Graduate School of Business

Research Methods

Assignment One

Lecturer: Dr. Bupe G Mwanza

Coronavirus ailment 2019 (COVID-19) is characterized as a disease brought about by a virus
now called serious intense respiratory condition coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; once in the past
called 2019-nCoV), it was first recognized in the midst of a flare-up of respiratory sickness cases
in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China (Gasmi et al., 2020). It was at first conveyed to the WHO
on December 31, 2019. WHO went on and proclaimed the COVID-19 flare-up a global
wellbeing crisis (WHO situational report, 2020).
The Impact of COVID
The world's recognition was that COVID-19 would just limit in China as it were. It later raised
over the globe through the going of individuals. Global supply-chains endured seriously because
of limitations set up by governments, for example, remain at home, shutting of tourism and the
strictness of mass social occasions influencing flight industry and sports industry (Horowit,
2020; Elliot, 2020). Human lives are threatened by the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus
Disease 2019 (COVID-19). As of 21 March 2020, COVID-19 has affected more than 267
thousand people across 184 countries (World Health Organization 2020)
Closure of educational systems has affected more than 900 million youths around the world
(United Countries Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 2020). The exacting of
limitations on movement, particularly worldwide air travel is global. It has affected different
sectors such as sports, tourism, the travel industry, transportation, production, and a lot more as
they rely upon the incorporated supply chain on a global scale (Bandyopadhyay, 2020).
The COVID-19 has negatively impacted economies and supply chains the same. The nature of
the disease and its contagiousness has caused individuals and institutions at various levels that
contribute to the economies to shut down most economic activities. The biggest dread was it
becoming a global pandemic, yet since it has blown over the entire world, governments are
starting to see ways that their economies could be functional while safe.
Challenges and Opportunities
COVID-19 has affected the manufacturing and service industries and because of this impact
manufacturer are faced with challenges. Guerrieri (2020) in a paper highlights that the pandemic
that has been caused by COVID-19 is causing a domino effect from the manufacturers through
the supply chains to the customers. Business institutions that participate in the activities of the
supply chains where all taken aback by this pandemic and so these market players are constantly
evaluating the situation. Supply chains are logically at risk for disturbance and it might be argued
that the most genuine challenges to business proceeding are more in the broad chain of key
providers and clients instead of inside the association itself. Failed movement of production
materials and end products after manufacturing is one of the challenged the manufacturing
industry has faced (Guerrieri, 2020).
The global service industry depends for the most part on work the force to be completely useful
and efficient. COVID-19 has affected it is smooth running. Without a workforce and clients, a
few organizations and businesses in the service business have been compelled to shut down. This
has caused an absence of demand and an inability to give supply in any event, when there is little
demand. A case of such are sectors in the administration business is the travel industry,
amusement, and sports. These sectors would run operational risks to work completely under the
difficulty of the COVID-19 pandemic (Ivanov, 2020). The shutting down of these business
places legitimately influences the supply and the demand.
Because of practises employed to curb COVID-19 such as social distancing, institutions in
various industries have had to lay-off employees to meet the requirements to remain operational.
This has drastically reduced the workforce and has affected industries in providing services or
production. Because of less workforce, procurement processes have slowed down and in some
places completely stopped because of the uncertainty the pandemic has caused. This has brought
major disruption in the supply chain’s.
Strategies
One of the major strategies that institutions and individuals participating in supply chains can
employ to curb COVID-19 is to ensure an awareness of personal hygiene. The general
preventive guidelines include frequent hand washing, mouth and nose covering during coughing,
sneezing, and cooking. Social distancing helps to avoid close contact with symptomatic and
asymptomatic individuals (Gasmi et al., 2020). Reducing the further spread of the virus is one
sure way to getting back to the normal way of business and life.
In the retail and wholesale sectors buyers have looked for goods online as of late as a result of
the COVID-19 pandemic, reports an ongoing study by Fabric, a satisfaction organization.
Respondents state they'll keep up over half of their internet shopping considerably after life
comes back to another ordinary where they can wander out of their homes. Progressively online
trade signifies wholesalers and retailers should make sense of how to quantify how sensitive
prices are and the effect of value changes on demand. (COVID-19 Supply Chain Resources &
Recovery Strategies - Inbound Logistics, 2020)
the world has been struck by a pandemic unforeseen, trade and markets have been disrupted
causing a ripple effect that has impacted supply chains. Industries have come to a standstill in the
wake of this pandemic, however, taking precaution and ensuring that necessary guidelines are
followed could be the beginning of a season of “new normal”.
References
1) Cdc.gov. 2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-
ncov/about/index.html>
2) Bandyopadhyay, S., 2020. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): we shall
overcome. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 22(3), pp.545-546.
3) Dagur, H., 2020. Genome Organization of Covid-19 and Emerging Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome Covid-19 Outbreak: A Pandemic. Eurasian Journal of Medicine and Oncology.
4) Gasmi, A., Noor, S., Tippairote, T., Dadar, M., Menzel, A. and Bjørklund, G., 2020.
Individual risk management strategy and potential therapeutic options for the COVID-19
pandemic. Clinical Immunology, 215, p.108409.
5) Guerrieri, V., Lorenzoni, G., Straub, L., and Werning, I., 2020. Macroeconomic Implications
of COVID-19: Can Negative Supply Shocks Cause Demand Shortages? SSRN Electronic
Journal.
6) Inboundlogistics.com. 2020. COVID-19 Supply Chain Resources & Recovery Strategies -
Inbound Logistics. [online] Available at:
<https://www.inboundlogistics.com/cms/article/covid-19-supply-chain-resources-and-
recovery-strategies-0520/>
7) Ivanov, D., 2020. Predicting the impacts of epidemic outbreaks on global supply chains: A
simulation-based analysis on the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2) case.
Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 136.
8) Kim, T., 2020. Transmission and Prevention of Wuhan Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-
19) under Minimum Sunspot Number. Global Journal of Medical Research, pp.13-33.