Building resilience in SMEs of perishable product supply chains: enablers, barriers and risks

SMEs of perishable product supply chains (PPSCs) are critical to sustaining fresh food supply and global economy. However, they face immense challenges given the nature of their operations. Surprisingly, the literature lacks research on the distinct intra- and inter-organisational factors intertwined to build resilience in these firms. From the semi-structured interviews conducted with 30 managers of a PPSC in Australia, we developed a holistic framework to build resilience in SMEs of PPSCs. The findings offer novel insights into research and practice including an optimal portfolio of enablers, barriers and risks towards building resilience. The analysis reveals that most risks stem from the factors that are internal to the supply chain, thus necessitating a strong supply chain collaboration. The level of resilience, barriers and risks varies considerably within SMEs depending on their size (small vs. medium) and location of nodes in the supply chain. Interestingly, the SMEs with consortium support demonstrate better resilience and performance.