Digital Supply Chain Research Articles

Supply chain digitalization and corporate ESG performance

AbstractIn the wave of the digital economy, supply chain digitalization is a visual manifestation of businesses integrating digital technology into their production and operations. It helps companies enhance operational efficiency and competitiveness, gradually becoming a key driver for corporate sustainable development. This study selects Chinese A‐share listed companies from 2012 to 2021 as research samples and empirically tests the impact of supply chain digitalization on corporate environment (E), social responsibility (S), and corporate governance (G) (ESG) performance. We find that supply chain digitalization significantly promotes corporate ESG performance, which is achieved by reducing information asymmetry and easing financing constraints. The positive effect of supply chain digitalization on corporate ESG performance varies significantly among different enterprises, with more prominent effects in mature enterprises, those at both ends of the industrial chain, and those located in regions with lower degree of marketization. Further analysis reveals that supply chain digitalization brings about an innovation effect for enterprises. These findings enrich the research on supply chain digitalization and corporate ESG performance, providing valuable insights for promoting supply‐side structural reforms and corporate sustainable development.

A novel BWM-entropy-COPRAS group decision framework with spherical fuzzy information for digital supply chain partner selection

The transformation and upgrading of traditional supply chain models through digital technology receive widespread attention from the fields of circular economy, manufacturing, and sustainable development. Enterprises need to choose a digital supply chain partner (DSCP) during the process of digital transformation in uncertain and sustainable environments. Thus, the research constructs an innovative decision methodology for selecting the optimal DSCP to achieve digital transformation. The proposed methodology is propounded based upon the entropy measure, generalized Dombi operators, integrated weight-determination model, and complex proportional assessment (COPRAS) method under spherical fuzzy circumstances. Specifically, a novel entropy measure is proposed for measuring the fuzziness of spherical fuzzy (SF) sets, while generalized Dombi operators are presented for fusing SF information. The related worthwhile properties of these operators are discussed. Further, an integrated criteria weight-determination model is presented by incorporating objective weights obtained from the SF entropy-based method and subjective weights from the SF best worst method. Afterward, an improvement of the COPRAS method is proposed based on the presented generalized Dombi operators with SF information. Lastly, the practicability and validity of the proposed methodology are verified by an empirical study that selects an appropriate DSCP for a new energy vehicle enterprise to finish the goal of digital transformation. The sensitivity and comparative analysis are carried out to illustrate the stability, reliability, and superiority of the propounded methodology from multiple perspectives. The results and conclusions indicate that the propounded method affords a synthetic and systematic uncertain decision-making framework for identifying the optimal DSCP with incomplete weight information.

Barriers to Digital Supply Chain Management: A Qualitative Research

Digital supply chain management generate competitive advantage by enabling companies to become more efficient and transparent in compliance with technological developments at every stage of the supply chain by meeting customer needs better. However, enterprises may encounter various barriers in the digitalization of the supply chain. The aim of the study is to identify the barriers encountered in the digital transformation of the supply chain and to discuss solutions or solving these barriers. Themes were obtained by content analysis from the data collected by in-depth interview method from industry professionals.

Design Science for Networks Designing: A Service-Dominant Logic Approach

This research explores the dynamics of coopetition among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) during digital transformation, using Design Science Research (DSR) anchored in Service-Dominant (S-D) Logic. It examines the integration challenges of manufacturing SMEs into digital supply chains, highlighting the critical role of coopetition—a blend of competition and collaboration—in driving sustainable growth in this essential sector. Prompted by a consensus on reducing SME vulnerabilities, the study underscores the need for a resilient framework, especially given an 85% attrition rate in digital networks where only a minority, often supported by giants like Amazon and Microsoft, succeeds long-term. The proposed framework focuses on leveraging technology to enhance SMEs' competitiveness, innovation, and growth. This study contributes to academic discourse by suggesting future research directions, such as defining value creation in coopetition networks and assessing the impact of innovative artefacts, but also reveals the potential of coopetition networks as platforms for mutual value creation. This research enriches scholarly discussions on coopetition in the digital age and offers strategic guidance for SMEs navigating digital transformation, aiming to prepare European SMEs for upcoming challenges and opportunities.

Cybersecurity in digital supply chains in the procurement process: introducing the digital supply chain management framework

Cybersecurity in digital supply chains in the procurement process: introducing the digital supply chain management framework

A systematic analysis of digital supply chain, big data and manufacturing lean time in industrial companies

PurposeThis paper aims to systematically review the literature on digital supply chain (DSC), big data (BD) and manufacturing lead time (MLT) in industrial companies.Design/methodology/approachThis study provides a systematic review of the 99 research on this subject that was published between 2015 and 2022. Studies were found in the Scopus database. This review also identifies gaps in the literature, highlights conflicting results, examines prospective data sources for empirical researchers and offers suggestions for choosing promising research subjects in the future.FindingsThis study performed a thorough literature review to a developing field of inquiry in order to identify the impact of the digital supply chain, BD and manufacturing lean time, an area that has received little attention in the literature. Future pathways and ramifications are also offered based on the literature content search. The results showed that BD improves DSC performance through resilience and innovation of the DSC. MLT and DSC integration were found to be positively correlated, according to the results.Originality/valueAlthough the production lead time is preferable to boost customer value and supply reliability, the long lead time hurts the DSC’s ability to compete. DSC integration also improves coordination and streamlines processes. The researchers suggest fostering organizational flexibility, information exchange to accomplish DSC integration and adaptable behaviors including responsiveness and alertness.

Role of Digital Supply Chain in Industry 4.0: A Bibliometric Analysis

Role of Digital Supply Chain in Industry 4.0: A Bibliometric Analysis

How can digital technology deployment empower supply chain financing? A resource orchestration perspective

PurposeDigital technologies (DTs) are one of the most important and beneficial ways to enhance the effectiveness of supply chain finance activities. Based on resource orchestration theory, the purpose of this study is to apply the “resources-capability-performance” framework to investigate how DT deployment (in terms of both breadth and depth) impacts supply chain financing performance (SCFP).Design/methodology/approachHierarchical regression analysis was applied in the theoretical modeling examination. Through the sample of 380 survey questionnaires from the Chinese manufacturing industry, this study empirically validated the proposed model.FindingsResults of this study present that both the breadth and depth of DT deployment positively impact SCFP, whereas supply chain transparency (SCT) acts as a mediator between them. Moreover, financing alignment positively moderates the relationship between the breadth of DT deployment and SCT.Originality/valueFrom an integrated perspective, this study highlights the dual deployment ways of DTs to improve SCFP. Moreover, this research further enriches and extends the application of resource orchestration theory by providing theoretical mechanisms for the mediating role of SCT and elucidating the moderating role of financing alignment.

A multi-method examination of barriers to traceability in Industry 5.0-enabled digital food supply chains

PurposeRecent worldwide developments have altered how businesses operate. As a result, when making business decisions, the emphasis for many industries has shifted towards digital adoption to ensure sustainability, and the food supply chain is no exception. However, a substantial gap exists in assessing the barriers to a digitised food supply chain enabled by Industry 5.0 technologies. This study strives to bridge the gap by identifying and assessing the barriers to improved traceability.Design/methodology/approachFor this study, a mixed method approach was used encompassing both qualitative and quantitative techniques, including an online survey, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and the fuzzy evidential reasoning approach (FERA). The literature survey and expert opinion first yielded a list of 18 barriers, which were subsequently examined using EFA. As a result, four barriers were removed. The remaining 14 barriers were then assessed using FERA from the perspectives of the Technology, Organisation and Environment (TOE) framework. Further, a sensitivity analysis was performed to test the model’s reliability.FindingsThe present study resulted in the prioritisation of barriers from the TOE perspective. According to the findings, the top three barriers that impede the traceability of Industry 5.0-enabled digital food supply chains are Limited Digital and Physical Infrastructure, Inadequate Capital Investment, and the Intricate Supply Chain Framework.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings from this research will prove valuable for decision-makers, practitioners and policymakers in developing methods for improving traceability within the digital food supply chain. Concerned stakeholders may use the findings to identify and take immediate action for better decision-making.Originality/valueThis study’s originality lies in its position as one of the first to identify and examine the challenges to better traceability in an Industry 5.0-enabled digital food supply chain. It also adds value by broadening the TOE framework’s scope in the Industry 5.0-enabled digital food supply chain context.

The role of internet of things adoption on the sustainability performance of the renewable energy supply chain: A conceptual framework

To effectively integrate clean energy resources into the supply chain (SC) and optimize energy consumption, the digitalization of renewable energy supply chain (RESC) plays a vital role in the future. Nonetheless, society must accept these emerging RE technologies to transition successfully into mainstream energy resources. The Internet of Things (IoT) technology can resolve the challenges facing RESC (solar energy) to achieve sustainable development strategies. This study examines how IoT adoption affects the sustainability of the RESC. The sample size consisted of 175 active companies in the RESC in Iran, and a standard questionnaire is distributed among them using a simple random method. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate the hypothesis. We evaluated the questionnaire's discriminative validity, computed composite reliability, and computed Cronbach's alpha to determine its validity and reliability. The results revealed that our research validates six hypotheses about the relevance between lean and eco-friendly actions, SC integration, performance perceived benefit, expenses, peers and government support, and IoT adoption. The findings also suggest adopting IoT technology as a broad-based strategy to attain sustainability in the energy context. As a result of its transparency, immutability, and security features, IoT presents a viable option for RESC sustainability.

Digital Technology Increases the Sustainability of Cross-Border Agro-Food Supply Chains: A Review

The increasing prominence of climate change, geopolitical crises, and global economic slowdown highlights the challenges and structural deficiencies of traditional cross-border agro-food supply chains. As a result, there has been a growing consensus on the need to leverage digital technology to rebuild and innovate a safe, stable, and sustainable global food system. This study assessed the knowledge progress and development trends in the sustainable development of cross-border agro-food supply chains enabled by digital technology. A total of 352 authoritative papers from the core Web of Science database were selected for analysis. The Citespace tool was utilized to visually examine research elements. The findings reveal that research outcomes in this territory experienced a significant period of rapid growth, particularly after 2020. Sustainability and IEEE Access are the journals with the highest and second-highest number of publications. China and the France National Institute are the countries and research institutions with the largest number of publications in this field. The research hotspots are mainly the application of digital technologies, food safety, and supply chain system model innovation. In the past ten years, the research in this territory has gone through three stages: precise timeliness orientation, intelligent strategic decision-making orientation, and model predictability orientation. We further construct the ‘antecedent–practice–performance’ conceptual framework of the sustainability of the digital technology-enabled cross-border agro-food supply chain. Finally, this paper presents the potential research directions in this territory, focusing on four aspects: research method, research mechanism, research topic, and research frontier.

NeuChain+: A Sharding Permissioned Blockchain System with Ordering-Free Consensus

Permissioned blockchains are widely used in scenarios such as digital assets, supply chains, government services, and Web 3.0, but their development is hindered by low throughput and scalability. Blockchain sharding addresses these issues by dividing the ledger into disjoint shards that can be processed concurrently. However, since cross-shard transactions require the collaboration of multiple shards, blockchain sharding needs a commit protocol to ensure the atomicity of executing these transactions, significantly impacting system performance. To this end, by exploiting the characteristics of deterministic ordering, we propose a cross-shard transaction processing protocol called cross-reserve, which eliminates this costly cross-shard coordination while providing the same consistency and atomicity guarantee. Based on the ordering-free execute–validate (EV) architecture, we implemented a blockchain prototype called NeuChain+, which further reduces the cross-shard transaction processing overhead using the pipelined read sets transmission. Experimental results show that NeuChain+ is scalable and outperforms state-of-the-art blockchain systems with 1.7–75.3× throughput under the SmallBank workload.

Call for Papers: Special Issue on Supply Chain Digitalization in the Age of (R)Evolution

Call for Papers: Special Issue on Supply Chain Digitalization in the Age of (R)Evolution

Digital capability and green innovation: The perspective of green supply chain collaboration and top management's environmental awareness

The emergence of the digital economy has accelerated digital transformation, and digitalization has shown new potential and solutions to increasingly severe environmental challenges. Based on the resource-based view, dynamic capability view, synergy effect and upper echelons theory, the connotation and measurement dimensions of digital capability and green supply chain collaboration are defined and improved. Then, a theoretical model of “digital capability-green supply chain collaboration-green innovation performance” is constructed. The influence mechanism and transmission process of digital capability on green innovation performance from the perspective of green supply chain collaboration is discussed. Meanwhile, the boundary condition of the influence of digital capability on green innovation performance in the view of top management's environmental awareness is explored. Finally, an empirical test is conducted based on the Chinese manufacturing corporates. The results indicate that green innovation performance is significantly and favorably impacted by digital capability, green supply chain collaboration plays a partial mediating role between digital capability and green innovation performance, and top management's environmental awareness can positively moderate the effect of digital capability on green innovation performance. This study offers valuable theoretical and practical enlightenments for manufacturing companies to foster the growth of green innovation through digital capability more effectively.

The Role of Digital Supply Chain in Enhancing Industry 4.0 Capabilities Influence for Better Strategies of Transportation Logistics: An Applied Study on the Shipping and Transportation Services Sector in Egypt

The Role of Digital Supply Chain in Enhancing Industry 4.0 Capabilities Influence for Better Strategies of Transportation Logistics: An Applied Study on the Shipping and Transportation Services Sector in Egypt

How does digital collaboration impact supply chain resilience

In the context of dynamic business landscapes, this study explores the interplay between digital collaboration, government subsidies, and supply chain resilience. The results unveil a nuanced relationship: while digital collaboration exhibits a negative association with resilience, factors like higher leverage, state ownership, and larger company size positively influence resilience. Crucially, government subsidies act as a key moderator, potentially tempering the positive impact of digital collaboration on resilience. This research underscores the significance of considering financial metrics, ownership structure, and external support to fortify supply chain resilience in rapidly evolving business environments.

Nourish resilience in digital food supply chain in post COVID landscape: literature swill for past insights and future roadmap

PurposeThe paper aims to enhance the understanding of robust food supply chains (FSC) by exploring the capabilities of various digital technologies and examining their interactions.FindingsThis study finding shows that digital technology enhances the resilience of the FSC by improving visibility, traceability and adaptability. This resilience provides a competitive advantage, ultimately enhancing the overall business performance.Research limitations/implicationsIn developing countries, inadequate infrastructure, poor Internet connectivity and diverse stakeholder systems pose challenges to implementing advanced digital solutions in the FSC.Originality/valueThis paper is among the first to investigate the impact of digital technology on FSC resilience, exploring visibility, flexibility and collaboration.

Tourism digital transformation and future supply chain competition: an integrated perspective on real options theory and digital competencies

PurposeThis study analyzes how digital technologies collaboration, and technological capabilities affect tourism products' advantage and supply chain resilience via virtual integration and customer service capabilities.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the goals of this study, a digital transformation model was formulated based on the real option theory (ROT) and digital competencies perspective. Data were collected from travel agencies in Taiwan. This study uses the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique to analyze the research model, and 384 samples were collected from travel agencies for analysis.FindingsThe research results point out that digital technology collaboration and technical capabilities affect virtual integration and customer service capabilities; customer service capabilities should also be regarded as key influencing variables to improve tourism product advantages and supply chain flexibility.Originality/valueThis study shares a unique perspective on the digital transformation model, which includes antecedents, mediators and moderators, to construct the critical effects for analyzing the tourism products' advantage and supply chain resilience.

Promoting or inhibiting? Digital supply chain impacts on firm performance in Industry 4.0: implication to circular supply chain strategy

ABSTRACT Digital supply chain (DSC) is regarded as a sustainable supply chain that manages resources and reduces waste, attracting widespread attention in circular supply chains (CSC). However, it's not clear whether DSC predominantly facilitates or inhibits firm performance in Industry 4.0 amidst disruption and ambidexterity. This study is based on data from A-share listed companies in the past 10 years, exploring the impact mechanism of DSC development in Industry 4.0 on the growth of firm performance from the CSC strategy to examine firm governance boundary conditions. The study concludes that this influence mechanism is dependent on government support. Data-driven CSC strategies in Industry 4.0 help identify inefficiency challenges and risks, providing empirical evidence for the DSC sustainable development in Industry 4.0 amidst disruption and ambidexterity. The results indicate that DSC in Industry 4.0 has a significant promoting effect on firm performance, and DSC towards Industry 4.0 drives firms’ performance.

The digital economy and supply chain finance: toward performance booster

ABSTRACT In global intense rivalry and increasing pressure to digital technology innovation, firms are resorting to the rise of digital economy to achieve supply chain finance to acquire capital support. This study investigated the role of digital economy on supply chain financing performance (SCFP) and designed the customised recipes for high and low level SCFP. Collecting a sample of 3384 firms from 2017 to 2022, this study used the regressive analysis and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to test hypotheses. We find that the micro-level empirical evidence on digital economy in SCFP does exist – namely, the rise of digital economy not only has a beneficial effect on SCFP, but also serves as a pivotal ingredient in recipes for attaining SCFP. For instance, a remarkable display of high-level SCFP unequivocally signifies a substantial appetite for the digital economy, whereas low-level SCFP remains comparatively subdued. Additionally, digital economy cannot eliminate the gap in SCF availability owing to heterogeneity in economic levels and property rights. The results give valuable insights to supply chain management in SCF-related decision-making and provide application recommendations for managers by constructing a strategic initiative that effectively responds to the multifaceted opportunities and challenges presented by digital technology.