Reforming global supply chain management under pandemics: The GREAT‐3Rs framework

TLDR

COVID‑19 has posed serious threats and challenges to global supply chain management. The study aims to reform global supply chain management across supply and demand sides through the GREAT‑3Rs framework, addressing responsiveness, resilience, and restoration across pre‑, during‑, and post‑pandemic stages. The authors conduct a literature review, classify supply‑ and demand‑side studies, analyze real‑world practices from nine leading enterprises, and develop the GREAT‑3Rs framework comprising five critical domains to guide GSCM reform.

Abstract

The recent outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has posed serious threats and challenges to global supply chain management (GSCM). To survive the crisis, it is critical to rethink the proper setting of global supply chains and reform many related operational strategies. We hence attempt to reform the GSCM from both supply and demand sides considering different pandemic stages (i.e., pre, during, and post‐pandemic stages). In this research paper, we combine a careful literature review with real‐world case studies to examine the impacts and specific challenges brought by the pandemic to global supply chains. We first classify the related literature from the demand and supply sides. Based on the insights obtained, we search publicly available information and report real practices of GSCM under COVID‐19 in nine top global enterprises. To achieve responsiveness, resilience, and restoration (3Rs), we then propose the “GREAT‐3Rs” framework, which shows the critical issues and measures for reforming GSCM under the three pandemic stages. In particular, the “GREAT” part of the framework includes five critical domains, namely, “government proactive policies and measures,” “redesigning global supply chains,” “economic and financing strategies under risk,” “adjustment of operations,” and “technology adoption,” to help global enterprises to survive the pandemic; “3Rs” are the outputs that can be achieved after using the “GREAT” strategies under the three pandemic stages. Finally, we establish a future research agenda from five aspects.