Chain Relationship Quality Research Articles

Does service modularity enhance new service development performance in supply chains: an empirical study

PurposeCustomer firms and suppliers are valuable knowledge resources that can be used for achieving superior new service development (NSD) performance. This study aims to investigate how supply chain relationship quality (SCRQ) and knowledge sharing promote the success of NSD, and examines service modularity as an important contingency factor that enhances NSD performance in supply chains.Design/methodology/approachBased on service-dominant logic, this study builds a conceptual model to empirically explore the impacts of SCRQ and knowledge sharing on NSD performance, and highlights the moderating effect of service modularity by means of survey methodology of 295 Chinese service firms to test the research hypotheses.FindingsRegression analysis results show that SCRQ has significant positive effects on knowledge sharing and NSD performance; knowledge sharing plays a partial intermediary role between SCRQ and NSD performance; and service modularity partially moderates the relationships between SCRQ, knowledge sharing and NSD performance.Research limitations/implicationsGeneralizations here are limited to Chinese service firms. Service modularity in manufacturing firms experimenting with servitization has yet to be examined and provides a good avenue for future research.Originality/valueThis study contributes to service management literature by providing empirical understanding of how service modularity affects NSD performance in multiprovider contexts. Furthermore, this study offers novel insights on the impacts of inter-firm relationship quality and knowledge sharing in modular collaborative innovation.

Supply Chain Relationship Quality and Corporate Technological Innovations: A Multimethod Study

In practice, technological innovation has increasingly become an important means for enterprises to cope with global competition and obtain sustainable development. An increasing number of companies are relying on supply chain resources in the technology development process. Based on the framework of knowledge resource orchestration and the survey data of Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers in China’s automotive industry, this study comprehensively analyzed the influencing factors of technological innovations in supply chain enterprises. The analysis of the research by the Bootstrapping method found that supply chain relationship quality (SCRQ) positively impacts corporate technological innovations, in which knowledge sharing and knowledge integration play a dual mediating role. The investigation of the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) revealed that individual elements do not constitute a necessary condition for high-tech innovations in supply chain firms. Mutual commitment among supply chain members plays a more pervasive role in generating high-tech innovations. The two results corroborate each other and further illustrate the vital role of the intersection of SCRQ and knowledge management for corporate technological innovations.

The impact of supply chain relationship quality on knowledge sharing and innovation performance: evidence from Chinese manufacturing industry

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact mechanism of supply chain relationship quality on knowledge sharing and firms’ innovation performance during supply chain collaborative innovation. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual model linking supply chain relationship quality, knowledge sharing and firms’ innovation performance is developed, and the hypotheses of the relationships among them are proposed. To test these hypotheses with structural equation modeling, this study conducts a survey of 287 Chinese manufacturing firms that carried out collaborative innovation with supply chain partners. Findings Supply chain relationship quality has a significant positive effect on tacit knowledge sharing but its positive effect on explicit knowledge sharing is not significant. Both explicit and tacit knowledge sharing across supply chain enterprises positively influence firms’ innovation performance. Supply chain relationship quality influences firms’ innovation performance directly as well as indirectly through the mediating roles of explicit and tacit knowledge sharing. Originality/value This study provides empirical evidence of supply chain relationship quality’s direct and indirect effects through explicit and tacit knowledge sharing on firms’ innovation performance. This study also provides supply chain practitioners with better understanding of the importance of developing relationship quality and knowledge sharing across supply chain as they are positively associated with firms’ innovation performance.

Improving Green Market Orientation, Green Supply Chain Relationship Quality, and Green Absorptive Capacity to Enhance Green Competitive Advantage in the Green Supply Chain

This study examines the influences of market orientation, supply chain relationship quality, and absorptive capacity on competitive advantage in green supply chains. We examine the intensity of these relationships in a green supply chain context. This study aims to figure out the effects of green market orientation (GMO), green supply chain relationship quality (GRQ), and green absorptive capacity (GAC) on green competitive advantage (GCA) in a supply chain. We find a significant positive association between these constructs. It highlights the importance of antecedents such as GMO, GRQ, and GAC on improving GCA. We jointly investigate the effects of GMO, GRQ, and GAC on green supply chain competitive advantage. This study uses Process Macro 2.15 to test the mediation effect between GMO and GCA. The result shows that GRQ and GAC completely mediate the relationship between GMO and GCA and that the effect sizes are 0.11 and 0.20, respectively. This study also reruns the model to clarify whether competing models are better than our model. However, the performance of such a competing model is poor. Finally, we accept our model instead of the competing model. GMO and GRQ among team managers and employees appear to contribute positively to GCA. Although GAC does not directly influence GCA, GMO has a significant total effect on GCA when intervened by GRQ and GAC. The key contribution is that green market orientation, i.e., the employee culture and the emphasis on being environmentally responsible, is a key antecedent to GRQ, GAC, and GCA. Managerial implications of the findings are listed.

EXAMINING THE MEASUREMENT CONSTRUCTS FOR RELATIONSHIPS QUALITY (RQ): AN EXPLORATORY STUDY IN THE CONTEXT OF NIGERIAN CONSTRUCTION PROCUREMENT

The concept of relationships quality (RQ) has gained tremendous popularity in construction procurement over the recent years. It is often regarded as a measure of working relationships among project parties. Despite this, there exists lack of unanimous decision on the measurement constructs for RQ for different places and projects around the world. And no prior study has ever been taken to bridge this knowledge gap in the context of construction procurement in Nigeria. This paper seeks to establish the specific measurement constructs and their factor structure for supply chain relationship quality (SCRQ) in the Nigerian construction environment. Questionnaire survey data were collected from 289 construction professionals involved in 50 selected multifarious infrastructure projects (MIPs) in Nigeria. Smart-Pls 3.28 and IBM SPSS were both used for data analysis. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and inspection of correlation matrix using Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy and Bartlett’s test were both performed on the data. It was revealed that trust, commitment, teamwork and performance satisfaction are the main constructs for measuring SCRQ in Nigeria. The study further summit that performance satisfaction has a strong and positive significance index in building RQ in Nigeria followed by party’s commitment and trust respectively. Teamwork is regarded as the weak valued construct. This study will benefit managers and practitioners in achieving effective relationship management in project delivery process thereby promoting performance efficiency of the outcome of MIPs in Nigeria.

Supply chain relationship quality, environmental uncertainty, supply chain performance and financial performance of high-tech agribusinesses in Vietnam

Supply chain relationship quality, environmental uncertainty, supply chain performance and financial performance of high-tech agribusinesses in Vietnam

Logical analysis of the impact of supply chain relationship quality on the growth performance of start-ups

Due to the dilemma of “new entry defects” in the newly established enterprises, they are limited in developing new resources and cannot meet the increasingly fierce competition needs. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a stable strategic partnership by seeking external organizations, so as to obtain the necessary resources for the growth and development of the enterprise itself. Based on Penrose’s theory of enterprise growth, this paper analyzes the relationship between the quality of supply chain relationship and the growth performance of start-ups from three aspects, in order to reveal the internal logic that the quality of supply chain relationship affects the growth performance of start-ups.

Cross-border e-commerce firms as supply chain integrators: The management of three flows

Cross-border e-commerce is becoming increasingly popular around the world. With the development of technology, competition has gradually shifted from commodity-based attributes, such as cost and quality, to a supply chain's service capacity for e-commerce. Within this context, the present paper delineates how cross-border e-commerce firms can generate supply chain service capabilities that yield improvements in supply chain relationship quality to e-tailors and other platform users. Insights are derived through data collected via a multiple case study approach based on four Chinese cross-border e-commerce enterprises (OSell, Zongteng, BizArk and Linca); data were collected from 41 semi-structured interviews, field visits and secondary data. Relying on the service-dominant logic as the theoretical foundation, we identify three supply chain resources (flows related to information, logistics and finance) and their interplay as being critical for the development of supply chain service capabilities, which in turn lead to an improvement in the quality of supply chain relationships (assessed by the dimensions of trust improvement/commitment, risk mitigation, and customer satisfaction). The results offer important insights into how to best manage supply chain resources in relation to the three flows by cross-border e-commerce firms in order to foster relationship quality, an attribute that has become so critical today for competitive differentiation.

The Impacts of Quality System Integration and Relationship Quality on Quality Performance in Supply Chains: An Empirical Investigation in China

ABSTRACT Product-safety incidents and recalls such as automobile recalls by Toyota and a recall of sausages by Shuanghui have raised many quality management challenges and attracted increasing attention from practitioners and academics researchers in recent years. Traditional quality management and quality function development can no longer effectively address these problems, with competition moving from the firm level to the supply chain level. In this study, a holistic supply chain quality management framework on the relationship between supply chain quality system integration, supply chain relationship quality, and quality performance is proposed to improve quality management and mitigate the risk of product recalls. Then a structural equation model is used to analyze these relationships. To test this model empirically, we use survey data from manufacturers in consumer electronics, food, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, and toys in China. Our results show that supply chain quality management can help companies achieve high quality. Further, quality system integration and relationship quality have significant impacts on the quality of design and of conformance and are positively related to supply chain quality performance.

Supply chain relationship quality and its impact on firm performance

This paper examines the impact of supply chain relationship quality (SCRQ) on firm performance (FP) through the mediators of supply chain management processes (SCMP) and supply chain performance (SCP). In the literature, these linkages have been examined separately; in contrast, this study takes a holistic perspective on the antecedents of FP. The model was tested using survey data from manufacturing companies. Variance-based structural equation modelling revealed that both SCMP and SCP lead to FP, unlike SCRQ. On the other hand, SCRQ affects SCMP. Drawing on the resource-based view, consistency in SCRQ can lead to not only efficient and effective supply chain management but also improvements in FP and SCP. This research has practical implications, providing supply chain decision makers with insights on enhancing FP. Supply chain decision makers will be able to benefit from the findings of our study by improving supply chain relationships with supply chain members and ensuring FP. This research also highlights how effective management of SCRQ, SCMP and SCP can provide better FP and a competitive advantage.

Indirect effect mechanism of supply chain relationship quality on supply chain performance

Indirect effect mechanism of supply chain relationship quality on supply chain performance

Indirect effect mechanism of supply chain relationship quality on supply chain performance

This paper built the conceptual model of supply chain relationship quality through information sharing or supply chain logistics capability effect on supply chain performance indirectly. By using structural equation 227 manufacturing enterprises' survey data has been analysed in Jiangsu Province and is concluded that in addition to the supply chain relationship quality through information sharing or supply chain logistics capability effect on supply chain performance actively, also, in turn, through information sharing, supply chain logistics capabilities effect on supply chain performance indirectly.

Assessment of traditional food supply chain performance using triadic approach: the role of relationships quality

PurposeThe objectives of this paper were twofold: to explore if there are differences in the perceptions about supply chain performance (SCP) and relationship quality (RQ) among traditional food supply chain members, and to examine the influence of individual relationship variables and aggregated relationship quality on SCP in the traditional food sector.Design/methodology/approachThe survey was conducted in a triadic context with 189 supply chain members (62 suppliers, 65 focal companies and 62 customers) of 65 traditional food supply chains (cheese, olive oil, meat products, brandies and liqueurs, wine and honey) in Croatia. The influence of individual relationship variables and aggregated RQ on perceived SCP was tested using regression analysis.FindingsIt was found that there were no significant differences in the perception of overall SCP and RQ among supply chain members. It was identified that aggregated RQ and all individual relationship variables (trust, commitment, economic satisfaction, non-coercive and coercive power, reputation and conflict) have a significant influence on perceived SCP of the traditional food supply chains.Practical implicationThis study provides a systematic approach to investigate the SCP and supply chain RQ in the traditional food sector. The findings suggest that managers should not neglect any aspect of supply chain relationship to keep high SCP and to be competitive on the market.Originality/valueThis multiple supply chain study makes an original empirical contribution to the supply chain and network management literature by using a triadic approach to investigate RQ and SCP. The influence of individual RQ constructs and aggregated RQ on traditional food SCP examined in this study has not been explored thus far. This study also makes an original empirical contribution by investigating RQ and SCP in the traditional food sector, which has received little attention recently.

The impact of supply chain relationship quality on performance in the maritime logistics industry in light of firm characteristics

PurposeAnchoring on configuration theory, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate how supply chain relationship quality (SCRQ) differs across firm characteristics (FC) in the maritime logistics industry. In addition, it utilises transactional cost theory to establish the relationship between SCRQ and supply chain performance (SCP).Design/methodology/approachThe data were obtained from a survey with 205 maritime logistics service players (shipping firms, shippers and freight forwarders) in Singapore. MANOVA and t-test analyses are used to examine the difference in SCRQ (i.e. trust and commitment) across FC which includes firm types and ownership types. Thereafter, structural equation modelling is employed to examine the influence of SCRQ on SCP.FindingsThe results indicate that the effects of trust and commitment on SCRQ vary significantly. It was also found that trust as an aspect of SCRQ has a significant impact on SCP, whereas commitment does not.Research limitations/implicationsAs the field data were obtained from only one industry, future replication of the findings to other industries should consider industry-specific factors, if applicable.Practical implicationsIt is suggested that maritime logistics service players should carefully manage trust and commitment to simultaneously enable SCP. By identifying the various aspects of FC that contribute to SCRQ, maritime logistics service providers could devise appropriate strategies for different customer segments more effectively.Originality/valueThis study expands current supply chain research by linking two dimensions of SCRQ in relationship marketing with SCP in supply chain management. It is also one of the first empirical attempts to explore the role of FC in the linkage between SCRQ and SCP in the maritime logistics industry.

A study on the effects of supply chain relationship quality on firm performance-under the aspect of shared vision

Shared vision among organizations could reinforce the constructive cooperation of the entire supply chain. From social capital theory and the viewpoints of network embeddedness, this study intends to explore the effect of supply chain relationship quality of enterprises in a supply chain on the firm performance with distinct supply chain embeddedness under the aspect of shared vision. With questionnaire survey, 160 precise mold enterprises in Taiwan are collected, and Hierarchical Linear Regression Analysis is used for test the effects of shared vision and social capital on the promotion of firm performance of enterprises with supply chain relationship quality and supply chain embeddedness. The empirical results reveal the positive and significant effect of supply chain structure embeddedness on firm performance, showing the high structure embeddedness of the supply chain of precise mold enterprises. Meanwhile, it also finds out the positive and remarkable moderation effects of shared vision and social capital, presenting that enterprises in a supply chain could reinforce the effect of embeddedness on firm performance through shared vision and social capital.

Performance perceptions among food supply chain members

Purpose– A good supply chain relationship quality (RQ) is a crucial precursor for any stable exchange relationship which ensures relationship continuity. Although empirical research suggests that strengthening RQ improves supply chain performance (SCP), most studies have focused on dyadic business relationships. To fully understand the relational behaviour of a firm embedded in a supply chain, we need to look beyond the dyad into triads. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how SCP is influenced by RQ in a triadic agribusiness supply chain.Design/methodology/approach– Evidence is drawn from a quantitative survey of 150 agribusiness firms in the maize supply chain in Uganda. Data were collected in triadic context from 50 direct supply chains each composing of a supplier, focal firm and customer. Multi-group structural equations modelling (SEM) was used to assess the differences in perception on the influence of RQ on SCP amongst the supply chain members.Findings– Results provides empirical support for the positive influence of RQ on SCP. SEM reveals differences in perception between the upstream and downstream and amongst the supply chains members. While focal firms considered conflict, coercive power, commitment and trust to be important; suppliers considered trust, dependency and non-coercive power; and customers considered trust, dependency and coercive power to be important RQ factors affecting SCP.Practical implications– For agribusiness managers to enhance business performance there is need to cultivate strong and mutual relationship with supply chain members. It is also important to know how to handle conflicts and use of power so as to realise the benefits of supply chain relationships.Originality/value– The paper is novel in that it assesses SCP in a triadic context in an agribusiness sector from a developing country context. The authors used novel approaches including analysis of a triad, and multiple groups SEM to assess perceptions of each supply chain member’s.

Supply chain relationship quality and performance in technological turbulence: an artificial neural network approach

A well-functioning supply chain management relationship cannot only develop seamless coordination with valuable members, but also improve operational efficiency to secure greater market share, increased profits and reduced costs. An accurate decision-making system considering multifactor relationship quality is highly desired. This study offers an alternative perspective and characterisation of the supply chain relationship quality and performance. A decision-making model is proposed with an artificial neural network approach for supply chain continuous performance improvement. Supply chain performance is analysed via a supervised learning back-propagation neural network. An ‘inverse’ neural network model is proposed to predict the supply chain relationship quality conditions. Optimal performance parameters can be obtained using the proposed neural network scheme, providing significant advantages in terms of improved relationship quality. This study demonstrates a new solution with the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods for performance improvement. The overall accuracy rate of the decision-making model is 88.703%. The results indicated that trust has the greatest influence on the supply chain performance. Relationship quality among supply chain partners impacts performance positively as the pace of technological turbulence increases.

The impact of supply chain relationship quality on brand promise

Article history: Received July 18, 2014 Accepted December 18 2014 Available online December 23 2014 This paper investigates the role of quality of supply chain components on brand promise. The dimensions of supply chain relationships include: communication, cooperation, commitment, independence, adaptability and reliability. The study uses the questionnaire developed by Fynes et al. (2005) [Fynes, B., Voss, C., & de Burca, S. (2005). The impact of supply chain relationship quality on quality performance. International Journal of Production Economics, 96(3), 339-354.]. The population of the study includes all auto part makers and the study chooses a sample of 384 people for the study. Using structural equation modeling, the study has confirmed that all six components influence positively on brand promise. Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved. 5 © 201

Evaluating supply chain relationship quality, organisational resources, technological innovation and enterprise performance in the palm oil processing sector in Asia

Purpose– This paper aims to evaluate the relationship between organisational resources, technological innovation, relationship quality and enterprise performance, as well as the mediating effect of firm–supplier RQ.Design/methodology/approach– A survey was conducted of the palm oil processing sector in Malaysia, consisting milling, refining and oleo-chemical companies. Data were gathered and used to statistically test hypotheses that underpinned a proposed conceptual model.Findings– Organisational resources have a direct impact on RQ, which, in turn, has a direct effect on performance indicators such as financial performance, market effectiveness and strategic objectives. RQ is a mediator in some of the resource-performance relationships, which underpins the genesis of the research undertaken. The mediating role played by RQ in promoting business performance in the palm oil processing sectors, is achieved through translating the effects of organisational resources into improved business performance.Research limitations/implications– The main limitation of this study lies in its cross-sectional nature. A single respondent was drawn from each company, and information from each respondent was obtained only once and at a single point in time.Practical implications– The results offer some suggestions to top management, e.g. on the type of resources to invest in and exploring vital relational issues that enhance performance outcomes and the impact of different sets of resources on relational dynamics.Originality/value– Very little is known about the application of resource-based view in the Asian context, or how RQ affects business performance from the East Asian perspective. By confirming the strong impact of RQ on business performance in the Asian context, the study adds value by providing evidence from the East. The study also makes a contextual contribution, by demonstrating the applicability of the observed relationships among palm oil processing companies from a non-Western, collectivist society.

Innovation capacity of food chains: a novel approach

Our study aims at being the starting point for a novel approach of investigating the innovation capacity of and the relationships in the whole chain. We combine the analyses of the innovation process and the innovation system, thereby, following the theory of the new economy. Extensive data collection was conducted in the traditional food sector with SME-food manufacturers (FMs) and their suppliers and customers, in order to compare a large number of individual chains by applying multivariate statistical methods. Our study reveals that the comparison of individual chains delivers valuable results. It is shown that chains with three different types of innovation capacity exist in the traditional food sector: low, medium and high. These chains differ according their chain relationship quality in terms of trust, reputation and conflict. For future research, we suggest to gradually increase the degree of complexity of the studied system.