Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the limitations of traditional, inside-out (IO) supply chain resilience (SCRES) practices, such as stockpiling. Outside-in (OI) practices shape the external environment in which firms operate, yet they remain largely overlooked in the SCRES literature. Without examining both dimensions together, it remains unclear how firms can provide resilience responses. Integrating both perspectives requires rich, context-sensitive evidence. This study develops an integrated IO–OI SCRES framework to demonstrate how firms can simultaneously manage internal operations and influence external dependencies to enhance supply chain resilience. Design/methodology/approach This study first develops an IO–OI SCRES framework by comparing and synthesising structural contingency theory and resource dependence theory. Then, an embedded case study of a Western firm with sites in Wuhan, Shenzhen and Hong Kong explores how these dual strategies are deployed in practice. Findings A chronological and thematic analysis revealed key themes and SCRES practices. They include (1) Inside-Out (IO) practices: process and output control via process security, recovery and decentralisation and corporate culture; (2) Outside-In (OI) practices: control resource dependencies and empower supplier relationships, e.g. via supplier diversification, leading market position and hiring local talent and (3) IO–OI practices: contingency handling capability and contingency enactment. SCRES takes place in three stages: design, praxis and response. Originality/value This study develops and empirically validates an integrated IO–OI model of supply chain resilience, bridging structural contingency theory and resource dependence theory, which have largely been theorised separately and often positioned as competing explanations. Its unique empirical context, an embedded case study of a foreign firm operating in Wuhan, the pandemic's epicentre and a critical EU-China logistics hub, offers rare evidence for Western firms across global territories.
Ilias Vlachos (Mon,) studied this question.