Sustainable Coordination in Supply Chain Management—Risk Factors in Ensuring Coordination and Cooperation in Supply Chains and Actively Strengthening the Reliability of Supply Chains

Dear Colleagues,

An undeniable continuous material production and technological progress can be observed today. At the same time, the consequences of the inequality, disorder, and asymmetry in the economic, social, and environmental spheres are becoming increasingly visible at a global scale.

Global changes are related, among others, to (1) dynamic development of technology and production organization, uses modern technological solutions, (2) highly dynamic global changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting consequences for the sustainability and continuity of supply chains, and (3) great changes in consumer behavior, which are the result of, among others, the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the development of the global economy has caused a significant increase in the worldwide production of goods and an excessive increase in consumption. 

Each of the components of global change has great potential and creates new opportunities, but it is also a significant challenge. It should be stated that the phenomenon of global changes makes supply chains more and more susceptible to disruptions, and their unpredictability and instability are becoming a daily occurrence.

Three key global theoretical trends in supply chains have been identified for three components of global changes, indicating their developmental potential:

1. The digital supply chain to support Industry 4.0. The shift from a traditional supply chain to a digital supply chain (will be supported by the next generation of low-cost robotics) appears as a necessity;
2. The resilient supply chain (ability to anticipate, prepare for, adapt to incremental change and sudden disruptions) to counterbalance unforeseen black swan events, as is the case with the COVID-19 pandemic;
3. The sustainable supply chain to support, among others, the positive behavior of producers and consumers (economic, social, and environmental, the combination and balance of which is supposed to result in equilibrium in the economy).

This transformation will require new management strategies.

This Special Issue on “Sustainable Coordination in Supply Chain Management—Risk Factors in Ensuring Coordination and Cooperation in Supply Chains and Actively Strengthening the Reliability of Supply Chains” intends to collect the newest studies in the field.

Potential contributions may include but should not be limited to theoretical papers and/or quantitative studies and/or case studies. With this in mind, we invite theoretical and empirical research able to investigate a variety of lines of inquiry, including:

• New trends of supply chains
• Reliability of supply chains
• Digitalization of supply chains
• Sustainability of supply chain
• Sustainable coordination in supply chain management
• Global coordination in sustainable development
• Organizational coordination in sustainable supply chain
• Sustainable cooperation in supply chain
• Sustainable cooperation in global climate policy
• Risk factors, enablers, barriers, and outcomes of supply chains implementation
• Supply chain risk management strategies
• Perspectives in supply chain risk management
• The impact of Covid-19 on supply chains: supply chains’ survival in a time of crisis
• Supply chains and sustainable development

References:

Grzybowska, K. Identification and Classification of Global Theoretical Trends and Supply Chain Development Directions. Energies 2021, 14, 4414. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14154414

Prof. Dr. Katarzyna Grzybowska
Prof. Dr. Agnieszka Tubis
Guest Editors

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