The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global supply chains
Abstract
Global economy suffered notably in 2020. The full effects of the economic damage that the COVID-19 pandemic caused to the global economy remain uncertain, as the pandemic is still ongoing. However, the emergence of vaccination has restored some hope - this confidence has an impact on political decisions concerning a possible end of lockdowns, providing hope to consumers and businesses and, thus, to economy as a whole. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a literature review of the different ways of managing the supply chain in times of disruption, as well as to present the results of an investigation based on primary data collected through a questionnaire, conducted for this paper. The aim is to investigate whether these disruptions in global SCs (supply chains), caused by blockades in the course of the pandemic, would cause structural or rather cyclical changes in global SCs, i.e. whether disruptions and delivery delays could force certain companies to re-evaluate their supply strategies by implementing, for example, Backshoring or Reshoring strategies. In order to answer this question, we started by reviewing a large number of scientific articles, concerning the predictable impact - in the short and long term - of the pandemic on global supply chains. Subsequently, an online survey was conducted, interviewing 61 respondents from different industries, working in different countries. In the survey, the actual behavior of the companies involved during these periods was surveyed and documented, focusing on SCM immediately before and after the onset of the pandemic and subsequent SC disruptions. The survey shows that the majority of respondents expect an impact of the pandemic on global SCs. Many of the respective companies are dependent on global SCs and, thus, are affected by SC disruptions. Consequently, respondents expect changes in the procurement strategy of their respective company for the near future. Different ways of changing the strategy can be imagined. Respondents are aware that global supply chains change with the onset of the pandemic - and the majority do not believe in a return to business as usual.
Full text
Universidade do Minho Escola de Economia e Gestão Miriam Lefev The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains julho de 2021 The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains Miriam Lefev UMinho | 2021
Universidade do Minho Escola de Economia e Gestão Miriam Lefev The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains Dissertação Mestrado em Negócios Internacionais Trabalho efetuado sob a orientação do Professora Doutora Isabel Maria Machado Correia Brioso Dias julho 2021
ii DIREITOS DE AUTOR E CONDIÇÕES DE UTILIZAÇÃO DO TRABALHO POR TERCEIROS Este é um trabalho académico que pode ser utilizado por terceiros desde que respeitadas as regras e boas práticas internacionalmente aceites, no que concerne aos direitos de autor e direitos conexos. Assim, o presente trabalho pode ser utilizado nos termos previstos na licença abaixo indicada. Caso o utilizador necessite de permissão para poder fazer um uso do trabalho em condições não previstas no licenciamento indicado, deverá contactar o autor, através do RepositóriUM da Universidade do Minho. Licença concedida aos utilizadores deste trabalho: Atribuição-NãoComercial-SemDerivações CC BY-NC-ND https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank, first, my supervisor, professora Isabel Maria Machado Correia Brioso Dias, for everything she taught me, for her support and understanding in every conceivable way. I am truly grateful for all the kind advices I received and for the time she invested in supporting me. Second, I would like to thank all my respondents — former colleagues, friends, and family members and friends of my friends — who participated in the questionnaire and without whom I would not have been able to conduct this investigation. Furthermore, I would like to thank my dear family, who are always supporting me in every step of my life and give me strength. I would also like to thank Julia, Sahar, Sandra, and Sarah, who are the best friends one can ever imagine, always supporting me in every situation of my life.
iv DECLARAÇÃO DE INTEGRIDADE Declaro ter atuado com integridade na elaboração do presente trabalho académico e confirmo que não recorri à prática de plágio nem a qualquer forma de utilização indevida ou falsificação de informações ou resultados em nenhuma das etapas conducente à sua elaboração. Mais declaro que conheço e que respeitei o Código de Conduta Ética da Universidade do Minho. STATEMENT OF INTEGRITY I hereby declare having conducted this academic work with integrity. I confirm that I have not used plagiarism or any form of undue use of information or falsification of results along the process leading to its elaboration. I further declare that I have fully acknowledged the Code of Ethical Conduct of the University of Minho.
v O Impacto da Pandemia da COVID-19 nas Cadeias de Abastecimento Globais Resumo A economia global sofreu notavelmente em 2020. A totalidade dos efeitos dos danos económicos que a pandemia da COVID-19 causou na economia global permanece incerta, uma vez que a pandemia ainda está em curso. Contudo, o surgimento da vacinação devolveu alguma esperança - e a confiança tem impacto nas decisões políticas à respeito de um possível fim de lockdowns bem como nos consumidores e nas empresas e, portanto, na economia. O objetivo desta dissertação é fornecer uma revisão bibliográfica das diferentes formas de gestão da cadeia de abastecimento em tempos de perturbações, bem como apresentar os resultados de uma investigação com base em dados primários recolhidos através de um questionário, conduzido para este documento. O objectivo é investigar se estas rupturas nas cadeias de abastecimento globais, causadas pelos bloqueios no decurso da pandemia, causariam mudanças estruturais ou antes cíclicas nas cadeias de abastecimento globais, ou seja, se as rupturas e atrasos na entrega poderiam forçar certas empresas a reavaliar as suas estratégias de abastecimento, implementando, por exemplo, estratégias de Backshoring ou Reshoring. Para responder a esta pergunta, começamos por rever um grande número de artigos científicos, relativos ao impacto previsível - a curto e a longo prazo - da pandemia, nas cadeias de abastecimento globais. Posteriormente, foi realizado um inquérito online, entrevistando 61 respondentes de diferentes indústrias, que trabalhavam em diferentes países. No inquérito, o comportamento real das empresas envolvidas durante estes períodos foi inquirido e documentado, concentrando-se no SCM imediatamente antes e depois do início da pandemia e nas subsequentes perturbações da cadeia de abastecimento. O inquérito mostra o que a maioria dos inquiridos esperam um impacto da pandemia sobre os SCs globais. Muitas das respectivas empresas estão dependentes de SC globais e, portanto, são afetadas por perturbações de SC. Consequentemente, os inquiridos esperam mudanças na estratégia de aquisição da sua respectiva empresa num futuro próximo. Podem ser imaginadas diferentes formas de alterar a estratégia. Os inquiridos estão conscientes de que as cadeias de abastecimento globais mudavam com o início da pandemia - e a maioria não acredita num regresso à normalidade. Palavras-chave: cadeias de abastecimento globais, pandemia COVID-19, Outsourcing, Reshoring
vi The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains Abstract Global economy suffered notably in 2020. The full effects of the economic damage that the COVID-19 pandemic caused to the global economy remain uncertain, as the pandemic is still ongoing. However, the emergence of vaccination has restored some hope - this confidence has an impact on political decisions concerning a possible end of lockdowns, providing hope to consumers and businesses and, thus, to economy as a whole. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a literature review of the different ways of managing the supply chain in times of disruption, as well as to present the results of an investigation based on primary data collected through a questionnaire, conducted for this paper. The aim is to investigate whether these disruptions in global SCs (supply chains), caused by blockades in the course of the pandemic, would cause structural or rather cyclical changes in global SCs, i.e. whether disruptions and delivery delays could force certain companies to re-evaluate their supply strategies by implementing, for example, Backshoring or Reshoring strategies. In order to answer this question, we started by reviewing a large number of scientific articles, concerning the predictable impact - in the short and long term - of the pandemic on global supply chains. Subsequently, an online survey was conducted, interviewing 61 respondents from different industries, working in different countries. In the survey, the actual behavior of the companies involved during these periods was surveyed and documented, focusing on SCM immediately before and after the onset of the pandemic and subsequent SC disruptions. The survey shows that the majority of respondents expect an impact of the pandemic on global SCs. Many of the respective companies are dependent on global SCs and, thus, are affected by SC disruptions. Consequently, respondents expect changes in the procurement strategy of their respective company for the near future. Different ways of changing the strategy can be imagined. Respondents are aware that global supply chains change with the onset of the pandemic - and the majority do not believe in a return to business as usual. Keywords: global supply chains, COVID-19 pandemic, Outsourcing, Reshoring
vii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... iii Resumo ....................................................................................................................................... v Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... vi Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................vii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................ viii List of Tables ...............................................................................................................................ix List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................... x 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 2. The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Great Lockdown ............................................................... 2 2.1 Comparison with previous crises ............................................................................... 2 2.2 Impact of the Pandemic on Global Economy ................................................................. 7 3. Theoretical Approach .......................................................................................................... 11 3.1 Production relocations and supply chains ..................................................................... 12 3.2 Conceivable Impact of COVID-19 on Global Supply Chains in Different Industries . 17 4. Methodology of the Investigation ........................................................................................ 21 4.1 Objectives of the Survey ................................................................................................ 22 4.2 Methodological Approach .............................................................................................. 22 4.3 Collection of Data ........................................................................................................... 23 5. Results of the Investigation .................................................................................................. 24 5.1 The Respondents ...................................................................................................... 25 5.2 The Companies ......................................................................................................... 27 5.3 Position of the Respondents in the Respective Company ....................................... 29 5.4 Content Evaluations ................................................................................................. 32 5.5 Main results of the survey ........................................................................................ 74 6. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 75 Bibliography.............................................................................................................................. 78 Appendix I. Questionnaire in English ....................................................................................... 83 Appendix II. Transcription of answers of all respondents to Q29 ........................................... 90 Appendix III. Questionnaire in Portuguese .............................................................................. 94 Appendix IV. Questionnaire in German ................................................................................. 101 Appendix V. Questionnaire in French .................................................................................... 108 Annex: Complete Sample, including all answers of each individual respondent .................. 115
viii List of Figures Figure 1. Real GDP during the Great Depression ....................................................................... 3 Figure 2. GDP at market prices 2002-2020 ................................................................................ 3 Figure 3. Beveridge Curve for Micro Market i ............................................................................ 4 Figure 4. Evolution of the Euro Area Beveridge Curve Over the Financial Crisis ....................... 5 Figure 5. Unemployment rate April 2001April 2021, seasonally adjusted percentage share . 6 Figure 6. Outsourcing vs. Insourcing processes ....................................................................... 15 Figure 7. Disadvantages of Offshoring and Reasons for Reshoring ......................................... 16 Figure 8. The impact of the Great Lockdown on most affected industries ............................. 19 Figure 9. Percentage share of tourism on GDP ....................................................................... 20 Figure 10. The circle of decrease in times of economic crises and the intervention of the state .................................................................................................................................................. 21 Figure 11. Language the respondents chose ........................................................................... 23 Figure 12. Q1: Age .................................................................................................................... 25 Figure 13. Q2: Gender .............................................................................................................. 25 Figure 14. Q3: Educational background ................................................................................... 26 Figure 15. Q4: Nationality ........................................................................................................ 26 Figure 16. Q5: Country of workplace ....................................................................................... 27 Figure 17. Q6: Size of the enterprise ........................................................................................ 28 Figure 18. Q7: Industries the respondents work for ................................................................ 29 Figure 19. Q8: Departments the respondents work for .......................................................... 29 Figure 20. Q9: Years of affiliation to the company .................................................................. 31 Figure 21. Q10: Perceived impact of COVID-19 on global supply chains ................................. 32 Figure 22. Q11: Intermediate products purchased by the companies .................................... 34 Figure 23. Q12: Intermediate goods purchased from abroad ................................................. 36 Figure 24. Q13: Countries of the suppliers .............................................................................. 36 Figure 25. Q 14: Production facilities abroad ........................................................................... 40 Figure 26. Q15: Changes in SCM planned before COVID-19 .................................................... 42 Figure 27. Q16: Changes in SCM in the course of the pandemic ............................................. 44 Figure 28. Q17: Problems with the procurement of products................................................. 46 Figure 29. Problems in procurement by industry and size of company .................................. 47 Figure 30. Q18: Perceived probability of changes in procurement ......................................... 51 Figure 31. Q19: Expected changes in the procurement strategy ............................................ 53 Figure 32. Q20: Perceived probability of shifts in procurement .............................................. 55 Figure 33. Q22: Perceived importance of sustainability for the company .............................. 60 Figure 34. Q23: Disposition to invest in more sustainable SCM .............................................. 62 Figure 35. Q24: Perceived benefits of outsourcing .................................................................. 64 Figure 36. Q25: Regions in which the companies sell products/services ................................ 65 Figure 37. Q26: Perceived decrease in sales due to the pandemic ......................................... 67 Figure 38. Q27: Cost-saving measures due to the pandemic .................................................. 70 Figure 39. Q28: Perceived severity of long-term effects of COVID-19 on global supply chains .................................................................................................................................................. 70
4 V U frictional cyclical A B V = vacancies U = unemployment A = equilibrium between vacancies and unemployment indication for cyclical boom = frictional unemployment B = more unemployment than vacancies indication for economic depression = cyclical unemployment Figure 3. Beveridge Curve for Micro Market i A decline in GDP and, hence, an economic depression, is usually followed by rising unemployment rates. The Beveridge curve (figure 3) can provide insight to whether the unemployment is cyclical (caused by an economic depression), frictional (employees are freewillingly switching their work for different reasons, such as, e.g., salary, work environment, promotion, etc. — however, frictional unemployment is rather low during economic crises), or structural (although there might be enough vacancies available, e.g., a surplus demand of labor on a certain sector, however, unemployment might still be high, as there might be rather a surplus supply of labor on another sector — cyclical unemployment might lead to structural unemployment if it lasts for a long time and changes the structure of demand and supply on the market. Source: Flückiger, Schöneberger and Zarinnejadan, 1986, p. 19, as cited in Sheikh and Pauer, 1999, p. 427. The development of GDP can be regarded as indicator pointing to the fact that economies in all industrialized countries suffered considerably from the pandemic and the regulations by different lockdowns. Rising unemployment rates, for example in industries like tourism, restaurants and bars, in times of lock-down contribute particularly to falling GDP. Unemployment in a crisis is caused by falling demand for certain goods. At the same time unemployment means less income for the concerned employees, and that once again leads to less demand for a string of goods. The relationship between vacancies and unemployment
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 5 Figure 4. Evolution of the Euro Area Beveridge Curve Over the Financial Crisis in general is reflected by the Beveridge curve (see figure 3). The evolution of the Beveridge curve over a crisis is shown in figure 4, indicating the effect of the Financial Crisis on the Beveridge Curve in the Euro Area: the time of pre-crisis (red line) with rather high vacancy rates, falling sharply (green line) in the phase of Great recession, with a rising unemployment rate at the same time. The recovery (blue line) is characterized by a robust increase of vacancies. The last phase of the crisis is the Sovereign Debt Crisis (yellow line) once again with an increase of the unemployment rate, indicated by a rightward shift of the Beveridge curve. Source: ECB (2014). Thus, the crisis can be divided into different phases (cf. ECB, 2014): The first phase of the crisis was during the crisis (green line), with a huge increase of unemployment, followed by a recovery phase (blue line), and subsequently by a sovereign debt crisis (yellow line). This might indicate a long-term structural shift on the labor market, hence, structural unemployment as a consequence of the Financial Crisis (cf. ibid.). According to Mario Draghi (former president of ECB), "[...] estimates, provided by international organisations — in particular, the European Commission, the OECD and the IMF — suggest that the [financial] crisis has resulted in an increase in structural unemployment across the euro area, rising from an average (across the three institutions) of 8.8% in 2008 to 10.3% by 2013." (Draghi, as cited in ECB, 2014). As a consequence of the Financial Crisis, the construction industry was hit the hardest by unemployment. The increase of the overall unemployment rates during the Financial Crisis vacancy rate (%) unemployment rate (%)
6 resulted in a rightward shift of the Beveridge curve and, finally, in structural unemployment — in Europe (cf. ECB, 2014) as well as in the U.S. (cf. Hobijn & Şahin, 2013, p. 567; cf. Barnichon et al., 2011, p.1). A similar scenario — a rightward shift of the Beveridge curve — can be expected as a consequence of the COVID-19 crisis, however, rather the tourism industry, aviation industry, hotel industry, and restaurants and bars will be the industries hit the most. The two crises, the Great Recession and the COVID-19 Pandemic obviously have two rather different starting points. The Great Recession started with a crisis in one specific industry, the construction industry in the US, in conjunction with the evolution of interest rates set by the FED (Federal Reserve System). (Spain followed with a similar crisis of its construction industry). The starting point of the COVID-19 crisis was completely different: the spread of the virus caused governments nearly all over the world to reduce contacts between people in the own country by lock-down (especially curfews and restrictions of retail) as well as the closure of borders to neighboring and other countries. Nevertheless, the results of the two crises are partly comparable: unemployment rates are rising and GDP falls. Figure 5 demonstrates the rising unemployment rates during the Great Recession (Financial Crisis) in Figure 5. Unemployment rate April 2001April 2021, seasonally adjusted percentage share Source: All data for this chart was taken from: Eurostat [2] (online data code: une_rt_m) 2009 and the subsequent years. In the time between 2008 and 2013 unemployment rates in several countries are constantly rising. In the following years the rates sink, employment 0,0 5,0 10,0 15,0 20,0 25,0 30,0 Unemployment rate April 2001April 2021, seasonally adjusted percentage share Czechia Germany Greece Spain France Italy Portugal Norway United Kingdom United States
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 7 recovers slowly – just until the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. The peak of unemployment for the pandemic is not yet clear, but it may be assumed, that part of the unemployment will rise in the form of structural unemployment in the upcoming years. The above-mentioned closure of borders as well as stops of production in certain industries in some countries, for example at the beginning of the pandemic in Wuhan/China, had consequences for global supply chains: certain intermediate products had not been delivered in near-term and achieved its target with considerable delay and/or in a reduced quantity. “Recent shortages of semiconductors, lumber, and steel are a reminder of how vulnerable today`s global integrated supply chains can be.” (McKinsey, 2021, July 07). The economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis appears to be partially comparable to the impact of previous crises, e.g., the Financial Crisis in 2008/09, which also caused disruptions on the labor market and huge unemployment rates, especially on the construction sector at that time (due to the abrupt decrease in demand for labor on the sector in the course of the crisis, the surplus supply of labor on that sector led to large-scale structural unemployment). At the same time social inequalities are aggravating in rich countries, but especially in less developed countries like Brazil (cf. World Bank in Brazil, 2021). Moreover, a sovereign debt crisis, which can be regarded as a second phase of the Great Recession (cf. Draghi, as cited in ECB, 2014), appears to be conceivable as one of the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. 2.2 Impact of the Pandemic on Global Economy The COVID-19 pandemic is only partly comparable with previous crises. There have been other virus outbreaks in the last two decades like the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2002-2004 or the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) epidemic in 2012 (Strange 2020, p. 456). However, these epidemics were geographically limited – as compared to the global phenomenon of COVID-19. In comparison to the financial crisis 2008/2009 COVID-19 pandemic is multi-dimensional: governments all over the world aim at maintaining public health and at the same time avoiding a plunge of national economies. Just until the beginning of 2020, the economic situation worldwide can be characterized by a considerable amount of globalization. In the last decades, companies in many countries organized at least parts of their supply chains overseas. The most important
8 reason to do so surely is the advantage of low labor costs in low-wage countries (cf. Kinkel, Malonca 2009, p. 154). In general, the authors resume: "A large number of empirical studies examined the motives and drivers of international production activities of enterprises. Cost reasons, opening up new markets, access to foreign distribution channels, access to materials and goods, securing knowledge as well as following the investor are among the most important motives here." (Kinkel, Maloca 2009, 155). Other reasons may be just the need for raw material, or climate advantage (what may concern the food industry). Which kinds of impacts did economies and customers have to experience with the beginning of the pandemic? And which industries suffered the most from the pandemic and the lockdowns? At the beginning of the pandemic customers in Europe had to notice that certain foreign goods no more arrived for a certain time. For example, retail and customers in central Europe usually get a certain part of vegetables and fruits from Spain – with the beginning of the lockdown in Spain harvesters had to stay at home within the scope of the curfew (cf. Hofmann 2020, p. 3). Another kind of restriction might be export restrictions like the rice export limitations declared by Vietnam (ibid.). A special case is one of the medical products needed in the pandemic itself, the surgical masks. "China was the main producer of surgical masks at the start of the crisis, accounting for approximately one-half of world production (OECD 2020, pp. 5-6). Because China was the epicenter of the initial COVID-19 outbreak, however, its production was insufficient to meet its own demand related to the pandemic, and China imported a huge quantity of up to 2 billion masks during the crisis. Although China increased its mask production tenfold in just two months (January-March, 2020), it was estimated that global demand for surgical masks might be ten times higher than world production capacity prior to the COVID-19 crisis (OECD, 2020 a)." (Gereffi 2020, p. 293). In the beginning of the pandemic, other industries like, e.g., the automotive industry, machine industry, technical facilities and high-tech industry had to deal with dramatic disruptions of supply chains (Hofmann 2020, p. 2), due to lack of raw material as well as preproducts like, for example, steel and lumber as well as semiconductors (see above; further examples of supply chain disruptions see chapter 3.2). Disruptions of supply chains also refer to logistics. As the pandemic started in China, it was the first country to declare a lock-down and to reduce considerably the production of goods in certain regions. Thus, in the beginning of 2020 China exported considerably less goods than planned. But in this time goods from Europe and USA still arrived by containers. At the end of the first quarter 2020 there were huge amounts of empty containers lying in
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 9 Chinese ports – more than 5 million TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) empty container capacity. Those container capacities were missing in Europe. And that meant European companies had to face restrictions to opportunities to export goods (Hofmann 2020, 5). Empty containers lying in Asia interfering transportation of goods from Europe or the US are just one example of disruption of a supply chain, this time due to disruption of transport opportunities. In general, "[…] the global economy is so inter-connected through GVCs and international movements of people, capital, goods and services. Trade in intermediate goods and services account for over 60% of total international trade" (Strange 2020, 456). Multinational Enterprises play a prominent role in global trade either as exporters or as importers, often "simultaneously on both ends of the shipment" (ibid.). All in all, it was found there are not too many companies left which had not been impacted by the pandemic. "A survey published on March 28 by the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply found that 86% of supply chains are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic […]. This has led to calls in the popular management press for the development of more resilient supply chains […] and supply chain recovery scenarios […]" (van Hoek 2020, p. 342). Economic output declined by -3.3% worldwide in 2020 (see above, table 1). This decline applies to different degrees in different countries and is more pronounced in the advanced economies (-4.7%) than in the emerging and developing economies (-2.2%). Within the advanced economies, the Eurozone (at -6.6%) is almost twice as badly affected as the USA (-3.5%). The Southwest European countries (Spain, Italy, France) are hit harder than Germany. The United Kingdom is also significantly affected with -9.9%. For the year 2021 as well as for 2022, clear trend reversals, i.e., positive outputs again, are predicted for all countries.
