The International Journal of Logistics Management

Enz, Matias G.; Ruel, Salomée; Zsidisin, George A.; Penagos, Paula; Bernard Bracy, Jill; Jarzębowski, Sebastian

2024 The International Journal of Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/ijlm-07-2023-0288

This research aims to analyse the perceptions of practitioners in three regions regarding the challenges faced by their firms during the pandemic, considered a black-swan event. It examines the strategies implemented to mitigate and recover from risks, evaluates the effectiveness of these strategies and assesses the difficulties encountered in their implementation.Design/methodology/approachIn the summer of 2022, an online survey was conducted among supply chain (SC) practitioners in France, Poland and the St. Louis, Missouri region of the USA. The survey aimed to understand the impact of COVID-19 on their firms and the SC strategies employed to sustain operations. These regions were selected due to their varying levels of SC development, including infrastructure, economic resources and expertise. Moreover, they exhibited different responses in safeguarding the well-being of their citizens during the pandemic.FindingsThe study reveals consistent perceptions among practitioners from the three regions regarding the impact of COVID-19 on SCs. Their actions to enhance SC resilience primarily relied on strengthening collaborative efforts within their firms and SCs, thus validating the tenets of the relational view.Originality/valueCOVID-19 is (hopefully) our black-swan pandemic occurrence during our lifetime. Nevertheless, the lessons learned from it can inform future SC risk management practices, particularly in dealing with rare crises. During times of crisis, leveraging existing SC structures may prove more effective and efficient than developing new ones. These findings underscore the significance of relationships in ensuring SC resilience.

Norrman, Andreas; Eriksson Ahre, Ebba

2024 The International Journal of Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/ijlm-10-2023-0444

Critical infrastructure (CI) sectors and their resilience are vital for societies to function. In many countries, vital societal functions (VSFs) and CIs depend on inter-organizational and international supply chains (SCs) which combine public and private actors with often competing interests and unclear responsibilities that create discontents. While collaborative supply chain risk management (SCRM) can increase the robustness and resilience of VSF&CIs, their inherent characteristics complicate SCRM. To understand this, supply chain risk governance (SCRG) has conceptually been introduced, suggesting collaborative mechanisms that facilitate inter-organizational SCRM. The purpose of this study is to elaborate on and substantiate the theoretical and practical relevance of an existing SCRG framework, by empirically exploring governance of collaborative SCRM and suggesting future research.Design/methodology/approachAn abductive case study was performed in a VSF&CI, the Swedish food system, to contextualize top-level governance of collaborative SCRM and elaborate on the conceptual SCRG framework. Archival data supplemented expert interviews with public and private actors representing direct and indirect SC actors.FindingsCurrent discourse and interventions in the Swedish food system’s SCRM confirmed discontent in governance and the importance of SCRG mechanisms and supported further conceptualization, e.g. of legal mechanisms vs economic incentives, the importance of government inquiries and the understanding of the influence of indirect public SC actors.Research limitations/implicationsConsidering the geographical scope of the study, transferability is limited but invites comparisons with both other countries and the SCRG of other VSF&CIs. Proposed research avenues guide future conceptualization and contextualization of SCRG.Practical implicationsThe framework can support CI actors to jointly find and reduce discontents related to inter-organizational SCRM and support policymakers to increase public–private collaboration.Originality/valueThe novelty lies in empirically studying SCRG in critical infrastructures by combining SCRM and risk governance lenses.

Minashkina, Daria

2024 The International Journal of Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/ijlm-07-2023-0265

The concept of a sustainable warehouse management system (WMS) is a relevant yet under-researched area within warehousing logistics. The purpose of this research is twofold: first, to review the literature on the topic of socially and environmentally sustainable practices; second, to lay the theoretical base for identifying social and environmental sustainability practices in warehousing operations that can serve as focus areas for WMS operational functions.Design/methodology/approachThis research built knowledge on a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis in Scopus Elsevier and Web of Science Core Collection databases. After comprehensively filtering English literature from 2016 to 2024, only 43 out of the initial 601 studies comprised relevant warehousing practices that can be incorporated into the scope of WMS activities.FindingsAs a result, retrieved practices were allocated to a specifically designed warehouse model within the main processes, equipment and resources. This model could serve as a baseline for incorporating 48 sustainable WMS practices. The prevailing share of practices focuses on environmental rather than social warehouse sustainability. WMS should adopt sustainable warehousing practices to reduce warehouses' carbon footprint, energy and resource consumption and improve working conditions in a warehouse.Originality/valueThere have not been any existing reviews on warehouses' social and environmental sustainability to synthesize knowledge and serve as a base for WMS sustainability. This research will contribute to developing more sustainable and environmentally responsible warehousing operations, ultimately benefiting society and the environment. By incorporating such practices into WMS, warehouse owners can ensure efforts toward social and environmental sustainability while still maintaining efficient operations.

Gaudenzi, Barbara; Baldi, Benedetta

2024 The International Journal of Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/ijlm-09-2023-0372

This empirical study investigates the direct and indirect effects on managers’ perceptions of cyber risks, the implementation of cyber resilience strategies and the perceived effectiveness of these strategies for supply chains. Cyber risks pose significant threats to organisations and supply chains. Yet they remain insufficiently addressed and managed.Design/methodology/approachPrimary data were collected from a sample of Italian organisations using a survey. The structural equation modelling methodology was employed to empirically investigate cyber resilience strategies in supply chains.FindingsResults indicate that effective cyber resilience is linked to awareness of the negative impacts of cyber risks, particularly supply chain disruptions. This awareness leads to the adoption of various cyber resilience strategies. According to managers' perceptions, several strategies are identified in the study as the most effective in enhancing the cyber resilience supply chains. The findings offer insights for managers regarding the relationship between cyber risk perceptions, supply chain cyber resilience strategies and their effectiveness. These relationships are studied using the theory of perceived risk and the dynamic capabilities theory.Originality/valueThis study advances knowledge for academics and practitioners in the fields of supply chain resilience and supply chain risk management. It contributes to the development of a risk-based thinking model in organisations and supply chains by drawing upon a dual theoretical perspective.