Analysing the Impact of the Pandemic on the Supply Chain of UK

Assignment Task

Background

According to Gereffi (2020), the outbreak of a pandemic severely influences the business practices of almost every organization irrespective of industry and size. The supply chain of multinational companies was also gets influenced during this health crisis. It is found that large-scale or multinational companies that are operating in the affiliates, subsidiaries along with branches in multiple countries face numerous issues in the supply and distribution of the products to the customers due to lockdown and travel restrictions. Evenett (2020) has stated that before the pandemic, productivity enhancement and cost reduction were driving the supply chain processes. However, the unprecedented chaos imposed by the pandemic threatened the competitive position of the organization.

In the pharmaceutical industry, the failure of critical links in the supply chain led to the co-development and new alliances between the medical equipment manufacturers and suppliers (Elsafty and Osman, 2021). The pandemic has created shortages of raw materials and semiconductors in pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, ViiV Healthcare, Hikma Pharmaceutical, Shire, and others due to the outbreak of the pandemic. Chowdhury et al. (2021) have analysed that the pandemic not only came as a health threat for the population across the world but, it is disrupted the entire socioeconomic thread of the world. Industries such as biotechnology and pharmaceutical were at the forefront during this period and attempted to recognize potential solutions.

The supply chain challenges of the pharmaceutical industry in the UK concerned the top management of the organizations with regards to scarcity in raw materials, rapid and uncertain changes in the entire demand patterns, ineffective planning in the lead times the scarcity of skilled labour, and others (Farooq et al., 2021). The supply chain efficacy in the pharmaceutical industry in the UK still has the potential to improve through innovation and integration of advanced technology. Order mitigating the supply chain challenges of pharmaceutical companies requires effective and transformative changes that thrive in the post-pandemic world (Castañeda‐Navarrete et al., 2021). The key issues that surfaced in the supply chain management of the organization during COVID-19 including the increasing demands for vaccines, and therapeutics have led to the overdrive of severe pressure on this industry. Additionally, insufficient resources and raw materials along with the transportation restriction have increased disruption in the supply chain (Golan et al. 2020). Therefore, it is important for organizations operating in the pharmaceutical industry to adopt effective supply chain management strategies through innovation and advanced technologies to streamline the operation and supply chain network across the globe. The integration of automation in the supply chain network of multinational companies will help to manufacture and distribute medical equipment and resources to different parts of the world with a greater level of efficiency (Panwar et al. 2022).

The study sheds light on the analysis of the impact of a pandemic on the supply chain management of multinational companies. The study specifically focuses on the pharmaceutical companies in the UK and the supply chain management of the organizations. The study provides a clear insight into the key supply chain management challenges imposed by the pandemic in pharmaceutical organizations. Additionally, effective strategies to minimize the impact of supply chain management challenges are also discussed in the study. 

2. Aim and objectives

Aim

The study will aim to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the supply chain management of pharmaceutical companies in the UK.

Objectives

• To identify the key supply chain challenges faced by the largest pharmaceutical companies in the UK
• To evaluate the impact of the pandemic on the supply chain management of pharmaceutical companies in the UK.
• To examine the demand for partnerships and collaborations between pharmaceutical companies, logistics and suppliers during the COVID-19 outbreak.
• To recommend mitigation strategies to manage the impact on the supply chain.

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