A systematic review and analysis of COVID-19 disruptions to supply chains

Abstract

This research presents a comprehensive and pioneering systematic review of the emerging literature examining the impacts of COVID-19 on supply chain and operations management. We selected over 200 research publications from Web of Science, EBSCO, and Google Scholar databases, encompassing a broad range of peer-reviewed, high-quality journals in business and management. We classify these research articles into two principal categories: their industry focus and supply chain management principles. Notably, we find that companies within healthcare, food, online retailing, transportation, logistics, and tourism industries have been most significantly impacted by COVID-19. Sustainability, inventory management, risk management, and strategic management emerged as the most critical and frequently studied principles and practices affected by the pandemic. Finally, we identify research gaps in the current literature and suggest potential future research topics for more detailed exploration of COVID-19’s impact on supply chain and operations management. We believe our systematic review and analysis not only provide a comprehensive understanding of the most serious disruption to modern global supply chains but also suggest mitigation strategies and resilience planning for supply chain management.