Supply chain agility responding to unprecedented changes: empirical evidence from the UK food supply chain during COVID-19 crisis

Abstract

Purpose The COVID-19 outbreak has imposed extensive shocks embracing all stages of the food supply chain (FSC). Although the magnitude is still unfolding, the FSC responds with remarkable speed, to mitigate the disruptive consequences and sustain operations. This paper aims to investigate how operationalising supply chain agility (SCA) practices has occurred amid the COVID-19 crisis and expectations for how those practices could transform the supply chain in the post-COVID-19 era. Design/methodology/approach Following an exploratory case-based design, this paper examines the various agile responses that three supply chains (meat, fresh vegetables and bread) adopted and elaborate using the dynamic capability (DC) theoretical lens. Findings First, the findings demonstrate how, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, each affected case pursued various agile responses through sensing and seizing capabilities. Sensing includes identifying and assessing the relevant opportunities and threats associated with the specific supply chain context. Seizing involves acquiring, combining and modifying the tangible and intangible resources at the firm and supply chain levels. Second, supply chain transformation is likely if firms and their supply chain develop the sustaining capability to ensure that the desirable changes outlast the crisis. Practical implications This study provides an actionable guide for practitioners to develop agile responses to systemic changes in times of crisis and to sustain favourable changes so as to enable their outlasting of the crisis. Originality/value This study provides a novel and unique perspective on the role of SCA in crisis – in this case, the pandemic. This paper synthesises the empirical stories of the agile responses in the FSC and elaborates on the DC framework, to identify theoretical and practical implications. This paper establishes the sustaining capability as the missing DC capability for enabling transformation in the post-COVID-19 era.

Demand and supply disruptions during the Covid-19 crisis on firm productivity

“…Third, the upheavals resulting from a pandemic are sudden and can take the form of opportunities and threats that are specific to each case setting. This is supported by academic literature; how Covid-19 has created new opportunities in certain industries (Do et al, 2021).…”

“…The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has created a new era worldwide and up to date many businesses still continue to understand the crippling effects it has on various aspects of their daily operations (Do et al, 2021). This virus revealed that events characterized by unprecedented uncertainty impinged on normal demand and supply patterns, causing a significant economic crisis, sales declines and disruptions in the supply chain (SC) system (Parast and Subramanian, 2021;Kumar and Abdin, 2021).…”

Supply chain management in times of crisis: a systematic review

“…1 . However, unlike recurring operational disruptions, a crisis triggers extreme demand- and supply-shocks such as panic buying and changes in purchasing behaviour (Burgos and Ivanov 2021 ; Do et al 2021 ) along with severe shortages of essential resources and labour (Dubey et al 2021 ; Ozdemir et al 2022 ; Raj et al 2022a ).…”

“…In this context, SCM literature contains accounts on the evaluation of orchestration strategies for supply stability and for innovative and value-added services that harness the specialisation and expertise of supply chain actors (Bian et al 2021 ; Sumukadas 2021 ). There are also expositions on the importance of agility and flexibility for addressing volatility issues of demand based on SCM lessons learnt from dealing with previous crises (Do et al 2021 ; Harland 2021 ). However, the dominant theoretical and practical challenge remains to understand SCM complexities in times of crisis for improving supply chain resilience, with debates concerning a range of management issues such as the prioritisation of localisation (or regionalisation) over globalisation and inshoring over offshoring (Dewick et al 2021 ).…”

An Ecological Study of COVID-19 Infection Rates within the UK Food and Drink Processing Industry

“…It is not clear why rates were elevated in grain milling/storage sites after adjusting for various local and workplace risk factors, but it might be related to the response to the surge in demand for flour, particularly early in the pandemic ( Do et al , 2021 ). Workplace level COVID-19 risks appear to be associated with neighbourhood deprivation, but this is sensitive to the radius chosen: COVID-19 rates decreased with lower average deprivation in a 5 km radius, but this was not apparent with a 1 km radius.…”