance of firms. The study model provides a useful framework to examine the impact of IT adoption on supply chain agility and its outcomes. In conclusion, the firms have to focus on their supply chain management and make it efficient and agile by implementing the advanced technologies to gain operational performance. Implications have been discussed.

Covid-19 disruption, resilience and industrial policy: the automotive sector in the West Midlands

The Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit have focused attention on the resilience of key sectors and firms. This paper explores the financial resilience of the 50 largest automotive firms in the West Midlands region of the UK in their response to disruption and economic shocks. The findings demonstrate that 22 firms are at high risk due to poor current liquidity ratios, with Coventry and Birmingham emerging as locations most susceptible to firm closures. High-risk firms include key flagship original equipment manufacturers operating at the downstream end of supply chains. If these firms were to fail, there would be a significant destructive impact on both the industry and the local economy. We assert an effective subnational industrial policy is required in order to support economic resilience in regions such as the West Midlands where a few firms account for a disproportionate share of employment and value-added.

Working capital and firm performance: role of COVID-19 disruption

PurposeThis study examines the performance effect of working capital for a large sample of Indian manufacturing firms in light of supply chain disruption, i.e. the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on secondary data collected from the Prowess database on Indian manufacturing firms listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) 500. Panel data regression analyses are used to estimate all models. Moreover, this study has employed robust standard errors to consider for heteroscedasticity concerns.FindingsThe results challenge the current notion of working capital investment and reveal that higher working capital has a positive and significant impact on firm performance. Further, it highlights that Indian manufacturing firms suffered financially post-COVID-19 as they significantly lack the working capital to run day-to-day operations.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the scant literature by examining the association between working capital financing and firm performance in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, representing typical developing economies like India.

Drivers of digital supply chain transformation in SMEs and large enterprises – a case of COVID-19 disruption risk

PurposeDigital transformation in supply chains (SCs) has emerged as one of the most effective ways to minimize SC disruption risks. Given the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global SCs, this study aims to identify and provide empirical evidence about the drivers of digital SC transformation, considering the interactivity between environmental dynamism, technology, and organizational capabilities during the pandemic era.Design/methodology/approachUsing partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), this study examines 923 firms in Vietnam to ascertain the drivers of digital SC transformation between small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large enterprises, based on the technology–organization–environment (TOE) as an overarching framework.FindingsThis study finds that greater digital SC transformation adoption could be achieved under the interactivity between the TOE components of firms' technological competencies, learning capabilities, and disruptions in socioeconomic environments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, a multigroup analysis shows that the drivers of digital SC transformation differ between SMEs and large enterprises. SMEs were found to be more motivated by the COVID-19 disruption risk when adopting digital SC models.Originality/valueThis study represents an original and novel contribution from Vietnam as an emerging market to the literature on the impact of COVID-19 on the global value chain. Apart from the unique dataset at the firm level, the analysis of interactions between external and internal drivers of digital SC transformation could provide crucial managerial implications for SMEs to survive major disruptions, such as those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A strategic approach to safeguard global supply chains against COVID‐19 disruptions

The global system of supply chains has been dramatically disrupted over the last years due to the outbreak of the COVID‐19 pandemic. In these current challenging times, this paper proposes a methodological approach for managing dependence and uncertainty in dynamic industrial scenarios. A detailed study of epidemic effects is carried out according to an operational management‐based perspective. We proceed by analyzing connections among effects and risks potentially leading to significant supply chain disturbances through a multicriteria approach. Risks and effects are weighted by applying the Analytic Network Process (ANP). Weighted risks are then assumed as criteria for selecting the most suitable contingency strategy. To this aim, the Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS) is able to rank a set of strategies by addressing and quantifying uncertainty. A case study on the sector of the automotive industry is implemented to validate the proposed methodological approach. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Mathematical Methods in the Applied Sciences is the property of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)