Supply chain resilience and agility: a theoretical literature review

Current supply chain management topics, including just-in-time, cost reduction through the offshoring of production, market globalisation, economies of scale, outsourcing, consolidation of suppliers, international market volatility, technological disruptions and the global economic instability, increase the likelihood of suffering disruptions in supply networks and chains due to their international dissemination and fragmentation. Supply chains need to adopt new strategies to improve their abilities to respond quickly and effectively to unforeseen changes in markets and to the increasing levels of turbulence, thereby supporting the performance and competitiveness of companies. This article provides a review of the current literature on resilience and agility in supply chain management from the perspective of risk management in business management in global environments and proposes two approaches to resilience and agility. The perspectives contemplate a risk management, by means of the previous preparation to the disruptive event, a mitigation of the impact, a phase of recovery and finally the one of stabilisation.