Ajit Sharma accepted for publication in The International Journal of Production Research
Mike Ilitch School of Business assistant professor of information systems management Ajit Sharma has been accepted for publication in The International Journal of Production Research, a leading journal publishing research on manufacturing, industrial engineering, operations research and management science.
The article is titled “Artificial intelligence for sense making in survival supply chains,” and Sharma is the sole author.
Abstract
A defining feature of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic was a pervasive and palpable collapse of sense-making in individuals and organizations. A key factor underlying this chaos was the inability of humans to make sense of the big and noisy data environment. Such big data environments are especially amenable to interpretation by Artificial intelligence. In this study, a theoretical framework has been developed for the use of AI for sense-making in survival supply chains. The proposed framework, ‘The Cognitive Model of Survival Supply Chains’, is articulated as consisting of scan, store, interpret, execute, and learn as its purposive components. This framework is presented as a scaffolding to organize extant knowledge, identify gaps, synthesize new knowledge, and guide future research and practice. Research questions have been identified to develop a systematic research agenda. Implications for research, policy and practice for managing pandemics have been drawn out for researchers, policy makers, and practitioners, respectively. The paper also presents the design and architecture of an AI based solution for sense-making in survival supply chains. Such a solution is urgently needed for organizing the efforts of diverse stakeholders in presenting a concerted and effective response to disasters that may unfold in the future.