10 Table 1. IMF Latest World Economic Outlook Growth Projections 2020, 2021, 2022 Source: IMF April 2021, World Economic Outlook
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 11 Already in June 2020, the World Bank expects "long-term scarring effects from COVID19" (World Bank Group [2], June 2020, p. 160): "Even this bleak outlook is subject to great uncertainty and significant downside risks. The forecast assumes that the pandemic recedes in such a way that domestic mitigation measures can be lifted by mid-year in advanced economies and later in developing countries, that adverse global spillovers ease during the second half of 2020, and that widespread financial crises are avoided. This scenario would envision global growth reviving, albeit modestly, to 4.2% in 2021. However, this view may be optimistic. Should COVID-19 outbreaks persist, should restrictions on movement be extended or reintroduced, or should disruptions to economic activity be prolonged, the recession could be deeper. Businesses might find it hard to service debt, heightened risk aversion could lead to climbing borrowing costs, and bankruptcies and defaults could result in financial crises in many countries. Under this downside scenario, global growth could shrink by almost 8% in 2020." (World Bank Group [1], June 08, 2020). Furthermore, "[...] Structural changes in production, consumer behavior, and work patterns [are conceivable]. The fragility of the global trading system, highlighted by disruptions in global value chains, and by shortages of essential goods in many countries during the COVID-19 outbreak, may lead governments and firms to reassess the benefits of low-cost, off-shore sourcing." (World Bank Group [2], June 2020, p. 166). In case ADVs (advanced economies) would change their sourcing strategies by implementing reshoring or nearshoring strategies, this would not only cause structural changes in certain industries but also on the respective labor markets of these industries. 3. Theoretical Approach The disruptions of supply chains, mentioned above, caused by the outbreak of the pandemic and the following lockdowns came at a time globalization had reached its just until now highest level. However, globalization was not taken as the only way of organizing economies worldwide. “The Covid-19 pandemic has come at a time when globalization was already under threat because of concerns in many countries about sovereignty, national security and the unequal distribution of the benefits from globalization.” (Strange 2020, 463). The most famous example is the trade war against China as well as against some European industries the USadministration had started in the second half of Mister Trump’s presidency. In times of a global pandemic like the current one, global value chains (GVC) obviously are vulnerable due to locked factories, closed borders and disrupted transportation ways. Therefore, it shall be discussed,
12 • why economies in the last decades worldwide have been organized with a high level of global value chains? • why do companies outsource parts of their production? • and what are the advantages and the disadvantages of different kinds of outsourcing? 3.1 Production relocations and supply chains The meaning of outsourcing is to transfer a part of the production to another company. "Outsourcing refers to the practice of transferring activities traditionally done within a firm to third party providers within the country or 'offshore' " (Sen & Shiel 2006, p. 145). There are several reasons for a company to source out certain parts of the production process to third parties. The first examples of buying services from a third party occurred decades ago. Companies transferred parts of the production to suppliers, if and when the company did not have the competency internally. Examples are the publisher, outsourcing the printing of the books; or the automotive manufacturer, purchasing windows and maybe even the installation of the windows. In both cases, the company outsources a part of the production which is not their key competence. Today the first and surely most important reason to outsource a part of the production is to cut cost. Very often, companies are searching for the benefits from lower wages in other countries, especially in developing countries. It is estimated "that about 70% firms outsource to cut cost (Smith 2006)" (Iqbal, Dad 2013, p. 96). In the case of transferring the production of an intermediate product to a foreign country – either on the same continent or overseas, Offshoring can be explained as one option of implementing outsourcing (however, with rising wages in several developing countries this advantage could slowly go back.) In the last two decades, especially the automotive industry dealt with production networks in different countries. "Since the early 2000s, fierce market competition has forced automotive companies to expand the geographical scope of their production networks, and also to keep production costs under control. This has triggered vertical specialization in the European automotive value chains." (Gerocs, Pinkasz 2019, p. 172). A second reason for outsourcing by a company is to purchase services like IT, human resources and finance functions. By outsourcing those services, the company is able to concentrate on its key competencies (cf. Iqbal & Dad 2013). The company might for example
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 13 buy IT services provided by a team with longtime experience as long as the company did not yet build up an own IT team. Outsourcing human resource or finance functions might also be a question of economies of scale. Smaller enterprises are likely to find out, that building an own human resource team could be more expensive and less efficient than to buy this service from an enterprise with skilled personnel. “Other key drivers of offshore outsourcing include access to global talent pool, … and reaching the global markets, improving service quality …” (Iqbal, Dad 2013, p. 96). Access to global talent pool means, to get in contact with very qualified personnel in other countries which may be of interest for the company on the long run. Buying intermediate products or services in other countries at the same time can help to build contacts to foreign markets. In this case outsourcing can be profitable in two ways: as a cost-cutting measure as well as a support of sales strategy in a new market. An alternative to outsourcing offshore in the form of buying services from other companies is the captive offshoring: captive offshore centers are “operation centers that are located in low-cost countries and are owned and managed by the corporation they serve.” (Chandok, Kekre & Khetarpal 2013). The business lines of captive offshore centers predominantly are shared business services, IT, engineering and R&D (ibid.). A variant of the strategy of outsourcing can be Foreign Direct Investment (FDI): The company purchases shares of an enterprise in a foreign country. The advantage of direct investment is to gain influence on decisions of the concerned company. Commonly ten per cent shareholding are regarded as sufficient to have at least a certain control over the policy of the invested company (Moosa, 2002). That may imply for example an influence on the reliability of the supply chain. The valuation of FDI differs considerably depending on the author or the political position. “The views on this issue are so diverse, falling between the extreme of regarding FDI as symbolizing new colonialism or imperialism, and the other extreme of viewing it as something without which the host country cannot survive.” (Moosa, 2002, p. 3). Finally, outward FDI sometimes is regarded as a source of unemployment which means FDI is hold accountable for rising unemployment in certain industrialized countries. Regardless of its valuation FDI has been considerably increasing in the last years of twentieth century (Moosa 2002). The advantages of outsourcing, resulting in globalization, were described. Nevertheless, outsourcing also bears a string of possible disadvantages. The realization of
20 breathing masks" (Gereffi 2020, p. 290). After the beginning of the pandemic, many countries tried to become less dependent on foreign suppliers for medical goods. After the first shock of the pandemic and obvious interruptions of supply chains in several industries, governments of developed countries addressed the leading companies to reassess their supply chain policy with the aim to implement a more economic self-reliance and autonomy in general, i.e., implementing reshoring strategies. "Japan`s COVID-19 stimulus includes subsidies for firms that repatriate factories. European Union officials talk of "strategic autonomy and are creating a fund to buy stakes in firms." (The Economist 2020, May 14, as cited in: Verbeke 2020, p. 445). Figure 9. Percentage share of tourism on GDP Source: OECD [1] data Tourism Statistics: Key tourism indicators (Tourism direct GDP corresponds to the part of GDP generated by all industries directly in contact with visitors. Data are shown as a percentage share of total GDP). So far, value chains only have been discussed by analyzing the relationship between one supplier and the respective purchasing company. However, value chains usually consist of several steps, which means the buyer is a supplier for other companies at the same time, etc. Consequently, if the supply chain is interrupted at one point, it will have consequences for both, the buyer as well as for his customers. This effect, also known as the ripple effect, may be demonstrated by the example of the automotive industry: A Japanese car factory had to suspend the production of intermediate products at its factory in Korea due to a disruption of supply by a Chinese company (cf. Ivanov 2020). 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 21 Source: graph was created by the author Considering the phenomena described, the pandemic and its consequences can be explained as a circle (see figure 10). When the pandemic reached certain pikes, states declared lockdowns by curfews. As for the first lockdown, the manufacturing industry (e.g. German automotive industry) was hit hard by production stops. Those companies had to stop or at least reduce their production, hence, these companies demanded less supplies. Suppliers were forced to cut jobs or to arrange part-time jobs. As a consequence, employees received lower incomes, their purchasing power decreased, which resulted in lower profits for most companies. In order to stabilize the demand by consumers, in many countries the state provided unemployment benefits to employees who lost their jobs. This way states tried to interrupt a vicious circle, in most cases with considerable effect. 4. Methodology of the Investigation The present chapter serves as an explanation of the objectives of the survey (4.1), investigating the conceivable impact of the pandemic on global supply chains. The composition of the questionnaire will be explained in the theoretical approach (4.2). Chapter 4.3 sheds light on the method how data was collected — a description of the sample of respondents, as well as the conduct of the interviews (online) will be explained. decrease in purchasing power job cuts lower income employees/ consumers suppliers decreasing demand companies reduced production state banks lower profits Figure 10. The circle of decrease in times of economic crises and the intervention of the state
22 4.1 Objectives of the Survey The main aim of the present investigation is to observe whether the severe disruptions of global supply chains, which arose in 2020 due to the pandemic and its lockdowns in most parts of the world, will have an immediate impact or might even have a longer-term impact on global supply chains. The survey was designed, in order to investigate the experiences employees gathered in times of the pandemic and their estimations of the present and future development of their company as well as the economy as a whole. The questionnaire contains 29 questions. Employees working with companies of different sizes and in different industries (and in different countries) were interviewed. The aim was to gain a first impression, which kind of companies (by size, as well as by industry) are most affected and the possible resolutions concerning their company's supply chain, according to the personal opinion of the respondents. The investigation was conducted, in order to ascertain whether there might be a current tendency of small, medium-sized, or multinational companies to implement changes in their company’s supply chain. Furthermore, it will be examined which industries are more affected. The research question of the present dissertation is: "Will the COVID-19 pandemic have long-term or rather short-term effects on global supply chains?". The survey aims to obtain the respondentsˈ assessments of the following questions: How will the economy develop during the pandemic? How do employees in various industries assess the impact of the pandemic on supply chains? Do the respondents expect a change in SCM in their company? And if so, in what direction? The extent to which assessments are conditioned by the size of the company in question and the industry to which it belongs is examined. Possibilities for reorienting SCM are discussed. 4.2 Methodological Approach The questionnaire was compiled by the author. It includes a) questions on facts (e.g., "In which countries does your company purchase products?"); b) questions on estimations ("Do you think a change in your company's procurement strategy […] is likely?"); c) questions on strategic propositions (e.g., "Which changes in the procurement strategy of your company could you imagine?". In order to receive answers to these above mentioned issues, questions were formulated in different types — either as a) open questions; b) multiple choice
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 23 questions, some of which providing the opportunity to choose multiple answers; c) questions to be rated on a scale. The core of the investigation is the survey with 61 interviews. The sample was compiled by acquaintances and snowball system. The relation of respondents to the author is characterized by different social circumstances — ranging from friends at the university (in Germany and Portugal), neighbors, relatives in the family, and snowball system. Most of the respondents were addressed personally via e-mails. The respondents gained access to the questionnaire online through the following link: https://www.umfrageonline.com/s/74ed961. In sum, the content of the questionnaire can be described as follows: Questions concerning… • … the person (age, gender, educational background, and nationality) • … the company (size and industry) • … the supply chains of the respective company (percentage share of intermediate products from abroad; regions of the suppliers; production facilities abroad) • … the impact of the pandemic on the company's procurement strategy • … sustainability as potential interfering factor, with regard to changes in procurement • … sales abroad 4.3 Collection of Data In total, 61 respondents from different countries, yet with similar educational background participated in the online survey. The questionnaire was available in four languages: English, Portuguese, German, and French. Thus, respondents were able to answer in the language they preferred. Figure 11. Language the respondents chose German: 32 English: 18 Português: 8 Français: 3
24 * A very detailed version of the questionnaire is documented in English, Portuguese, German, and French in the appendixes, the English version also includes the results of each question. The survey was carried out during the time September through December 2020. The spectrum of the respondents’ line of work is quite diverse (see chapter 4.2). The respondents are working in different industries, different departments, and the companies they work for are small, medium-sized and multinational companies. The main aim of the investigation is to ascertain whether there might be a current tendency of small, medium-sized, or multinational companies to implement changes in their company’s supply chain. Furthermore, it will be examined which industries are more affected. The first 10 questions of the survey are statistical questions, merely focusing on the respondents' personal, educational, and professional background, as well as a broad categorization of the companies they work for. As for questions 11-29, the respondents were asked to provide their personal opinion on the impact of COVID-19 on the supply chains of their respective company, on global supply chains, and on the economy as a whole. The respondents were asked about the current situation of the company they are working with, regarding the supply chains, their subjective evaluation of the possible impact of the COVID19-Pandemic on their respective industry, as well as the conceivable strategies of their companies in those times. 5. Results of the Investigation In this chapter, the results of the present investigation will be presented. On the one hand, responses were interpreted on the basis of the current political and economic situation. On the other hand, collected data was analyzed, extracting responses with regard to certain groups and compiling cross tables. In 5.1, general information on the respondents are presented. 5.2 provides an overview on the companies the respondents work for. 5.3 describes the position of the respondents in their respective company. 5.4 provides insight into the respondents' perception of the current pandemic situation in general, as well as SCs and sourcing strategies of their respective companies. In chapter 5.5, the main results of the investigation will be presented.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 25 5.1 The Respondents In order to ensure the representative status of the survey, several statistical questions were asked. At first, the respondents will be described with their statistical characteristics — like age, gender, educational background, nationality, and place of work: Age: Nearly half of the participants (47.5%) belong to the group of young adults, aged 18-30 years. Every third of the participants (34.4%) is 30-40 years old. A smaller part — 16.4% — belongs to the group of 40-60 years old. Merely one participant — which means 1.6% — has passed 60 years. Figure 12. Q1: Age Gender: The numerical relationship of male to female respondents is 2 to 3: 41% male and 59% female respondents. Figure 13. Q2: Gender Educational background: Most of the respondents — nearly four out of five — have filed an academic degree: 28% Bachelor's degree; 46% Master's degree; and 10% Doctor/PhD. 7% of respondents filed an apprenticeship and 10% a high school degree. As the absolute majority of respondents have pursued an academic degree, this question was not used as a background variable, distinguishing different levels of educational background. 18-30 years: 48% 30-40 years: 34% 40-50 years: 8% 50-60 years: 8% >60 years: 2% female: 59% male: 41%
26 Figure 14. Q3: Educational background Nationality: Half of the respondents have the German nationality (29 out of 61). 7 are of Swiss or French origin. 15 have a Southern European nationality. 8 respondents have their roots in Middle East or India. 5 have an American nationality (4 from Brazil, 1 from the U.S.). (Three of the respondents have two nationalities.). Figure 15. Q4: Nationality Place of work: Corresponding to the nationality, the workplace of the respondents predominantly is situated in Germany: 36 cases (out of 61 in total). 8 of the workplaces are located in Portugal, 13 in other European countries, 4 are situated on other continents. That means: The workplaces of the respondents are rather concentrated in Europe, however, the number of nationalities is slightly more diverse, as a certain part of the respondents is not working in their respective country of origin. highschool degree: 9.8% apprenticeship: 6.6% Bachelor's degree: 27.9% Master's degree: 45.9% Doctor / PhD: 9.8% German Portuguese French Italian Brazilian Swiss Egyptian Indian BritishCroatian Spanish Jordanian Cyprus Syrian RomanianIran American (U.S.)
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 27 Figure 16. Q5: Country of workplace This question was designed, in order to get an idea of where in Europe and in the world at large the respondents of this survey have their workplace. The initial intention was to use this question as a background variable for the evaluation of other questions, however, it turned out that, on the one hand, the distribution of the respondents is not evenly distributed across the different countries and, on the other hand, the respondents in the respective countries are also not proportionally distributed across the sectors and company sizes. Therefore, the question concerning workplaces of the respondents could merely be used as a background variable for the analysis of this survey in few cases. 5.2 The Companies In order to ascertain whether, e.g., SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) might be hit harder during the pandemic, question no. 6 (figure 17) sheds light on the size of the company the respondent is working for. The categorization of smaller firms is in accordance with the classification of SMEs by the European Commission (see table 2). Table 2. SME definition according to the European Commission Source: European Commission (2009) Half of the respondents are working with sizeable enterprises with more than 500 employees (47.5% of all respondents). The other half is distributed among the categories: Germany: 59% Portugal: 13% Italy: 7% United Kingdom: 7% Switzerland: 5% France: 2% Belgium: 2% Jordan: 2% Saudi Arabia: 2% La Réunion: 2% United States: 2%
28 Figure 17. Q6: Size of the enterprise Industries (see below, figure 18, question no. 7): The sample included a wide range of industries, in which the respondents are working — productive industries as well as services. In order to provide an impression of the two broad fields, productive industries and services were divided into two groups. Productive industries are represented by respondents as follows — in absolute figures: • food industry: 5 • automotive industry: 4 • metal industry: 3 • machine construction/mechanical engineering: 2 • chemical industry: 3 • textile industry: 2 • construction industry: 1 • other (oil industry): 1 The field of services included: • medical sector: 12 • pharmaceutical: 3 • consulting (IT consulting, management cons., tax cons., audit): 8 • IT development: 4 • banks and insurance companies: 3 • tourism: 2 • retail: 2 • energy supply: 1 • transport & logistics: 2 • education & administration: 3 This question was used as a background variable for the investigation of several other questions later in the questionnaire. As for some questions, it appeared to be more appropriate to use merely the productive industries as a background variable (e.g., as for 1-9 employees: 9.8% 10-49 employees: 13.1% 50-249 employees: 21.3% 250-500 employees: 8.2% > 500 employees: 47.5%
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 29 questions merely concerning supply chains of the companies, where an investigation of differences in service industries is not useful, as service industries barely purchase goods). As for other questions though (e.g., general questions concerning the respondents' personal opinion on the impact of the pandemic), it appeared to be useful to divide the industries into 4 groups (group 1: productive industries; group 2: medical & pharmaceutical sector; group 3: IT, consulting, banks & insurances; group 4: rest of the service sectors). 5.3 Position of the Respondents in the Respective Company Two questions were asked to shed light on the position of the respondents in their respective company: Question no. 8 (see below, figure 19) was designed, in order to find out which spectrum of competencies is represented in the sample, asking for the department the respective respondent is working for. Figure 19. Q8: Departments the respondents work for * The percentage shares have been rounded up, thus, the total sum is slightly different from 100% (96%) * Although medical care usually is not considered a department, as this investigation is concentrated on economic consequences of a medical issue, a number of medical doctors have been interviewed as well. construction : 1 food: 5 metal: 3 machine construction / mechanical engineering: 2 automotive: 4 textile: 2 chemical: 3 pharmaceutical: 3 medical sector: 12 IT: 4 consulting: 8 energy supply: 1 banks & insurance: 3 tourism: 2 retail: 2 education/adminis tration: 3 transport & logistics: 2 other (oil industry): 1 Acctounting & Finance: 15% Advisory: 7% Human Resources: 5 % IT: 8% Marketing: 13% Medical Care: 13% Procurement: 10% Production: 7% Research & Development: 5% Sales: 7% Other: 10% Figure 18. Q7: Industries the respondents work for
36 Figure 23. Q12: Intermediate goods purchased from abroad * Columns in this chart (y axis) represent the percentage share of total respondents (61). The x axis has to be understood as response options to question 12 concerning the percentage share of intermediate goods the companies purchase from abroad. Question no. 13 (see below, figure 24) was designed in order to clarify the geographical distribution of the companies’ supply chains: "In which countries does your company purchase (intermediate) products? Please select the region(s)." The countries in which (intermediate) products are purchased are spread all over the world — there is literally no region that has not been mentioned, and many companies buy products in several countries and regions — with certain focuses. The first focus is, of course, Europe — which was to be expected, as most of the companies in the present sample (56 out of 61) are based in Europe: 64% report Central and Western Europe; 41% Eastern Europe; 33% Southern Europe; and 23% Northern Europe. Another focus is China, where 41% of the companies purchase products; followed by India (21%), North America (21%), Southern Africa (16%) and South-East Asia (13%) (see figure 24). Figure 24. Q13: Countries of the suppliers * Columns in this chart represent percentage shares of 61 respondents. 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 30% 12% 28% 12% 18% 2% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Central & Western Europe Southern Europe Northern Europe Eastern Europe Northern Africa Central & West Africa Southern Africa Northern Asia Western Asia China India East Asia South-East Asia North America South America Australia & New Zealand My company does not…
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 37 The situation hardly changes, regarding certain groups of sectors: metal industry, machine construction/mechanical engineering and automotive industry. Grouping these industries into one group, all of them buy goods around the world, however, the focus of purchasing geographically remains European countries, and China still comes second. Exactly the same applies to the group chemical, pharmaceutical industries and medical sector. Companies belonging to the productive industries report, on average, four regions in the world, where they are buying intermediate products. In contrast, regarding the group of service sectors like IT development, consulting and banks and insurances, the situation is different: Employees working in one of these service sectors, mentioned less regions in the world, and the focus slightly shifts: Europe is still absolutely in the lead, however, the second rank of the regions, where those sectors are purchasing intermediate products, is North America. Nevertheless, it has to be taken into account that the participants in this survey are working for different industries in different countries, thus, the sample is broadly diversified. Furthermore, with the pandemic still ongoing, this merely allows a first approximation. Table 6 shows the countries, in which the companies from this sample are purchasing products, highlighting merely certain selected productive industries, as these industries are more interesting to investigate when it comes to global supply chains (the service industries barely purchase products from abroad — and if they do, it is mostly IT products). Table 6 demonstrates that the food industry is basically purchasing all over the world, whereas, for example, the textile industry is rather purchasing form Southern Europe (50%) and Western Asia (50%), China (100% of respondents from this industry state this as one of the regions their company is purchasing from) and India (50%), the automotive industry mainly purchases from Europe, China (75%), and North America (25%). As for the chemical industry, the main regions for procurement are situated in Europe, however, this industry also purchases from China (67%), India (67%), North America (33%), and Southern Africa (33%). As for machine construction, this industry mainly purchases goods from Europe, a great part from Asia, and to a certain extent from Africa.
38 Table 6. Regions of suppliers by selected productive industries The regions of suppliers companies choose could be different in terms of trade traditions as well as geographical aspects. Therefore, question 13 (regions of suppliers) is analyzed regarding the countries of workplace. Table 7 shows that all companies situated in Europe have at least one main focus of procurement within European regions. High proportions of companies from Germany, Portugal, Italy, and France purchase intermediate goods in China as well. Companies from Portugal and Italy are also purchasing from South Africa to a certain extent. Furthermore, Italian companies purchase intermediate goods in Eastand South-East Asia, as well as in North America. One example shows the importance of geographical proximity: The respondent working in Saud Arabia states that his company is purchasing goods from Western Asia, China, and India.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 39 Table 7. Regions of suppliers by country of workplace In order to receive a complete impression of the situation, the respondents were also asked whether their company has its own production facilities abroad, which deliver goods to the home country (question no. 14, see below, figure 25). As for this question, multiple answers were allowed. Exactly 50% of all companies in this sample have production facilities abroad, each of them, on average, in two different regions in the world. As for production facilities abroad, Europe is still the most important continent for all industries represented in the current sample, 36% of the respondents specified their company has production facilities in Central and Western Europe, followed by Eastern Europe with 21%, Southern Europe with 20%, and Northern Europe with 13%. 26% of the companies have facilities in North America, followed by China with 21%. Especially the group of service sectors: IT, consulting, banks and insurance companies have their own facilities in Europe and North America. As for the group of producing sectors, the situation changes slightly: First of all, these companies hold production facilities in Europe, followed by China, North America, and South America. Furthermore, a smaller number of companies also holds production facilities in India (10%), South-East Asia (12%), Southern Africa (8%), and others.
40 Figure 25. Q 14: Production facilities abroad *Columns in this chart represent percentage shares out of 61 respondents. It has to be mentioned that 51% of all 61 respondents said their company holds "no additional production facilities abroad". As for the rest of the respondents, a few tendencies towards certain regions to invest in are visible. In order to investigate, which industries have production facilities in the respective regions, the most protruding regions (Central/Western Europe, Southern Europe, Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, China, India, South-East Asia, North America, and South America) were selected and crossed with the respective industries (see below, table 8). As for some sectors, e.g., construction industry, energy supply, and education/administration, it is obvious their 'companies' do not hold production facilities abroad. These very few respondents were rather included in the present sample, not so much because their companies would experience severe supply chain disruptions but rather because they might be able to provide their general view on the current situation. As for Central and Western Europe, Northern Europe, and Eastern Europe, the main industries having production facilities in these regions are the automotive industry and the medical sector. Consulting and banks and insurance companies in the present sample also belong to the industries in this sample well represented with ‘production facilities’ in Europe and America, however, as for the consulting companies in this sample, it should be mentioned that these consultants are all working for large consulting corporations, which have subsidiaries all 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 41 over the world, advising large corporations worldwide. Thus, as consulting corporations do not produce goods but rather sell services, these ‘additional production facilities abroad’ mentioned by the consulting industry have to be understood as subsidiaries of their companies abroad. Having this in mind, the greatest share of additional production facilities abroad within Europe (the region where most of the respondents in this sample have their workplace) is to be found within the automotive industry and the medical sector. Table 8. Selected regions, in which certain industries have production facilities abroad As for Southern Europe, the automotive industry and banks & insurances have the largest share of production facilities abroad. Similar to consulting, banks and insurances rather have subsidiaries abroad instead of actual ‘production facilities’, hence, the largest share of production facilities in Southern Europe is merely to be found with the automotive industry. In Northern Europe, the largest share of facilities abroad is again in the automotive industry, the medical sector, and banks and insurances. In China, the medical sector makes a large share of companies holding production facilities, followed by the automotive industry again (where certain companies belonging to the automotive industries have production facilities), as well as the textile industry, and the chemical industry. As for South America, the most important industry is again the automotive industry with 42% of all production facilities in South America from companies represented in the present sample. The automotive industry holds again a
42 great share of the total share of companies holding production facilities in North America, followed by the pharmaceutical industry, the medical sector, IT development (most likely Silicon Valley in San Francisco), consulting (most large consulting companies hold subsidiaries, i.a., in North America, as well as almost everywhere else in the world, especially the big four consulting companies), and banks and insurances, which also hold large subsidiaries all over the world. The expectation (and planning) of changes in the supply chains due to disruptions by the pandemic should be distinguished from changes already planned longtime in advance before the pandemic. Thus, question no. 15 (see below, figure 26) was designed in order to distinguish this: "Were there any changes in your company's supply chain that had been planned long before COVID-19 and were to be implemented in 2020?" Every fifth of the 61 respondents affirmed this question. Figure 26. Q15: Changes in SCM planned before COVID-19 This proportion varied, depending on the industries (see below, table 9), and it varied more clearly depending on the size of the enterprise. As for group 1 (productive industries), 24% (5 out of 21 in absolute figures) said there were supply chain changes planned even before COVID-19, within group 2 (pharmaceutical & medical sector), merely 20% (3 out of 15 in absolute figures) affirmed the question; as compared to 33% (5 out of 15) within group 3 (IT development, consulting and banks & insurances); whereas all of the respondents in group 4 (transport & logistics, energy supply, education, administration, retail, and tourism) said there were no changes planned in their company before COVID-19. (Even though the absolute figures are relatively low, the last finding could imply that these industries are more active to yes: 21% no: 79%
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 43 Table 9. Changes in SCM planned before COVID-19 by industry find new suppliers in general. Another possible interpretation could be that the productive industries are simply more dependent on regular deliveries, in order to ensure productivity, hence, they have no other option than seeking out for new suppliers). As the automotive industry is known to experience problems for a few years now, the automotive industry was extracted specifically, in order to find out the proportion of those in group 1 who said "yes" (there were changes before COVID-19). Hence, as table 10 (see below) shows, 75% of the respondents who are working in the automotive industry said there were changes planned already before COVID-19 (which makes 60% of the total number of responTable 10. Changes in SCM before COVID-19 in the automotive industry dents who answered this question with "yes"), whereas only 12% of the other respondents in group 1 (productive sectors) said their companies had planned changes before COVID-19. Table 10 (see above) shows the distribution of the percentage of those respondents, who answered “yes” (there were changes before COVID-19) in question 15 — 3 of the 5 respondents, who answered “yes” belong to the automotive industry, which was already
44 suffering long before COVID-19, which means, a great share of respondents in group 1 in table 9 (see above) can be distributed to the automotive industry (see above, table 10). Furthermore, a larger company size is obviously associated with particularly pronounced search for new suppliers. 35% of respondents working with companies with more than 500 employees affirmed question 15 (see below, table 11), as compared to 14% of respondents working with companies employing less than 50 employees (that is the average Table 11. Changes in SCM planned before COVID-19 by size of the company of the two smallest categories of companies taken together), and only 6% with companies employing 50-500 employees (what is the average of the two middle range categories taken together). The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions in the procurement of products, as figure 27 substantiates (question 16: "In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, has there been a change/disruption of the procurement of certain products for your company in 2020?"). A clear majority of 56% (34 out of 61 respondents) answered "yes" to this question. Figure 27. Q16: Changes in SCM in the course of the pandemic Nevertheless, seen together questions 15 and 16, the majority of companies did not plan changes in their supply chains before the pandemic (79%) (see below, table 12 (cross table Q15 and Q16 with Q7), whereas 56% stated a change or disruption in the procurement of certain products in the course of the pandemic. That means, as for the great majority of the yes: 56% no: 44%
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 45 sample, the pandemic changed the situation of their company, they were surprised by a sudden need for a change in procurement. Comparing the two cross tables in table 12 (see below, cross tables Q15 and Q16 with Q7), the results show most obviously there has been a considerable change of the companies' supply chains in the course of the pandemic in 2020. More than half of the respondents (56% of all 61 respondents) said there was a change due to the pandemic, as compared to 79% of all respondents who said their company had not planned any changes before COVID-19. 87% of the respondents working in the pharmaceutical or medical sector said they had disruptions in their supply chains during the pandemic. This can be explained by the fact that the medical and the pharmaceutical sectors were particularly affected by the pandemic in the first few months of 2020, when masks, drugs, hygiene products such as disinfection, and ventilators were urgently needed (as well as hospital beds, etc.). Table 12. Changes in SCM before vs. during the pandemic by industry Furthermore, this gives rise to the question whether there might be a correlation between the size of a company and the perceived need to find new suppliers. The data shows that larger companies with more than 500 employees are slightly more concerned by changes or disruptions of the supply chains (62% of this group answered "yes" to question no. 16) than
52 Table 16. Perceived probability of changes in procurement by industry The expected changes in procurement have to be concretized, especially with regard to the strategy in terms of geographic allocation (question no. 19, see below, figure 31). The expectable answers to this question could be either relocations • in the form of Reshoring; "partial Reshoring/Backshoring — the process of returning parts of the production and manufacturing of goods back to the company's original country" • in the form of Nearshoring: "partial Nearshoring — the organization decides to transfer parts of the production to companies that are geographically closer to the company's original country" • in the form of buying ahead: "buying ahead — in order to ensure to always have the products on stock" First of all, it has to be noted that every third respondent does not expect a change in the procurement strategy of the company at all (31%). The other respondents expect partial nearshoring in a number of cases (33%), and reshoring back to the company's original country (28%). Thus, the majority of respondents expect their companies will probably look for new suppliers located closer to the company's place of production. In every case it means a more or less significant shortcut of the trade route. Buying ahead and having more products on
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 53 stock obviously is an alternative for a considerable number of respondents (44%) to avoid difficulties in the production of goods and services. "Other" strategies are noted by 6%. In many cases, respondents combine two (or even three) of the strategies. In any case, the changes are becoming concrete for two out of three respondents. Comparing the different sectors, it is group 2 (pharmaceutical and medical sector), imagining changes in the form of reshoring and or nearshoring. 40% resp. 47% of this group expect those changes. That's exactly the group, which was mostly affected by a change or disruption in the year 2020 (s. above, question 16), to a greater amount caused directly by the pandemic. Group 1, the productive industries, is the second in the rank: 43% of this group expect (partial) nearshoring, and 24 % reshoring (multiple answers were allowed, so these two numbers may not be added.). The productive industries feel most vulnerable to closed borders and prevented transportations as it had been the case during several weeks in 2020. Figure 31. Q19: Expected changes in the procurement strategy In order to examine whether certain of the productive industries (see below, table 17, group1) would reveal different results for question 19 (see above, figure 31), this question was crossed a second time with question 7, breaking down group 1 in table 17 (see below), into the different productive industries (construction, food, metal, machine, automotive, textile, chemical, and oil) (see below, table 18). 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 partial reshoring: 28% partial nearshoring: 33% buying ahead: 44% no changes at all: 31% other: 7%
54 Table 17. Expected types of changes in procurement strategy by industry Table 18 demonstrates (although with merely few cases in each industry) the automotive industry — which experienced severe disruptions and partially production stops during the pandemic (cf. Beutnagel 2020) — is predominantly open to partial nearshoring (75%) but also to partial reshoring (50%), and buying ahead (50%). The table also demonstrates that the food industry — which also experienced severe disruptions during the pandemic (cf. Aday & Aday, 2020) — is open to partial nearshoring (60%) and buying ahead (100%). This is most likely due to the fact that the food industry — especially large supermarket chains — were experiencing a crucial surplus demand during the pandemic. Large multinationals were experiencing "insufficient quantity due to slower production in the chain" (see respondent 54, Annex — complete sample, excel sheet). Table 18. Expected changes in procurement — productive sectors
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 55 Figure 32. Q20: Perceived probability of shifts in procurement As for question no. 20 ("Do you think it might be possible that your company will slightly shift the supply chain, purchasing from other suppliers, in order to mitigate the risk of not receiving products on time?", see figure 32), respondents were asked to provide their personal opinion on whether there was a tendency of their respective company to implement reshoring or nearshoring strategies (excluding those, who are already merely purchasing from domestic companies), or whether they expect supply chain changes to be rather unlikely in their company, or whether there might actually be another tendency of exploring new markets abroad. The results are rather widely spread, however, it has to be noted that, as for this question, multiple answers were possible, thus, some respondents, for example, said they think "purchasing from domestic companies is quite likely" (21%), as well as "purchasing from neighboring countries is quite likely" (31%). Then again, merely 16% of the respondents said their companies are still exploring new markets abroad, whereas 25% said "no, changes of our supply chain are not very likely", and 13% said they see other problems: For example, one respondent, who is working with the most famous German bank said, "changes yes, however, not in the procurement strategy of our bank but rather in the form of cost-saving measures", another respondent, working as IT consultant in Germany, said "we mainly purchase IT and this sector is barely affected by the pandemic". Nevertheless, one respondent, working for the pharmaceutical industry, said "We are obligated to purchase finished pharmaceutical 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 yes, purchasing from domestic companies is quite likely: 21% yes, purchasing from neighboring countries is quite likely: 31% my company is currently exploring new markets abroad: 16% no, we are already mainly purchasing from domestic companies and neighboring countries anyway: 21% no, changes of our supply chain are not very likely: 25% other: 13%
56 products from Europe, as this is cheaper than purchasing the same products in Germany, whereas purchasing from companies outside of Europe is cumbersome due to legal regulations". These three commentaries of respondents demonstrate that not all industries might reassess their SCM. In fact, as for the service industries, some companies' supply chains might barely be affected at all. Most companies, however, might implement general costsaving measures. Table 19 (see below) shows that, as of group 2 (the pharmaceutical & medical sector), respondents seem to agree that they are purchasing from neighboring countries — 33% already to do so, while 47% believe their 'companies' (hospitals, pharmacies, and pharmaceutical corporations) would start purchasing from neighboring countries. This can be explained by the fact that the pharmaceutical industry will experience a shift in their procurement of pharmaceutical products, such as hygiene products and masks, etc., due to the political guidelines that were implemented by the European Commission in 2020. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission stated: "The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the vital need to strengthen our health systems. This includes access to safe, effective and high-quality medicines at an affordable price. In the challenging economic and social times the EU is currently facing, the strategy adopted today will ensure that Europe and Europeans will continue to benefit from such medicines. I call on Member States and the Parliament to endorse this approach which will be rolled out in the next three years, and beyond." (Leyen, von der, 2020, November 25). Table 19. Perceived probability of shifts in procurement by industry
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 57 As for group 1, both shifts towards purchasing from neighboring countries as well as exploring new markets abroad are estimated as probable solutions. In contrast, group 3 (IT development, banks & insurances, and consulting) rather assume their companies will not shift the supply chain — which is reasonable to assume, as IT and consulting, first, do not have extensive supply chains and, second, as these industries merely purchase IT products and advisory services (see question 11). As for question no. 21 (see below, table 20), respondents were asked to provide their personal opinion on certain statements (for a more detailed version of each of the statements for this question, see question 21 in Appendix I, English version of the questionnaire). The five statements of this question describe different strategies of maintaining supply chains in difficult times. In the first statement, respondents were asked whether searching for other suppliers for certain products in these times would be strategy for their company. The second statement describes the strategy to minimize the risk of not having enough supplies on time by searching additional suppliers. Statement three implies the openness to suppliers anywhere in the world. Statement four and five describe strategies of risk. Table 20. Q21: Statements on different strategic SCM options Table 20 merely shows slight differences between the five statements, concerning the respondents' agreement or disagreement to the respective statements. There are both
58 approving and disapproving votes for each statement. The general strategy of seeking out to other suppliers is scored less than 3 points (2.95 average value). The strategy of seeking additional suppliers as a precaution in these difficult times receives the most support, with an average value of 3.27. The cosmopolitan strategy of seeking suppliers in other countries somewhere in the world receives a balanced assessment, i.e., equal approval and disapproval with 2.95 points. The possibility of nearshoring, i.e., transferring the supply chain to neighboring countries, is rated less positively at 2.81 points. The relatively least favorable classification is given to the strategy of reshoring to the home country with 41% disapproving and only 22% approving respondents and an average of 2.62 points. Overall, respondents seem to agree that the difficult economic situation of global trade in times of the pandemic necessitates a reaction. The majority of respondents seems to hold the view that their companies would search for new or additional suppliers, whereas merely a minority believes their companies would implement reshoring or nearshoring. There seems to be a tendency towards searching for new suppliers, however, rather in neighboring countries or even further abroad, not so much in the company’s original country. With regard to question 21, two imaginable factors were investigated more detailed: a) the size of the enterprise; and b) the different sectors the respondents are working with — assuming that productive sectors would need a more widespread network of suppliers than service sectors would aim at. Investigating the first possible factor, the size of the company, no significant difference was found. Respondents working with larger companies did not provide answers differing from the average of all respondents. Investigating the different sectors (see below, table 21), however, some interesting details could be found: Group 3 — consisting of IT development, consulting, banks and insurances — seems to aim less at new SCM strategies, the sum of points for all five statements is considerably lower compared to the other three groups. The statement aiming at additional suppliers, in order to mitigate the risk of delivery delays is well appreciated in the three remaining groups (group 1: 3.35 points, group 2: 3.53 points, group 4: 3.63 points; see table 21). Respondents of group 2 — pharmaceutical sector and medical sector — emphasize as well the strategy of reshoring to the home country, which is in line with the argumentation of European governments to settle the production of pharmaceutical and medical products at home (cf. Leyen, von der, 2020, November 25), in order to avoid delivery delays in times of the pandemic. The opposite applies to group 1 (productive sectors) and
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 59 group 4 (other service sectors): As for these two groups, the statement endorsing the reshoring strategy gets the lowest average value. As for group 4 — other service sectors, such as logistics, energy supply, education, administration, etc. —, it is most obvious that this group simply does not have a large supply chain and, thus, does not experience problems. As for group 1 — productive industries — most respondents have a rather reserved attitude towards reshoring. This is most likely due to the fact that purchasing from abroad is substantially more cost-effective. Nevertheless, this group still seems to be searching for new suppliers, however, not in the company’s home country but rather in neighboring countries or even further away: The statement "suppliers in other countries anywhere in the world" received the highest score (3.53) by group 1 (productive sectors). This can be interpreted as the need of productive sectors — even in times of the pandemic and difficulties in global trade — to find a sufficient number of suppliers at the best possible economic conditions, ensuring the lowest prices. Table 21. Statements on different strategic options by sectors Questions 22 and 23 were designed, in order to investigate whether sustainability was or was not a decisive factor for companies to implement reshoring or nearshoring strategies. The expectation was that sustainability was not a decisive factor for companies to implement reshoring or nearshoring but rather the problematic situation of the supply chains and delivery delays in times of the pandemic. The results of questions 22 and 23 show exactly that. First of all, figure 33 (see below) shows the overall results of answers of all 61 respondents to question 22: 23% think
60 sustainability is "not so important" for their company, 38% think it is "quite important", 16% think it is "very important", and 15% are "undecided", 3% think sustainability was "not important at all" to their company. The respondents had to choose the answer to question 22 on a scale (see below, figure 33), ranging from 1 (not important at all) to 5 (very important). Assuming those respondents who answered "undecided" in the middle of the scale (see figure 33) do not attach too much importance towards sustainability (or do not think their company does), then it can be argued that 41% of the respondents think their company does not attach much importance towards sustainability and 54% think their company does attach importance towards sustainability (and 5% do not know). Figure 33. Q22: Perceived importance of sustainability for the company Having this in mind, it is interesting to examine which of the respondents, who said in Q19 they could imagine the implementation of reshoring or nearshoring, also said in Q22 their company does attach importance towards sustainability, in order to find out whether there was a correlation between the tendency towards reshoring or nearshoring and importance of sustainability. In order to be able to exclude that part of the respondents, who said their company would show tendencies towards (partial) reshoring or (partial) nearshoring merely due to the fact that their company attaches importance towards sustainability (which could also be a reason to implement reshoring or nearshoring), therefore, questions 22 and 23 were generated on sustainability. Table 22 (see below) proves there is no correlation between "importance of sustainability" (Q 22) and the tendency towards "partial reshoring" or "partial nearshoring" (Q19): In total, merely two respondents stated sustainability was "not important at all" to their very important: 16% quite important: 38% undecided: 15% not so important: 23% not important at all : 3% I don't know: 5%
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 61 company, 1 out of those 2 respondents (50%) said "partial reshoring" and "partial nearshoring" was conceivable, the other one did expect "no any changes at all". In total, 14 respondents said sustainability was "not so important" to their company, 29% of them said "partial reshoring" was conceivable, 43% of them said partial nearshoring was conceivable, and 71% stated they could rather imagine their company buying goods ahead. 9 respondents stated they were "undecided" concerning how much importance their company attaches to sustainability, 44% of them could imagine "partial reshoring" and 67% of them partial nearshoring, as well as 67% of them stated "buying ahead". The proportion of those respondents who stated sustainability was either "quite important" or "very important" to their company could less imagine their company to implement reshoring or nearshoring (see above, table 22). Reshoring and nearshoring tend to be driven less by reasons of sustainability but rather by pragmatic, i.e., economic considerations. Table 22. Importance of sustainability and tendency towards reshoring and nearshoring As already mentioned before, questions 22 and 23 were merely generated in order to examine whether sustainability was an influencing factor for companies to implement reshoring or nearshoring. Question 22 was designed in order to examine which companies do attach importance towards sustainability, whereas question 23 was designed in order to examine whether those companies who do attach importance towards sustainability (Q22), would also be willing to pay for it (Q23).
68 Table 26. Cross table Q26 und Q5 Indeed, table 27 (see below) shows that the pharmaceutical and medical sector is by far the most "optimistic" when broken down by industry: a decrease in sales is only recorded in the lowest range, i.e., between 0-20%, and no respondent working in the pharmaceutical or medical sector states a higher percentage value for decreases in sales. Furthermore, no other industry has as many "increases in sales" statements. With 40% the pharmaceutical and medical sector is twice as strongly represented as on average. The explanation for this is obvious: In times of pandemic, products from this sector are particularly in demand. Part of the food industry (3 respondents) noted increases in sales as well. It is reasonable to assume this is due to the fact that a great part of the population is spending more time in their own households ever since the outbreak of the pandemic and the lockdowns that went along with it. With all bars, restaurants, and cafés closed and working from home, there is a shift in demand from spending money on eating out, going on holidays, and eating at work towards purchasing household goods (at least this is the case for the socalled 'end consumer').
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 69 Table 27. Decrease in sales by industries Question 27 (see figure 38) was designed, in order to examine the cost-saving measures the companies represented in the sample are implementing due to the pandemic. 30% of all respondents stated there were "no cost-saving measures planned", 15% of respondents say 0-10% cost-saving measures are implemented by their company, another 15% say their company is planning to implement 10-20% cost-saving measures, 23% of all respondents say their cost-saving might sum up to 20-30% in their company, 6% say it will be between 30-50% cost-saving, merely 2% say cost-saving measures might exceed 50% and another 9% do not seem to dare to give an opinion on this ("I don’t know": 9% of all respondents).
70 Figure 38. Q27: Cost-saving measures due to the pandemic The previous questions were all designed, in order to investigate the respondents' perception concerning the situation of his/her respective company in times of the pandemic. Questions 28 and 29 were rather designed, in order to gain insight into the respondents' general perception of the severity of long-term effects the pandemic might have — on global supply chains (question 28) and on respondents' individual national economy (as respondents in this sample are working in different countries), as well as on global economy (question 29). As for question 28, respondents were asked to evaluate the severity of the pandemic on global supply chains on a scale from 0-100 (with 0 corresponding to "very severe" and 100 corresponding to "not severe at all". Figure 39. Q28: Perceived severity of long-term effects of COVID-19 on global supply chains The result clearly shows: long-term effects on the global supply chains are regarded as rather severe. In total, respondents estimate the severity on the average with 29.67 points (arithmetic mean), corresponding to "rather severe". (30 points being nearer to 0 points = no cost-saving measures planned ca. 0-10% cost saving ca. 10-20% cost saving ca. 20-30% cost saving ca. 30-50% cost saving more than 50% cost saving I don't know
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 71 "very severe", on a scale with 0-100 points, with 100 points corresponding to "not severe at all"). Merely a minority of 6 respondents are rating this question with 60 points or more (60 points = "less severe"). None of the respondents rate the situation as = "not severe at all". Overall, respondents estimate remarkable long-term effects of COVID-19 on global supply chains. This estimation also implies skepticism whether the world could find back to conditions as before the virus and — on the long run — without pandemics with severe consequences. At least that is the estimation in autumn of the year 2020. Table 28. Perceived severity of the effects of the pandemic by size of company * numbers in this table represent arithmetic means, higher numbers represent a more favorable estimation and lower numbers a more severe estimation of the effects of the pandemic The result of the preceding cross-table is: The larger the company, the fewer concerns employees seem to have about the long-term effects of the pandemic. In the course of the present survey, questions 1-28 were multiple choice questions, asking the respondents concerning their personal opinion on the current situation with COVID-19 and its impact on economy and their respective company. All these 28 questions were mandatory for the respondents, in order to proceed with the questionnaire. Question 29 ("What do you think might be long-term effects of COVID-19 for the supply chain of your company, your national economy, and global trade?") was an open question, which was not mandatory. As for this question, respondents were invited to express their thoughts on the impact of the pandemic on global economy, national economy, as well as on their company and its supply chain. As the answers of many respondents were quite similar, the answers were grouped and classified (see below, table 29) 1 . Many respondents provided several remarks on different issues, hence, the answers were encoded in a similar way as answers in former questions, when respondents were able to provide multiple answers to one question. 1 For a detailed documentation of these commentaries, please see Appendix II, transcription of answers of all respondents to Q29.
72 Table 29. Evaluation of Q29 — answers of respondents With regard to the uncertainty of the current situation of pandemic and a possible vaccination (which was not for certain in the fourth quarter of 2020, when most of the respondents answered to this questionnaire), it is not surprising that a certain amount of respondents — 11 (in absolute figure) out of 61 — states: "I don't know" or does not give an answer at all. Part of the respondents provide a rather general evaluation of the severity and duration of the pandemic. Others provide their impression of the impact on economy on both
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 73 macroand microeconomic level. Another part is rather concerned about their respective companies, affected industries, and changes in supply chains. Finally, some of the respondents debate governmental policy in times of the pandemic as well as possible effects of vaccination (which did not yet start at the time the present survey was carried out at the end of the year 2020). Within the group of answers providing a general evaluation of the pandemic (see table 29), there were optimistic views as well as hesitating estimations, and pessimistic views. Respondents with a rather optimistic view do not seem to expect changes at all (in absolute numbers: 12 out of 61 respondents). One respondent even believes the pandemic was "not so severe", others merely expect short-term changes for the economy in general, as well as for SCM (7 respondents). In contrast, some respondents hold rather pessimistic views, regarding the pandemic and its impact on economy as very severe (8 respondents). They expect a recovery of the economy at earliest in 3-5 years (5 respondents), some anticipate the need for long-term changes in SCM (6 respondents). Or in the wording of one respondent: "Businesses and governments are already shifting their operations to accommodate for the effects of COVID-19 and I don't see everything going back to normal even if the pandemic ends." (respondent no. 10). Those respondents speaking out about economy — either on a microor on a macroeconomic level — seem to be more doubtful in general. 10 out of 61 respondents said the global economy will suffer (some of which believe severely), as compared to merely 5 respondents stating the opposite. Same applies to the level national economy and the level of company — thus, the majority of respondents rather believe the impact was severe. Part of the respondents discuss concrete developments concerning the working conditions: short-time work, job losses, drops in income (7 respondents). Others perceive or expect shifts in demand in certain industries (9 respondents). The expectancies regarding changes in SCM were differentiated: extension vs. reduction of supplier network, offshoring or buying ahead (purchasing on stock). The most prominent expectation in this regard is a change to more local procurement (12 respondents mentioned this), partially substantiated as nearshoring or reshoring. In total, the respondents' perception could be characterized as a mixture of hope and careful skepticism. Or in the wording of a respondent: "National economies will recover in the foreseeable future. Some countries that are not in such a strong economic position will still have to work for some time to make up for declines in production.
74 The globality of trade will decline by a few percent in the long term." (see Annex, respondent no. 46). A handful respondents were also concerned about other things, e.g., one respondent believed the pandemic would increase social disparities (see Annex, respondent 43, working in La Réunion). This is also true for other parts of the world. For example, in Brazil, the coronavirus disease even aggravated the inequality between rich and poor: “Coronavirus death rates expose Brazil’s deep racial inequalities.” (Kamps, 2020, p. 457). The situation in Great Britain appears to be similar: “People living in the poorest areas of England and Wales have been twice as likely to die from Covid-19 as those in less deprived areas, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.” (Devlin & Barr, 2020). Also, in the U.S. scientists are concerned: "The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exposed the consequences of inequality in the US." (Metzl, Maybank & de Maio, 2020, June 4). 5.5 Main results of the survey The group of respondents is predominantly composed of young adults (half 18-30-year old, one third 30-40-year old). 15 different nationalities are represented, half are German respondents. They work in companies of various sizes; almost every second person is employed in a company with more than 500 employees. Almost all respondents (90%) expect an impact of the pandemic on global SCs. The dependence of the companies on supplies from abroad is clear: in 60% of all cases, the companies purchase at least one third of the intermediate goods from abroad - with suppliers all over the world, with a clear focus on Europe, but also on Asia (China and India). The majority of respondents answered in the affirmative to the question of whether the pandemic caused a disruption and/or a change in procurement in 2020. The problems were primarily delivery delays, less frequently the risk of bankruptcy of a supplier. It is rather the small companies that fear delivery delays (84% of the respondents in this group); possibly because they have only a few suppliers and are therefore particularly dependent on the few existing business relationships. A majority of all respondents consequently expect a change in procurement (20%: yes, for sure; 43%: I could imagine that). Employees in service sectors are less likely to expect changes in procurement strategy than those working in the manufacturing sector.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 75 Important expected changes in strategy are reshoring and nearshoring on the one hand, and the strategy of integrating additional suppliers on the other. Sustainability still seems to play a minor role in the companies, however, this topic was only addressed with a few questions in the survey. The impact of the pandemic is not only reflected in procurement but also in the sales of the companies. More than half of the respondents experienced a decrease in sales in their company. However, one in five also reported an increase in sales, especially in the pharmaceutical and medical sectors (40% report an increase in sales), but also in productive industries (19%). At the end of the survey, respondents were asked to provide their personal opinion on possible long-term effects of COVID-19 on the supply chain of their respective company, their economy as well as on global economy. The answers showed clearly that the population believes global and national economies will definitely suffer from the pandemic. Shifts in demand in certain industries are anticipated. Concerning procurement strategies of the companies, the respondents expect a greater geographical proximity in the organization of the supply chains. 6. Conclusion There have been economic crises and health pandemics in previous decades and centuries. Hardly any crisis has been so comprehensive in both aspects. The health aspect has become global and seems to be designed for a longer duration. The economic consequences are obvious: In 2020 GDP fell significantly in most developed and in developing countries. In many countries there were and still are millions of unemployed. Many governments followed the advice of Keynes: If there is not enough private demand when the economy slumps, the state should intervene in order to break a vicious circle (Keynes, 2017). Falling GDP and rising unemployment rates are triggered by the pandemic, the subsequent lockdowns, and finally by the disruptions of the supply chains. Social inequality within countries appears to be on the rise. Low-paid and precarious jobs are the first to be affected by the lockdowns. Cultural events and gastronomy are severely hampered by curfews. With repeated border closures, tourism is affected, but so is the cross-border
76 transport of goods. In 2020/21 supply chains for certain primary products such as steel or semiconductors, lumber or food and a lot of others suffered from interruptions. Supply chains have become much more important in recent decades in the context of globalization. But even before the pandemic, questions were being raised in national economies about which forms of sourcing strategies could be truly beneficial for which industries and companies. In this paper, an attempt has been made to analyze these concepts and to interrogate them as to what advantages and what disadvantages are associated with the various strategies. At the same time, the public discussion about ways to mitigate climate change has gained momentum in recent years. Economies need to be prepared for both, a policy to contain climate change as well as a policy to deal with the pandemic in one form or another. In part, lockdown strategies have already been helpful in slowing climate change. During lockdowns, drastic restrictions were imposed on tourist travel and transport of goods. As a result of the restrictions, less fuel was used for months around the world and thus less CO2 was emitted. Developing new forms of SCM, it will be useful to consider environmental aspects at the same time. This is done comprehensively in Closed Loop Supply Chain Management (Kumar & Kumar, 2013), which strives to combine economic success, social aspects and ecological aspects. The aspect of environmental awareness concerns logistics, above all the possibility of recycling products. The fragility and the already experienced disruptions of the global supply chains cause employees in the productive economy to think about changing the strategies of the supply. In the survey conducted in this work, many respondents were in favor of the reorganization of supply chains. In their opinion, suppliers should be located closer to their own company. This should be achieved by reshoring or by nearshoring from the outset. Another way to increase a company's resilience is expected to be through the strategy of increasing the number of suppliers in any case. A good proportion of respondents, albeit from a small sample, see the need for systematic supply chain management after their experiences during the pandemic. The attempt to recruit stakeholders from the business community for this study had its limitations: As a student, it is not easy to find responsible interview partners in large industrial companies and trade organizations. For this reason, access to respondents was informal - i.e., via acquaintances and snowball system. Employees from various industries
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 77 were invited to participate in a written survey. A systematic sample, covering the different industries, would be desirable for further investigation. Involving actors from business organizations (chambers of commerce, business associations), e.g., with intensive interviews, could be useful. As the pandemic is still ongoing, the results of this dissertation cannot provide a final result on the impact of the pandemic on global supply chains for the future – however, this dissertation provides a first insight into the current situation, caused by the pandemic, and the consequences for global SCs. There is hope that the pandemic has given societies pause to think about the future for "a fairer, greener future" (Maleret & Schwab 2020, p. 57). The discussion on supply chains, both globally and nationally, is supported by political initiatives for sustainability in terms of environmental protection, compliance with social standards in production, and appropriate corporate governance. Protection of the environment encompasses various aspects in order to stop climate change and conserve resources. Social standards include in particular occupational health and safety, pay equity and diversity. The governance aspect includes acceptable compensation for the company's Supervisory Board and Management Board, as well as anti-corruption measures. These goals are currently being put into practice in Germany with the "Supply Chain Sourcing Obligations Act" (“Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz”), passed by parliament in June 2021 (BMZ 2021). It is hoped that this will be followed by a European initiative. Thus, periods of upheaval caused by the pandemic could contribute to the realization of ESG (environmental, social, governance) goals. It should be the time to rethink the way the global economy works. At present, a positive and a negative development of the situation can be anticipated: The positive development is that the vaccinations could be implemented much faster than it was predictable at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. The negative development is that the pandemic continues, first, because part of the population does not want to be vaccinated, as some do not trust the various vaccines (Biontech, Moderna, Astrazeneca, Johnson & Johnson, etc.). Second, the pandemic lasts longer than expected, since modified and even more aggressive variants of the virus have appeared in the course of the pandemic. Thus, the further development is not yet clearly predictable at the current time.
84 7. What industry is your company primarily associated with? ● construction industry ● food industry ● metal industry ● automotive industry ● machine construction/mechanical engineering ● textile industry ● IT development ● chemical industry ● pharmaceutical industry ● medical sector ● energy supply ● consulting (IT-consulting, management consulting, tax consulting, audit, etc.) ● tourism ● banks and insurance companies ● education / administration ● transport & logistics ● retail ● other: _____________________________ 8. Which of the following best describes your department? ● Accounting & Finance ● Advisory ● Human Resources ● IT ● Marketing ● Medical Care ● Procurement ● Production ● Research & Development ● Sales ● Other: _____________________________ 9. Since when are you working for your current company? ● < 1 year ● 1-5 years ● 5-10 years ● > 10 years 10. Do you believe the COVID-19 lockdown, i.e., the pandemic already has or will have an impact on global supply chains? ● yes, definitely ● no, rather not ● I don’t know ● yes, that’s quite likely ● no, definitely not ● Other: _____________________________ 11. Which (intermediate) product(s) does your company purchase from other companies (from national companies or from abroad)? Multiple answers are possible. ■ metal products ■ adhesives ■ textile products ■ furniture ■ IT software ■ machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors) ■ steel ■ wood-based products ■ chemical products ■ groceries ■ clothing ■ concrete & stones ■ IT hardware ■ services (e.g. advisory) ■ plastic products ■ pharmaceutical/medical products ■ household goods ■ cosmetic products ■ herbal/plant products ■ Other: _____________________________ 12. According to your personal estimation, what might be the percentage share of intermediate goods your company purchases from abroad? Please estimate. ● 0-10% ● 10-30%● 30-50% ● 50-70% ● 70-90% ● 90-100% 13. In which countries does your company purchase (intermediate) products? Please select the region(s). Multiple answers are possible. ■ CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE (Germany, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, Switzerland, Austria) ■ SOUTHERN EUROPE (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece) ■ NORTHERN EUROPE (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia) ■ EASTERN EUROPE (Poland, Belarus, Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovakia, etc.)
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 85 ■ NORTHERN AFRICA (Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco) ■ CENTRAL and WEST AFRICA ■ SOUTHERN AFRICA (South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, etc.) ■ NORTHERN ASIA (Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia) ■ WESTERN ASIA (Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi-Arabia, etc.) ■ China ■ India ■ EAST ASIA (Japan and Korea) ■ EAST ASIA (Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Taiwan, etc.) ■ NORTH AMERICA (U.S.A. and Canada) ■ SOUTH AMERICA (Latin America including Mexico) ■ Australia & New Zealand ■ MY COMPANY DOES NOT PURCHASE PRODUCTS FROM ABROAD 14. Does your company have production facilities abroad in one or several of these regions, shipping products to your country of residence? If yes, please specify where. Multiple answers are possible. ■ CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE ■ SOUTHERN EUROPE ■ NORTHERN EUROPE ■ EASTERN EUROPE ■ NORTHERN AFRICA ■ CENTRAL and WESTERN AFRICA ■ SOUTHERN AFRICA ■ NORTHERN ASIA ■ WESTERN ASIA ■ CHINA ■ INDIA ■ EAST ASIA ■ SOUTH-EAST ASIA ■ NORTH AMERICA ■ SOUTH AMERICA ■ AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND ■ NO ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION FACILITIES ABROAD 15. Were there any changes in your company's supply chain that had been planned long before COVID-19 and were to be implemented in 2020? ● yes ● no 16. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, has there been a change/disruption of the procurement of certain products for your company in 2020? ● yes ● no 17. In times of the current pandemic, which problems do you see concretely for the procurement of products/intermediate products for your company? Multiple answers are possible. Please provide your personal opinion. ■ delivery delays ⎯ companies might not always be able to deliver on time ■ risk of bankruptcy ⎯ trading with smaller companies might be more risky these days because smaller companies have a higher risk to go bankrupt
86 ■ I don’t see any problems ■ Other: _____________________________ 18. Do you think a change in your company's procurement strategy for 2021 or subse-quent years is likely? (e.g. purchase of certain products, which were previously imported e.g. from overseas, might be purchased from the domestic market or from neighboring countries in the future) ● yes, for sure ● no, rather unlikely ● I don’t know ● yes, I could imagine that ● no, definitely not 19. Which changes in the procurement strategy of your company could you imagine? (e.g. shifting the procurement of certain products/ intermediate products from abroad to the domestic market or to neighboring countries). Multiple answers are possible. Please provide your personal opinion. ■ partial Reshoring/Backshoring/Inshoring/Onshoring ⎯ the process of returning parts of the production and manufacturing of goods back to the company's original country. ■ partial Nearshoring ⎯ the organization decides to transfer parts of the production to companies that are geographically closer to the company's original country. ■ buying ahead ⎯ in order to ensure to always have the products on stock ■ no changes at all ■ Other: _____________________________ 20. Do you think it might be possible that your company will slightly shift the supply chain, purchasing from other suppliers, in order to mitigate the risk of not receiving products on time? Multiple answers are possible. Please provide your personal opinion. ■ Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from domestic companies. ■ Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. ■ My company is currently exploring new markets abroad. ■ No, we are already mainly purchasing from domestic companies and neighboring countries anyway. ■ No, changes of our supply chain are not very likely - we will continue to source from abroad just as before. ■ Other: _____________________________
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 87 21. In your personal opinion, how likely do you consider the following strategic options for your company in times of the COVID-19 pandemic? Please rate the statements on a fivelevel scale. Please provide your personal opinion. no, I don’t agree at all no, I don’t agree so much I’m undecided yes, I agree to some extent yes, I completely agree I don’t know I think it is likely my company will shift the purchase of certain products to other suppliers. ● ● ● ● ● ● In my opinion, it is likely my company will purchase from additional suppliers, in order to mitigate the risk of not receiving products on time. ● ● ● ● ● ● I do believe my company will search for suppliers in other countries anywhere in the world. ● ● ● ● ● ● I think it is likely my company will return parts of our supply chain back to the company’s original country (Reshoring). ● ● ● ● ● ● I believe it is rather likely will transfer parts of the production to companies in neighboring countries (Nearshoring). ● ● ● ● ● ● 22. According to your personal perception, how much importance does your company attach to sustainability? Please provide your personal estimation. not important at all not so important undecided quite important very important I don’t know importance of sustainability ● ● ● ● ● ●
88 23. Do you think your company would be willing to pay more for products produced either in your country or in a neighboring country, in order to achieve a greater degree of sustainability? ● yes, I think that’s quite likely ● no, rather not ●Other: _____________________ ● yes, that might happen ● no, not at all 24. According to your personal opinion, how beneficial is the process of outsourcing in your company? a) Outsourcing is the business strategy of hiring another company to perform services and create goods that were originally performed in-house by the company's own employees. b) Which of the following statements best matches with your opinion? ● My company does not source out any processes. ● We are outsourcing certain parts of our processes and this is a very effective cost-saving strategy. ● We are outsourcing certain parts of our processes. However, outsourcing is rather cost saving in theory, whereas in practice, it is in fact creating incalculable additional expenses. ● Other: ________________________ 25. In which regions does your company sell its products / services? Multiple answers are possible. ■ CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE ■ SOUTHERN EUROPE ■ NORTHERN EUROPE ■ EASTERN EUROPE ■ NORTHERN AFRICA ■ CENTRAL and WESTERN AFRICA ■ SOUTHERN AFRICA ■ NORTHERN ASIA ■ WESTERN ASIA ■ CHINA ■ INDIA ■ EAST ASIA ■ SOUTH-EAST ASIA ■ NORTH AMERICA ■ SOUTH AMERICA ■ AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND ■ we are not selling products abroad 26. In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, did you perceive a decrease in sales? ● yes, a decrease in sales of approximately 0-20% ● yes, a decrease in sales of approximately 20-40% ● yes, a decrease in sales of approximately 40-60% ● yes, a decrease in sales of approximately 60-80% ● yes, a decrease in sales of more than 80% ● no decrease in sales at all ● instead of a decrease we are actually experiencing an increase in sales ● Other: _____________________________
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 89 27. Is your company currently planning general cost-saving measures as a result of the pandemic? Please estimate. ● no cost-saving measures planned ● approximately 0-10 % cost-saving measures ● approximately 10-20 % cost-saving measures ● approximately 20-30 % cost-saving measures ● approximately 30-50 % cost-saving measures ● more than 50 % cost-saving measures ● I don't know 28. According to your personal opinion, how severe might be the long-term effects of COVID19 on global supply chains? Please rate on the scale below. very severe not severe at all 0 = very severe 100 = not severe at all 29. What do you think might be long-term effects of COVID-19 for the supply chain of your company, your national economy, and global trade? Please provide your personal opinion You have completed the survey. Thank you very much for your participation. You can now close the window. 40 40 0 10 20 30 50 60 70 80 90 100
90 Appendix II. Transcription of answers of all respondents to Q29 See below the answers of the 61 respondents for question 29 (partially translated from German, Portuguese and French into English): 1. "Products are increasingly being sourced and manufactured locally again. Especially 2. medicines." 3. "Hard to know." 4. "GDP loss by 3-7%, which may be reduced over the next 5 years." 5. "Will be very difficult to recover from this." 6. "On the one hand limited, with vaccine again positive." 7. "Review of the current distribution and sourcing processes; Validation of more suppliers to prevent the risk of back order situations." 8. "Overall severe and process changing." 9. "Will not have long term effects (at least directly) on the supply chain which is well consolidated. Issues may arise from decrease in revenues which might bring the company to reconsider its current supply chain." 10. "Supply chains will change, with more pharmaceutical and especially hygiene products, such as masks and disinfectants, being manufactured domestically and in neighboring countries to be better positioned in the event of another pandemic wave." 11. "It has and will definitely continue to reshape our company's supply chain, national economy, and global economy. Businesses and governments are already shifting their operations to accommodate for the effects of COVID-19 and I don’t see everything going back to normal even if the pandemic ends." 12. "---" 13. "After the introduction of the vaccine, the general situation will calm down somewhat — the economic consequences will initially still be clearly visible, but in the medium term we expect a significant improvement in the financial sector — at least in Germany. For many citizens, however, the pandemic will mean a significant drop in income and an increase in unemployment." 14. "- more focus on cost-saving strategies, thus also adjustment of existing supply chains; - increasing purchasing from domestic companies or neighboring countries; - more reand nearshoring; - increase in inventories or stock purchases" 15. "A shortage of raw ingredients and components due to temporary closures of ports & factories in several countries will force manufacturers to seek new sources. Shifts in demand patterns, as already consumers worldwide are focusing more on essential goods, due to the financial impact which reflected on several jobs.; COVID-19 span uncertainty could lead manufacturers and service providers to introduce new strategies to avoid breaching contracts and SLA penalties." 16. "The drop in oil prices due to the lockdown had a severe impact on our industry."
