Pandemic-induced knowledge gaps in operations and supply chain management: COVID-19’s impacts on retailing

Abstract

PurposeThis Impact Pathways paper aims to provide a timely and structured discussion of real-world problems at Marks and Spencer and in retail in general, evoked through the current COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe article presents collaborative research based on more than five hours of interviews and several iterative paper writing steps between management scholars and Marks & Spencer’s Head of Procurement - Logistics and Supply Chain. Continuous discussions for more than ten months among the research team assure the timeliness and relevance of the findings. The exceptional position of the executive and his career biography allowed the integration of a variety of intra-organisational and inter-organisational stakeholders.FindingsThis paper highlights the impacts of the current COVID-19 pandemic on operations and supply chain management (OSCM) in the retail industry, structured in upstream, internal and operational, and downstream and customer perspectives. The paper concludes with a practice-infused research agenda, which aims to trigger relevant research about the current and potential future crises.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the research agenda is directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the retail industry, the future research pathways are expected to inform business responses to potential future external shocks other than pandemics and in different industries as well.Originality/valueDespite a plethora of studies already published on COVID-19 and OSCM, little is known on how the outbreak affects specific firms and industries. This paper offers an overview of COVID-19 related change as it happens at the retailer and in the retailing industry in general. This article is among the first to provide a practice-infused call for research on urgent issues being faced by business leaders directly relevant to our domain.

Supply chain resilience in the UK during the coronavirus pandemic: A resource orchestration perspective

“…The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak severely affected supply chains (SCs) and firms operations management around the globe ( Alam et al, 2021 ; Queiroz et al, 2020a ; van Hoek, 2020 ; Schleper et al, 2021 ; Narayanamurthy and Totrtorella, 2021 ), bringing about complex and challenges faced by organizations and their networks. The reaction of scholars ( Chesbrough, 2020 ; Choi, 2020 ; Dwivedi et al, 2020 ; Govindan et al, 2020 ; Ivanov and Dolgui, 2020b ; Sarkis, 2021 ) and industry practitioners ( Deloitte, 2020a ; Forbes, 2020 ; World Economic Forum - WEF, 2020 ) have resulted in meaningful efforts to understand the disruptive effects of this unprecedented crisis that is being scrutinized from every angles and perspective, and in all regions.…”

“…This crisis surpasses the unpredictability elements of resilience ( Ivanov and Dolgui, 2021 ; Scholten et al, 2020 ), thus fueling the debate about supply chain resilience and the literature about the limitations and adherence of the traditional aspects of resilience to face an unprecedented, colossal crisis such as the coronavirus pandemic ( Gu et al, 2021 ; Ivanov, 2021b ; Katsaliaki et al, 2021 ; van Hoek, 2020 ). In addition, the literature concerning supply chain resilience during the COVID-19 ( El Baz and Ruel, 2021 ; Gunessee and Subramanian, 2020 ; Guo et al, 2021 ; Ivanov, 2020b ; Quayson et al, 2020 ; van Hoek, 2020 ; Schleper et al, 2021 ) is not extensive on the role of resource orchestration in order to foster or improve the resilience of logistics channels during and after the COVID-19.…”

Guest editorialEmerging technologies in emergency situations

“…The world is witnessing an unprecedented upheaval in global operations and supply chains (Azadegan and Dooley, 2021;Scholten et al, 2020). Increasingly occurring natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic have plunged organisations into a state of emergency, with many fighting for their very survival (Ivanov, 2020;Queiroz et al, 2020;Schleper et al, 2021).…”

“…">The role of emerging technologies in emergency situationsThe world is witnessing an unprecedented upheaval in global operations and supply chains (Azadegan and Dooley, 2021;Scholten et al, 2020). Increasingly occurring natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic have plunged organisations into a state of emergency, with many fighting for their very survival (Ivanov, 2020;Queiroz et al, 2020;Schleper et al, 2021).Be they large or small, short-lived or sustaining for some time, emergency situations present a potential risk to an individual's health and livelihood, organisational and societal welfare and to the wider environment (van de Walle and Turoff, 2008;Sarkis, 2021). Emergency situations typically require urgent action to restore operations to the previous scenario or new strategies for survivability and adaptation to an entirely new context (Ivanov and Dolgui, 2020b; O'Flynn, 2020).…”

“…Moreover, while recent scholarly work has considered the importance of organisational and dynamic capabilities in developing Industry 4.0 technologies (Roscoe et al, 2019;Xu et al, 2018), the significance of fostering capabilities for the deployment of emerging technologies in emergency situations is under-researched (de Giovanni, 2019; Koh et al, 2019;Sarkis, 2012). More specifically, the scale of disruption caused by COVID-19 has amplified the challenges presented by natural and man-made disasters, increasing the need for new strategies, capabilities and creativity in responding to emergency situations (Ivanov, 2020;Remko, 2020;Schleper et al, 2021).…”