An investigation into human related factors for enhanced supply chain resilience

Zhang, Yueheng 2026. An investigation into human related factors for enhanced supply chain resilience. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Supply chain resilience (SCRES) has become a central concern for organisations facing increasingly frequent and severe disruptions. While prior research has recognised the importance of human-related factors, existing insights remain fragmented and are often discussed at a high level without clearly explaining how human capabilities are developed, enacted, and connected across organisational and supply chain (SC) boundaries over time. This thesis addresses this gap by developing a human-centred explanation of SCRES through the lens of Dynamic Human Related Capabilities (DHRCs). The thesis adopts a sequential qualitative research design that combines a systematic literature review (SLR) with a multiple case study approach. The SLR synthesises existing research on human-related factors relevant to SCRES and identifies three core capability domains, social capital, human capital, and cognition. Building on this foundation, the empirical phase draws on multiple case studies of Chinese firms in beverage and alcoholic beverage supply chains, using semi-structured interviews and iterative within-case and cross-case analysis to examine how these capabilities are enacted in practice across actors, relationships, and disruption phases. The findings confirm the centrality of social capital, human capital, and cognition to SCRES and show that they are enacted through nine practices: trust, reciprocity, communication, and cooperation; training and education, and experience; and individual cognitive attributes, shared codes and language, and shared narratives. The thesis demonstrates that the roles of these practices vary across the pre-disruption, during-disruption, and post-disruption phases, supporting preparedness, responsive coordination, and learning-based renewal in different ways. The findings also show that these practices interact as a reinforcing system over time, including relational reinforcement within social capital, the contribution of training and experience to cognition, and the role of shared cognitive practices in consolidating disruption learning and improving subsequent preparedness. This thesis contributes to SCRES research by developing DHRCs theory, presenting a structured DHRCs framework and practice architecture, and reconceptualising SCRES as a dynamic, human-centred, multi-stage process. It also provides practical guidance for strengthening resilience by aligning social capital, human capital, and cognition across organisational roles, SC relationships, and disruption phases.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Business (Including Economics)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1. Supply Chain Resilience 2. Human-Related Factors 3. Dynamic Human Related Capabilities 4. Social Capital 5. Human Capital 6. Cognition
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	19 October 2026
Last Modified:	19 Oct 2026 15:37
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/190269

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