An Omani research on management strategies for supply risk dependencies has gained critical acclaim from the scholars as well as research analysts alike.
The extensive research study titled ‘Management Strategies for Supply Risk Dependencies: Empirical Evidence from the Gulf Region’ by principal investigator Dr Zainab al Balushi (pictured), Head of Quality Assurance and Academic Accreditation Unit, SQU, aims at creating a conceptual model for managing supply risk dependencies in regional supply networks.
Dr Zainab's work is one of the research studies that was recognised with 'National Research Award' at the 8th National Research Award organised by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation which awarded 13 research projects in various innovative fields of national interest and won the Cultural, Social and Basic Sciences field in the PhD category.
"Awards do not only acknowledge success, as a researcher, winning the National Research Award boost my morale and motivation to conduct more of high quality research studies that are related to addresses contemporary issues related to our society and economy," Dr Zainab, who is also an Assistant Professor of Logistics and Supply Chain Management at SQU, said.
"The award acknowledges my contribution which inspires me to be more productive with pride and confidence. It has broadened my connections with other scholars, and increased research visibility and impact," adds Dr Zainab.
Grounded on resource dependency theory (RDT), the research conceptualised the management of supply risk as buffering and bridging strategies that enable organisations to redefine their supply network to cope with supply risk and as a three-stage transformation mechanism. She stated that four supply failure case studies from the aluminium and the oil and gas industries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region inductively provided empirical insights for a revised conceptual framing.
This research was published in International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management. It was conducted by Dr Zainab al Balushi and Dr Christopher M Durugbo.
She further said that coronavirus outbreaks in 2003, 2012 and 2020, Cyclone Gonu in 2007 and Phet in 2010, the war against terrorism in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, and ‘tit for tat’ incidents dues to political tensions with Iran, are major incidents that have drawn attention to the importance of risk management in supply networks. These incidents are characterised by supply risk with consequences that tend to ripple, propagate or cascade through supply chains. As a sector, logistics plays a vital role in Oman’s contemporary economy and considered as a critical pillar for attaining Oman Vision 2040. It is critical to increasing inward investment, non-oil exports and the nation’s competitiveness. She added that Oman’s strategic objectives over the past few years focused on easing congestion and enhancing capacity by investing in infrastructure and technology. Yet, managing logistics and the chain of supplies creates mutual dependence between organisations that might go beyond a single country boundary.
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