LITERATURE
REVIEW
BUSINESS
RESEARCH
METHODS
Name
: Aparna Haridas
Group No : 11
JOURNAL 1
The impact of COVID-19 on transport volume and freight
capacity dynamics:
An empirical analysis in German food retail logistics
Author : Dominic Loske
Published : Transportation Research Interdisciplinary
Perspectives by Elsevier Ltd.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198220300762
Objective: To analyze
a.The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and
changing purchasing behavior on the transport
volume growth in food retail logistics.
b.The resulting implications of freight capacity
demand of retail logistics.
Research Methodology :
[cont'd]
Employing primary data collected from the
company's route planning software and secondary
data collected from European Union Open Data
Portal(2020), statistical analysis was conducted to
understand the interdependencies between
different variables.
Statistical tools used are regression and
correlation analysis.
Statistical tests conducted include residuals
versus fitted plot, normal Q-Q, scale location, and
residuals versus leverage.
Findings:
•
The number of new COVID-19 cases has a
significant impact on the increase of total transport
volume for dry products for the examined depots
as regression analysis shows a strong linear
statistical relationship.
•
The volume of all other product group, ie. Frozen
products, fruit and vegetables, dairy products, and
raw fish and meat are independent form the new
COVID-19 cases.
•
To summarise for non cooled products/dry
products, transport capacity demand will rise with
rise in covid cases but not for the other set of
products.
•
A large number cooled transport capacity and non
cooled transport capacity is available in the freight
market currently due to shutting down of activities
by gastronomy and manufacturing sectors
respectively.
[cont'd]
JOURNAL 2
Strategies to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on
supply chain disruptions: a multiple case analysis of
buyers and distributors
Author : Atif Saleem Butt
Published : The International Journal of Logistics Management by
Emerald Publishing Limited.
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJLM-11-20200455/full/html
Objective:
• An exploratory research on the
steps/countermeasures taken by buying and
distributing firms to address supply chain
disruptions caused by COVID-19.
Research Methodology:
[cont'd]
• Exploratory multiple case study methodology.
• Primary data collected by semi structured
interviews.
• Secondary data collected from firms’ reports,
websites, and social media for triangulation.
Sampling Techniques:
• Purposive and snowball sampling techniques.
Software Used:
• NVIVO
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION
Buyer’s perspective:
Distributor’s perspective:
1. Agile production
1. Modifying inventory policies


Production rescheduling
Naturally inflate inventory positions
2. Focus on tier 1 supplier risk
2. Evaluate alterative inbound options
 Active


communication
Formulating alternate plans
3. Enhanced inbound material visibility

Examine supplier’s shipment status

Examine supplier’s production schedule
Using rail routes and sea ports or
combination of both
3. Evaluate alternate sources of supply

Work with secondary suppliers
4. Closing production facilities

Re-route production to other locations
Scope:
 Study should be conducted with larger sample sizes from various parts of the world for
finding strategies effective for global supply chain.
 Research towards understanding how the policies of companies should evolve to overcome
any supply chain disruptions.