Teaching supply chain risk management in the COVID-19 Age: A review and classroom exercise

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly affected every corner of the world in 2020. It has also emphasized the importance of managing supply chain risk and developing an agile supply chain. Supply chain management instructors will likely want to introduce risk management concepts and strategies into their courses to raise their students' sensitivity to the impact of supply chain disruptions. Unfortunately there is currently a dearth of coverage of supply chain disruptions and risk management in the major supply chain management text books as well as in the broader library of supply chain management pedagogical research publications. To help to close this gap in the literature for instructors, we have developed a reading and set of related discussion questions and exercises that detail the causes of the shortage in toilet paper during the pandemic and short- and long-term strategies to make the supply chain more resilient in the future. By focusing on a disruption students likely experienced first-hand, they can develop a more nuanced understanding of the complexity and interconnectedness of supply chain functions in providing products and services to customers.