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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies are encouraged to form supply chain collaborations (SCC) for better circular economy (CE) performance. Yet, the literature remains silent on SMEs’ susceptibility to opportunistic behaviors of supply chain (SC) partners. This study draws on the transaction cost theory (TCT) and the resource-based view (RBV) to investigate the impact of shirking on SCC and CE performance while exploring how circular economy entrepreneurship (CEE) can curb the impacts of shirking on SCC as well as drive technical capability (TC) to moderate the relationship between SCC and CE performance.

The TCT and RBV are used as a theoretical lens to investigate the direct, mediation and moderation effects tested via partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using survey data from 152 managers of SMEs in Nepal.

Contrary to past findings, the study results show that shirking, directly and indirectly, has a positive and significant impact on SCC and CE performance, respectively. The results also show that as CEE, which positively and significantly drives TC, moves from low to high levels, the effect of shirking on SCC dampens, and as TC moves from low to high levels, the effect of SCC on CE performance intensifies.

This study’s contribution lies in extending the shirking debate to the CE domain and also in identifying CEE and TC as potent means for SMEs in emerging economies to mitigate shirking impacts and induce SC partner commitments in CE-driven SCC. This study provides relevant theoretical and practical insights.

This study aims to find out whether firms in the local textiles industry are benefiting from the combined implementation of lean practices (LPs) and quick-response manufacturing (QRM) during the era of COVID-19. The study further explores the mediating role played by quick response manufacturing in the relationship between LPs, internal process performance (IPP) and customer performance.

A questionnaire is used to garner data from 123 local firms in Ghana’s textile industry. The analysis for all the hypothesized relationships is done using partial least square structural equation.

The results of the study indicate that LPs significantly strengthen the implementation of QRM. The result also suggests that LPs and QRM can be combined to influence IPP and customer performance. The results further suggest that QRM mediates the relationship between LPs, IPP and customer performance.

This study proposes and develops an integrated research model that explores the synergistic application of LPs and QRM in achieving improvements in IPP and customer performance from an emergent country perspective during the era of COVID-19. QRM serves as an important mechanism through which the relationship between LPs, IPP and customer performance can be explained.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the direct and mediation effects of small- and medium-sized enterprises' (SMEs) ecopreneurship posture (EP), green inbound practices (GIP), green production practices (GPP), green outbound practices (GOP), community-based performance (CBP) and green competitiveness (GC).

Empirical data for the study were garnered by utilizing questionnaire from Ghanaian manufacturing SMEs. Structural equation modeling, specifically partial least squares is applied to test the hypothesized relationships.

The findings suggest that SMEs' EP, GIP and GPP have significant positive effects on CBP and GC. However, while GOP has a significant effect on GC, it has no significant effect on CBP. Moreover, the mediation result demonstrates that while GIP and GPP significantly mediates the relationship between SMEs' EP and CBP, GOP does not provide any mediation mechanism through which SMEs' EP influence CBP. The result further confirms the mediation roles of GIP, GPP and GOP between SMEs' EP and GC.

This research offers novel empirical evidence by exploring the mediation roles of GIP, GPP and GOP between EP, CBP and GC through the lenses of the natural resource-based view and stakeholder theoretical perspectives.

Significant unexplored research gaps exist in relation to assessing how governments influence innovations in the logistics and supply chains of SMEs to mitigate risks. This study emphasizes the impacts of regulatory coercion and government subsidization on logistics and supply chain innovations and the corresponding effect of logistics and supply chain innovations on financial performance, logistics and supply chain robustness, green competitiveness, social and environmental responsibilities.

Using a quantitative approach, partial least square structural equation modeling and a survey research design, data were collected and analyzed on 210 logistics and manufacturing firms.

The results support the fundamentals of the stakeholder theory and natural resources-based view (NRBV) regarding the positive impacts of regulatory coercion and government subsidization on logistics and supply chain innovations. Furthermore, logistics and supply chain innovations significantly influenced firm performance (financial performance, logistics and supply chain robustness and green competitiveness) and societal impact (social and environmental responsibilities). Particularly, while logistics and supply chain innovations had insignificant influence on social and environmental responsibilities, the effects of logistics and supply chain robustness were significant.

The study presents empirical findings on the impact of government influences on logistics and supply chain management and the corresponding implications for firms and society. Thus, this study contributes to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and logistics and supply chain literature and provides guidance for policymakers, industry players, scholars and practitioners.

Although literature abounds on lean sustainability (LS), its contributions to manufacturing industries’ triple bottom line performance (TBLP) through top management commitment (TMC) remain scanty. This research explores the mediating role of TMC in the nexus between LS and TBLP.

Given the study’s quantitative focus, the causal design was utilised. The structured questionnaire, a survey instrument, was used to gather primary data from 285 manufacturing organisations in Ghana, a developing country. Data analysis was done with structural equation modelling.

It was found that LS and TMC positively influence TBLP, whereas TMC partially mediates the connection between LS and TBLP of Ghanaian manufacturing organisations.

The study concentrates on Ghana’s manufacturing industry and embraces the stakeholder theory and quantitative methods.

This research underlines why top managers must prioritise investment in LS to promote sustainable development and attain their organisations’ TBLP targets. The study also provides key insights for top managers to consistently commit enormous resources towards developing lean practices, contributing favourably to TBLP. By establishing the interplay among LS, TMC and TBLP, manufacturing practitioners and researchers can further advance new strategies to address the growing sustainability concerns and achieve higher economic, social and environmental performance.

The study’s originality lies in analysing the mediation effect of TMC on the linkage between LS and TBLP in a developing economy where manufacturing organisations are continuously exposed to resource and waste management problems and lack adequate commitments from top managers towards sustainability initiatives. It is also the first to establish relationships between top management commitment and TBLP in the manufacturing industries of developing economies, concentrating on Ghana.