COVID-19 Impact on the Logistics Industry : A case study developed with a scoial and economic sustainability perspective on a firm operating in the Middle East.

Abstract: The purpose of this research study is to explore the impacts of COVID-19 on the demands, lead times and work conditions of an aviation firm which offers parts and maintenance services to both the commercial and military sectors. To achieve this, two research questions were answered; The first one dealt with the impact of COVD-19 on the demand and leads times of an aviation company while the second questions assess the work conditions and the steps and measures taken for these pandemic related improvements. To answer these questions, a case study was conducted on an aviation firm located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The firm offered services across the Middle East, Africa and to parts of Asia. The company’s lead times for certain products along with their demand history for the years of 2019 and 2020 were used as a measure of assessing their progress during the pandemic as a comparison to normal circumstances. The firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) was also studied in order to understand how the socio-economic environment (focusing on workforce availability) has impacted the stability of the company during the times of the pandemic. It was also used to create an understanding of how the changed work environment can affect factors such as demand and lead time and how those factors relate to stability within a firm.  The findings showed the impacts COVID-19 had on the stability of the firm. These also suggest that a positive and focused approached towards the workforce can increase the stability within the company and allow for an increase in revenue as a benefit of this CSR approach. The study informs how workforce stability can help reach corporate stability, and how firms can achieve workforce stability in pandemic times.