Through the lens of entrepreneurial orientation, this study investigates operational practices that (small and medium-sized enterprises) have either adopted or improvised to support small and medium-sized enterprises’ resilience in the face of coronavirus disease 2019. Qualitative data were collected through 43 semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurial resource providers, owners and managers of several small and medium-sized enterprises across different industrial sectors in Jordan. The study contributes to the further understanding of small and medium-sized enterprises’ resilience by conceptually advocating a five-pillars practitioner-grounded framework of small and medium-sized enterprises’ resilience capability (efficiency-based capability, adaptive-capability, collaborative-capability, change-capability and learning-capability). Entrepreneurial orientation has been found to transition and mobilise small and medium-sized enterprises’ resilience to survive major disruptions and threats. Entrepreneurial orientation, in this study, grounded on risk-taking, innovation and proactivity, facilitates developing new capabilities that shield the firm against different threats. Practically, the study suggests several recommendations for small and medium-sized enterprises to meet the challenges of coronavirus disease 2019 and similar future major shocks. Notably, the study suggests that small and medium-sized enterprises should balance short-term operational actions with long-term strategic thinking to build a resilience capability pool.

Purpose: This study investigates the role of supply chain knowledge management in enhancing pharmaceutical supply chain resilience.Design/methodology/approach: This study focusses on the Middle East region, where semi-structured online interviews were conducted with 38 professionals from the pharmaceutical supply chain to collect empirical data.Findings: The study reveals that supply chain knowledge management is a crucial value-adding practice that improves pharmaceutical supply chain resilience. Effective supply chain knowledge management enables organisations to develop agility, change, adaptability, problem-solving, response and innovation capabilities that support supply chain resilience. However, challenges related to supply chain management practices, people, processes and technology hinder the effective promotion of supply chain knowledge.Practical implications: This study reminds managers that knowledge management is critical for building resilience in supply chains.Social implications: The study highlights the importance of a resilient pharmaceutical supply chain for organisations and society. The study advocates that effective supply chain knowledge management can help ensure a sustained supply of high-quality pharmaceutical products and services during crises.Originality/value: The study offers novel insights by examining pharmaceutical supply chain resilience from a knowledge management perspective and highlighting the potential of knowledge capabilities to enable supply chains to recover from crises and adapt to the new normal. This study also highlights the key strategic considerations for managing knowledge effectively throughout the supply chain.

Purpose: This study aims to examine the impact of supply chain digitalization (SCD) on supply chain performance (SCP) with the integration of supply chain agility (SCA) and supply chain resilience (SCR) in manufacturing firms. Additionally, it investigates the moderating role of environmental dynamism (ED) in these relationships in the context of manufacturing firms.Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative research design was employed, utilizing a structured questionnaire to collect data. The sample consisted of 374 valid responses from various managerial levels within manufacturing firms in Jordan. A purposive sampling technique was used to ensure that participants had relevant expertise in supply chain management. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) through Smart PLS software to test the proposed hypotheses.Findings: The study found that SCD positively impacts SCP by enhancing both SCA and SCR. Digital technologies were shown to improve supply chain visibility, speed of decision-making and resource efficiency, which are essential for maintaining performance under uncertain conditions. Furthermore, ED significantly moderates the relationship between digitalization and SCP, indicating that the benefits of digitalization on SCA and SCR are more pronounced in highly dynamic environments.Originality/value: This study contributes to the literature by offering an investigation on the role of SCD in influencing SCA, SCR and ultimately SCP in manufacturing firms. It also sheds light on the moderating effect of ED, providing a deeper understanding of the conditions under which digital transformation in supply chains is most beneficial. The study was based on three theoretical foundations: the resource-based view (RBV), the dynamic capabilities theory (DCT) and the contingency theory (CT).

Purpose: This paper explores the applications of lean thinking in re-evaluating the business school curriculum, syllabus and intended learning objectives to enhance the employability of graduates through identifying and eliminating non–value-added activities.Design/methodology/approach: The research employed multilevel qualitative methodology, where 55 semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data from academics, students and graduates from several private and public universities in Jordan.Findings: The study finds that the application of lean thinking in the business school is twofold – it helps the developer of the school curriculum to get rid of many superfluous and non–value-added activities and also emphasises and reinforces the value-added activities. Value stream mapping, with a consideration for internal and external outputs, has been found to be a useful tool for developing an employability-focussed curriculum that equips business school students with the required competences and skills in the labour market.Research limitations/implications: The study is based on a qualitative research approach. The generalisability of the findings is difficult to assess, and future research would benefit from the insights obtained from the quantitative dataPractical implications: In practice, this study has identified different types of non–value-added and unnecessary activities in business school curriculum and has made suggestions for the development of a more employability-focussed curriculum.Originality/value: This paper investigates the non–value-added activities of the business school curriculum, syllabus and the intended learning objectives to enhance the employability of graduates in Jordan.