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This paper aims to examine the existing literature on firms’ power through the lens of the supply chain and highlights some gaps that could be covered by future research.

This study uses a systematic framework-based review combining the insights of the antecedents, decisions and outcomes (ADO) and theories, contexts and methods (TCM) frameworks. The review was carried out using a sample of 108 articles published between 1984 and 2022 in 25 prestigious journals.

The ADO framework maps out the state of the art of the antecedents of power (i.e. sources and types of firm power), the decision to use power and the effect that exercising power over other firms may have on firm performance and the quality of inter-firm relationships. In addition, this framework highlights factors that mediate or moderate the decision to exercise power and the factors that mediate or moderate the outcomes of exercising power or power asymmetry. The TCM framework provides insights into the theories, contexts (i.e. countries, industries, level of analysis and sources of data) and methods used by the existing literature. The content analysis using the aforementioned frameworks provides the basis to elaborate propositions for future research on power in the supply chain from the perspective of gender differences.

This systematic literature review offers a comprehensive guide for researchers to understand the antecedents, decisions and outcomes of firm power in the supply chain, as well as the TCM used in the literature. The content analysis using frameworks provides a road map to investigate the proposed factors that might moderate the decision to exercise power and the outcome of exercising power or power asymmetry from the perspective of gender differences. In addition, based on content analysis, the authors make propositions about TCM that could be applied in future research.

From a practical perspective, this systematic literature review may help managers to better understand the sources and consequences of their firm’s power. This would allow managers to make better decisions when negotiating with their supply chain parties, which could potentially lead to better performance for their firms and the whole supply chain.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to conduct a comprehensive systematic literature review of the different dimensions of firms’ power in the supply chain.

This paper examines the relationship between supply chain network structures and firm financial performance and the moderating role of international relations. In this study, which is grounded in social capital theory and applies the perspective of systemic risk, the authors theorize the effects of supply chain network structures on firm performance.

The authors extracted data from two Chinese databases and constructed a supply chain network of the firms concerned based on nearly 4,300 supply chain relations between 2009 and 2018. The authors adopted the fixed effects model to investigate the relationship between supply chain network structures and firm financial performance.

The econometrics results indicate that network structures, including the degree, centrality, clustering coefficients and structural holes, are significantly related to firm financial performance. A significant and negative relationship exists between international relations and firm financial performance. The authors also find that international relations strongly weaken the relationship between supply chain network structures and firm financial performance.

This study, which collects secondary data from developing countries (e.g. China) and explores the impacts of supply chain network structures on firm stock performance, contributes to the existing literature and provides practical implications.

Due to the current volatile environment and fierce competition, manufacturing firms (MFs) must improve their performance to survive. In this regard, checking and monitoring the suppliers' risk should significantly improve the performance of MFs. In addition, a relation based on not being an opportunist, confidence and reliance are influential factors in reducing the supplier defaults on his/her supply obligations and improving supply chain performance (SCP). Besides, the moderator function of supplier involvement (SI) in the relationship between quality of the relationship (QoR) and supply risk mitigation (SRM) is undeniable.

Based on the survey of 148 samples from small to large-sized MFs in Jordan, Turkey and Egypt, empirical evidence has been conducted to support a majority of the authors’ hypotheses. This paper provides a theoretical review of buyer–supplier relationships and supply risk. Hypotheses were tested by using structural equation modeling (SEM)/Smart PLS-4.

According to the results, confidence and reliance have statistically significant and positive impacts on SRM, resulting in better SCP. Moreover, the findings show that SI positively affects and moderates the relationship between confidence (C) and SRM, while it has no statistically significant influence on the relationship between reliance (R) and SRM.

This study provides necessary material for managers and decision-makers in MFs to confirm the importance and understanding of the QoR in building relationships and business dealings with partners in the SC, in addition to limiting and mitigating the risks of an interruption in supply in particular. Therefore, building a high-quality relationship as a practice based on trust and reliability with suppliers positively affects the performance of the SCs of MFs.

This research paper offers empirical evidence for using QoR within SRM resources of MFs' context for enhancing their supply chain performance. This study is one of few studies that examine the QoR and SRM that contribute to enhancing SCP in MFs in developing countries, which also can serve as a reference for many SC managers and practitioners.

COVID-19 has caused critical supply chain problems, especially in sustainable supply chain management, but very few empirical studies have been explored how to improve the firm sustainability through supply chain endeavours such as supply chain agility to manage the impacts of COVID-19. This paper aims to develop a model to incorporate supply chain agility and supply chain relationships that link firm sustainability to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic.

The authors conducted an online survey and collected 203 valid responses from businesses in the United Arab Emirates, and employed an exploratory factor analysis, mediated regression analysis and structural equation modelling methodology to test the models and hypotheses.

The authors find that the adoption of supply chain agility can improve supply chain relationships and positively impact sustainability. Meanwhile, supply chain relationships partially mediate the relationship between supply chain agility and sustainability. In addition, sustainability mitigates the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on supply chains.

The results provide fruitful insights and implications for the challenges and uncertainties caused by the pandemic post COVID-19 and provide several directions for further research.

The objectives of this paper were twofold: to explore if there are differences in the perceptions about supply chain performance (SCP) and relationship quality (RQ) among traditional food supply chain members, and to examine the influence of individual relationship variables and aggregated relationship quality on SCP in the traditional food sector.

The survey was conducted in a triadic context with 189 supply chain members (62 suppliers, 65 focal companies and 62 customers) of 65 traditional food supply chains (cheese, olive oil, meat products, brandies and liqueurs, wine and honey) in Croatia. The influence of individual relationship variables and aggregated RQ on perceived SCP was tested using regression analysis.

It was found that there were no significant differences in the perception of overall SCP and RQ among supply chain members. It was identified that aggregated RQ and all individual relationship variables (trust, commitment, economic satisfaction, non-coercive and coercive power, reputation and conflict) have a significant influence on perceived SCP of the traditional food supply chains.

This study provides a systematic approach to investigate the SCP and supply chain RQ in the traditional food sector. The findings suggest that managers should not neglect any aspect of supply chain relationship to keep high SCP and to be competitive on the market.

This multiple supply chain study makes an original empirical contribution to the supply chain and network management literature by using a triadic approach to investigate RQ and SCP. The influence of individual RQ constructs and aggregated RQ on traditional food SCP examined in this study has not been explored thus far. This study also makes an original empirical contribution by investigating RQ and SCP in the traditional food sector, which has received little attention recently.

This paper aims to explore the influence of human resource (HR) practices in shaping inter‐organisational supply relationships, and to describe the extent to which supply partners seek to adapt their internal HR practices to the external relationship.

Inter‐organisational relationships are known to be multi‐dimensional in nature. Using seven dimensions to collect empirical evidence, the focus was on a dyadic supply relationship as the unit of analysis. A total of 48 interviews was undertaken from informants in both organisations.

It is shown that the supply relationship tends to be taken for granted at operational levels, and not subject to the relatively high levels of strategic alignment to be found at senior levels in both organizations. Operational aspects of the relationship are tested primarily in failure mode when poorly prepared to respond, for example, as a result of facility breakdowns and quality problems. Inter‐organisational HR practices were relatively weakly prioritised and – despite their acknowledged importance at operator level – were not clearly identified and supported in the way that intra‐organisational practices were.

An in‐depth, operations‐based study of HR practices has been undertaken in a reciprocally interdependent supply relationship from the perspectives of both partners.

This paper aims to explore the intellectual capital (IC) information needed to enable relationship transparency and the influences of relationship transparency on supply chain partnerships.

A field experiment research design is adopted to examine whether IC information facilitates relationship transparency with partners in the supply chain of a focal firm and contributes to supply chain partnership enhancement.

This study identifies an IC transparency framework consisting of two components – the transparency of important business characteristics and the transparency of relationship atmosphere – for guiding the provision of IC information and enabling relationship transparency. The provision of the focal firm's IC information to partners in its supply chain significantly increases partner's trust, satisfaction and commitment towards their relationships. Thus the results suggest that relationship transparency derived from IC transparency enhances supply chain partnerships. Relationship transparency facilitates the focal firm to develop and integrate its supply chain through improved understanding pertaining to itself and its relationships with partners in its supply chain. Thus, this transparency of the focal firm with partners constitutes a flexible and attainable alternative to managing the relationships for its supply chain.

This study suggests that the field experiment research design allows researchers to effectively observe IC transparency's influences on supply chain partnership enhancement.

For firms increasingly interconnected with supply chain models of competition, this study proposes a practical IC transparency framework specific for guiding the provision of IC information to enable relationship transparency and enhance supply chain partnerships.

This study combines limited research on relationship transparency with IC theories to propose an IC transparency framework for enhancing supplier relationship management and represents a first step to examining the quantitative effects of IC transparency in the context of supply chain partners.

This paper aims to identify problems caused by cultural differences between Japan and China that face supply chain managers by applying Japanese-style supply management practices within supply networks in China and present solutions to this problem.

A single, longitudinal case study conducting two waves of data collection (i.e. interviews and observation) plus the collection of much archival data was performed. It goes beyond the dyad by examining supply management of a Japanese company’s supply chain up to three tiers in China.

The four supply cultural differences between Japan and China, which caused the cultural clashes between JVCo and some of its suppliers were revealed and a model of adaptation of Japanese supply management to the Chinese business system was developed. Adaptation involves creating new supply management practices out of selective adaptation, innovation and change of existing Japanese and Chinese supply management practices rooted in different Japanese, Chinese and Western cultures. A list of organisational factors affecting the adaptation has also been provided.

Due to the adoption of a single case study method, caution should be given to generalising the findings to all Japanese firms.

The Japanese, Chinese and Western managers were provided with insights on how to mitigate the problems caused by cultural differences within supply relationships in China and some innovative ideas on how managers from all three cultures could blend the elements of the three cultures to form a hybrid culture and reduce cultural clashes.

This is one of the few attempts to study the transfer of Japanese supply management practice to China. Organizational theory (i.e. transfer of organizational practice and hybridization) is applied and provides a robust framework to explain the supply management practice. This study also answers the call for a global supplier relationship management paradigm.

Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV), this study aims to investigate the impact of social capital, namely, structural (information sharing), cognitive (shared value) and relational (relationship commitment) capital in the supplier and the customer side on supply chain performance in a longitudinal design. It further aims to examine the moderating effect of change in competition intensity.

Based on two-wave data collected from 203 manufacturers in China, this study uses the ordinary least square and first-difference regression methods to test the proposed relationships.

The results show the effect of social capital on supply chain performance and the dynamic nature of supply chain social capital. The causal analysis further reveals the significance of supplier-side structural and relational capital in improving supply chain performance. Moreover, competitive intensity plays an important moderating role.

This study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, is one of the first to demonstrate the longitudinal effect of supply chain social capital on supply chain performance.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the supply chain management literature by presenting the Australian practitioners’ perception of the role of relationship integration in developing supply chain agility and flexibility.

The research takes semi-structured, indepth interviews with ten operations and supply chain practitioners in the Australian manufacturing sector. A systematic qualitative data analysis approach grounded on cross-interview synthesis was used.

Findings contributed into understanding of the manufacturing companies’ implementation of relationship integration with respect to decision trade-offs involved in contract design. Moreover, the findings revealed the significant perceived importance and impact of relationship integration on supply chain agility and flexibility development. This was, however, found to be a function of things such as upstream or downstream focus and organisational size. These findings were expressed in terms of seven propositions.

Analysis of the interviews substantiates the criticality of informed allocation of resources to relationship-intensive activities and investments across the supply chain to develop agility and flexibility. International businesses can gain insights into Australian manufacturing businesses’ perception of relationship integration, which can be invaluable for strategic planning to develop agile and flexible supply chains with their Australian partners.

This paper takes an original approach to present operations and supply chain practitioners’ perception of manufacturing businesses’ use of relationship integration for supply chain agility and flexibility development.