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 91 17. "- Pharmaceutical products will soon be manufactured by law to a greater extent in the EU to ensure a constant supply; - The economy as a whole will suffer greatly from the pandemic - also in the coming years." 18. "." 19. "Sales reduction, consequently, elimination of jobs" 20. "I don’t know" 21. "-" 22. "Depends on the industry and the further duration of the pandemic." 23. "No deterioration in the pharmaceutical industry, only a shift in the supply chain of the pharmaceutical industry (increase in manufacturing of pharmaceutical products in the EU). In overall economic terms, we will recover from the recession in the coming year." 24. "For the economy, the pandemic is a severe blow in 2020, but hopefully in 2021, vaccination will change everything and the economy can recover. " 25. "I think that some companies will have financial losses. Others, depending on the industry they come from, will make a higher profit." 26. "In my view the long-term implications cannot yet be predicted." 27. "Long-term is relative. The next 1-2 years will certainly be even more strenuous in terms of global procurement. But it could be that the whole thing will have calmed down again in 2-3 years." 28. "In the next 3-4 years, the economy will recover nationally/as well as internationally. Global trade will then continue as before." 29. "The impact on global economy will be severe. Concerning supply chains, I believe companies might reassess their procurement." 30. "Global trade will diminish in any case. Nevertheless, our national economy will maintain the course more or less — provided Brexit will not interfere trade between GB and Europe too much. Supply chains will depend on our relations with European countries." 31. "In the course of the pandemic, we have already initiated changes in the procurement of certain products - and these changes are to remain so indefinitely. Due to the pandemic-related supply difficulties, we have had to buy more from regional suppliers — at more expensive prices and therefore we have to cut costs despite increased sales." 32. "Attempt to be less dependent on the non-European market (production of active ingredients almost exclusively in Asia); better stockpiling of hygiene products; after the crisis has passed, everything will quickly "normalize" so that global trade will increase in volume again, as it is often simply unbeatable to obtain products or "preliminary products" from abroad." 33. "We are currently seeing a trend toward production capacities increasingly being relocated from Germany. I assume that this trend will continue, with corresponding negative consequences for the German economy."
92 34. "I think the market will decrease in many countries." 35. "It could be that not all goods are always available." 36. "---" 37. "More regional procurement in the short term, but this cancels out in the long term, since in most cases it is cheaper to procure abroad." 38. "Above all, small and medium-sized enterprises will increasingly disappear, the offer to shop independently of large corporations will become significantly less, retailing apart from food will only exist to a very limited extent, delivery corporations will be very strongly favored → the city centers will be significantly less attractive (= dead), overall, significantly less diversity in the offer." 39. "Slightly" 40. "Many of our clients are working in the construction industry, food industry, and chemical industry. All of them are suffering from the pandemic severely." 41. "Losses in GDP, smaller companies in particular are going bankrupt more quickly, larger companies have to implement extensive cost-cutting measures, global trade has suffered, but the situation will recover after the pandemic." 42. "Losses in every respect, insecure jobs, increased temporary contracts, temporary work etc." 43. "As investors the entire value chain question is not directly relevant to us. It however is very relevant to some of the companies we invest in. For sure Europe will rethink (has already) it's outsourcing / procurement strategy related to health products. A lot of nearshoring is to be expected. However: the mid-term effect of COVID-19 will by no means be as important as the geopolitical tensions btw China and the US and potentially the EU too/in the middle of it." 44. "Unemployment; Increasing social disparities" 45. "The gross national product of many countries will decline. France's gross national product will also recover only slowly. World trade will be lower for longer." 46. "The COVID-19 pandemic will deepen the global financial and economic crisis that has already existed for years. All countries will be affected to varying degrees, but especially those that are already in a worse situation. Small businesses have already closed at the beginning of the pandemic. States will no longer be able to financially support citizens (who have lost their jobs or are on short-time work). The only hope is the development of an effective and efficient vaccine." 47. "National economies will recover in the foreseeable future. Some countries that are not in such a strong economic position will still have to work for some time to make up for declines in production. The globality of trade will decline by a few percent in the long term." 48. "I see the long-term effects as rather minor. As soon as the pandemic is largely under control again, global trade will spread completely. I doubt whether production and trade will then really become more sustainable." 49. "N/A"
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 93 50. "The company I work for is very optimistic about the future overall. Despite the pandemic, sales figures were up on the previous year. This is mainly due to the fairly high average age and high average income of the target group, which is only marginally affected by the economic consequences of the Corona pandemic. Fundamental changes on the procurement side are not expected in my companies as a result of the pandemic. I also consider a relocation of production to Germany or neighboring countries due to the COVID-19 to be unlikely, as the German textile industry has been undergoing structural change for decades and this has been accompanied by strong outsourcing. German textile production has almost died out.; Basically, it can be observed within the textile trade that a further shift to the already very dominant online trade and a further weakening of the stationary trade is taking place." 51. "All economies will suffer the consequences of the pandemic, but the impact on emerging economies may be dramatic in my opinion." 52. "The Portuguese economy is composed of about 95% of small and medium enterprises. Some of the sectors have been very affected and will have catastrophic consequences. Many companies are facing a scenario of insolvency and state support is not enough. It will lead to a high unemployment rate. The general economic fabric will certainly suffer greatly due to a large reduction in the number of companies and the loss of purchasing power of consumers to encourage survivors." 53. "I don’t know." 54. "I think people might be going more local than before and they will probably move away from bottle necks. We have actually been giving advice to companies which struggled and their core problem had often been a sole supplier abroad; That will definitely change and be covered with local backup plans." 55. "Severe decrease of HORECA businesses (which represent 40% of the business); It will take couple of years before coming back to grow in that segment" 56. "More conservative and sustainable trade" 57. "." 58. "It is needed to transform traditional supply chain models and look ahead to the longer-term solution of digital supply networks." 59. "Temporary impact for the supply chains, but after the pandemic has receded, purchasing is expected to return to similar levels as before the pandemic. Merely in addition to the previous markets we will probably also include the local markets from time to time so that there will not be a renewed production stop in the event of another pandemic or similar." 60. "Predominantly negative" 61. "One year" 62. "- lower labor costs; - less competition"
100 27. A sua empresa está atualmente a planear medidas gerais de poupança de custos como resultado da pandemia? Por favor, faça uma estimativa. ● nenhum previstas de medidas de poupança de custos ● aproximadamente 0-10 % de medidas de poupança de custos ● aproximadamente 10-20 % de medidas de poupança de custos ● aproximadamente 20-30 % de medidas de poupança de custos ● aproximadamente 30-50 % de medidas de poupança de custos ● mais do que 50 % de medidas de poupança de custos ● não sei 28. De acordo com a sua opinião pessoal, quais são os efeitos ao longo prazo da COVID-19 nas cadeias de abastecimento globais? Por favor, classifique na escala abaixo. muito severo não severo de modo nenhum 29. Na sua opinião pessoal, quais são as implicações ao longo prazo da COVID-19 para a sua economia nacional ou para a economia e comércio global? Dê a sua opinião pessoal se faz favor. Terminou a pesquisa. Muito obrigado pela sua participação. Agora pode fechar a janela.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 101 Appendix IV. Questionnaire in German The Conceivable Impact of COVID-19 on Global Supply Chains — A Survey Hallo! Vielen lieben Dank für Ihre Teilnahme an meiner Umfrage! Ziel dieser Umfrage ist es, wie Fachkräfte die Auswirkungen der derzeitigen Pandemie auf globale Lieferketten wahrnehmen. Für diese Umfrage über die Auswirkungen der Pandemie auf globalen Handel und globale Lieferketten ist uns Ihre persönliche Meinung wichtig. Wir garantieren die Anonymität und Vertraulichkeit Ihrer Antworten. 1. Bitte geben Sie Ihr Alter an. ● 18-30 Jahre ● 30-40 Jahre ● 40-50 Jahre ● 50-60 Jahre ● > 60 Jahre 2. Bitte geben Sie Ihr Geschlecht an. ● weiblich ● männlich 3. Was ist Ihr höchster Bildungsabschluss? ● Abitur ● Ausbildung ● Bachelor ● Master ● Doktor / PhD 4. Bitte tragen Sie Ihre Nationalität bzw. Nationalitäten in dem Feld ein. _____________ 5. In welchem Land arbeiten Sie? _____________________________ 6. Wie groß ist das Unternehmen, für das Sie arbeiten? 1-9 Mitarbeiter ● 10-49 Mitarbeiter ● 50-249 Mitarbeiter ● 250-500 Mitarbeiter ● > 500 Mitarbeiter
102 7. In welcher Branche ist Ihr Unternehmen tätig? ● Baugewerbe ● Lebensmittelindustrie ● Metallindustrie ● Textilindustrie ● Einzelhandel ● Automobilindustrie ● Maschinenbau / elektronische Geräte ● Chemieindustrie ● Tourismus ● Pharmaindustrie ● Medizinischer Sektor ● IT-Entwicklung ● Energieversorgung ● Banken und Versicherungen ● Consulting (IT-Consulting, Unternehmensberatung, Steuerberatung, Wirtschaftsprüfung) ● Bildung / Verwaltung ● Transport & Logistik ● Andere: _____________________ 8. In welcher Abteilung sind Sie für Ihre Firma tätig? ● Accounting & Finance ● Beratung ● Human Resources ● IT ● Marketing ● Medizinische Versorgung ● Beschaffung/Einkauf ● Sales ● Produktion ● Research & Development (Entwicklung) ● Andere: __________________________ 9. Seit wann arbeiten Sie schon für Ihre aktuelle Firma?? ● < 1 Jahr ● 1-5 Jahre ● 5-10 Jahre ● > 10 Jahre 10. Glauben Sie, dass der COVID-19-Lockdown bzw. die Pandemie Auswirkungen auf Global Supply Chains hat oder haben wird? ● ja, mit Sicherheit ● nein, eher nicht ● weiß nicht ● ja, das ist wahrscheinlich ● nein, auf gar keinen Fall ● Andere: _________________ 11. Welche(s) (Zwischen-) Produkt(e) kauft Ihr Unternehmen von anderen Unternehmen (von nationalen Unternehmen oder aus dem Ausland)? Mehrfachnennungen sind möglich. ■ Metallprodukte ■ Klebstoffe ■ Textilprodukte ■ Möbel ■ Pharmaprodukte ■ Maschinen als Vorprodukt (z.B. Motoren) ■ Beratung (e.g. advisory) ■ Beton & Steine ■ Stahl ■ Produkte auf Holzbasis ■ Plastikprodukte ■ Chemieprodukte ■ Lebensmittel ■ Kleidung ■ IT Software ■ IT Hardware ■ Haushaltswaren ■ Kosmetikprodukte ■ pflanzliche Produkte ■ Andere: _______________________ 12. Wie hoch ist Ihrer persönlichen Einschätzung nach der prozentuale Anteil von Vorprodukten, die Ihre Firma aus dem Ausland bezieht? Bitte schätzen Sie. ● 0-10%10-30% ● 30-50% ● 50-70% ● 70-90% ● 90-100%
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 103 13. In welchen Ländern kauft Ihr Unternehmen (Zwischen-) Produkte ein? Bitte wählen Sie die Region(en) aus. Mehrfachnennungen sind möglich. ■ ZENTRALund WESTEUROPA (Deutschland, Frankreich, Großbritannien, Irland, Niederlande, Belgien, Luxemburg, Schweiz, Österreich) ■ SÜDEUROPA (Portugal, Spanien, Italien, Griechenland) ■ NORDEUROPA (Norwegen, Schweden, Finnland, Dänemark, Lettland, Estland, Litauen) ■ OSTEUROPA (Polen, Belarus, Slowenien, Serbien, Kroatien, Bosnien, Rumänien, Bulgarien, Ukraine, Tschechien, Slowakei) ■ NORDAFRIKA (Tunesien, Algerien, Ägypten, Libyen, Marokko) ■ ZENTRALund WESTAFRIKA ■ SÜDLICHES AFRIKA (Südafrika, Botswana, Mosambik, Namibia, Simbabwe, Madagaskar etc.) ■ NORDASIEN (Russland, Kasachstan, Mongolei) ■ WESTASIEN (Türkei, Syrien, Libanon, Irak, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi-Arabien, etc.) ■ China ■ Indien ■ OSTASIEN (Japan und Korea) ■ SÜDOSTASIEN (Thailand, Indonesien, Philippinen, Malaysia, Papua-Neuguinea, Vietnam, Kambodscha, Bangladesch, Taiwan, etc.) ■ NORDAMERIKA (U.S.A. und Kanada) ■ SÜDAMERIKA (Lateinamerika inklusive Mexiko) ■ Australien & Neuseeland ■ MEIN UNTERNEHMEN KAUFT KEINE PRODUKTE IM AUSLAND 14. Verfügt Ihr Unternehmen in einer oder mehreren dieser Regionen über Produktionsstätten im Ausland, die Produkte in das Land Ihres Wohnsitzes liefern? Falls ja, bitte geben Sie an, wo. Mehrfachnennungen sind möglich. ■ ZENTRALUND WESTEUROPA ■ SÜDEUROPA ■ NORDEUROPA ■ OSTEUROPA ■ NORDAFRIKA ■ ZENTRALUND WESTAFRIKA ■ SÜDLICHES AFRIKA ■ NORDASIEN ■ WESTASIEN ■ CHINA ■ INDIEN ■ OSTASIEN ■ SÜDOSTASIEN ■ NORDAMERIKA ■ SÜDAMERIKA ■ AUSTRALIEN & NEUSEELAND ■ keine zusätzlichen Produktionsstätten im Ausland 15. Gab es schon lange (vor COVID-19) geplante Änderungen der Supply Chain Ihrer Firma, die in 2020 umgesetzt werden sollten? ● ja ● nein 16. Hat sich in 2020 im Rahmen der COVID-19-Pandemie eine Veränderung/Verschiebung der Beschaffung bestimmter Produkte in Ihrer Firma ergeben? ● ja ● nein
104 17. Welche Probleme sehen Sie aktuell in Zeiten der Pandemie für Ihr Unternehmen bei der Beschaffung von Produkten/Vorprodukten? Mehrfachnennungen sind möglich. Bitte teilen Sie uns Ihre persönliche Meinung mit. ■ Lieferverzögerungen — Unternehmen sind möglicherweise nicht immer in der Lage, pünktlich zu liefern ■ Konkursrisiko ⎯ der Handel mit kleineren Unternehmen könnte heutzutage riskanter sein, weil kleinere Unternehmen ein höheres Risiko haben, bankrott zu gehen ■ ich sehe keinerlei Probleme ■ Andere: _____________________________ 18. Halten Sie für 2021 oder die darauffolgenden Jahre eine Veränderung der Beschaffungsstrategie Ihrer Firma für wahrscheinlich? (Z.B. Einkauf bestimmter Produkte, die bisher bspw. aus Übersee importiert wurden, nun aus dem Inland oder aus Nachbarländern zu beziehen).) ● ja, ganz bestimmt ● nein, eher unwahrscheinlich ● weiß nicht ● ja, könnte ich mir vorstellen ● nein, definitiv nicht 19. Welche Veränderungen in der Beschaffungsstrategie Ihres Unternehmens könnten Sie sich vorstellen (z.B. Verlagerung der Beschaffung bestimmter Produkte/Vorprodukte aus dem Ausland auf den Binnenmarkt oder in Nachbarländer)? Mehrfachnennungen sind möglich. Bitte teilen Sie uns Ihre persönliche Meinung mit. ■ partielles Reshoring/Backshoring/Inshoring/Onshoring ⎯ der Prozess der Rückführung von Teilen der Produktion und Herstellung von Waren zurück in das Ursprungsland des Unternehmens. ■ partielles Nearshoring ⎯ die Organisation beschließt, Teile der Produktion in Unternehmen zu verlagern, die geographisch näher am Ursprungsland des Unternehmens liegen. ■ auf Vorrat kaufen ⎯ um sicherzustellen, dass die Produkte immer auf Lager sind ■ überhaupt keine Änderungen ■ Andere: _____________________________ 20. Halten Sie es für möglich, dass Ihr Unternehmen die Lieferkette leicht verlagert und bei anderen Lieferanten einkauft, um das Risiko zu mindern, dass Produkte nicht rechtzeitig geliefert werden? Mehrfachnennungen sind möglich. Bitte teilen Sie uns Ihre persönliche Meinung mit. ■ Ja, ich halte es für sehr wahrscheinlich, dass mein Unternehmen anfangen wird, mehr von inländischen Unternehmen zu kaufen. ■ Ja, ich halte es für sehr wahrscheinlich, dass mein Unternehmen anfangen wird, mehr von Unternehmen in den Nachbarländern zu kaufen. ■ Mein Unternehmen erkundet derzeit neue Märkte im Ausland. ■ Nein, wir kaufen ohnehin schon hauptsächlich bei inländischen Unternehmen und in Nachbarländern ein. ■ Nein, Veränderungen in unserer Lieferkette sind nicht sehr wahrscheinlich — wir werden weiterhin wie bisher aus dem Ausland beziehen. ■ Andere: ______________________
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 105 21. Für wie wahrscheinlich halten Sie die folgenden strategischen Optionen für Ihr Unternehmen in Zeiten der COVID-19-Pandemie? Bitte bewerten Sie die Aussagen auf einer fünfstufigen Skala. Bitte teilen Sie Ihre persönliche Meinung mit. nein, ich stimme überhaupt nicht zu Nein, ich bin nicht ganz einverstanden Ich bin unentschieden ja, ich stimme bis zu einem gewissen Grad zu ja, ich bin völlig einverstanden Ich weiß nicht Ich halte es für wahrscheinlich, dass mein Unternehmen den Einkauf bestimmter Produkte auf andere Anbieter verlagern wird. ● ● ● ● ● ● Meiner Meinung nach ist es wahrscheinlich, dass mein Unternehmen von zusätzlichen Lieferanten kaufen wird, um das Risiko zu mindern, dass Produkte nicht rechtzeitig geliefert werden. ● ● ● ● ● ● Ich glaube, dass mein Unternehmen nach Lieferanten in anderen Ländern überall auf der Welt suchen wird. ● ● ● ● ● ● Ich halte es für wahrscheinlich, dass mein Unternehmen Teile unserer Lieferkette wieder in das Ursprungsland des Unternehmens zurückführen wird (Reshoring). ● ● ● ● ● ● Ich halte es für ziemlich wahrscheinlich, dass mein Unternehmen Teile der Produktion an Unternehmen in den Nachbarländern verlagern wird (Nearshoring). ● ● ● ● ● ●
106 22. Wieviel Bedeutung misst Ihr Unternehmen Ihrer Meinung nach dem Thema Nachhaltigkeit bei?? Bitte teilen Sie Ihre persönliche Einschätzung mit. gar nicht wichtig nicht so wichtig unentschieden ziemlich wichtig sehr wichtig Ich weiß nicht Bedeutung der Nachhaltigkeit ● ● ● ● ● ● 23. Glauben Sie, dass Ihr Unternehmen bereit wäre, für Produkte, die entweder in Ihrem Land oder in einem Nachbarland hergestellt werden, mehr zu bezahlen, um einen höheren Grad an Nachhaltigkeit zu erreichen? ● ja, ich denke, das ist sehr wahrscheinlich ● nein, eher nicht ● ja, das könnte passieren ● nein, definitiv nicht ● Andere:___________ 24. Wie vorteilhaft ist Ihrer persönlichen Meinung nach der Prozess des Outsourcing in Ihrem Unternehmen? a) Unter Outsourcing versteht man die Geschäftsstrategie, ein anderes Unternehmen mit der Erbringung von Dienstleistungen und der Herstellung von Waren zu beauftragen, die ursprünglich von den eigenen Mitarbeitern des Unternehmens intern erbracht wurden. b) Welche der folgenden Aussagen trifft Ihre Meinung am ehesten?? ● In meinem Unternehmen werden Prozesse überhaupt nicht ausgelagert. ● Wir lagern bestimmte Teile unserer Prozesse aus und das ist eine sehr effektive Strategie zur Kosteneinsparung. ● Wir lagern bestimmte Teile unserer Prozesse aus. Allerdings ist die Auslagerung in der Theorie eher kostensparend, während sie in der Praxis unkalkulierbare zusätzliche Kosten verursacht. ● Andere: _____________________________ 25. In welchen Regionen verkauft Ihr Unternehmen seine Produkte / Dienstleistungen? Mehrfachnennungen sind möglich. ■ ZENTRALUND WESTEUROPA ■ SÜDEUROPA ■ NORDEUROPA ■ OSTEUROPA ■ NORDAFRIKA ■ ZENTRALUND WESTAFRIKA ■ SÜDLICHES AFRIKA ■ NORDASIEN ■ WESTASIEN ■ CHINA ■ INDIEN ■ OSTASIEN ■ SÜDOSTASIEN ■ NORDAMERIKA ■ SÜDAMERIKA ■ AUSTRALIEN & NEUSEELAND ■ wir verkaufen keine Produkte im Ausland 26. Haben Sie im Verlauf der COVID-19-Pandemie einen Rückgang der Verkäufe festgestellt? ● ja, ein Umsatzrückgang von etwa 0-20 % ● ja, ein Umsatzrückgang von etwa 20-40% ● ja, ein Umsatzrückgang von etwa 40-60%
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 107 ● ja, ein Umsatzrückgang von etwa 60-80% ● ja, ein Umsatzrückgang von mehr als 80% ● überhaupt kein Rückgang der Verkäufe ● statt eines Rückgangs erleben wir tatsächlich einen Anstieg der Verkäufe ● Andere: _____________________________ 27. Plant Ihr Unternehmen derzeit allgemeine Sparmaßnahmen als Folge der Pandemie? Bitte schätzen Sie. ● keine Kosteneinsparungsmaßnahmen geplant ● etwa 0-10 % Kosteneinsparungsmaßnahmen ● etwa 10-20 % Kosteneinsparungsmaßnahmen ● etwa 20-30 % Kosteneinsparungsmaßnahmen ● etwa 30-50 % Kosteneinsparungsmaßnahmen ● mehr als 50 % Kosteneinsparungsmaßnahmen ● ich weiß nicht 28. Wie schwerwiegend könnten Ihrer Meinung nach die langfristigen Auswirkungen von COVID-19 auf die globalen Lieferketten sein? Bitte bewerten Sie auf der untenstehenden Skala. Bitte geben Sie einen Wert zwischen 0 und 10 ein, wobei 0 dem Wert auf der linken Seite und 10 dem Wert auf der rechten Seite zugeordnet wird. sehr überhaupt nicht schwerwiegend schwerwiegend 0 = sehr schwerwiegend 100 = überhaupt nicht schwerwiegend 29. Wie sehen Ihrer Meinung nach die langfristigen Auswirkungen von COVID-19 für Ihre nationale Wirtschaft bzw. für die globale Wirtschaft und den globalen Handel aus? Bitte geben Sie Ihre persönliche Einschätzung. Die Umfrage ist beendet. Vielen Dank für die Teilnahme. Das Fenster kann nun geschlossen werden. 40 40 0 10 20 30 50 60 70 80 90 100
108 Appendix V. Questionnaire in French L'impact concevable de COVID-19 sur les chaînes d'approvisionnement mondiales - un sondage Bonjour ! Merci beaucoup de participer à mon sondage! L'objectif de ce questionnaire est de savoir comment le personnel professionnel évalue l'impact de la pandémie actuelle sur les chaînes d'approvisionnement mondiales. En ce qui concerne ce sondage concernant les effets de la pandémie sur le commerce mondiale et les chaînes d'approvisionnement, votre opinion personnelle est importante pour nous. Nous garantissons l'anonymat et la confidentialité de vos réponses. 1. Veuillez sélectionner votre âge, s'il vous plaît. ● 18-30 années ● 30-40 années ● 40-50 années ● 50-60 années ● > 60 années 2. Veuillez sélectionner votre genre, s'l vous plaît. ● féminin ● masculin 3. Quelle est votre formation? ● Baccalauréat ● Apprentissage ● Licence (Bac+3) ● Master (Bac+5) ● Doctorat / PhD 4. Veuillez indiquer votre nationalité(s), s'il vous plaît. _____________________________ 5. Dans quel pays travaillez-vous? _____________________________ 6. Quelle est la taille de votre entreprise ? ● 1-9 employés ● 10-49 employés ● 250-500 employés ● 50-249 employés ● > 500 employés
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Supply Chains 109 7. À quel secteur votre entreprise est-elle principalement associée ? ● l'industrie de la construction/ingénierie civile ● l’industrie alimentaire ● l'industrie métallurgique ● l'industrie chimique ● l'industrie automobile ● construction de machines / ingénierie mécanique ● l'approvisionnement en énergie ● l'industrie textile ● développement informatique ● les banques et les compagnies ● l'industrie pharmaceutique ● secteur médical d'assurance ● commerce de détail ● Consulting (conseil en informatique, conseil en gestion, conseil fiscal, audit, etc.) ● éducation / administration ● tourisme ● transport & logistique ● autres: ________ 8. Veuillez choisir le service pour lequel vous travaillez, s'il vous plaît. ● comptabilité et finances ● service de conseil ● ressources humaines ● IT ● marketing ● achats ● production ● ventes ● recherche et développement ● les soins médicaux ● autres: _____________________________ 9. Depuis quand travaillez-vous pour votre entreprise actuelle? ● < 1 an ● 1-5 ans ● 5-10 ans ● > 10 ans 10. Pensez-vous que le confinement lié au COVID-19 a déjà eu ou aura un impact sur les chaînes d'approvisionnement mondiales?? ● oui, définitivement ● non, plutôt pas ● je ne sais pas ● oui, c'est probable ● non, définitivement pas ● autres: 11. Quel(s) produit(s) (intermédiaire(s)) votre entreprise achète-t-elle auprès d'autres entreprises (nationales ou étrangères)? Plusieurs réponses sont possibles. ■ produits métallurgiques ■ adhésifs ■ produits textiles ■ meubles ■ acier ■ les machines en tant que produits intermédiaires (par exemple, les moteurs) ■ béton & pierres ■ alimentation ■ produits chimiques ■ vêtements ■ produits en plastique ■ logiciels informatiques ■ matériel informatique ■ produits à base de bois ■ les services (par exemple, le conseil) ■ produits cosmétiques ■ les biens domestiques ■ produits pharmaceutiques/médicaux ■ produits à base d'herbes / de plantes ■ autres: _________________ 12. Selon votre estimation personnelle, quelle pourrait être la part en pourcentage des produits intermédiaires que votre entreprise achète à l'étranger? Veuillez estimer s'il vous plaît. ● 0-10% ● 10-30% ● 30-50% ● 50-70% ● 70-90% ● 90-100% 13. Dans quels pays votre entreprise achète-t-elle des produits (intermédiaires) ? Veuillez sélectionner la/les région(s). Plusieurs réponses sont possibles. ■ EUROPE CENTRALE et OCCIDENTALE (Allemagne, France, Grande-Bretagne, Irlande, PaysBas, Belgique, Luxembourg, Suisse, Autriche) ■ EUROPE DU SUD (Portugal, Espagne, Italie, Grèce) ■ EUROPE DU NORD (Norvège, Suède, Finlande, Danemark, Lettonie, Lituanie, Estonie)
Annex Respondent number Language 1. Please select your age. 2. Please select your gender. 3. What is your educational background? 4. Please enter your nationality or nationalities in case you have more than one. 5. In which country do you work? 6. What is the size of your enterprise? 7. What industry is your company primarily associated with? 8. Which of the following best describes your department? 9. Since when are you working for your current company? 10. Do you believe the COVID-19 lockdown, i.e., the pandemic already has or will have an impact on global supply chains? 11. Which (intermediate) product(s) does your company purchase from other companies (from national companies or from abroad)? 12. According to your personal estimation, what might be the percentage share of intermediate products your company purchases from abroad? 13. In which countries does your company purchase (intermediate) products? Please select the region(s). 14. Does your company have production facilities abroad in one or several of these regions, shipping products to your country of residence? If yes, please specify where. 15. Were there any changes in your company's supply chain that had been planned long before COVID-19 and were to be implemented in 2020? 16. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, has there been a change/disruption of the procurement of certain products for your company in 2020? 17. In times of the current pandemic, which problems do you see concretely for the procurement of products/preproducts for your company? a) delivery delays - companies might not always be able to deliver on time b) risk of bankruptcy - trading with smaller companies might be more risky these days because smaller companies have a higher risk to go bankrupt c) I don't see any problems 18. Do you think a change in your company's procurement strategy for 2021 or subsequent years is likely? 1 Deutsch 18-30 years female Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees Consulting (ITConsulting, management consulting, tax consulting, audit, etc.) Accounting & Finance 1-5 years yes, definitely services (e.g. advisory) 0-10% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , EASTERN EUROPE no additional production facilities abroad ja nein "Wenig Probleme da Dienstleistungssektor" no, rather unlikely 2 Deutsch 30-40 years male Doctor/PhD Ägypter Deutschland > 500 employees medical sector Medical Care 1-5 years yes, definitely pharmaceutical /medical products 0-10% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , China CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE ja ja b) yes, for sure 3 Deutsch 18-30 years female Master's degree Deutsch Schweiz 250-500 employees banks and insurance companies IT 1-5 years yes, definitely IT software, services (e.g. advisory), "Schadenbearbeitung" 0-10% EASTERN EUROPE, India no additional production facilities abroad nein nein a) no, rather unlikely 4 Deutsch 30-40 years male Bachelor's degree Schweiz Schweiz 10-49 employees construction industry Production 6-10 years yes, that is quite likely services (e.g. advisory) 0-10% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE no additional production facilities abroad nein nein c) no, rather unlikely 5 Deutsch 18-30 years male High school degree Deutsch Deutschland 50-249 employees medical sector Quality Management < 1 year yes, definitely "Keine" 0-10% MY COMPANY DOES NOT PURCHASE PRODUCTS FROM ABROAD no additional production facilities abroad nein ja a) and b) yes, I could imagine that 6 English 30-40 years female Master's degree French Germany > 500 employees medical sector Marketing 1-5 years yes, definitely adhesives, plastic products, chemical products, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors), household goods, furniture, IT software, services (e.g. advisory) 30-50% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , SOUTHERN EUROPE , NORTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, NORTHERN AFRICA, SOUTHERN AFRICA, WESTERN ASIA CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE, CHINA, EAST ASIA, NORTH AMERICA ja ja a) and b) yes, I could imagine that 7 Deutsch 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree deutsch Deutschland 50-249 employees Consulting (ITConsulting, management consulting, tax consulting, audit, etc.) Kundenkommu nikation 1-5 years no, rather not IT software 10-30% EASTERN EUROPE no additional production facilities abroad nein nein a) and b) no, rather unlikely 8 English 18-30 years male Master's degree Italian Italy > 500 employees textile industry Production 1-5 years yes, definitely steel, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors), IT software, IT hardware 10-30% China, EAST ASIA CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE, CHINA, SOUTH-EAST ASIA, NORTH AMERICA, SOUTH AMERICA, AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND nein ja a) yes, I could imagine that 9 Deutsch 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree Deutsch Deutschland 50-249 employees pharmaceutical industry Marketing 1-5 years yes, definitely pharmaceutical /medical products 70-90% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , EASTERN EUROPE, NORTHERN ASIA , China, EAST ASIA , India, NORTH AMERICA CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE, CHINA, INDIA, NORTH AMERICA nein ja a) yes, for sure 10 English 18-30 years male Bachelor's degree Jordanian Jordan 1-9 employees IT development IT 1-5 years yes, definitely IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) 50-70% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , NORTH AMERICA no additional production facilities abroad nein ja a) and b) yes, I could imagine that 11 English 18-30 years male Master's degree Italian Italy 1-9 employees Consulting (ITConsulting, management consulting, tax consulting, audit, etc.) Accounting & Finance < 1 year yes, definitely IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) 70-90% MY COMPANY DOES NOT PURCHASE PRODUCTS FROM ABROAD no additional production facilities abroad nein nein a) and b) yes, for sure 12 Deutsch 50-60 years female Apprenticeship Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees banks and insurance companies Sales > 10 years yes, definitely IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory), "Wertpapiere, Aktien, Real Estate" 0-10% MY COMPANY DOES NOT PURCHASE PRODUCTS FROM ABROAD CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE, SOUTHERN EUROPE, NORTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, SOUTHERN AFRICA, NORTH AMERICA, SOUTH AMERICA nein nein b) no, rather unlikely 13 Deutsch 18-30 years female Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees energy supply Accounting & Finance < 1 year yes, that is quite likely metall products, textile products, chemical products, pharmaceutical /medical products, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors), furniture, IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) 0-10% MY COMPANY DOES NOT PURCHASE PRODUCTS FROM ABROAD no additional production facilities abroad nein ja a) yes, I could imagine that 14 English 30-40 years male Master's degree Egyptian Germany > 500 employees IT development IT 1-5 years yes, definitely IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) 70-90% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , EASTERN EUROPE, China, NORTH AMERICA SOUTHERN EUROPE, CHINA, SOUTHEAST ASIA, NORTH AMERICA ja ja a) and b) yes, for sure
Annex Respondent number Language 1. Please select your age. 2. Please select your gender. 3. What is your educational background? 4. Please enter your nationality or nationalities in case you have more than one. 5. In which country do you work? 6. What is the size of your enterprise? 7. What industry is your company primarily associated with? 8. Which of the following best describes your department? 9. Since when are you working for your current company? 10. Do you believe the COVID-19 lockdown, i.e., the pandemic already has or will have an impact on global supply chains? 11. Which (intermediate) product(s) does your company purchase from other companies (from national companies or from abroad)? 12. According to your personal estimation, what might be the percentage share of intermediate products your company purchases from abroad? 13. In which countries does your company purchase (intermediate) products? Please select the region(s). 14. Does your company have production facilities abroad in one or several of these regions, shipping products to your country of residence? If yes, please specify where. 15. Were there any changes in your company's supply chain that had been planned long before COVID-19 and were to be implemented in 2020? 16. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, has there been a change/disruption of the procurement of certain products for your company in 2020? 17. In times of the current pandemic, which problems do you see concretely for the procurement of products/preproducts for your company? a) delivery delays - companies might not always be able to deliver on time b) risk of bankruptcy - trading with smaller companies might be more risky these days because smaller companies have a higher risk to go bankrupt c) I don't see any problems 18. Do you think a change in your company's procurement strategy for 2021 or subsequent years is likely? 15 English 50-60 years male Master's degree Indian Saudi Arabia > 500 employees oil industry Production > 10 years yes, that is quite likely metall products, plastic products, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors) 30-50% WESTERN ASIA, China, India no additional production facilities abroad nein ja a) and b) no, rather unlikely 16 Deutsch 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree Deutsch Deutschland 50-249 employees medical sector Medical Care 6-10 years yes, definitely chemical products, pharmaceutical /medical products 70-90% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , EASTERN EUROPE, China, SOUTH-EAST ASIA CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, CHINA, SOUTHEAST ASIA nein ja a) yes, for sure 17 Français 30-40 years female Master's degree Française Allemagne > 500 employees medical sector Marketing 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely adhesives, plastic products, chemical products, pharmaceutical /medical products, services (e.g. advisory) 10-30% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , SOUTHERN EUROPE , NORTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, NORTHERN AFRICA, China, India, SOUTH-EAST ASIA , NORTH AMERICA CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE, NORTHERN EUROPE, NORTHERN ASIA, CHINA, NORTH AMERICA nein nein a) and b) yes, I could imagine that 18 Português 18-30 years female Master's degree Portuguesa Portugal 10-49 employees retail Apoio ao cliente < 1 year yes, definitely textile products, clothing 90-100% SOUTHERN EUROPE , EASTERN EUROPE, no additional production facilities abroad nein nein a) no, rather unlikely 19 Português 18-30 years female Master's degree Portuguesa Portugal 10-49 employees tourism Marketing 1-5 years yes, definitely wood-based products, plastic products, textile products, furniture, IT software, IT hardware 30-50% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , SOUTHERN EUROPE , EASTERN EUROPE, SOUTHERN AFRICA, India, SOUTH AMERICA SOUTHERN EUROPE nein ja a) and b) yes, for sure 20 Português 18-30 years female Master's degree Brasileira Portugal 50-249 employees chemical industry Marketing 1-5 years yes, definitely metall products, plastic products, chemical products, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors), IT software, herbal / plant products 30-50% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , SOUTHERN EUROPE , NORTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, SOUTHERN AFRICA, China, India CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE, SOUTHERN EUROPE, SOUTHERN AFRICA, CHINA nein ja a) and b) yes, I could imagine that 21 Deutsch 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree Deutsch Deutschland 50-249 employees medical sector Medical Care 6-10 years yes, definitely plastic products, pharmaceutical /medical products, household goods, furniture, IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) 0-10% MY COMPANY DOES NOT PURCHASE PRODUCTS FROM ABROAD no additional production facilities abroad nein ja a) no, rather unlikely 22 Deutsch 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree Deutsch Deutsch > 500 employees medical sector Medical Care < 1 year yes, that is quite likely chemical products, pharmaceutical /medical products, IT software, IT hardware, herbal / plant products 30-50% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , SOUTHERN EUROPE , NORTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, NORTHERN AFRICA, CENTRAL and WEST AFRICA, SOUTHERN AFRICA, NORTHERN ASIA , WESTERN ASIA NORTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, NORTHERN AFRICA, CENTRAL and WESTERN AFRICA, SOUTHERN AFRICA, NORTHERN ASIA, WESTERN ASIA nein nein a) no, rather unlikely 23 Deutsch 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree Iran Deutschland 50-249 employees medical sector Human Resources 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely textile products, IT software 0-10% MY COMPANY DOES NOT PURCHASE PRODUCTS FROM ABROAD no additional production facilities abroad nein ja c) ("wir kaufen nichts aus dem Ausland ein") yes, I could imagine that 24 Deutsch 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree Deutsch/ Kroatisch Deutschland > 500 employees medical sector Advisory < 1 year yes, definitely pharmaceutical /medical products, IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory), "Medizinprodukte" 0-10% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , China no additional production facilities abroad ja ja a) yes, I could imagine that 25 Português 18-30 years male Bachelor's degree portuguesa Portugal > 500 employees Consulting (ITConsulting, management consulting, tax consulting, audit, etc.) IT < 1 year yes, definitely services (e.g. advisory) 30-50% China CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE, NORTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, CENTRAL and WESTERN AFRICA ja ja a) yes, for sure 26 Deutsch 30-40 years female Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees automotive industry Procurement 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely metall products, steel, adhesives, chemical products, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors), IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) 30-50% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , SOUTHERN EUROPE , NORTHERN EUROPE, NORTH AMERICA no additional production facilities abroad nein ja a) and b) yes, I could imagine that 27 Deutsch 30-40 years female High school degree deutsch Deutschland 10-49 employees metal industry Human Resources 1-5 years yes, definitely textile products 0-10% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , NORTHERN ASIA CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE nein nein a) yes, I could imagine that 28 English 18-30 years male Master's degree Italian Italy 10-49 employees retail Marketing < 1 year yes, definitely plastic products, textile products 10-30% SOUTHERN EUROPE , SOUTHERN AFRICA, China, SOUTH-EAST ASIA SOUTHERN EUROPE, no additional production facilities abroad nein ja a) and b) yes, I could imagine that 29 English 40-50 years male Bachelor's degree British United Kingdom 50-249 employees machine construction / mechanical engineering Procurement > 10 years yes, that is quite likely metall products, steel, IT hardware 30-50% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , SOUTHERN EUROPE , NORTHERN EUROPE, EAST ASIA NORTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE nein ja a) ("Prices of certain products will rise due to bottlenecks in delivery") yes, for sure
Annex Respondent number Language 1. Please select your age. 2. Please select your gender. 3. What is your educational background? 4. Please enter your nationality or nationalities in case you have more than one. 5. In which country do you work? 6. What is the size of your enterprise? 7. What industry is your company primarily associated with? 8. Which of the following best describes your department? 9. Since when are you working for your current company? 10. Do you believe the COVID-19 lockdown, i.e., the pandemic already has or will have an impact on global supply chains? 11. Which (intermediate) product(s) does your company purchase from other companies (from national companies or from abroad)? 12. According to your personal estimation, what might be the percentage share of intermediate products your company purchases from abroad? 13. In which countries does your company purchase (intermediate) products? Please select the region(s). 14. Does your company have production facilities abroad in one or several of these regions, shipping products to your country of residence? If yes, please specify where. 15. Were there any changes in your company's supply chain that had been planned long before COVID-19 and were to be implemented in 2020? 16. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, has there been a change/disruption of the procurement of certain products for your company in 2020? 17. In times of the current pandemic, which problems do you see concretely for the procurement of products/preproducts for your company? a) delivery delays - companies might not always be able to deliver on time b) risk of bankruptcy - trading with smaller companies might be more risky these days because smaller companies have a higher risk to go bankrupt c) I don't see any problems 18. Do you think a change in your company's procurement strategy for 2021 or subsequent years is likely? 30 Deutsch 18-30 years male Master's degree Spanien Deutschland > 500 employees food industry Procurement < 1 year yes, that is quite likely textile products, groceries, household goods, clothing, cosmetic products, IT software, IT hardware 30-50% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , SOUTHERN EUROPE , NORTHERN AFRICA, CENTRAL and WEST AFRICA, SOUTH-EAST ASIA , SOUTH AMERICA , Australia & New Zealand no additional production facilities abroad nein ja a) and b) yes, I could imagine that 31 Deutsch 18-30 years female Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland 1-9 employees pharmaceutical industry Medical Care 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely pharmaceutical /medical products 0-10% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , SOUTHERN EUROPE , NORTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, China no additional production facilities abroad nein ja a) yes, I could imagine that 32 Deutsch 40-50 years male Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees automotive industry Advisory 1-5 years yes, definitely metall products, steel, plastic products, chemical products 30-50% EASTERN EUROPE, China CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE, SOUTHERN EUROPE, NORTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, CHINA, INDIA, SOUTH-EAST ASIA, NORTH AMERICA, SOUTH AMERICA ja nein a) and b) yes, for sure 33 English 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree Romanian Belgium 50-249 employees transport & logistics Accounting & Finance 1-5 years no, definitely not metall products, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors), household goods, furniture, clothing, cosmetic products 30-50% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE, NORTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE nein nein c) no, rather unlikely 34 Deutsch 18-30 years female Master's degree deutsch Deutschland 250-500 employees food industry Procurement 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely groceries, herbal / plant products, "Rohund Halbwaren Obst und Gemüse in Bioqualität" 30-50% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , SOUTHERN EUROPE , NORTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, NORTHERN AFRICA, CENTRAL and WEST AFRICA, SOUTHERN AFRICA, WESTERN ASIA, China, India, SOUTH-EAST ASIA , NORTH AMERICA , SOUTH AMERICA no additional production facilities abroad nein nein a) yes, I could imagine that 35 Português 30-40 years male Bachelor's degree Portuguesa Portugal 50-249 employees food industry Marketing < 1 year yes, that is quite likely textile products, groceries, household goods, clothing, cosmetic products, herbal / plant products 50-70% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , SOUTHERN EUROPE , NORTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, CENTRAL and WEST AFRICA, SOUTHERN AFRICA, SOUTH-EAST ASIA , SOUTH AMERICA no additional production facilities abroad nein ja a) and b) yes, I could imagine that 36 Deutsch 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree Deutsch Deutschland 50-249 employees transport & logistics Project Management 1-5 years Kurzfristig ja, aber nicht auf lange Sicht steel, "Container" 50-70% China no additional production facilities abroad nein nein a) no, rather unlikely 37 Deutsch 50-60 years female Apprenticeship Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees chemical industry Research und Development > 10 years yes, that is quite likely plastic products, chemical products, clothing, cosmetic products, IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) 50-70% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , NORTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, China, India, NORTH AMERICA CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, NORTHERN AFRICA, CHINA, INDIA, SOUTH-EAST ASIA, NORTH AMERICA, SOUTH AMERICA nein nein c) yes, I could imagine that 38 Deutsch 30-40 years female Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees chemical industry Retail 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely "Keins, wir produzieren selber" 0-10% MY COMPANY DOES NOT PURCHASE PRODUCTS FROM ABROAD no additional production facilities abroad nein nein c) no, rather unlikely 39 English 18-30 years male Bachelor's degree Italian Italy > 500 employees Consulting (ITConsulting, management consulting, tax consulting, audit, etc.) Accounting & Finance 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely services (e.g. advisory) 50-70% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , SOUTHERN EUROPE , NORTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, NORTHERN AFRICA, CENTRAL and WEST AFRICA, SOUTHERN AFRICA, NORTHERN ASIA , WESTERN ASIA, China, India, EAST ASIA , SOUTH-EAST ASIA , NORTH AMERICA , SOUTH AMERICA no additional production facilities abroad nein ja a) and b) yes, I could imagine that 40 Deutsch 30-40 years female Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees tourism Accounting & Finance 1-5 years yes, definitely furniture, clothing, IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) 0-10% MY COMPANY DOES NOT PURCHASE PRODUCTS FROM ABROAD no additional production facilities abroad nein nein "ich sehe die Probleme des Konkursrisikos eher bei unseren Kunden - wodurch wir indirekt auch betroffen sind" no, rather unlikely 41 Deutsch 40-50 years female Apprenticeship Deutsch, Schweizerin Deutschland 1-9 employees medical sector Medical Care 1-5 years yes, definitely pharmaceutical /medical products 50-70% China no additional production facilities abroad nein ja a) yes, I could imagine that
Annex Respondent number Language 1. Please select your age. 2. Please select your gender. 3. What is your educational background? 4. Please enter your nationality or nationalities in case you have more than one. 5. In which country do you work? 6. What is the size of your enterprise? 7. What industry is your company primarily associated with? 8. Which of the following best describes your department? 9. Since when are you working for your current company? 10. Do you believe the COVID-19 lockdown, i.e., the pandemic already has or will have an impact on global supply chains? 11. Which (intermediate) product(s) does your company purchase from other companies (from national companies or from abroad)? 12. According to your personal estimation, what might be the percentage share of intermediate products your company purchases from abroad? 13. In which countries does your company purchase (intermediate) products? Please select the region(s). 14. Does your company have production facilities abroad in one or several of these regions, shipping products to your country of residence? If yes, please specify where. 15. Were there any changes in your company's supply chain that had been planned long before COVID-19 and were to be implemented in 2020? 16. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, has there been a change/disruption of the procurement of certain products for your company in 2020? 17. In times of the current pandemic, which problems do you see concretely for the procurement of products/preproducts for your company? a) delivery delays - companies might not always be able to deliver on time b) risk of bankruptcy - trading with smaller companies might be more risky these days because smaller companies have a higher risk to go bankrupt c) I don't see any problems 18. Do you think a change in your company's procurement strategy for 2021 or subsequent years is likely? 42 English 40-50 years male Master's degree Swiss Switzerland and UK 10-49 employees IT development Investment > 10 years yes, that is quite likely IT software 70-90% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , NORTH AMERICA no additional production facilities abroad nein nein c) no, rather unlikely 43 Français 18-30 years female Doctor/PhD French Réunion island 1-9 employees food industry Sales 1-5 years yes, definitely adhesives, plastic products 50-70% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , SOUTHERN EUROPE , NORTHERN EUROPE, China, Australia & New Zealand no additional production facilities abroad nein nein a) and b) yes, I could imagine that 44 Français 50-60 years female High school degree Française France > 500 employees education / administration Accounting & Finance > 10 years yes, that is quite likely IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) 30-50% India no additional production facilities abroad nein nein b) I don't know 45 Deutsch 30-40 years female Doctor/PhD Zypern Deutschland > 500 employees medical sector Medical Care 1-5 years yes, definitely plastic products, chemical products, pharmaceutical /medical products, groceries, household goods, clothing, cosmetic products, IT software, IT hardware, 30-50% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , EASTERN EUROPE, China no additional production facilities abroad nein ja a) yes, I could imagine that 46 Deutsch 30-40 years female High school degree deutschland Deutschland > 500 employees banks and insurance companies Advisory > 10 years yes, definitely services (e.g. advisory) 0-10% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , MY COMPANY DOES NOT PURCHASE PRODUCTS FROM ABROAD CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE, SOUTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, NORTH AMERICA nein nein "keine Vorprodukte" I don't know 47 Deutsch 50-60 years male Apprenticeship Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees metal industry Procurement 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely metall products, steel, plastic products 10-30% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , SOUTHERN EUROPE , EASTERN EUROPE, China CHINA, INDIA, NORTH AMERICA ja nein a) ("Erhöhung der Lagerbestände notwendig") yes, I could imagine that 48 Deutsch 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees pharmaceutical industry Production 6-10 years yes, that is quite likely plastic products, chemical products 0-10% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE, EAST ASIA, NORTH AMERICA nein ja a) no, rather unlikely 49 Deutsch 30-40 years female Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland 50-249 employees textile industry Procurement 1-5 years yes, definitely textile products, clothing 70-90% SOUTHERN EUROPE , WESTERN ASIA, China, India SOUTHERN EUROPE, WESTERN ASIA, CHINA, INDIA nein nein a) no, rather unlikely 50 Português 30-40 years female Master's degree brasileira Alemanha > 500 employees education / administration Educação 1-5 years I don't know groceries, IT software, IT hardware 0-10% MY COMPANY DOES NOT PURCHASE PRODUCTS FROM ABROAD no additional production facilities abroad nein ja "Temos que dar aulas online para os estudantes" I don't know 51 Português 18-30 years male Master's degree Português Portugal > 500 employees Consulting (ITConsulting, management consulting, tax consulting, audit, etc.) Serviços Financeiros Actuariais < 1 year yes, definitely "Produtos tecnológicos (IT)" 30-50% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , SOUTHERN EUROPE , NORTH AMERICA CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE, SOUTHERN EUROPE, INDIA, NORTH AMERICA nein ja b) no, rather unlikely 52 Português >60 years male Doctor/PhD Português Portugal > 500 employees machine construction / mechanical engineering Research und Development > 10 years yes, that is quite likely metall products, steel, concrete & stones, adhesives, textile products, chemical products, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors), IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) 70-90% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , SOUTHERN EUROPE , NORTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, CENTRAL and WEST AFRICA, SOUTHERN AFRICA, China, India, EAST ASIA , SOUTH-EAST ASIA CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE, SOUTHERN EUROPE, CENTRAL and WESTERN AFRICA, SOUTHERN AFRICA, CHINA, SOUTH AMERICA ja ja a) and b) yes, I could imagine that 53 English 40-50 years male Bachelor's degree German American United States 1-9 employees IT development Sales > 10 years yes, definitely IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) 10-30% EASTERN EUROPE, NORTH AMERICA EASTERN EUROPE, NORTH AMERICA ja ja a) and b) ("A lot of contractors had to completely reorganize their structure, therefore even our account managers changed") yes, I could imagine that
Annex Respondent number Language 1. Please select your age. 2. Please select your gender. 3. What is your educational background? 4. Please enter your nationality or nationalities in case you have more than one. 5. In which country do you work? 6. What is the size of your enterprise? 7. What industry is your company primarily associated with? 8. Which of the following best describes your department? 9. Since when are you working for your current company? 10. Do you believe the COVID-19 lockdown, i.e., the pandemic already has or will have an impact on global supply chains? 11. Which (intermediate) product(s) does your company purchase from other companies (from national companies or from abroad)? 12. According to your personal estimation, what might be the percentage share of intermediate products your company purchases from abroad? 13. In which countries does your company purchase (intermediate) products? Please select the region(s). 14. Does your company have production facilities abroad in one or several of these regions, shipping products to your country of residence? If yes, please specify where. 15. Were there any changes in your company's supply chain that had been planned long before COVID-19 and were to be implemented in 2020? 16. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, has there been a change/disruption of the procurement of certain products for your company in 2020? 17. In times of the current pandemic, which problems do you see concretely for the procurement of products/preproducts for your company? a) delivery delays - companies might not always be able to deliver on time b) risk of bankruptcy - trading with smaller companies might be more risky these days because smaller companies have a higher risk to go bankrupt c) I don't see any problems 18. Do you think a change in your company's procurement strategy for 2021 or subsequent years is likely? 54 English 18-30 years male Master's degree Italian Italy 250-500 employees food industry Marketing 1-5 years no, rather not groceries, services (e.g. advisory), "Various ingredients" 30-50% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , EASTERN EUROPE, NORTH AMERICA CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE nein nein a) ("Insufficient quantinty due to slower production in the chain") no, rather unlikely 55 English 30-40 years female Doctor/PhD Brazilian, Italian UK 250-500 employees education / administration Research und Development 1-5 years yes, definitely plastic products, chemical products 70-90% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , NORTH AMERICA no additional production facilities abroad nein nein a) yes, for sure 56 English 30-40 years female High school degree Brazilian England 50-249 employees metal industry IT 1-5 years I don't know metall products 70-90% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , EASTERN EUROPE, SOUTHERN AFRICA, NORTHERN ASIA CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE, SOUTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, NORTHERN AFRICA, SOUTHERN AFRICA, NORTHERN ASIA nein nein a) yes, for sure 57 English 30-40 years male Master's degree Indian Germany 250-500 employees Consulting (ITConsulting, management consulting, tax consulting, audit, etc.) Sales 1-5 years yes, definitely IT software, services (e.g. advisory) 30-50% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE ja ja a) yes, for sure 58 English 30-40 years female Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees automotive industry Human Resources 6-10 years yes, that is quite likely metall products, steel, adhesives, plastic products, textile products, chemical products, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors), IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory), "Übersetzungsdienstleistungen" 70-90% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , SOUTHERN EUROPE , NORTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, China, India CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE, CHINA, NORTH AMERICA, SOUTH AMERICA ja ja a) and b) yes, I could imagine that 59 Deutsch 30-40 years male Doctor/PhD Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees medical sector Medical Care 6-10 years yes, definitely pharmaceutical /medical products 0-10% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE no additional production facilities abroad nein ja a) no, rather unlikely 60 English 30-40 years male High school degree Syrian and Portuguese Portugal 10-49 employees automotive industry Supervision 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely metall products, steel, adhesives, plastic products, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors) 70-90% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE , China, EAST ASIA CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE, SOUTHERN EUROPE, NORTHERN EUROPE, EASTERN EUROPE, NORTH AMERICA, SOUTH AMERICA ja ja a) and b) yes, I could imagine that 61 Deutsch 30-40 years male Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland 10-49 employees Consulting (ITConsulting, management consulting, tax consulting, audit, etc.) Advisory 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) 10-30% CENTRAL and WESTERN EUROPE NORTH AMERICA nein nein c) no, rather unlikely
Annex Respondent number Language 1. Please select your age. 2. Please select your gender. 3. What is your educational background? 4. Please enter your nationality or nationalities in case you have more than one. 5. In which country do you work? 6. What is the size of your enterprise? 7. What industry is your company primarily associated with? 8. Which of the following best describes your department? 9. Since when are you working for your current company? 10. Do you believe the COVID-19 lockdown, i.e., the pandemic already has or will have an impact on global supply chains? 11. Which (intermediate) product(s) does your company purchase from other companies (from national companies or from abroad)? 19. Which changes in the procurement strategy of your company could you imagine? (e.g. shifting the procurement of certain products/pre-products from abroad to the domestic market or to neighboring countries). 20. Do you think it might be possible that your company will slightly shift the supply chain, purchasing from other suppliers, in order to mitigate the risk of not receiving products on time? 21. In your personal opinion, how likely do you consider the following strategic options for your company in times of the COVID-19 pandemic? Please rate the statements on a five-level scale. ("do not agree at all" - 1 point. "completely agree" - 5 points) I think it is likely my company will shift the purchase of certain products to other suppliers. In my opinion, it is likely my company will purchase from additional suppliers, in order to mitigate the risk of not receiving products on time. I do believe my company will search for suppliers in other countries anywhere in the world. I think it is likely my company will return parts of our supply chain back to the company's original country (Reshoring). I believe it is rather likely my company will transfer parts of the production to companies in neighboring countries (Nearshoring). 22. According to your personal perception, how much importance does your company attach to sustainability? 23. Do you think your company would be willing to pay more for products produced either in your country or in a neighboring country, in order to achieve a greater degree of sustainability? 1 Deutsch 18-30 years female Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees Consulting (ITConsulting, management consulting, tax consulting, audit, etc.) Accounting & Finance 1-5 years yes, definitely services (e.g. advisory) "Einfache Tätigkeiten werden ausgelagert. Das war schon vor Corona der Fall und Corona hat das nicht verändert." No, we are already mainly purchasing from domestic companies and neighbouring countries anyway. , No, changes of our supply chain are not very likely - we will continue to source from abroad just as before. 2 2 1 2 0 4 yes, I think that's quite likely 2 Deutsch 30-40 years male Doctor/PhD Ägypter Deutschland > 500 employees medical sector Medical Care 1-5 years yes, definitely pharmaceutical /medical products partial Reshoring/Backshoring/Inshoring/Onshor ing Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from domestic companies. 3 3 3 3 3 0 yes, that might happen 3 Deutsch 18-30 years female Master's degree Deutsch Schweiz 250-500 employees banks and insurance companies IT 1-5 years yes, definitely IT software, services (e.g. advisory), "Schadenbearbeitung" no changes at all No, changes of our supply chain are not very likely - we will continue to source from abroad just as before. 2 1 1 1 1 4 no, not at all 4 Deutsch 30-40 years male Bachelor's degree Schweiz Schweiz 10-49 employees construction industry Production 6-10 years yes, that is quite likely services (e.g. advisory) buying ahead Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. 2 1 0 0 5 4 yes, that might happen 5 Deutsch 18-30 years male High school degree Deutsch Deutschland 50-249 employees medical sector Quality Management < 1 year yes, definitely "Keine" no changes at all No, we are already mainly purchasing from domestic companies and neighbouring countries anyway. 1 1 2 2 1 5 no, rather not 6 English 30-40 years female Master's degree French Germany > 500 employees medical sector Marketing 1-5 years yes, definitely adhesives, plastic products, chemical products, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors), household goods, furniture, IT software, services (e.g. advisory) partial Nearshoring Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. 4 4 3 4 3 4 no, rather not 7 Deutsch 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree deutsch Deutschland 50-249 employees Consulting (ITConsulting, management consulting, tax consulting, audit, etc.) Kundenkomm unikation 1-5 years no, rather not IT software no changes at all No, changes of our supply chain are not very likely - we will continue to source from abroad just as before. 2 2 2 2 1 4 yes, that might happen 8 English 18-30 years male Master's degree Italian Italy > 500 employees textile industry Production 1-5 years yes, definitely steel, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors), IT software, IT hardware partial Reshoring/Backshoring/Inshoring/Onshor ing No, changes of our supply chain are not very likely - we will continue to source from abroad just as before. 2 2 2 3 2 2 no, rather not 9 Deutsch 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree Deutsch Deutschland 50-249 employees pharmaceutical industry Marketing 1-5 years yes, definitely pharmaceutical /medical products partial Reshoring/Backshoring/Inshoring/Onshor ing, partial Nearshoring and buying ahead Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from domestic companies. , Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. 5 5 3 5 5 2 no, rather not 10 English 18-30 years male Bachelor's degree Jordanian Jordan 1-9 employees IT development IT 1-5 years yes, definitely IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) partial Nearshoring My company is currently exploring new markets abroad. 4 2 3 3 4 4 yes, that might happen 11 English 18-30 years male Master's degree Italian Italy 1-9 employees Consulting (ITConsulting, management consulting, tax consulting, audit, etc.) Accounting & Finance < 1 year yes, definitely IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) partial Reshoring/Backshoring/Inshoring/Onshor ing Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. 4 5 4 3 4 3 yes, that might happen 12 Deutsch 50-60 years female Apprenticeship Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees banks and insurance companies Sales > 10 years yes, definitely IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory), "Wertpapiere, Aktien, Real Estate" no changes at all "Veränderungen ja, aber nicht in der Beschaffungstrategie unserer Bank, sondern eher in Form von Sparmaßnahmen" 1 1 1 1 3 4 no, rather not 13 Deutsch 18-30 years female Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees energy supply Accounting & Finance < 1 year yes, that is quite likely metall products, textile products, chemical products, pharmaceutical /medical products, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors), furniture, IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) buying ahead No, we are already mainly purchasing from domestic companies and neighbouring countries anyway. 0 0 2 0 0 5 yes, that might happen 14 English 30-40 years male Master's degree Egyptian Germany > 500 employees IT development IT 1-5 years yes, definitely IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) partial Reshoring/Backshoring/Inshoring/Onshor ing and partial Nearshoring Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from domestic companies. , Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. 4 4 2 5 5 4 yes, that might happen
Annex Respondent number Language 1. Please select your age. 2. Please select your gender. 3. What is your educational background? 4. Please enter your nationality or nationalities in case you have more than one. 5. In which country do you work? 6. What is the size of your enterprise? 7. What industry is your company primarily associated with? 8. Which of the following best describes your department? 9. Since when are you working for your current company? 10. Do you believe the COVID-19 lockdown, i.e., the pandemic already has or will have an impact on global supply chains? 11. Which (intermediate) product(s) does your company purchase from other companies (from national companies or from abroad)? 19. Which changes in the procurement strategy of your company could you imagine? (e.g. shifting the procurement of certain products/pre-products from abroad to the domestic market or to neighboring countries). 20. Do you think it might be possible that your company will slightly shift the supply chain, purchasing from other suppliers, in order to mitigate the risk of not receiving products on time? 21. In your personal opinion, how likely do you consider the following strategic options for your company in times of the COVID-19 pandemic? Please rate the statements on a five-level scale. ("do not agree at all" - 1 point. "completely agree" - 5 points) I think it is likely my company will shift the purchase of certain products to other suppliers. In my opinion, it is likely my company will purchase from additional suppliers, in order to mitigate the risk of not receiving products on time. I do believe my company will search for suppliers in other countries anywhere in the world. I think it is likely my company will return parts of our supply chain back to the company's original country (Reshoring). I believe it is rather likely my company will transfer parts of the production to companies in neighboring countries (Nearshoring). 22. According to your personal perception, how much importance does your company attach to sustainability? 23. Do you think your company would be willing to pay more for products produced either in your country or in a neighboring country, in order to achieve a greater degree of sustainability? 15 English 50-60 years male Master's degree Indian Saudi Arabia > 500 employees oil industry Production > 10 years yes, that is quite likely metall products, plastic products, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors) partial Reshoring/Backshoring/Inshoring/Onshor ing My company is currently exploring new markets abroad. , No, we are already mainly purchasing from domestic companies and neighbouring countries anyway. 4 3 4 2 3 1 no, not at all 16 Deutsch 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree Deutsch Deutschland 50-249 employees medical sector Medical Care 6-10 years yes, definitely chemical products, pharmaceutical /medical products partial Reshoring/Backshoring/Inshoring/Onshor ing, partial Nearshoring and buying ahead Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from domestic companies. , Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. 5 5 3 4 4 4 no, rather not 17 Français 30-40 years female Master's degree Française Allemagne > 500 employees medical sector Marketing 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely adhesives, plastic products, chemical products, pharmaceutical /medical products, services (e.g. advisory) partial Reshoring/Backshoring/Inshoring/Onshor ing, partial Nearshoring and buying ahead Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. 4 4 2 3 2 4 yes, that might happen 18 Português 18-30 years female Master's degree Portuguesa Portugal 10-49 employees retail Apoio ao cliente < 1 year yes, definitely textile products, clothing buying ahead My company is currently exploring new markets abroad. 4 4 2 1 4 5 yes, I think that's quite likely 19 Português 18-30 years female Master's degree Portuguesa Portugal 10-49 employees tourism Marketing 1-5 years yes, definitely wood-based products, plastic products, textile products, furniture, IT software, IT hardware buying ahead "não podemos mudar" 2 4 4 2 2 2 no, rather not 20 Português 18-30 years female Master's degree Brasileira Portugal 50-249 employees chemical industry Marketing 1-5 years yes, definitely metall products, plastic products, chemical products, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors), IT software, herbal / plant products partial Nearshoring and buying ahead Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. , My company is currently exploring new markets abroad. 4 4 4 2 4 2 no, rather not 21 Deutsch 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree Deutsch Deutschland 50-249 employees medical sector Medical Care 6-10 years yes, definitely plastic products, pharmaceutical /medical products, household goods, furniture, IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) buying ahead Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. 4 4 2 0 0 2 no, rather not 22 Deutsch 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree Deutsch Deutsch > 500 employees medical sector Medical Care < 1 year yes, that is quite likely chemical products, pharmaceutical /medical products, IT software, IT hardware, herbal / plant products partial Nearshoring and no changes at all Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. , No, we are already mainly purchasing from domestic companies and neighbouring countries anyway. 3 3 3 3 3 1 no, not at all 23 Deutsch 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree Iran Deutschland 50-249 employees medical sector Human Resources 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely textile products, IT software buying ahead No, we are already mainly purchasing from domestic companies and neighbouring countries anyway. 2 4 2 5 3 4 yes, that might happen 24 Deutsch 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree Deutsch/ Kroatisch Deutschland > 500 employees medical sector Advisory < 1 year yes, definitely pharmaceutical /medical products, IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory), "Medizinprodukte" buying ahead Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from domestic companies. 4 4 3 3 3 4 yes, that might happen 25 Português 18-30 years male Bachelor's degree portuguesa Portugal > 500 employees Consulting (ITConsulting, management consulting, tax consulting, audit, etc.) IT < 1 year yes, definitely services (e.g. advisory) no changes at all No, changes of our supply chain are not very likely - we will continue to source from abroad just as before. 0 0 0 0 0 0 no, rather not 26 Deutsch 30-40 years female Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees automotive industry Procurement 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely metall products, steel, adhesives, chemical products, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors), IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) partial Nearshoring and buying ahead My company is currently exploring new markets abroad. 4 4 4 3 4 3 no, rather not 27 Deutsch 30-40 years female High school degree deutsch Deutschland 10-49 employees metal industry Human Resources 1-5 years yes, definitely textile products buying ahead No, we are already mainly purchasing from domestic companies and neighbouring countries anyway. 3 3 3 5 2 2 no, rather not 28 English 18-30 years male Master's degree Italian Italy 10-49 employees retail Marketing < 1 year yes, definitely plastic products, textile products partial Reshoring/Backshoring/Inshoring/Onshor ing, partial Nearshoring and buying ahead Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from domestic companies. , Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. 4 5 3 4 4 3 no, rather not 29 English 40-50 years male Bachelor's degree British United Kingdom 50-249 employees machine construction / mechanical engineering Procurement > 10 years yes, that is quite likely metall products, steel, IT hardware partial Nearshoring Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. , My company is currently exploring new markets abroad. 5 4 4 0 5 2 no, rather not
Annex Respondent number Language 1. Please select your age. 2. Please select your gender. 3. What is your educational background? 4. Please enter your nationality or nationalities in case you have more than one. 5. In which country do you work? 6. What is the size of your enterprise? 7. What industry is your company primarily associated with? 8. Which of the following best describes your department? 9. Since when are you working for your current company? 10. Do you believe the COVID-19 lockdown, i.e., the pandemic already has or will have an impact on global supply chains? 11. Which (intermediate) product(s) does your company purchase from other companies (from national companies or from abroad)? 19. Which changes in the procurement strategy of your company could you imagine? (e.g. shifting the procurement of certain products/pre-products from abroad to the domestic market or to neighboring countries). 20. Do you think it might be possible that your company will slightly shift the supply chain, purchasing from other suppliers, in order to mitigate the risk of not receiving products on time? 21. In your personal opinion, how likely do you consider the following strategic options for your company in times of the COVID-19 pandemic? Please rate the statements on a five-level scale. ("do not agree at all" - 1 point. "completely agree" - 5 points) I think it is likely my company will shift the purchase of certain products to other suppliers. In my opinion, it is likely my company will purchase from additional suppliers, in order to mitigate the risk of not receiving products on time. I do believe my company will search for suppliers in other countries anywhere in the world. I think it is likely my company will return parts of our supply chain back to the company's original country (Reshoring). I believe it is rather likely my company will transfer parts of the production to companies in neighboring countries (Nearshoring). 22. According to your personal perception, how much importance does your company attach to sustainability? 23. Do you think your company would be willing to pay more for products produced either in your country or in a neighboring country, in order to achieve a greater degree of sustainability? 30 Deutsch 18-30 years male Master's degree Spanien Deutschland > 500 employees food industry Procurement < 1 year yes, that is quite likely textile products, groceries, household goods, clothing, cosmetic products, IT software, IT hardware partial Reshoring/Backshoring/Inshoring/Onshor ing, partial Nearshoring and buying ahead Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from domestic companies. , Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. , My company is currently exploring new markets abroad. 5 5 4 3 3 4 yes, that might happen 31 Deutsch 18-30 years female Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland 1-9 employees pharmaceutical industry Medical Care 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely pharmaceutical /medical products partial Reshoring/Backshoring/Inshoring/Onshor ing, partial Nearshoring and buying ahead "Aus dem Europäisches Ausland sind wir zu verpflichtet, dort zu bestellen, da oft günstiger, müsste gesetzlich geändert werden; außereuropäisches Ausland ist zum beschaffen von Fertigarzneimittel sehr umständlich" 4 3 2 4 3 3 no, rather not 32 Deutsch 40-50 years male Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees automotive industry Advisory 1-5 years yes, definitely metall products, steel, plastic products, chemical products partial Nearshoring Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. 4 5 5 4 5 4 no, rather not 33 English 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree Romanian Belgium 50-249 employees transport & logistics Accounting & Finance 1-5 years no, definitely not metall products, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors), household goods, furniture, clothing, cosmetic products partial Reshoring/Backshoring/Inshoring/Onshor ing No, we are already mainly purchasing from domestic companies and neighbouring countries anyway. 1 2 1 3 3 4 no, not at all 34 Deutsch 18-30 years female Master's degree deutsch Deutschland 250-500 employees food industry Procurement 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely groceries, herbal / plant products, "Rohund Halbwaren Obst und Gemüse in Bioqualität" buying ahead No, changes of our supply chain are not very likely - we will continue to source from abroad just as before. 1 4 2 1 1 5 yes, that might happen 35 Português 30-40 years male Bachelor's degree Portuguesa Portugal 50-249 employees food industry Marketing < 1 year yes, that is quite likely textile products, groceries, household goods, clothing, cosmetic products, herbal / plant products partial Nearshoring and buying ahead Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from domestic companies. , Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. , My company is currently exploring new markets abroad. 4 4 4 2 4 3 no, rather not 36 Deutsch 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree Deutsch Deutschland 50-249 employees transport & logistics Project Management 1-5 years Kurzfristig ja, aber nicht auf lange Sicht steel, "Container" no changes at all No, changes of our supply chain are not very likely - we will continue to source from abroad just as before. 2 4 4 2 2 4 yes, that might happen 37 Deutsch 50-60 years female Apprenticeship Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees chemical industry Research und Development > 10 years yes, that is quite likely plastic products, chemical products, clothing, cosmetic products, IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) "strategische Entscheidung kostenbasiert, weiterhin in verschiedenen Regionen der Welt" "Nein, wir werden nach wie vor aus dem Inund Ausland beziehen" 4 4 5 3 2 5 yes, that might happen 38 Deutsch 30-40 years female Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees chemical industry Retail 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely "Keins, wir produzieren selber" no changes at all No, changes of our supply chain are not very likely - we will continue to source from abroad just as before. 1 1 1 1 1 4 no, rather not 39 English 18-30 years male Bachelor's degree Italian Italy > 500 employees Consulting (ITConsulting, management consulting, tax consulting, audit, etc.) Accounting & Finance 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely services (e.g. advisory) partial Reshoring/Backshoring/Inshoring/Onshor ing, partial Nearshoring and buying ahead Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from domestic companies. , Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. , My company is currently exploring new markets abroad. 4 5 4 4 5 2 no, rather not 40 Deutsch 30-40 years female Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees tourism Accounting & Finance 1-5 years yes, definitely furniture, clothing, IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) no changes at all "wir kaufen hauptsächlich IT ein - und diese Branche ist nicht wirklich betroffen von der Pandemie" 2 2 2 2 2 2 no, rather not 41 Deutsch 40-50 years female Apprenticeship Deutsch, Schweizerin Deutschland 1-9 employees medical sector Medical Care 1-5 years yes, definitely pharmaceutical /medical products partial Reshoring/Backshoring/Inshoring/Onshor ing and buying ahead Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from domestic companies. 4 4 3 3 4 4 no, rather not
Annex Respondent number Language 1. Please select your age. 2. Please select your gender. 3. What is your educational background? 4. Please enter your nationality or nationalities in case you have more than one. 5. In which country do you work? 6. What is the size of your enterprise? 7. What industry is your company primarily associated with? 8. Which of the following best describes your department? 9. Since when are you working for your current company? 10. Do you believe the COVID-19 lockdown, i.e., the pandemic already has or will have an impact on global supply chains? 11. Which (intermediate) product(s) does your company purchase from other companies (from national companies or from abroad)? 19. Which changes in the procurement strategy of your company could you imagine? (e.g. shifting the procurement of certain products/pre-products from abroad to the domestic market or to neighboring countries). 20. Do you think it might be possible that your company will slightly shift the supply chain, purchasing from other suppliers, in order to mitigate the risk of not receiving products on time? 21. In your personal opinion, how likely do you consider the following strategic options for your company in times of the COVID-19 pandemic? Please rate the statements on a five-level scale. ("do not agree at all" - 1 point. "completely agree" - 5 points) I think it is likely my company will shift the purchase of certain products to other suppliers. In my opinion, it is likely my company will purchase from additional suppliers, in order to mitigate the risk of not receiving products on time. I do believe my company will search for suppliers in other countries anywhere in the world. I think it is likely my company will return parts of our supply chain back to the company's original country (Reshoring). I believe it is rather likely my company will transfer parts of the production to companies in neighboring countries (Nearshoring). 22. According to your personal perception, how much importance does your company attach to sustainability? 23. Do you think your company would be willing to pay more for products produced either in your country or in a neighboring country, in order to achieve a greater degree of sustainability? 42 English 40-50 years male Master's degree Swiss Switzerland and UK 10-49 employees IT development Investment > 10 years yes, that is quite likely IT software no changes at all "not relevant to us" 1 1 1 1 1 5 yes, I think that's quite likely 43 Français 18-30 years female Doctor/PhD French Réunion island 1-9 employees food industry Sales 1-5 years yes, definitely adhesives, plastic products partial Nearshoring and buying ahead No, we are already mainly purchasing from domestic companies and neighbouring countries anyway. 3 3 2 4 2 3 no, rather not 44 Français 50-60 years female High school degree Française France > 500 employees education / administration Accounting & Finance > 10 years yes, that is quite likely IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) no changes at all No, changes of our supply chain are not very likely - we will continue to source from abroad just as before. 2 4 4 1 1 3 la durabilité neconte pas tellment dans l'industrie ou je travaille 45 Deutsch 30-40 years female Doctor/PhD Zypern Deutschland > 500 employees medical sector Medical Care 1-5 years yes, definitely plastic products, chemical products, pharmaceutical /medical products, groceries, household goods, clothing, cosmetic products, IT software, IT hardware, partial Nearshoring and buying ahead Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. 4 4 4 3 3 2 no, rather not 46 Deutsch 30-40 years female High school degree deutschland Deutschland > 500 employees banks and insurance companies Advisory > 10 years yes, definitely services (e.g. advisory) no changes at all "Keine Vorprodukte" 0 0 0 0 0 4 yes, that might happen 47 Deutsch 50-60 years male Apprenticeship Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees metal industry Procurement 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely metall products, steel, plastic products partial Nearshoring and buying ahead Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. 4 4 3 2 3 3 no, rather not 48 Deutsch 18-30 years female Bachelor's degree deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees pharmaceutical industry Production 6-10 years yes, that is quite likely plastic products, chemical products no changes at all No, we are already mainly purchasing from domestic companies and neighbouring countries anyway. 2 4 2 4 4 4 yes, I think that's quite likely 49 Deutsch 30-40 years female Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland 50-249 employees textile industry Procurement 1-5 years yes, definitely textile products, clothing no changes at all No, changes of our supply chain are not very likely - we will continue to source from abroad just as before. 2 2 3 1 1 4 no, rather not 50 Português 30-40 years female Master's degree brasileira Alemanha > 500 employees education / administration Educação 1-5 years I don't know groceries, IT software, IT hardware "Não compramos produtos na universidade." "Não compramos produtos na universidade." 0 0 0 0 0 4 yes, that might happen 51 Português 18-30 years male Master's degree Português Portugal > 500 employees Consulting (ITConsulting, management consulting, tax consulting, audit, etc.) Serviços Financeiros Actuariais < 1 year yes, definitely "Produtos tecnológicos (IT)" no changes at all No, we are already mainly purchasing from domestic companies and neighbouring countries anyway. 2 1 2 1 1 5 no, rather not 52 Português >60 years male Doctor/PhD Português Portugal > 500 employees machine construction / mechanical engineering Research und Development > 10 years yes, that is quite likely metall products, steel, concrete & stones, adhesives, textile products, chemical products, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors), IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) buying ahead No, changes of our supply chain are not very likely - we will continue to source from abroad just as before. 2 4 4 2 2 2 no, rather not 53 English 40-50 years male Bachelor's degree German American United States 1-9 employees IT development Sales > 10 years yes, definitely IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) no changes at all and ("Or concept has already been very global at the very core. Punishing third parties because of a pandemic would be a mistake") No, changes of our supply chain are not very likely - we will continue to source from abroad just as before. 1 4 5 1 2 5 Unrelated 54 English 18-30 years male Master's degree Italian Italy 250-500 employees food industry Marketing 1-5 years no, rather not groceries, services (e.g. advisory), "Various ingredients" buying ahead No, we are already mainly purchasing from domestic companies and neighbouring countries anyway. 2 4 5 1 1 5 yes, I think that's quite likely
Annex Respondent number Language 1. Please select your age. 2. Please select your gender. 3. What is your educational background? 4. Please enter your nationality or nationalities in case you have more than one. 5. In which country do you work? 6. What is the size of your enterprise? 7. What industry is your company primarily associated with? 8. Which of the following best describes your department? 9. Since when are you working for your current company? 10. Do you believe the COVID-19 lockdown, i.e., the pandemic already has or will have an impact on global supply chains? 11. Which (intermediate) product(s) does your company purchase from other companies (from national companies or from abroad)? 19. Which changes in the procurement strategy of your company could you imagine? (e.g. shifting the procurement of certain products/pre-products from abroad to the domestic market or to neighboring countries). 20. Do you think it might be possible that your company will slightly shift the supply chain, purchasing from other suppliers, in order to mitigate the risk of not receiving products on time? 21. In your personal opinion, how likely do you consider the following strategic options for your company in times of the COVID-19 pandemic? Please rate the statements on a five-level scale. ("do not agree at all" - 1 point. "completely agree" - 5 points) I think it is likely my company will shift the purchase of certain products to other suppliers. In my opinion, it is likely my company will purchase from additional suppliers, in order to mitigate the risk of not receiving products on time. I do believe my company will search for suppliers in other countries anywhere in the world. I think it is likely my company will return parts of our supply chain back to the company's original country (Reshoring). I believe it is rather likely my company will transfer parts of the production to companies in neighboring countries (Nearshoring). 22. According to your personal perception, how much importance does your company attach to sustainability? 23. Do you think your company would be willing to pay more for products produced either in your country or in a neighboring country, in order to achieve a greater degree of sustainability? 55 English 30-40 years female Doctor/PhD Brazilian, Italian UK 250-500 employees education / administration Research und Development 1-5 years yes, definitely plastic products, chemical products buying ahead Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from domestic companies. 4 4 4 4 4 2 yes, that might happen 56 English 30-40 years female High school degree Brazilian England 50-249 employees metal industry IT 1-5 years I don't know metall products no changes at all No, changes of our supply chain are not very likely - we will continue to source from abroad just as before. 0 0 0 0 0 0 no, not at all 57 English 30-40 years male Master's degree Indian Germany 250-500 employees Consulting (ITConsulting, management consulting, tax consulting, audit, etc.) Sales 1-5 years yes, definitely IT software, services (e.g. advisory) partial Reshoring/Backshoring/Inshoring/Onshor ing Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from domestic companies. 4 4 5 3 0 5 yes, I think that's quite likely 58 English 30-40 years female Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees automotive industry Human Resources 6-10 years yes, that is quite likely metall products, steel, adhesives, plastic products, textile products, chemical products, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors), IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory), "Übersetzungsdienstleistungen" partial Reshoring/Backshoring/Inshoring/Onshor ing, partial Nearshoring and buying ahead Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from domestic companies. , Yes, I think it is quite likely that my company will start purchasing more from companies in neighboring countries. , My company is currently exploring new markets abroad. 4 4 4 3 4 2 no, rather not 59 Deutsch 30-40 years male Doctor/PhD Deutsch Deutschland > 500 employees medical sector Medical Care 6-10 years yes, definitely pharmaceutical /medical products no changes at all No, we are already mainly purchasing from domestic companies and neighbouring countries anyway. 1 1 1 1 1 2 no, rather not 60 English 30-40 years male High school degree Syrian and Portuguese Portugal 10-49 employees automotive industry Supervision 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely metall products, steel, adhesives, plastic products, machines as intermediate products (e.g. motors) partial Reshoring/Backshoring/Inshoring/Onshor ing No, changes of our supply chain are not very likely - we will continue to source from abroad just as before. 2 2 4 2 2 3 no, rather not 61 Deutsch 30-40 years male Master's degree Deutsch Deutschland 10-49 employees Consulting (ITConsulting, management consulting, tax consulting, audit, etc.) Advisory 1-5 years yes, that is quite likely IT software, IT hardware, services (e.g. advisory) no changes at all No, changes of our supply chain are not very likely - we will continue to source from abroad just as before. 1 2 3 2 2 4 yes, that might happen