Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from the apparel industry in Bangladesh and China
Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management
ISSN: 1361-2026
Article publication date: 3 October 2022
Issue publication date: 11 October 2024
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on the global textile and apparel supply chain from the perspectives of industry professionals within the two leading production countries: Bangladesh and China.
Design/methodology/approach
Applying the theory of dynamic capabilities, a qualitative research design was employed using interviews with a total of 33 apparel industry practitioners, 15 in Bangladesh and 18 in China.
Findings
Findings indicate that four factors primarily impacted the extent to which COVID-19 disrupted a firm's supply chain: firm size, channel diversification, sourcing method and product type. Viewed through the lens of the theory of dynamic capabilities, findings point to the need for firms to address the challenges brought about by supply chain disruptions by creating opportunities.
Originality/value
It is important to understand the impact of COVID-19 in real time and within the two largest textile and apparel–producing countries globally, as they have borne much of the brunt of the supply chain disruptions brought on by COVID-19. This empirical study makes contributions to the apparel supply chain literature as it provides an in-depth investigation of what textile and apparel firms in China and Bangladesh have learned from the COVID-19 experience to better prepare for future unexpected global events.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper forms part of a special section “Fashion Supply Chain Management during and after the COVID-19 Global Pandemic“, guest edited by Bin Shen, Tsan-Ming Choi, Na Liu, Li Zhao and Jochen Strähle.
This study was funded by a grant from the Virtual Collaboratory for Sustainable Business Practices supported by the VF Corporation Foundation, Bryan School of Business and Economics, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG).
Citation
Su, J., Hodges, N.N., Wu, H.(J). and Iqbal, M.A. (2024), "Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from the apparel industry in Bangladesh and China", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Vol. 28 No. 4, pp. 653-671. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-08-2021-0213
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited