Exploring the Interplay of Agile Methodologies, Resilience, and ESG in Supply Chains:

Abstract

In recent years, increased competitiveness and the risk of value chain disruption have highlighted the importance of traditional themes like agile methodologies and resilience. In addition, the adoption of ESG frameworks in investment decision-making gained momentum in 2018. However, ESG practices are still limited in many companies, and their relationship with internal areas such as the supply chain lacks sufficient research. The exploration of how ESG and agility affect supply chain resilience is in its preliminary stages, leading to a lack of extensive literature on the subject. This study aims to conduct a bibliometric review and qualitative content analysis to explore the interplay between concepts that have not been integrated so far. A total of 58 articles published between 2013 and October 2022 were subjected to descriptive and content analysis, resulting in the main trends, research gaps, and future research directions, alongside the classification of the study approach for the authors and their correlation between ESG pillars. The qualitative analysis of the content revealed that the most eligible articles classified the resilience–agility concepts as interdependent, emphasizing the common aspects of these concepts. Regarding ESG, the analysis shows the focus of existent research relies on financial performance and operational performance within the supply chain. Each study approach highlights one pillar of ESG, the dependent study approach emphasizes the significance of financial performance, while the independent approach places a stronger focus on operational performance.