Sustainable Supply Chain Management, Digital-Based Supply Chain Integration, and Firm Performance: A Cross-Country Empirical Comparison between South Korea and Vietnam

Su-Yol Lee

doi:10.3390/su13137315

Abstract

Sustainability and digitization issues have coevolved in supply chain management (SCM), receiving attention from the academic and business circles. However, few studies have addressed this topic in an integrated way. In this regard, this study examined the relationships between sustainable SCM, digital-based supply chain integration, and supplying firms’ performance in two different country settings: South Korea and Vietnam. This comparative study provides evidence that sustainable SCM facilitates the adoption and implementation of supply chain integration using digital technologies, leading to suppliers’ operational competitiveness. This study also indicates the differences and similarities of sustainable SCM and its effects in the two different economies. These findings provide scholars, managers, and policymakers with theoretical and practical implications to encourage firms in Asian countries to enhance corporate competitiveness by adequately responding to environmental and social issues and digitalization along the global value chain.

Highlights

Sustainability and digitization issues have coevolved in supply chain management (SCM), receiving attention from the academic and business circles
This study contributes to the existing literature on supply chain management by exploring the intersection of sustainability and digitization
4.0 technologies, such as blockchain and big data, as antecedents of sustainable SCM [53]. This study widens this argument by providing evidence of reverse causality, indicating the positive effect of sustainable SCM on digital-based supply chain integration

Summary

Introduction

Sustainability and digitization issues have coevolved in supply chain management (SCM), receiving attention from the academic and business circles. This study indicates the differences and similarities of sustainable SCM and its effects in the two different economies These findings provide scholars, managers, and policymakers with theoretical and practical implications to encourage firms in Asian countries to enhance corporate competitiveness by adequately responding to environmental and social issues and digitalization along the global value chain. Supplier and customer integration in the supply chain has received increasing attention as it is believed to enhance supply chain agility to adapt and respond to marketplace changes in a swift manner [1] In this changing competitive context, this study aims to explore the links between sustainability, supply chain integration, digitization, and operational performance.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion