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The impact of using digital technologies on supply chain resilience and robustness: the role of memory under the covid-19 outbreak

Murilo Zamboni Alvarenga (Department of Management, Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo, Vitória, Brazil)
Marcos Paulo Valadares de Oliveira (Department of Management, Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo, Vitória, Brazil)
Tiago André Gonçalves Félix de Oliveira (NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Campus de Campolide, Lisboa, Portugal)

Supply Chain Management

ISSN: 1359-8546

Article publication date: 17 January 2023

Issue publication date: 3 July 2023

2100

Abstract

Purpose

This paper’s main aim is to check the mediating effect of supply chain memory in the relationship between using digital technologies and both supply chain resilience and robustness. In addition, the impact of the COVID-19 disruption was tested as a moderator of the impact of supply chain memory on supply chain resilience and robustness.

Design/methodology/approach

Altogether, 257 supply chain managers answered the questionnaire, and data were analysed through structural equation modelling.

Findings

This paper contributes to theory and practice by demonstrating that the experience, familiarity and knowledge to deal with disruptions partially mediate the relationship between digital technologies, resilience and robustness. Moreover, our results show that memory is less efficient for the supply chain to maintain an acceptable level of performance in case of a new extreme disruptive event like COVID-19. The full model was able to explain 36.90% of supply chain memory, 41.58% of supply chain resilience and 46.21% of supply chain robustness.

Originality/value

The study helps to understand how to develop supply chain memory, positioning digital technologies as an antecedent of it. The impact of supply chain memory on supply chain resilience and robustness is proved. Knowledge about the impact of industry 4.0 technologies on disruption management is quantitatively improved. It demonstrates that digital technologies impact resilience and robustness mainly through supply chain memory. The study proves that supply chain memory is less efficient for the chain remains effective when a non-routine disruptive event occurs, but it is still imperative to recover from it.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) Finance Code 001. This work was supported by national funds through FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) under the project – UIDB/04152/2020 – Centro de Investigação em Gestão de Informação (MagIC).

Citation

Alvarenga, M.Z., Oliveira, M.P.V.d. and Oliveira, T.A.G.F.d. (2023), "The impact of using digital technologies on supply chain resilience and robustness: the role of memory under the covid-19 outbreak", Supply Chain Management, Vol. 28 No. 5, pp. 825-842. https://doi.org/10.1108/SCM-06-2022-0217

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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