Investigating the relationship between supply chain innovation, risk management capabilities and competitive advantage in global supply chains

Supply chain risk transmission monitoring based on graphic evaluation and review technique

In the supply chain context, risk events can accumulate, amplify, and mutate as they spread through the supply chain network structure. This can lead to significant losses for supply chains and global businesses. Therefore, monitoring supply chain risk is crucial to ensure the smooth operation of the supply chain. To address this issue, our study focuses on the DongNan automobile manufacturing supply chain and examines the monitoring of lead time risk. We use the graphic evaluation and review technique (GERT) to characterize the topology of the risk transmission network in the supply chain and construct a supply chain risk transmission model. We then use the change-point control chart to monitor risk factors, specifically delayed lead time. Our study includes a case study that demonstrates the effectiveness of the change-point control chart in signaling and accurately estimating the change point and out-of-control stage in terms of performance indices. We also investigate the impact of mis-specified risk function parameters on the chart's performance, finding that it remains relatively stable. Overall, the change-point control chart is an effective tool for monitoring supply chain risk, and its monitoring effect is relatively stable.

Managing supply chain resilience assessment model-relevant factors and activities using an FCM-FBWM approach

Supply chain resilience is essential for companies to survive in today's competitive market, as they face environmental and unforeseeable challenges in their supply chain. This paper aims to model and manage the factors and activities that influence supply chain resilience and how they relate to each other. This will help us devise plans for enhancing the resilience of a supply chain. By taking into account the factors and activities and their interrelationships, organizations can use their limited resources more efficiently to improve their supply chain resilience. We use a management matrix to rank the factors based on how they affect and contribute to the supply chain resilience. We conduct an empirical study in a pharmaceutical company to demonstrate the proposed management approach and provide improvement scenarios based on the ranking of the factors. The results show that the most important factors are "the cooperation and trust between supply chain members", "Visibility & Agility", and "Leadership Support and Commitment". The ranking of the factors may vary in different companies. Therefore, other companies can apply the method described in this paper and perform different improvement scenarios according to the ranking of the factors to effectively allocate their limited management efforts.

Unlocking sustainable supply chain performance through dynamic data analytics: a multiple mediation model of sustainable innovation and supply chain resilience

This article provides a theoretical framework for comprehending the connections between dynamic data analytics capability (DDAC), innovation capabilities (IC), supply chain resilience (RES), and sustainable supply chain performance (SSCP). Since this is the first empirical investigation of the sequential mediation effect between DDAC and SSCP through IC and RES, it fills a critical need in the supply chain literature. A quantitative methodology was used, involving a survey questionnaire distributed to 259 large Pakistani manufacturing firms. We used PLS-SEM to test for the expected associations. Findings show that using DDAC has a beneficial effect on both innovative and resilient capabilities, which in turn leads to better SSCP. The research illuminates the sequential mediating roles of product, process, and resilience, underlining the need of combining data-driven innovation with resilience in order to achieve sustainable supply chain performance. These results provide useful guidance for businesses that want to boost their sustainability results by taking a more all-encompassing approach to data-driven innovation and resilience.

Humanitarian supply chains and innovation: a focus on US food banks

Purpose

To effectively meet their social objectives, humanitarian organizations need to be more innovative and find novel ways to stay competitive. Yet there has been limited focus on innovation by humanitarian organizations. Part of the issue is the lack of new practices and novel approaches that can be used as benchmarks. This study focuses on food banks, a critical hub for the delivery of food in humanitarian supply chains and where the use of innovation seems to be more reported on.

Design/methodology/approach

Focusing on resource scarcity, a commonly referenced constraint by humanitarian organizations, the authors study how food and fund scarcity (versus abundance) influence the innovation efforts of twelve food banks in the United States. This study observes variations in behavior before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Findings

The authors find that food banks operating in high resource scarcity (food-scarce and fund-scarce) settings focus on process innovations. Food banks operating in low resource scarcity (food-abundant and fund-abundant) settings focus on product innovations. Food banks operating in food-abundant and fund-scarce settings focus on marketing innovations. Food banks operating in food-scarce and fund-abundant settings show the most extensive focus on innovation by relying on imitative innovations. The innovation focus for most food banks switches to process innovation during the COVID pandemic.

Originality/value

The study breaks down resource scarcity specific to food banks by differentiating food and funds, a novel approach to studying scarcity. Findings are novel as they suggest that operating context has a highly differentiating effect on what food banks focus on in terms of innovation. Operating context can lead to focus on process, product, imitative of market-related innovations. Finally, the study is novel because it explores how change in the environmental context due to disruptions can drastically modify the innovation focus of food banks.

Sustainable risk management practice in the organization: a Malaysian case study

Businesses are becoming more conscious of operational risk management practices due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, some firms practice risk management without fully comprehending how it might help them and their needs. As a result, companies that practice risk management without realizing it are being controlled by the discipline itself. The goal of this study is to look into the epistemic process of risk management practice in the workplace. This phenomenological study interviewed 39 risk management officers, executives, and employees. Data are thematically analyzed. This study discovered five epistemic processes of risk mapping using Foucault's governmentality paradigm. This phenomenological study, interestingly, revealed the black box of risk management practices, as well as the behavior of risk management officers, executives, and risk owners who preferred to monitor the compliance aspects of risk management practices rather than comprehend the capabilities of risk management that could be used within their strategic planning process. Unaware of this black box, organizational actors were blanketed by the organization's culture of fear, which created the impression that the authority was always watching every word said and every action taken. Practically, this study contributes an improved understanding of the real function of risk management that helps them justify the practice and reduce unnecessary fear. The paper concludes with limitations and research recommendations.

Linking entrepreneurial orientation and supply chain resilience to strengthen business performance: an empirical analysis

Purpose

This study examines the interactions between entrepreneurial orientation, supply chain resilience (SCRES) as well as the financial and commercial dimensions of business performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on a literature review, the authors develop a research model to identify positive relationships between five specific dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation, SCRES and business performance based on the dynamic capabilities view. The hypotheses are then empirically validated by applying partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) on survey data obtained from a questionnaire and 168 global companies.

Findings

The results partially support the hypotheses and suggest that entrepreneurial activities complement the resilience of supply chains to sudden disruptions and therefore also foster competitive advantage.

Originality/value

The relationships between entrepreneurial orientation, SCRES and business performance are examined and validated empirically in a single model, bridging the gap between these distinct research streams and shedding further light on supply chain risk management.

Firms’ dynamic capabilities and supply chain risk management: a B2B perspective

Purpose

This study examines the relationships between collaboration capability (CC) and supply chain risk management (SCRM) and the mediating role of supply chain alignment (SCA) between CC and SCRM. It also investigates the moderating role of data-driven culture (DDC) on the path joining CC and SCA.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted via a structured questionnaire among the 297 managers of Business-to-business (B2B) firms. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

The result found a positive and significant relationship between CC and SCRM, CC and SCA, and SCA and SCRM. The research found a significant mediating role of SCA between CC and SCRM. The study also found a significant moderating role of DBC between CC and SCA.

Practical implications

The outcomes demonstrate the management and societal relevance of the study from the viewpoint of businesses in developing nations. To cope with dynamic shifts, managers and decision makers need to take initiative for collaboration among the supplier, to align with their supply chain operations and enhance preparedness of DDC to overcome supply chain-related risks in the future.

Originality/value

The results of this empirical study have the significant potential to provide valuable guidance and insights about the B2B firms’ CC to develop SCA to enhance SCRM as risk management for the supply chain can aid in loss prevention and provide an edge over competitors. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, these relationships based on the dynamic capability view (DCV) add to existing studies on B2B firms’ supply chains in a novel way.

How do MNEs shape their international strategic alliances to facilitate higher alliance performance? Absorptive capacity as an antecedent

The international strategic alliance in international marketing is international social network to realize superior performance. This requires firms to increasingly consolidate international relationship with foreign partners. Knowledge acquisition and integration by absorptive capacity (AC) as an antecedent for international strategic alliance is understudied. This study aims to explore the relationship between AC and international strategic alliance, and their impact on the international performance of multinational enterprises (MNEs). This study empirically verifies the research framework from 223 Taiwanese MNEs. In terms of structural model, researchers conduct PLS-SEM to verify the hypotheses in this study. The results confirm previous studies that indicate a positive relationship among AC, international strategic alliance, and international performance. The results also indicate that international explorative and exploitative alliance fits mediate the relationship between AC and international performance.

Risk management in sustainable supply chain: a knowledge map towards intellectual structure, logic diagram, and conceptual model

The global spread of COVID-19, international trade protectionism, geopolitical conflicts, and climate change presents challenges and risks to sustainable supply chains (SSCs). In recent years, scholarly interest in sustainable supply chain risk management (SSCRM) has continued to rise. A helpful literature review is necessary to enable supply chain practitioners to apply empirical findings from academic research or conceptual frameworks to their operations to maintain the stability and competitiveness of sustainable supply chains. The knowledge map of SSCRM is explored in this study using both quantitative and qualitative analysis. A total of 793 articles were retrieved to reveal the knowledge map of SSCRM. Scientometric and context analysis are combined in quantitative analysis to identify the intellectual structure of risk management research related to SSC. Then, a critical review is conducted in qualitative analysis to summarize and analyze the motivations, strategies, approaches, and tools of SSCRM. Combining the quantitative and qualitative analysis results, a conceptual model is constructed for SSCRM from three aspects: (1) risk identification, (2) risk assessment, and (3) risk mitigating and responding. Finally, future research directions are suggested based on the conceptual model for guiding the theories and practice of SSCRM. This study can work as a roadmap for providing appropriate risk management policies and toolkits to SSC, which could advance theoretical thinking on how to mitigate SSC risks.

Introduction of a Corporate Security Risk Management System: The Experience of Poland

To ensure the economic security of companies, it is necessary to introduce a risk management system based on the use of various tools, especially financial ones. The purpose of the article is to scientifically substantiate the paradigm of integration of the risk management mechanism into the system of economic security in companies on the basis of risk-oriented management. The main study method was an online survey of 50 Polish companies in January–April 2021 using a developed questionnaire consisting of 40 questions. According to the results of the expert survey, it is determined that regardless of the type of economic activity of the enterprise, the main goal of introducing risk-oriented management is to preserve assets and increase the efficiency of financial and economic processes. The introduction of risk-oriented management is perceived as a tool to increase the value of the company and ensure the achievement of strategic goals. Fraud is a significant risk to the state of economic security for modern enterprises. To prevent the fact of fraud, taking into account the specifics of the operation of companies, it is suggested to conduct an annual examination. As a result, the suggested procedure should include an audit (audit of financial statements, forensics, transition to international financial reporting standards, audit of systems and processes), assessment (assessment for audit and reporting in accordance with international financial reporting standards, risk management assessment in accordance with international standards, assessment of the effectiveness of economic security), tax analytics (identification of tax risks, analysis of compliance with tax legislation, tax audit), and a due diligence procedure for investment objects.

Core Technological Competence and Competitive Advantage: A Study on Chinese High-Tech SMEs

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of core technology competence on the competitive advantage of high-tech SMEs (small- and mid-sized enterprises in China). Based on the 379 valid responses collected from a survey, structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to examine the research model. Infrastructure and technology, state-of-the-art technology, innovative research and development (R&D) capability, and organizational flexibility all have a significant impact on the competitive advantage, while infrastructure and technology, state-of-the-art technology, and innovative R&D capability have a significant effect on organizational flexibility. Organizational flexibility plays a mediating role between innovative R&D capability's effect and competitive advantage. Under the continuous influence of COVID-19, we should promote development from the perspective of strengthening enterprise infrastructure and technology and improving organizational flexibility to gain a competitive advantage. This study reveals the internal relationship between core technology competence, organizational flexibility, and competitive advantage. The results of this study will help us to fully understand the survival status and competitive advantage of high-tech SMEs under COVID-19.

Resilience in healthcare supply chains: a review of the UK’s response to the COVID19 pandemic

Purpose

The purpose of this explorative research is to analyse the resilience of the United Kingdom's (UK) healthcare supply chains from a customer’s perspective in the light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the capabilities of preparedness, robustness, recovery and adaptability as the foundational percept for supply chain resilience, 22 healthcare professionals in 17 of the UK's National Health Scheme (NHS) Trusts were interviewed to explore their personal and organisational approaches adopted relative to the provision of eye protection, gloves, gowns, aprons, masks and respirators. The Dynamic Capabilities View is mapped to the resilience capabilities and used to analyse the data from a transformational supply chain research perspective.

Findings

The supply chains were largely unprepared, which was not particularly surprising even though the availability of gloves was significantly better compared to the other personal protective equipment (PPE). Techniques adopted to ensure robustness and recovery revealed the use of unsanctioned methods such as extended use of PPE beyond recommended use, redefinition of guidelines, protocols and procedures by infection control and the use of expired PPE – all of which compromised customer well-being.

Research limitations/implications

As the paper views resilience through the lens of customers, it does not provide the perspectives of the supply chain practitioners as to the reasons for the findings and the challenges within these supply chains.

Practical implications

The compromise of the well-being of healthcare workers due to the vulnerabilities of healthcare supply chains is highlighted to managers and prescriptions for post-disruption adaptability are made.

Originality/value

This paper introduces transformative research to supply chain resilience research by uniquely looking at resilience from the customers' well-being perspective.

Capabilities for enhancing supply chain resilience and responsiveness in the COVID-19 pandemic: exploring the role of improvisation, anticipation, and data analytics capabilities

Purpose

This study aims to identify critical capabilities to address unforeseen and novel disruptions, such as those instigated by COVID-19, and explore their role as essential enablers of supply chain resilience and responsiveness, leading to improved performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The structural equation modeling technique was employed for analyzing the proposed associations using survey data from 206 manufacturers operating during the COVID-19 pandemic in a developing country, Pakistan.

Findings

Key findings show how improvisation and anticipation act distinctly yet jointly to facilitate supply chain resilience and responsiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, data analytics capability positively affects anticipation and improvisation, which mediate the effect of data analytics on supply chain resilience and responsiveness.

Research limitations/implications

The findings contribute to the theoretical and empirical understanding of the existing literature, suggesting that a combination of improvisation, anticipation and data analytics capabilities is highly imperative for enhancing supply chain resilience and responsiveness in novel and unexpected disruptions.

Originality/value

This is the first study to examine the impact of data analytics on improvisation and anticipation and the latter as complementary capabilities to enhance supply chain resilience and responsiveness. The empirical investigation explores the interplay among data analytics, improvisation, and anticipation capabilities for enhancing supply chain resilience, responsiveness, and performance during the unforeseen and novel disruptions, such as brought to bear by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Optimising the resilience of shipping networks to climate vulnerability

Climate extremes are threatening transportation infrastructures and hence require new methods to address their vulnerability and improve their resilience. However, existing studies have yet to examine the climate impacts on transportation networks systematically rather than independently assessing the infrastructures at a component level. Therefore, it is crucial to configure alternative shipping routes from a systematic perspective to reduce climate vulnerabilities and optimise the resilience of the whole shipping network. This paper aims to assess the global shipping network focusing on climate resilience by a methodology that combines climate risk indicators, centrality analysis and ship routing optimisation. The methodology is designed for overviewing the climate vulnerability of the current and future scenarios for comparison. First, a multi-centrality assessment defines the global shipping hubs and network vulnerabilities. Secondly, a shipping model is built for finding the optimal shipping route between ports, considering the port disruption days caused by climate change (e.g. extreme weather) based on the climate vulnerability analysis result from the first step. It contributes to a new framework combining the global and local seaport climate vulnerabilities. Furthermore, it recommends changing shipping routes by a foreseeable increase in port disruptions caused by extreme weather for climate adaptation.

Organizational resilience, job satisfaction and business performance

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the effects of organizational resilience on job satisfaction and business performance in companies that have undergone corporate reorganizations.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was carried out on a sample of 102 executives and managers from Brazilian companies that underwent corporate reorganization. The structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The results indicate that organizational resilience influences business performance (in the dimensions of economy-financial, customers and processes/learning) and job satisfaction (in the dimensions of financial and personal benefits). However, the relations between job satisfaction and business performance were partial, indicating that satisfaction can affect performance through other variables.

Research limitations/implications

The main study implication lies on the empirical immersion regarding the effects of active organizational resilience on multi-faceted business performance, to the detriment of only the financial view and on job satisfaction.

Practical implications

The distinct effects of resilience on business performance and job satisfaction provide managers with insight into how to allocate resources, in order to benefit the interests of both employer and employee.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies to provide empirical evidence of the effects of active organizational resilience on multi-dimensional business performance. The results provide new insights into this relationship and may clarify divergent results found in the literature. It also provides evidence of the effects of active organizational resilience on job satisfaction in companies that have undergone corporate reorganizations, events that are supposed to require resilient skills.

A theoretical framework of smart supply chain innovation for going global companies: a multi-case study from China

Purpose

This study explores the influencing factors of smart supply chain innovation (SSCI) for going global companies and designs a theoretical framework.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a multi-case study that includes a combination of exploratory and explanatory case studies.

Findings

First, the authors find that SSCI is embodied in product development and supply chain empowerment, which represent exploitative innovation and explorative innovation, respectively. Meanwhile, supply chain empowerment has a positive impact on product development. Second, the going global policy affects the transformation of supply chain empowerment to SSCI practices. Third, in terms of exploitative innovation, personalized demand positively affects SSCI through product development. Finally, explorative innovation, including emerging technology application and supply chain ecologicalization, has a positive effect on supply chain empowerment and thereby affects SSCI.

Originality/value

Supply chain innovation in the context of a smart economy has gained great popularity. This study sheds light on the influencing factors and mechanisms of SSCI from the exploitative and explorative aspects of innovations.

Examining Leadership Capabilities, Risk Management Practices, and Organizational Resilience: The Case of State-Owned Enterprises in Indonesia

This study aims to assess the role of leadership in Indonesia’s State-Owned Enterprises in bringing the companies to be resilient amid uncertainties and a dynamic environment based on dynamic capability theory. Risk management practices are used to mediate the relationship between leadership capabilities and enterprise resilience. The authors conducted a quantitative and cross-sectional study using a questionnaire distributed to members of the board of directors and senior managers of Indonesia SOEs and their subsidiaries. Based on the structural equation modeling analysis, the findings reveal that leadership capabilities play a role in developing enterprise resilience and risk management practice. Additionally, risk management practice partially mediates the relationship between leadership capabilities and enterprise resilience. The empirical findings enrich the knowledge on the relationship between enterprise resilience, leadership capability, and risk management practice. These results enable management SOEs and their subsidiaries and policymakers to develop strategies and a policy framework to create and develop enterprise resilience and help SOEs navigate safely and triumphantly in uncertain and disruptive business environments. This study supports empirical evidence that expands the context of applying the enterprise resilience concept and dynamic capability theory in hybrid organization types, such as SOEs, that operate in emerging countries.

An extended hybrid fuzzy multi-criteria decision model for sustainable and resilient supplier selection

The formalization and solution of supplier selection problems (SSPs) based on sustainable (economic, environmental, and social) indicators have become a fundamental tool to perform a strategic analysis of the whole supply chain process and maximize the competitive advantage of firms. Over the last decade, sustainability issues have been often considered in combination with resilient indexes leading to the study of sustainable-resilient supplier selection problems (SRSSPs). The current research on sustainable development, particularly concerned with the strong impact that the recent COVID-19 pandemic has had on supply chains, has been paying increasing attention to the resilience concept and its role within SSPs. This study proposes a hybrid fuzzy multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method to solve SRSSPs. The fuzzy best-worst method is used first to determine the importance weights of the selection criteria. A combined grey relational analysis and the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method is used next to evaluate the suppliers in a fuzzy environment. Triangular fuzzy numbers (TFNs) are used to express the weights of criteria and alternatives to account for the ambiguity and uncertainty inherent to subjective evaluations. However, the proposed method can be easily extended to other fuzzy settings depending on the uncertainty facing managers and decision-makers. A real-life application is presented to demonstrate the applicability and efficacy of the proposed model. Sixteen evaluation criteria are identified and classified as economic, environmental, social, or resilient. The results obtained through the case study show that "pollution control," "environmental management system," and "risk awareness" are the most influential criteria when studying SRSSPs related to the manufacturing industry. Finally, three different sensitivity analysis methods are applied to validate the robustness of the proposed framework, namely, changing the weights of the criteria, comparing the results with those of other common fuzzy MCDM methods, and changing the components of the principal decision matrix.

Resilience development and digitalization of the healthcare supply chain: an exploratory study in emerging economies

Purpose

Healthcare supply chains (HSCs) have been adopting Industry 4.0 (I4.0) as a means to boost their resilience. The first objective of this study is to identify the effect of contextual variables of HSCs on resilience development and I4.0 adoption. Second, the paper examines the pervasiveness of the relationship between resilience and I4.0 across different contextual characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

179 organizations from the HSC in Brazil and India were surveyed. Responses were analyzed using multivariate data techniques.

Findings

Large HSC agents are more likely to develop resilience abilities and adopt I4.0 technologies when these factors are analyzed independently. However, the joint analysis of resilience and I4.0 displayed a large number of significant correlations among small organizations.

Originality/value

Findings provide managers of HSC arguments to enhance resilience through the digitalization. HSC organizations can identify HSC organizations' context to tailor initiatives on resilience and digitalization.

Research on the Impact of Digital Innovation Driving the High-Quality Development of the Shipping Industry

Based on the evaluation index system of high-quality development of the shipping industry and digital innovation, this paper uses the “VHSD-EM” model to evaluate the high-quality development of the shipping industry and digital innovation in 11 coastal provinces of China from 2010 to 2019 and the fixed effect model to study the impact of digital innovation on the high-quality development of the shipping industry. The results show the following: (1) Both the index of the high-quality development of the shipping industry and the index of digital innovation generally show a slow growth trend, but there are obvious differences in regional development, among which the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta have prominent advantages; (2) Digital innovation plays a significant role in promoting high-quality development of the shipping industry. When the index of digital innovation increases by 1 unit, the index of the high-quality development of the shipping industry increases by 1.233 units on average. However, the potential of digital innovation driving the high-quality development of the shipping industry has not been fully utilized; (3) Investment in education and technology and other transportation industries have an important impact on the high-quality development of the shipping industry. It is necessary to increase the investment in education and science, improve the level of shipping technology, and exert the function of transportation to form a complete traffic and transport network. In general, the paper verifies the role of digital innovation in promoting the high-quality development of the shipping industry, as well as the impact of related factors on the high-quality development of the shipping industry, putting forward targeted suggestions for promoting the high-quality development of the shipping industry.

The use of supply chain control tower in pharmaceutical industry to create a competitive advantage

Purpose

Supply chain control tower (SCCT) has emerged as a new tool for SC management. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of SCCT on the competitive advantage of the Jordanian Pharmaceutical Manufacturing (JPM) Organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

To actualize this study, the data are collected from 132 managers working at JPM Organizations by questionnaire. After confirming the normality, validity and reliability of the tool, descriptive analysis carried out, and the correlation between variables checked. Finally, the impact tested by multiple regressions.

Findings

The results show that the JPM organizations implement both SCCT elements and competitive advantage dimensions. Results show that there is a strong correlation among SCCT elements, among competitive advantage dimensions and between SCCT and competitive advantage. Finally, results indicate that SCCT has a significant positive effect on the total competitive advantage. SCCT affects quality, cost, reliability and responsiveness respectively; however, it does not have a significant effect on innovation.

Research limitations/implications

The current study conducted on JPM Organizations. Therefore, to check results generalizability, it is recommended to conduct such research on other industries and countries.

Practical implications

Managers should apply SCCT, because it provides real-time information, which is visible to all partners. Therefore, SCCT has to be included within organizations’ vision, mission, strategies and implemented in daily practices.

Social implications

SCCT helps to improve quality and reduce cost, which enhances the quality of life and society welfare.

Originality/value

This study may be considered as one of the few studies that tackle the issue of SCCT in pharmaceutical industry.

Analysis of supply chain resilience drivers in oil and gas industries during the COVID-19 pandemic using an integrated approach

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the supply chains (SCs) of many industries, including the oil and gas (O&G) industry. This study aims to identify and analyze the drivers that affect the resilience level of the O&G SC under the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis helps to understand the driving intensity of one driver over those of others as well as drivers with the highest driving power to achieve resilience. Through an extensive literature review and an overview of experts' opinions, the study identified fourteen supply chain resilience (SCR) drivers of the O&G industry. These drivers were analyzed using the integrated fuzzy interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) approaches. The analysis shows that the major drivers of SCR are government support and security. These two drivers help to achieve other drivers of SCR, such as collaboration and information sharing, which, in turn, influence innovation, trust, and visibility among SC partners. Two more drivers, robustness and agility, are also essential drivers of SCR. However, rather than influencing other drivers for their achievement, robustness and agility are influenced by others. The results show that collaboration has the highest overall driving intensity and agility has the highest intensity of being influenced by other drivers.

Show Me What You Do and I Will Tell You Who You Are: A Cluster Typology of Supply Chain Risk Management in SMEs

Although research on risk management (RM) in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in general and regarding supply chains (SCs) has increased recently, our understanding is still rather fragmented and underdeveloped. This refers particularly to new types of risks such as dynamic crises or emerging risks associated with digital transformation (DT). Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory paper is to investigate RM in SMEs in SCs. More precisely, the aim is to identify patterns that can be used to group SMEs according to their risk behavior (i.e., risk attitude and perception). Drawing from a data set of 181 European SMEs, this paper empirically conceptualizes a typology of SMEs. The typology consists of four distinct types of SMEs that emerged from a cluster analysis: collective risk eliminators, collective playing it safe seekers, collective risk-ignoring knights of fortune, and collective neglecting imperturbable ones. The findings indicate that different risk behavior leads to different degrees of collaboration within the SC. Furthermore, the close interconnection between RM as found in the different clusters and the respective firm’s innovation performance can be shown. By acknowledging the heterogeneity found in SMEs, this paper breaks away from mainstream research that tends to consider SMEs as a homogeneous entity.

Big data analytics capability and supply chain performance: the mediating roles of supply chain resilience and innovation

Purpose

Big data analytics (BDA) capabilities can affect supply chain performance in several ways. The main purpose of this study was to understand how BDA capabilities could affect supply chain performance through supply chain resilience and supply chain innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a cross-sectional approach to collect survey-based responses to examine the hypotheses. Accordingly, 187 responses were collected and analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) in the SmartPLS3.

Findings

The results showed that BDA capabilities improve supply chain performance through resilience and innovation of the supply chain.

Originality/value

The present study also contributed to the existing literature by demonstrating the mediating role of supply chain resilience and supply chain innovation between BDA capabilities and supply chain performance. In this context, some theoretical and managerial implications were proposed and discussed.

Triggering sustainable firm performance, supply chain competitive advantage, and green innovation through lean, green, and agile supply chain practices

Due to extensive industrial activities, many environmental challenges have devastated human beings and environmental integrity. Therefore, sustainable supply chain (SC) practices (lean, green, and agile - LGA) gained momentum in the manufacturing industry. Considering the importance of LGA-SC, this study investigates the impact of LGA-SC practices on green innovation (GI), supply chain competitive advantage (SCPA), supply chain responsiveness (SCR), and sustainable firm performance (SFP). Data were collected from employees of the manufacturing industry in China. The proposed conceptual framework was verified by using structural equation modeling. The empirical results indicate that LGA-SC practices are statistically associated with GI, SCR, SCPA, and SFP. Moreover, this research finds that GI and SCR play mediating roles between LGA-SC practices and SCPA. GC positively moderates the relationship between LGA-SC practices and GI, and IP also acts as a strong moderator between GI and SCPA. To the authors' best knowledge, this study is the pioneer to provide insights about a novel framework combing LGA-SC practices, SCPA, and SFP with mediating role of GI and moderating role of GI and IP. This study supports managers of the Chinese manufacturing sector to further extend strong roots for LGA-SC adoption.

Entrepreneurial Leadership, Supply Chain Innovation, and Adaptability: A Cross-national Investigation

This study investigates the effects of entrepreneurial leadership on supply chain innovation and supply chain adaptability. Based on theoretical foundations of the upper echelon theory and the dynamic capability theory, it also assesses the mediating role played by supply chain innovation in the relationship between entrepreneurial leadership and supply chain adaptability. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was performed on survey data collected from 139 firms in Sudan, Japan, and China. The results reveal that entrepreneurial leadership had positive effects on supply chain innovation and supply chain adaptability despite varying business environments. The results also provided interesting findings regarding the moderating role of supply chain innovation as a mediator of the relationship between entrepreneurial leadership and supply chain adaptability. The findings of the study stress the importance of entrepreneurial leadership for firms’ adaptability across nations. Although the number of countries included in this study was limited, these countries exhibit different cultural and structural settings. These findings suggest the possibility of the generalizability of the results. The findings also imply that firms should place greater emphasis on improving their supply chain processes and upgrading relevant technologies in order to facilitate the development of adaptable supply chains.

Examining Voluntary Engagement Barriers in Knowledge Sharing Practices for Supply Chain Innovation

Voluntary engagement (VE) creates a sense of coordination and harmonization to share knowledge. The eminence of knowledge sharing (KS) for supply chain (SC) innovation is undeniable to initiate development in products, services, and operations. However, KS process is undergoing challenges in sustaining KS engagement by SC partners. Hence, recent researchers call for the need to address this gap in the literature to assess VE barriers. This paper studies the causal relationship of VE barriers on two MNCs, i.e., Toyota and Suzuki, via the fuzzy DEMATEL approach. The case examination findings indicate culture's alignment as the prime cause of VE and leadership commitment has stronger interdependence. The core problems which need elimination are fear of losing the job, prominence and opportunistic behavior. The study concludes that companies need to instigate the natural attributes of employees’ VE by setting-up earnest guidelines to practice free information and knowledge flow.

Supply chain resilience and business responses to disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose

At its peak, the COVID-19 pandemic has created disruption to food supply chains in the UK and for the entire world. Although societal changes created some resilience within the supply chains, high volatility in demand creates supply, logistics and distribution issues. This is reflected in the economic instability of businesses and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In this paper, the authors explore factors behind this initial disruption in the supply chains and offer suggestions to businesses based on the established practices and theories.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use mixed methods research. First, the authors conducted an exploratory study by collecting data from published online sources. Then, the authors analysed possible scenarios from the available information using regression. The authors then conducted two interviews with UK retail sector representatives. These scenarios have been compared and contrasted to provide decision-making points to businesses and supply chain players to tackle current and any future potential disruptions.

Findings

The findings from the current exploratory study inform the volatility of supply chains. The authors suggested some possible responses from businesses, during and after the pandemic.

Originality/value

The regression model provides a decision-making approach to help supply chain businesses during the pandemic outbreak. Once a complete data set of COVID-19 is available, the authors can create a resilience model that can help businesses and supply chains.

Enhancing sustainable supply chain management performance through alliance portfolio diversity: the mediating effect of sustainability collaboration

Purpose

While strategic alliances is a concept increasingly discussed in the field of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), an emerging and more crucial concept regarding alliances—namely, the alliance portfolio—is mostly ignored in the SSCM context. Mainly drawing on the categorisation–elaboration model (CEM), this research develops a three-layer model to explore the effects of three alliance portfolio diversity facets on the three triple-bottom-line SSCM performances through the mediation of sustainability collaboration.

Design/methodology/approach

The field data are collected from 321 Vietnamese manufacturers. Scale accuracy is assessed through the confirmatory factor analysis method. Hierarchical linear regressions are applied to test the proposed model and hypotheses.

Findings

Partner, governance, and functional alliance portfolio diversities have a U-shaped, inverted U-shaped, and positive linear effect, respectively, on sustainability collaboration. Sustainability collaboration is in turn found to enhance the SSCM performances in terms of economic, environmental, and social.

Originality/value

This research introduced a new theoretical lens, CEM, to the SSCM field. It also provided findings that can help firms to manage their alliance portfolios more dynamically in terms of the nature and diversity level of the portfolio and in a way that adds to the triple bottom line through the mediating effect of sustainability collaboration.

The role of big data analytics capabilities in bolstering supply chain resilience and firm performance: a dynamic capability view

Purpose

Big data analytics capability (BDAC) can affect firm performance in several ways. The purpose of this paper is to understand how BDA capabilities affect firm performance through supply chain resilience in the presence of the risk management culture.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a cross-sectional approach to collect survey-based responses to examine the hypotheses. 167 responses were collected and analyzed using partial least squares in SmartPLS3. The respondents were generally senior IT executives with education and experience in data and business analytics.

Findings

The results show that BDA capabilities increase supply chain resilience as a mediator by enhancing innovative capabilities and information quality, ultimately leading to improved firm performance. In addition, the relationship between supply chain resilience and firm performance is influenced by risk management culture as a moderator.

Originality/value

The present study contributes to the relevant literature by demonstrating the mediating role of supply chain resilience between the BDA capabilities relationship and firm performance. In this context, some theoretical and managerial implications are proposed and discussed.

Is artificial intelligence an enabler of supply chain resiliency post COVID-19? An exploratory state-of-the-art review for future research

The challenging situations and disruptions that occurred due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic have created a severe need for supply chain resiliency (SCR). There has been a growing interest among researchers to investigate the resiliency in supply chain operations to overcome risks and disruptions and to achieve successful project management. The supply chain of every business requires innovative projects to accomplish competitive advantage in the market. This study was conducted to identify the significance of artificial intelligence (AI) for creating a sustainable and resilient supply chain, and also to provide optimum solutions for supply chain risk mitigation. A systematic literature review has been conducted to examine the potential research contribution or directions in the field of AI and SCR. In total, 162 articles were shortlisted from the SCOPUS database in the chosen field of research. Structural Topic Modeling (STM), a big data-based approach, was employed to generate several thematic topics of AI in SCR based on the shortlisted articles, and all topics were discussed. Furthermore, the bibliometric analysis was conducted using R-package to investigate the research trends in the area of AI in SCR. Based on the conducted review of literature, a research framework was proposed for AI in SCR that will facilitate researchers and practitioners to improve technological development in supply chain firms. The purpose is to combat sudden risks and disruptions so that project management will perform well Post COVID-19. The study will be also helpful for future researchers and practitioners to identify research directions based on existing literature covered in this paper in the field of SCR. Future research directions are proposed for AI-enabled resilient supply chain management. This study will also provide several implications for supply chain managers to achieve the required resilience in their supply chains post COVID-19 by focusing on the elements of the proposed research framework.

Contributions of Industry 4.0 to supply chain resilience

Purpose

This study aims at identifying the contribution of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) integration into supply chains (SCs) to the enhancement of SC resilience.

Design/methodology/approach

A scoping review was conducted so that the relevant literature on SC resilience, and I4.0 integrated into SC management was examined.

Findings

The authors summarize the main findings from existing research and propose three research directions: (1) empirical validation of the contribution of I4.0 ICTs to SC resilience; (2) explore the role of processing-actuation technologies in enhancing restorative capacity; and (3) integration between I4.0 ICTs and omni-channel strategy as a means to resilience development at consumer and retail levels. The literature on the design of resilient smart SCs is far outnumbered by works reporting applications of I4.0 ICTs at different SC tier levels. However, the authors’ scoping review organizes the information available on these themes, setting the ground for the development of new theoretical propositions.

Originality/value

The integration of digital technologies from I4.0 can fundamentally change the SC management, acting as enablers of a more effective response to disruptions. However, the digital transformation of SCs is still incipient, and literature is particularly sparse when considering the contribution of I4.0 to the resilience of SCs.

Artificial intelligence for supply chain resilience: learning from Covid-19

Purpose

Many supply chains have faced disruption during Covid-19. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one mechanism that can be used to improve supply chain resilience by developing business continuity capabilities. This study examines how firms employ AI and consider the opportunities for AI to enhance supply chain resilience by developing visibility, risk, sourcing and distribution capabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors have gathered rich data by conducting semistructured interviews with 35 experts from the e-commerce supply chain. The authors have adopted a systematic approach of coding using open, axial and selective methods to map and identify the themes that represent the critical elements of AI-enabled supply chain resilience.

Findings

The results of the study highlight the emergence of five critical areas where AI can contribute to enhanced supply chain resilience; (1) transparency, (2) ensuring last-mile delivery, (3) offering personalized solutions to both upstream and downstream supply chain stakeholders, (4) minimizing the impact of disruption and (5) facilitating an agile procurement strategy.

Research limitations/implications

The study offers interesting implications for bridging the theory–practice gap by drawing on contemporary empirical data to demonstrate how enhancing dynamic capabilities via AI technologies further strengthens supply chain resilience. The study also offers suggestions for utilizing the findings and proposes a framework to strengthen supply chain resilience through AI.

Originality/value

The study presents the dynamic capabilities for supply chain resilience through the employment of AI. AI can contribute to readying supply chains to reduce their risk of disruption through enhanced resilience.

The disruption of the international supply chain: Firm resilience and knowledge preparedness to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak

The lockdowns of several countries due to COVID-19 outbreak resulted in severe economic consequences, among which was the immediate general disruption of the international supply chain, with few exceptions. This article aims to investigate whether some supply chains were resilient or not and why, using a knowledge-based approach and specifically focusing on the role played by supply chain innovation in building resilience to disruptions, thanks to knowledge preparedness. The study is motivated by two main rationales: the unique situation of a global pandemic and the absence of studies providing grounded evidences of supply chain resilience in a worst-case scenario.

The research is based on the assumption that knowledge preparedness introduces logistics/supply chain innovations and enables companies to prevent, detect, and respond to unpredictable negative events.

By using a large-scale sample of European firms' data from the Eurostat and a multivariate regression analysis, the authors cross-study the effects of supply chain knowledge preparedness – based on innovation type and expenditures – on the international trade of goods from January to June 2020. The results confirm that the most resilient supply chains were those that had previously introduced innovations, a factor that strengthens the knowledge preparedness of firms when faced with unforeseeable supply chain disruptions.

A planetary boundaries perspective on the sustainability: resilience relationship in the Kenyan tea supply chain

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether agricultural supply chains (ASC) can be simultaneously sustainable and resilient to ecological disruptions, using the Planetary Boundaries theory. The nine different Planetary Boundaries i.e. climatic change, biodiversity loss, biogeochemical, ocean acidification, land use, freshwater availability, stratosphere ozone depletion, atmospheric aerosols and chemical pollution are examined in relation to ASC sustainability and resilience. Kenya's tea upstream supply chain sustainability and resilience from the ecological point of view is questioned. This study adopts a multi-case study analysis approach of nine producer organisations from Kenya's tea supply chain. The data from the in-depth semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion are analysed using thematic analysis. The Kenyan tea supply chain producers are not aware of all the nine planetary boundaries, although these impact on their resilience practices. They are engaged in pursuing both sustainability and resilience practices. They implement mainly environmental practices in relation to sustainability, while only a few of them are implementing resilience practices. The sustainability and resilience concepts were found to be interrelated, but resilience does not improve at the same pace as sustainability. It is suggested that the relationship between sustainability and resilience is non-linear. Limitations and future research avenues are also provided.

The Effect of Supply Chain Management Strategy on Operational and Financial Performance

Given that small and medium manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) are key to national economic development, the application of supply chain strategies that support their sustainability is critical. This study aims to identify the effects of supply chain management (SCM) on the operational performance of SMEs in Korea, specifically considering organizational competencies. To achieve this, an empirical survey was conducted on 300 Korean manufacturing SMEs that had introduced SCM strategies. The relationships between the variables were analyzed through structural equation modeling. These show that specific SCM strategies and organizational competencies had a significant effect on overall business performance. Furthermore, the SCM strategies had a significant effect on SME organizational competencies. Additionally, we analyzed the mediating effect of organizational competencies on the effect of SCM strategy on overall business performance. We found that organizational competence mediated the effect of SCM strategy on operational performance, but not on financial performance. The study shows that introducing SCM strategies directly improves business performance and is closely related to competencies such as research and development, technology commercialization, production capability, and marketing capabilities. Consequently, a combination of SCM strategies and organizational competencies can generate sustainable overall business performance among SMEs.

Supply Chain Integration Enables Resilience, Flexibility, and Innovation to Improve Business Performance in COVID-19 Era

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a sudden change from normal conditions to disruption conditions, and industrial sectors have experienced eroded growth. In particular, the manufacturing industry experienced a slowdown due to the sudden disruption in supply and demand. This situation stimulates the manufacturing industry to recover from this current challenging disruption. This study investigates the impact of supply chain integration on business performance through supply chain resilience, supply chain flexibility, and innovation system in Indonesia’s manufacturing companies. Data collection has obtained as many as 470 questionnaires considered valid for further analysis. Data analysis used the partial least square (PLS) technique using smartPLS software version 3.0. The results show that supply chain integration affects innovation system, supply chain flexibility, and supply chain resilience because of its ability to share complete product information and share production planning. Innovation systems and supply chain flexibility enhance supply chain resilience through the ability to deal with sudden changes in customer demand and production problems. Supply chain integration improves business performance through innovation, supply chain flexibility, and supply chain resilience in the COVID-19 era. This research could be the best practice for managers in restoring manufacturing performance quickly. This study also contributes to the current research in supply chain management.

The effect of supply chain quality management on supply chain performance: the indirect roles of supply chain agility and innovation

Purpose

The current study seeks to investigate how supply chain quality management (SCQM) and supply chain agility (SCA) and innovation (SCI) have an impact on supply chain performance (SCP) and how SCQM affects SCP through the mediating role of SCA and SCI capabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

In line with the research objective, a quantitative model was applied, and a multi-item survey questionnaire was developed to collect primary data. A random sample of 284 manufacturing firms belonging to different industries was used. The measurement model was assessed for validity and reliability, and satisfactory levels of these tests were demonstrated. Research hypotheses were examined using structural equation modeling (SEM).

Findings

The results of the current study have significant implications in regard to the further improvement of SCP through SCQM. The study also found that SCQM plays a key role across the entire SC network in facilitating and developing SCA and SCI capabilities. The remarkable findings of the current study revealed the indirect effect of SCQM on SCP through SCA and SCI. These results broaden the work of previous studies which identified the positive effects of SCQM on performance by providing meaningful insights into SCQM's role in promoting SCA and SCI capabilities, which, in turn, further improves SCP.

Originality/value

This study addresses a gap in the literature concerning the effect of SCQM on SCP. In addition, it is the first study, to the best of the researchers' knowledge, to explore the role of two major SC capabilities, namely, SCA and SCI on the SCQM–SCP relationship. Moreover, the present study addresses a questionable issue in the literature regarding practices that conceptualize SCQM. Several studies confuse SCQM practices with internal quality management (QM) practices. This study defines SCQM as consisting of collaborative QM practices with external SC members and proposes five related practices for measuring SCQM.

Sustainable supply chain management towards disruption and organizational ambidexterity: A data driven analysis

Balancing sustainability and disruption of supply chains requires organizational ambidexterity. Sustainable supply chains prioritize efficiency and economies of scale and may not have sufficient redundancy to withstand disruptive events. There is a developing body of literature that attempts to reconcile these two aspects. This study gives a data-driven literature review of sustainable supply chain management trends toward ambidexterity and disruption. The critical review reveals temporal trends and geographic distribution of literature. A hybrid of data-driven analysis approach based on content and bibliometric analyses, fuzzy Delphi method, entropy weight method, and fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory is used on 273 keywords and 22 indicators obtained based on the experts' evaluation. The most important indicators are identified as supply chain agility, supply chain coordination, supply chain finance, supply chain flexibility, supply chain resilience, and sustainability. The regions show different tendencies compared with others. Asia and Oceania, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Africa are the regions needs improvement, while Europe and North America show distinct apprehensions on supply chain network design. The main contribution of this review is the identification of the knowledge frontier, which then leads to a discussion of prospects for future studies and practical industry implementation.