Assessing measures implemented by export-oriented RMG firms in an emerging economy during COVID-19

Ziaul Haque Munim; Majid Mohammadi; Mohammad Hassan Shakil; Syed Mithun Ali

doi:10.1016/j.cie.2022.107963

Assessing measures implemented by export-oriented RMG firms in an emerging economy during COVID-19

Comput Ind Eng. 2022 Mar:165:107963. doi: 10.1016/j.cie.2022.107963. Epub 2022 Jan 21.

Authors

Ziaul Haque Munim¹, Majid Mohammadi², Mohammad Hassan Shakil^{3

4}, Syed Mithun Ali⁵

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Technology, Natural and Maritime Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Horten, Norway.
² Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
³ School of Business Administration, East Delta University, Chittagong, Bangladesh.
⁴ Taylor's Business School, Taylor's University, Subang Jaya, Malaysia.
⁵ Department of Industrial and Production Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Abstract

Manufacturing firms that continued production activities during the COVID-19 have been taking necessary measures to cope with the risks imposed by the pandemic. This study assesses the measures implemented by the Ready-Made Garments (RMG) sector in Bangladesh. With the increase in COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh, following government order, along with firms in other manufacturing sectors, the RMG firms had to shut-down their production between March 26 and April 25, 2020. Soon after the factories reopened, they had to take necessary actions to ensure employee safety, supply of raw materials, and purchase orders from buyers. Using a semi-structured interview approach, we identify 16 measures that have been implemented in the RMG sector in Bangladesh for the employees, suppliers and buyers. Then, we assess the degree of implementation of these measures using the Bayesian Best-Worst method. We find that providing healthcare safety, bringing previously outsourced activities in-house, and ensuring smooth delivery of existing orders were the three most implemented measures for employees, suppliers and buyers, respectively. On a higher level, the RMG industry professionals prioritised buyer-related measures the most, followed by employee and supplier-related. The analysed measures provide a blueprint for supply chain risk management during future waves of COVID-19 transmission and for other potential large-scale natural disasters.

Keywords: Best-Worst Method; COVID-19; Fashion Industry; Risk Management; Supply Chain Disruption.