Overview
Supply chain resilience and competitiveness are critical for small businesses to thrive in today’s dynamic and often unpredictable business environment. Small businesses often have limited financial, human, and technological resources compared to larger enterprises. This can constrain their ability to invest in resilience-building initiatives such as technology adoption, risk management systems, and supply chain optimization tools. Small businesses operating in highly regulated industries or global markets must navigate complex regulatory requirements related to product safety, environmental sustainability, labor practices, and trade compliance. Non-compliance can result in penalties, reputational damage, and disruptions to supply chain operations. With the growing digitization of supply chains, small businesses are increasingly susceptible to cybersecurity threats such as data breaches, ransomware attacks, and phishing scams.
Aim of research focus area
This research focus area aims to address the unique challenges faced by small businesses in building resilient and competitive supply chains. It focuses on identifying strategies, best practices, and innovative approaches that enable small businesses to navigate disruptions, enhance their resilience, and maintain competitiveness in an increasingly volatile and dynamic business environment. Through its research focus on enhancing supply chain resilience and competitiveness for small businesses, AISCR aims to generate actionable insights, provide practical guidance, and foster collaboration among stakeholders to empower small businesses to thrive in today’s complex and dynamic business environment.
Key aspects of this research focus area include:
- Investigating supply chain resilience and its importance for small businesses.
- Conduct vulnerability assessments to identify potential risks and vulnerabilities within small business supply chains.
- Examining risk management and mitigation strategies that small businesses can implement to address supply chain vulnerabilities.
- Exploring the role of supply chain visibility and transparency in enhancing resilience for small businesses.
- Assessing the potential of technology adoption and digitalization to enhance supply chain resilience and competitiveness for small businesses.
- Analyzing the impact of regulatory and policy environments on supply chain resilience and competitiveness for small businesses.
- Developing measurement and evaluation metrics to assess supply chain resilience and competitiveness for small businesses.