A systematic literature review on supply chain resilience in SMEs: learnings from COVID-19 pandemic
International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management
ISSN: 0265-671X
Article publication date: 8 November 2022
Issue publication date: 9 May 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to review state-of-art literature on supply chain resilience in SMEs in the context of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and provides a comprehensive view of insights gained, gaps identified and suggests potential areas of future research.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a thorough search strategy, 46 articles were found relevant for this study. Each of these articles was further reviewed, classified and analysed to highlight the development of literature in this field and identify the significant focal area of research in this domain.
Findings
The classification of studies indicates a growing number of articles in the last two years with a significant focus on multiple industries and survey-based research design. The study's findings suggest that literature on supply chain resilience in SMEs falls into four categories: supply chain resilience principle, impact of COVID-19 pandemic on SMEs, strategies for developing supply chain resilience and role of Industry 4.0 technologies in supply chain resilience. We also identified knowledge gaps and suggested directions for future research to catalyse studies at the interface of supply chain resilience, SMEs and COVID-19 pandemic.
Research limitations/implications
The generalisability of this study can be limited to a specific population of online databases and selected time periods chosen for a particular period.
Originality/value
The study provides a structured literature review on studies published between 2012 and 2022 for the use of academicians and practitioners. Findings will be of great value for SMEs to improve their resilience during the uncertain business environment.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Authors would like to express sincere thanks to Editor and reviewers for providing constructive suggestions to improve the quality and content of the paper.
Citation
Mishra, R. and Singh, R.K. (2023), "A systematic literature review on supply chain resilience in SMEs: learnings from COVID-19 pandemic", International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 40 No. 5, pp. 1172-1202. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJQRM-03-2022-0108
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited