The impact of information technology capabilities on agri-food supply chain performance: the mediating effects of interorganizational relationships
Journal of Enterprise Information Management
ISSN: 1741-0398
Article publication date: 27 October 2020
Issue publication date: 11 November 2021
Abstract
Purpose
Motivated by the apparent presence of the “productivity paradox” of information technology (IT) in agri-food supply chain (SC), the purpose of this paper is to explore how IT capabilities affect agri-food supply chain performance (SCP). Specifically, this paper investigates the direct and indirect impacts of IT capabilities on agri-food SCP through interorganizational relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper employs the questionnaire survey method based on relevant literatures. Data are collected from Chinese 265 core firms' agri-food SC. Structural equation modelling (SEM) is mainly employed for hypothesis testing and analysis.
Findings
The main findings are as follows. First, IT capabilities have significant direct impact on agri-food SCP. Second, IT capabilities enhance interorganizational relationships in the agri-food SC. Third, interorganizational relationships positively influence agri-food SCP. Last, interorganizational relationships are important path factors and mediate the indirect impact of IT capabilities on agri-food SCP.
Research limitations/implications
This research is limited to a particular sample, that is, agriculture-related firms in Chinese agri-food SC. The results need to be generalized to encompass wider samples. Future research could in greater detail study the links among IT capabilities, interorganizational relationships and agri-food SCP.
Practical implications
The study's findings could provide practical reference value for agriculture-related firms to design appropriate strategies to solve the IT “productivity paradox” and improve agri-food SCP from the perspectives of IT capabilities and interorganizational relationships.
Originality/value
This paper constructs a newly developed framework based on the resource-based view (RBV) and relational view to examine the links among IT capabilities, interorganizational relationships and agri-food SCP, and innovatively verifies the mediating effect of interorganizational relationships on the impact of IT capabilities on agri-food SCP.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research has been carried out by the National Social Science Foundation of China (16AGL012), for which we express our gratitude here.
Citation
Zeng, M. and Lu, J. (2021), "The impact of information technology capabilities on agri-food supply chain performance: the mediating effects of interorganizational relationships", Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Vol. 34 No. 6, pp. 1699-1721. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-08-2019-0237
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited