A Systematic Literature Review of Supply Chain Resilience in Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs): A call for further research

Abstract

© Copyright 2022 The Author(s). In this article, with the increased disruptions faced by businesses and the occurrence of natural disasters in the world, supply chain resilience remains a major challenge especially for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Despite the relevance of SMEs to the economy, there is limited scholarly work on resilience practices in SMEs and a limited understanding of how SMEs can achieve resilience. To understand the role of supply chain resilience in SMEs, we undertake a systematic literature review (SLR), which results in the identification and analysis of 101 journal articles, published between 2006 and 2019, on SME supply chain resilience. Our analysis into SME supply chain resilience highlights four focal areas: 1) the role of collaboration and culture; 2) the role of SMEs’ capabilities; 3) the role of Information Systems; and (4) the role of cost and financing. Our SLR investigation identifies future research directions and focal areas tailored to SMEs to help them to assess and develop their supply chain resilience.