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Artificial intelligence for supply chain resilience: learning from Covid-19

Sachin Modgil (Operations Management, International Management Institute – Kolkata, Kolkata, India)
Rohit Kumar Singh (Operations Management, International Management Institute – Kolkata, Kolkata, India)
Claire Hannibal (Faculty of Business and Law, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK)

The International Journal of Logistics Management

ISSN: 0957-4093

Article publication date: 27 July 2021

Issue publication date: 17 October 2022

10459

Abstract

Purpose

Many supply chains have faced disruption during Covid-19. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one mechanism that can be used to improve supply chain resilience by developing business continuity capabilities. This study examines how firms employ AI and consider the opportunities for AI to enhance supply chain resilience by developing visibility, risk, sourcing and distribution capabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors have gathered rich data by conducting semistructured interviews with 35 experts from the e-commerce supply chain. The authors have adopted a systematic approach of coding using open, axial and selective methods to map and identify the themes that represent the critical elements of AI-enabled supply chain resilience.

Findings

The results of the study highlight the emergence of five critical areas where AI can contribute to enhanced supply chain resilience; (1) transparency, (2) ensuring last-mile delivery, (3) offering personalized solutions to both upstream and downstream supply chain stakeholders, (4) minimizing the impact of disruption and (5) facilitating an agile procurement strategy.

Research limitations/implications

The study offers interesting implications for bridging the theory–practice gap by drawing on contemporary empirical data to demonstrate how enhancing dynamic capabilities via AI technologies further strengthens supply chain resilience. The study also offers suggestions for utilizing the findings and proposes a framework to strengthen supply chain resilience through AI.

Originality/value

The study presents the dynamic capabilities for supply chain resilience through the employment of AI. AI can contribute to readying supply chains to reduce their risk of disruption through enhanced resilience.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Declaration: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

The authors would like to thank editor(s) and anonymous reviewers for their constructive and detailed comments for significantly improving the manuscript from earlier version to published one.

Funding: This research received no funding from any commercial, public or not-for-profit organizations.

Citation

Modgil, S., Singh, R.K. and Hannibal, C. (2022), "Artificial intelligence for supply chain resilience: learning from Covid-19", The International Journal of Logistics Management, Vol. 33 No. 4, pp. 1246-1268. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLM-02-2021-0094

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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