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This study investigates (1) whether democratization drives sovereign credit ratings (SCR) changes (the “democratic advantage”) or whether SCR changes affect democratization, (2) whether the degree of democratization in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries affects the associations and (3) whether the associations are significantly affected by resource dependence.

This study investigates the effects of SCR changes on democracy in 22 SSA countries over the period of 2000–2020 VEC Granger causality/block exogeneity Wald tests, and impulse responses and variance decomposition analyses with Cholesky ordering and Monte Carlo standard errors in a panel VECM framework.

The full sample impulse responses find that a SCR shock has a long-run detrimental effect on the democracy and political rights but only a short-run positive impact on civil liberties. Among the sub-samples, it is found that the extent of natural resource dependence does not affect the magnitude of SCR shocks on democratization mentioned above but it is found that a SCR shock affects long-run democracy in SSA countries that are relatively more democratic but is more likely to drive democratic deepening in less democratic SSA countries. The full sample variance decompositions further finds that the variance of SCR to a political rights shock outweighs the effects of all the macroeconomic factors, whereas in more diversified SSA countries, the variances of SCR are much greater for democracy and political rights shocks, which suggests that democratization and political rights in diversified SSA economies are severely affected by SCR changes. In the case of the high and low democracy sub-samples, it is found that the variance of SCR in the relatively higher democracy sub-sample is greater than in the low democracy sub-sample.

These results have three implications for democratization in SSA. First, the effect of a SCR change is not a democratically agnostic and impacts political rights to a greater extent than civil liberties. Second, SCR changes have the potential to spark a negative cycle in SSA countries whereby a downgrade leads to a deterioration in socio-political stability coupled with increased financial economic constraints that in turn drive further downgrades and macroeconomic hardship. Finally, SCR changes are potentially detrimental for democracy in more democratic SSA countries but democratically supportive in less democratic SSA countries. Thus, SSA countries that are relatively politically sophisticated are more exposed to the effects of SCR changes, whereas less politically sophisticated SSA countries can proactively shape their SCRs by undertaking political reforms.

This study is the first to examine the associations between SCR and democracy in SSA. This is critical literature for the Africa’s scholarly work given that the debate on unfair rating actions and claims of subjective rating methods is ongoing.

This study examines the relationship between multi-layer supply chain flexibility (MSCF) and Supply chain resilience (SCR). Further, it looks at the moderating effect of environmental dynamism (ED) and supply chain risks (SCRI) on the relationship between MSCF and SCR.

Executives from the pharmaceutical, agri-food, electronics, automobile and textile industries were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire. We received feedback from a total of 302 participants. Prior to conducting the primary analysis, we addressed the potential for nonresponse bias and verified the assumptions of homoscedasticity and normal distribution of the data. The reliability and validity of the constructs were established through confirmatory factor analysis. Structural equation modelling is employed for the purpose of conducting hypothesis testing.

The results demonstrate a notable influence of MSCF on SCR, particularly in settings characterized by high levels of ED and SCRI. The study highlights the importance of flexibility in multiple aspects of the supply chain to build resilience against a range of disruptions and uncertainties.

The study presents the fundamental role of Multi-Layer Flexibility in building up SCR. The results of this study reinforce the existing literature and offers empirical evidence for how ED, SCRI moderates the influence between MSCF to SCR. These results offer valuable information to both supply chain specialists and researchers for building comprehensive strategy to bring resilience in supply chains.

This chapter covers the conceptual framework and presents practical guidelines for using single-case research (SCR) methods to determine evidence-based treatments. We posit that SCR designs contribute compelling evidence to the knowledge base that is distinct from group design research. When effect sizes are calculated SCR can serve as a reliable indicator of how much behavior change occurs with an intervention in applied settings. Strong SCR design can determine functional relationships and effect sizes with confidence intervals can represent the size and the certainty of the results in a standardized manner. Thus, SCR is unique in retaining data about the individual and individual effects, while also providing data that can be aggregated to identify evidence-based treatments and examine moderator variables.

Although blockchain technology holds significant promise in influencing supply chain resilience (SCR), its effectiveness depends on a variety of factors. However, given that blockchain adoption in SCR is still in its infancy, there is a lack of empirical research to reveal the critical success factors maximizing its efficacy. This study aims to apply an organizational information processing theory (OIPT) perspective to explore how transformational supply chain leadership (TSCL) can facilitate the deployment and connection of blockchain technology to meet the imperatives of enhancing SCR.

This study used a two-wave survey method to gather data from 317 Chinese manufacturers to empirically examine the hypothesized relationships.

The findings suggest that the adoption of blockchain technology enhances both the proactive and reactive dimensions of SCR, and these effects can be realized through the mediating role of TSCL. Furthermore, the positive effect of blockchain technology on TSCL is strengthened in the context of dysfunctional competition.

These findings suggest that companies can only enhance the benefits of disruptive technologies, such as blockchain, by fully integrating them into the operational and supply chain processes.

This research offers novel insights into the specific processes of how blockchain technology can be used to enhance SCR. It also deepens our comprehension of how digital technology can be optimally harnessed within the framework of OIPT, thus providing a contribution to the literature on emerging technologies and SCR.

The study examines the intricate interplay between supplier relationship management (SRM), procurement performance, supply chain responsiveness (SCR) and competitive advantage. Additionally, the study examines the mediating role of procurement performance and SCR in the link between SRM and competitive advantage.

A research model grounded in the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities theory (DCT) was developed and tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Data were obtained from 122 firms in Ghana.

The study revealed that SRM has a positive and significant effect on procurement performance, SCR and competitive advantage. Additionally, SCR has a positive and significant effect on competitive advantage; however, procurement performance has a negative and insignificant effect on competitive advantage. It was also revealed that SCR partially mediates the relationship between SRM and competitive advantage but fully mediates the relationship between procurement performance and competitive advantage. Also, it was also revealed that procurement performance does not mediate the relationship between SRM and competitive advantage.

The study contributes to literature by highlighting the mediating role of SCR in influencing the effect of SRM and procurement performance on competitive advantage.

Practically, the study findings highlight the need for firms to seek, build and manage meaningful relationships with their suppliers in order to enhance their competency and capability to influence their competitive position in the marketplace.

To the best of the researchers' knowledge, no prior study has examined the effect of SRM on procurement performance and SCR. Additionally, no previous study has examined the mediating role of procurement performance and SCR on the link between SRM and competitive advantage.

This study investigates the impact of supply chain governance (SCG, which includes relational governance and contractual governance) on supply chain resilience (SCR) using the information processing theory. Moreover, the study also examines the mediating role of information processing capability and the moderating role of digital technology (DT) deployment.

A total of 288 questionnaires were collected from the Chinese manufacturing industry, and hierarchical regression was used to empirically test the proposed model.

This study reveals that SCG positively impacts SCR. Moreover, information processing capability plays a mediating role between SCG and SCR. Furthermore, the breadth of DT deployment positively moderates the effect of relational governance on information processing capability, and the depth of DT deployment positively moderates the effects of both relational governance and contractual governance on information processing capability.

This study offers a novel perspective that helps to understand the importance of the supply chain-wide information acquired by SCG in respect of improving SCR. Furthermore, this article extends the application of information processing theory by providing empirical evidence of the mediating role of information processing capability and elucidating the moderating role of DT deployment.

The COVID-19 pandemic and recent disruptive events are affecting firms’ operations and supply chain networks on a large scale, causing disturbances in supply, demand, production and logistics activities. Although supply chain resilience (SCR) research has received large attention in recent years, the purpose of this paper is to offer an original contribution by exploring how complex configurations and interactions between SCR strategies and capacities can lead to resilience.

This study investigates the configurations of SCR strategies and capacities using a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis.

First, the findings reveal different SCR strategy configurations through the lens of absorptive, reactive and restorative capacities to achieve resilience. Second, this study applies the contingent resource-based view (CRBV) perspective to interpret how organizations can achieve resilience before, during and after a disruptive event. Third, it offers an analysis of different groups of organizations, based on the adoption of different SCR strategies and capacities.

This study identifies a set of equifinal SCR strategies and capacity configurations that can be implemented to cope with a disruptive event and lead to resilience. It also enriches the research addressing the consecutive phases of SCR investments, developing the CRBV perspective. In our results, five solutions describe organizations that invest in absorptive capacities, representing an ex ante readiness.

The authors examine the effect of supply chain resilience (SCR) on supply chain performance (SCP) while considering the moderating effect of supply chain network complexity (SCNC) on the nexus between SCR and SCP of manufacturing firms.

The quantitative research approach and explanatory research design were utilised for this study. A sample of 345 manufacturing firms in the Accra metropolis was drawn. The partial least square structural equation modelling was employed.

Findings from the study revealed that SCR has a significant positive effect on SCP. However, SCNC had a significant negative moderating effect on the relationship between SCR and SCP.

The authors advocate that manufacturing firms are prone to stronger impact from complex networks that mitigate the already existing positive relationship between SCR and SCP and is dependent on the context in which the study is executed, and the extent to which resilience strategies are robust. Thus, the SCNC has an adverse impact on how well partners interact and how well the supply chain functions.

This is the first study that quantitatively investigates the SCR impact on SCP in the presence of SCNC of manufacturing firms in the context of a developing economy. The study redefines SCNC from earlier studies.

The purpose of this study is to discern the role of entrepreneurial leadership (EL) – a dynamic capability – in increasing supply chain performance (SCP), through building supply chain resilience (SCR). The study further suggests that the presence of supply chain orientation (SCO) within a firm will enhance the relationship between EL and SCR.

Dynamic capabilities view is used to develop the hypotheses and a survey method is used to collect data from manufacturing firms in Pakistan. The hypothesized model is tested using structural equation modeling (SEM).

The results in general confirm the hypothesized model. The findings suggest that SCR mediates the relationship between EL and SCP. The results also confirm that SCO moderates the relationship between EL and SCR.

This paper contributes by studying the pivotal role of EL in building SCR and sustaining a competitive advantage in an uncertain environment.

Supply chain resilience (SCR) has attracted much attention in the context of the high uncertainty caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), local regional conflicts and natural disasters. Based on information processing theory (IPT), this study investigates the role of supply chain information processing capability in enhancing SCR through supply chain governance (SCG), under different conditions of environmental uncertainty.

The hypothetical model is tested by using hierarchical regression on the primary samples collected from the Chinese manufacturing industry.

The results indicate that supply chain information processing capability has a significant positive effect on SCR. Also, SCG plays a mediating role between supply chain information processing capability and SCR. Furthermore, environmental uncertainty positively moderates the effect of supply chain information acquisition and supply chain information analysis on relational governance. However, environmental uncertainty only positively moderates the effect of supply chain information analysis on contractual governance.

This is the first study to explain the effect of information processing capability on SCR from the supply chain perspective, while also exploring the mediating role of SCG between SCR and supply chain information processing capacity, based on IPT.