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While the usage of digital technology can bring many operational improvements for firms, it is unclear whether it can effectively improve firm resilience to deal with supply chain disruptions caused by emergencies such as COVID-19. From a dynamic capability perspective, this study aims to investigate how digital technology usage can improve firm resilience in a rapidly changing and turbulent environment.

Based on the survey sample of 237 Chinese firms, the stepwise regression approach was used to examine the proposed research hypotheses.

The empirical evidence shows that digital technology usage has a U-shaped effect on firm resilience, and that effect is fully achieved by first affecting market acuity and then promoting resource reconfiguration. Moreover, the authors further found that the U-shaped association between digital technology usage and firm resilience is derived from the U-shaped association between digital technology usage and market acuity.

This study enriches the resilience literature by revealing the mechanism of digital technology usage’s effects rather than focusing on the role of specific digital technologies. This study also provides guidance for firms to develop effective digital technology usage strategies.

Leveraging the benefits of supply chain digitalization is a big challenge for many firms. To address this issue, this study aims to use information processing theory to explore the mechanisms between supply chain digitalization and supply chain performance.

Based on survey data from 223 Chinese companies, the authors tested the moderated mediation model using the Process program in SPSS.

The empirical results reveal that supply chain traceability and supply chain agility partially mediate the supply chain digitalization–supply chain performance relationship. More interestingly, the above significant mediation effects show differences across industries. In particular, manufacturing firms rely more on supply chain traceability, whereas supply chain agility contributes more to service firms. Lastly, supply chain dynamism is a significant moderator that enhances the mediation effect of supply chain traceability in the supply chain digitalization–supply chain performance relationship.

This study offers new insights into the growing literature on supply chain digitalization by proposing a new moderated mediation model that demonstrates the relative importance of different mediators. The findings also help managers boost their supply chain performance in the digital era.

Although the circular economy is widely regarded as an essential strategy for firms, the present understanding of the drivers and outcomes of circular economy implementation is underdeveloped. In this paper, the authors draw on the natural resource-based view and information processing theory to explore how an environmental orientation and digital supply chain platforms promote circular economy implementation, and increase the impact of circular economy implementation on financial performance.

The authors surveyed 249 Chinese firms and used hierarchical regression analysis to test hypotheses.

The empirical results reveal that three primary modes of circular economy implementation—reinvent and rethink (INV), restore, reduce and avoid (RRA), and recirculate (REC)—are all driven by environmental orientation and digital supply chain platforms. More interestingly, digital supply chain platforms have an inverted U-shaped moderating effect on the relationships between environmental orientation and INV and between environmental orientation and RRA. Most importantly, INV and RRA are positively related to financial performance, whereas REC does not have a significant relationship with financial performance.

The authors contribute to the literature on the circular economy by revealing new drivers and outcomes of different modes of its implementation. Additionally, the findings have implications for how firms should frame their circular economy initiatives in the context of the digital revolution.

Although big data may enhance the visibility, transparency, and responsiveness of supply chains, whether it is effective for improving supply chain performance in a turbulent environment, especially in mitigating the impact of COVID-19, is unclear. The research question the authors addressed is: How do logistics firms improve the supply chain performance in COVID-19 through big data and supply chain integration (SCI)?

The authors used a mixed-method approach with four rounds of data collection. A three-round survey of 323 logistics firms in 26 countries in Europe, America, and Asia was first conducted. The authors then conducted in-depth interviews with 55 logistics firms.

In the first quantitative study, the authors find mediational mechanisms through which big data analytics technology capability (BDATC) and SCI influence supply chain performance. In particular, BDATC and SCI are two second-order capabilities that help firms develop three first-order capabilities (i.e. proactive capabilities, reactive capabilities, and resource reconfiguration) and eventually lead to innovation capability and disaster immunity that allow firms to survive in COVID-19 and improve supply chain performance. The results of the follow-up qualitative analysis not only confirm the inferences from the quantitative analysis but also provide complementary insights into organizational culture and the institutional environment.

The authors contribute to supply chain risk management by developing a three-level hierarchy of capabilities framework and finding a mechanism with the links between big data and big disaster. The authors also provide managerial implications for logistics firms to address the new management challenges posed by COVID-19.

Although supply chain collaboration (SCC) theoretically boosts the adoption of supply chain finance (SCF) through information sharing and cost savings, many companies with good supply chain partnerships still hesitate to engage in SCF. To disentangle this puzzle, this study aims to explore how two dimensions of information transparency (i.e. information quantity and information quality) and two types of transaction dependence (i.e. dependence on suppliers and dependence on customers) influence the relationship between SCC and SCF adoption.

This study uses secondary survey data from a Chinese bank, including 464 Chinese companies that have adopted SCF to varying degrees. This study then performs the logistic regression analysis to test the hypotheses.

This study empirically confirms that SCC shows a positive relationship with SCF adoption. More interestingly, information quantity negatively moderates this positive relationship, whereas information quality positively moderates this positive relationship. Most surprisingly, dependence on customers rather than dependence on suppliers strengthens this positive relationship.

This study makes theoretical contributions to the SCF literature by demonstrating the distinct moderating mechanisms regarding the relationship between SCC and SCF adoption. The findings also help companies reexamine their interactions with supply chain members.

Although supply chain finance (SCF) aims to optimize capital flows in the supply chain process, its effectiveness in improving cost performance remains controversial. From the perspective of efficiency motives, this study aims to explore how the combinations of SCF solutions and traditional financing instruments lead to supply chain cost reduction.

A mixed-method approach is used in this study. First, using the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), the authors analyze 405 survey data across four industries in China and identify the configurations of financing instruments for supply chain cost reduction. Second, to better understand the reasons behind each configuration, the authors conduct the content analysis on the interview data composed of 24 Chinese companies.

The authors find that the effectiveness of SCF solutions for supply chain cost reduction is related to the focal company's use of traditional financing instruments. Moreover, compared with guaranteed financing, companies that use credit financing are more likely to adopt SCF solutions to achieve supply chain cost reduction. Finally, the effectiveness of SCF solutions in reducing supply chain costs varies greatly across industries.

The study’s findings provide insights for policymakers and SCF practitioners in the aspects of simplifying the SCF application.

This study contributes to the current literature by addressing the theory–practice gap related to SCF. The study also provides new understandings of factors related to supply chain cost reduction, as well as factors that influence SCF adoption.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an organizing lens for viewing the distinct contributions to knowledge production from those research communities addressing the impact of competitive strategy on company performance in general, and the influence of cost leadership and differentiation strategy on organizational performance in detail.

The research methodology was based on the PRISMA review, and thematic analysis based on an iterative process of open coding was analyzed and then the sample was analyzed by illustrating the research title, objectives, method, data analysis, sample size, variables and country.

The main factor that influenced the competitive strategy is strategic growth; strategic growth has a significant influence on competitive strategy. Furthermore, competitive strategy will boost firm network, performance measurement and organization behavior. In the same way, the internal goal factor will enhance organizational effectiveness. Also, a differentiation strategy will support management practice factors, strategic positions, product price, product characteristics and company performance.

This study contributes to the literature by identifying a framework of competitive strategy factors, company performance factors, cost leadership strategy factors, differentiation strategy factors and competitive strategy with global market factors. This study provides a complete picture and description of the resulting body knowledge in competitive strategy and organizational performance.