The country context in Triple-A supply chains: an advanced PLS–SEM research study in emerging vs developed countries

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
José A.D. Machuca ◽  
Juan A. Marin-Garcia ◽  
Rafaela Alfalla-Luque

PurposeThis paper analyzes whether the Triple-A supply chain (SC)–competitive advantage (CA) relationship is influenced by the country context and considers the case of emerging vs developed countries. Any differences in the importance of the three Triple-A SC dimensions (agility, adaptability and alignment) and a potential synergy effect among them when pursuing CA are also analyzed.Design/methodology/approachPartial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method is applied to an international multiple informant sample of 304 manufacturing plants in nine developed and five emerging countries.FindingsA significant positive relationship is found between the Triple-A SC and CA in the full sample and in the two separate samples of emerging and developed countries, which is more intense in the emerging countries. For the same samples, it is also concluded that (1) there are no significant differences in the importance of SC adaptability (SC-Ad), SC agility (SC-Ag) and SC alignment (SC-Al) as levers in the Triple-A SC–CA relationship and (2) a synergy effect among the Triple-A SC dimensions when pursuing CA is not supported.Research limitations/implicationsThe present study brings new evidence to the previous research on Triple-A SC and its relationship with CA in different country contexts. For managers, this work (1) shows that Triple A should be considered in the design of global SCs irrespective of the country context and (2) offers a first approach for determining the Triple-A SC levers that must be taken into consideration when pursuing a CA.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to Triple-A SC theory development. It is the first research study that analyzes the effect of the country context on the Triple-A SC–CA relationship and the importance of each of the Triple-A SC dimensions and their possible synergy effect when pursuing CA using a multiinformant international sample taken from different country contexts.

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Thohidul Karim ◽  
Xu Qi

Purpose Multi-channel business operations are standard practice in most business contexts today. The popularity of multi-channel adoption among developing countries is growing fast. In Bangladesh, the retailers who adopted multi-channel retailing have been getting a very good response from the consumers. This study aims to understand the factors that influence manufacturers’ decisions to adopt multiple channels in Bangladesh. The authors applied an extended technology acceptance model with three variables: business innovation, business competition and consumer satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach Partial least squares-structural equation modeling was applied to test the data collected from 157 companies and relevant hypotheses. Findings The study findings show that Bangladeshi manufacturers are positive about, and expect benefits from, applying the new channel. The study also revealed that customer satisfaction considerably affects multi-channel adoption in Bangladesh. Similarly, business innovation and business competition play a significant role in introducing multiple business channels. Research limitations/implications This research was conducted in Bangladesh, and data are collected from Dhaka and Chittagong that may limit the generalizability of findings. Practical implications The research goal was to understand a manufacturer’s perception to adopt multi-channel in business. The proposed research model was able to address the major factors that drive a manufacturer to introduce multiple business channels, especially in Bangladesh. Originality/value Many research and case studies have been done the past couple of decades, but most of them are consumer oriented. Little research has been done to investigate a manufacturer’s point of view adapting innovation in business. Though some research articles are available online, most of them from developed countries. So, the study’s goal was to study developing countries scenario; thus, the authors choose Bangladesh.


2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 420-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arshad Mahmood ◽  
Muhammad Naseer Akhtar ◽  
Usman Talat ◽  
Chuanmin Shuai ◽  
James C. Hyatt

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of the influence mechanisms of specific HR practices variables – salary, job stability and job enrichment – upon employee commitment, through the mediating role of job satisfaction, in a developing country context. Crucially, these indicate employee commitment.Design/methodology/approachThe study analyzed three specific HR practices with a sample of 263 employees in the banking industry of Pakistan. A structural equation modeling methodology is adopted.FindingsThe findings indicate that remuneration strategies were positively related to job satisfaction and employee commitment. Regarding the intervening impact of job satisfaction, this study found that it mediates only for non-monetary strategies between job satisfaction and employee commitment.Research limitations/implicationsA key limitation is that this is a cross-sectional study, perhaps not generalizable over longitudinal approaches. Another limit is posed by the developing country context of this study, perhaps not applicable to some developed countries.Practical implicationsFrom an HR perspective, managing salary structure is an ongoing issue. The proposed model suggests the use of specific practices about satisfaction and commitment as intermediate steps to manage employee commitment.Originality/valueThe research offers a unique understanding from the developing country context of Pakistan. This provides a novel study conducted to examine employee commitment using the high-performance work practices model.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leandro Lima Santos ◽  
Felipe Mendes Borini ◽  
Moacir de Miranda Oliveira ◽  
Dennys Eduardo Rossetto ◽  
Roberto Carlos Bernardes

PurposeThis research aims to answer the following question: Could bricolage become a capability for companies in emerging markets to develop frugal innovations in times of crisis? Therefore, in this paper the main aim is to identify whether in times of crisis the development of frugal innovation in emerging markets depends on the bricolage capability.Design/methodology/approachThe hypotheses were statistically tested using the structural equation modeling technique, with data collected through the survey method applied to 215 companies in Brazil.FindingsThe results allowed support for the hypothesis that bricolage capability has a positive impact on the development of frugal innovation. Therefore, a mediating test was verified, allowing confirmation that to develop frugal innovation in emerging markets, bricolage becomes a required capability for companies in times of crisis.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitation of this study lies in considering the effect of bricolage on frugal innovation only in the context of Brazil, while in developed countries this effect may be similar, as they also suffer from resource constraints caused by crises.Practical implicationsThis research provides insights to guide managers by highlighting bricolage as a key managerial capability for the development of frugal innovation. A set of managerial recommendations are provided based on bricolage skills.Originality/valueThe study has contributed to the literature on bricolage and frugal innovation by addressing bricolage as an antecedent of frugal innovation in emerging markets, especially when those markets are affected by resource scarcity.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ada Tuna Cenkci ◽  
Tuba Bircan ◽  
Jeff Zimmerman

Purpose This paper aims to explore the relationship between inclusive leadership (IL) and employee work engagement (WE), as well as the mediating effect of procedural justice (PJ) on this relationship. Design/methodology/approach An online, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. A total of 201 information technology (IT) professionals in Turkey participated in the study. The authors used structural equation modeling to analyze the collected data. The authors then used a series of nested model comparisons to test the hypothesized mediating relationship. Findings The outcomes suggest that IL is positively related to PJ while PJ is positively associated with WE. In addition, PJ mediates the relationship between IL and WE. Practical implications The outcomes underline the importance of IL to effectively lead IT professionals. Organizational leaders can cultivate IL by demonstrating openness, availability and accessibility toward their employees and create work environments in which employees’ ideas are valued. Additionally, for employee PJ perceptions, organizations need to ensure that their procedures and policies are transparent and fair in terms of how decisions are made. Moreover, organizations can offer training to their IT managers on IL and PJ topics. Originality/value This study adds to the very scarce literature on IL. In addition, to the researchers’ knowledge, this is the first study to test the IL and PJ relationship. Furthermore, this is the first study to explore the concept of IL in the Turkish context. Moreover, the findings of this research can be beneficial for future theory development on IL in cross-cultural contexts.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gurmeet Singh ◽  
Asheefa Shaheen Aiyub ◽  
Tuma Greig ◽  
Samantha Naidu ◽  
Aarti Sewak ◽  
...  

PurposeThis paper aims to identify factors that influence customers' panic buying behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachA self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 357 participants in Fiji, and structural equation modeling to analyze the collected data.FindingsResults indicate that expected personal outcomes is positively associated with customers' attitudes while expected community-related outcomes negatively impact customers' attitudes. Factors such as attitude, subjective norms, scarcity, time pressure and perceived competition were found to positively influence customers' panic buying intention. Furthermore, scarcity and time pressure were confirmed to positively influence perceived competitiveness while perceived social detection risk negatively influences customer's panic buying intention.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight the need for better measures to ensure that every customer has access to goods and services and is not deprived of such necessities in times of a crisis. These results will assist store managers and policymakers in introducing better management, social policies and resource utilization mechanisms to mitigate panic buying during the pandemic.Originality/valueThis study's findings contribute to the literature on customer's panic buying behavior during a global pandemic. Research in this area remain scarce, inconsistent and inconclusive. Novel insights are generated as this study is the first to combine the theory of planned behavior, privacy calculus theory and protection motivation theory. Applying these theories allows new relationships to be tested to better understand customer behavior during a global pandemic. With most studies on customer behavior during crises and disasters in developed countries, this study generates new insights by exploring customer behavior in a developing country.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepa Mishra ◽  
Sameer Kumar ◽  
R.R.K. Sharma ◽  
Rameshwar Dubey

Purpose Although there is a growing body of literature on human resource (HR) outsourcing, there are still unresolved issues regarding the level of outsourcing HR activities initiated in firms having different strategies and structures. This is relevant to examine because firms with different orientations (strategy and structure) cannot do HR outsourcing at the same level. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach A theoretical framework is developed and empirically validated using survey data from 184 manufacturing firms in India. The analysis involved testing a number of hypotheses through statistical techniques using the confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings The results indicate that firms having prospector orientation are more likely to outsource non-core HR activities as compared to firms having analyzer and defender orientation strategies, in that order. However, in comparison to non-core HR activities, core HR activities are less likely to be outsourced by firms with different strategic orientations (prospector, analyser, and defender). Originality/value This research study underscores the linkage between HR outsourcing and strategy and structure of a firm by developing a theoretical framework.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 832-846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hakim Meshreki ◽  
Christine Ennew ◽  
Maha Moustafa Mourad

Purpose Country of origin (COO) is well established as an extrinsic product cue that influences buyer behavior in the business-to-business (B2B) context. However, non-product-specific attitudes to a COO, including the notion of animosity, have received rather less attention. This paper aims to investigate COO as a multi-dimensional construct and animosity as a normative dimension of buyers’ attitudes and intentions. Design/methodology/approach The work is based on data collected from industrial buyers in Egypt and Canada to enable a comparative perspective between developing and developed countries. Structural equation modeling was used to test the study’s hypotheses. Findings Country of manufacture was an antecedent of perceived quality and a determinant of brand evaluation in both countries. Price was an antecedent of perceived risk and value in Egypt, while its impact on perceived risk was less pronounced in Canada. Perceived value was the strongest determinant of willingness to buy, while animosity played a significant role in this respect in Canada but not in Egypt. Research limitations/implications Country of brand was not included as a dimension to be investigated; industry type was not controlled and may confound the results; and generalization of the results is limited given the cross-sectional approach. Originality/value The study’s contribution lies in four main elements, viewed individually and in combination: investigating a large number of COO constructs that have not been studied within a single research context in B2B before; including the animosity construct in a B2B setting; contrasting “benefit received” and “sacrifice given” constructs that help to shape industrial buyers’ purchase decisions; and carrying out the research in two very different countries to help improve the generalizability of results.


2006 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 493-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prakash J. Singh ◽  
Alan Smith

PurposeTo develop a quality management (QM) measurement instrument that has sound psychometric properties and recognizes a key feature of the field, i.e. QM is currently characterized by three competing approaches: standards‐based; prize‐criteria; and, elemental implementation approaches.Design/methodology/approachThe three disparate approaches were analyzed to identify sets of key constructs and associated items. The assembled instrument was empirically validated through a survey of 418 Australian manufacturing organizations. A full set of reliability and validity tests were performed. Wherever applicable, confirmatory approach using structural equation modeling was used.FindingsThe results of psychometric tests suggest that the constructs of the three approaches have good empirical support. In the manner in which the instrument is presented, it is possible to separately measure constructs related to each of the three approaches.Research limitations/implicationsThe measurement instrument has been validated with manufacturing organizations from Australia. It is applicability to other industry sectors or country contexts needs to be verified.Practical implicationsPractitioners and consultants can use the measurement instrument for conducting QM benchmarking exercises within and across organizations. Researchers can use the instrument in future studies for, inter alia, theory development in the area.Originality/valueThe measurement instrument overcomes the shortcomings of the existing instruments by explicitly including all three practical approaches to quality management. Also, a rigorous psychometric validation process is adopted that provides credible outcomes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 1168-1195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nachiappan Subramanian ◽  
Muhammad Abdulrahman

Purpose Carbon Efficient Practices (CEPs) are gaining momentum due to the serious consequences of climate change. While past studies have focused on the effects of either drivers or barriers to green practices especially in the context of developed countries, relatively little attention has been devoted to the simultaneous effects of drivers and barriers on product redesign, particularly in the context of China. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Using a blend of the Contextual Interaction Theory and Newton’s second law of motion, this paper proposes a conceptual model that simultaneously examines the impact of CEP drivers and barriers on product redesign and performance. Findings Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis on a sample of 239 Chinese manufacturing firms indicated that drivers had substantially higher effects on product redesign and performance compared to the influence of other barriers. Originality/value Use of Newton’s second law of motion as a theoretical framework for understanding the adoption of CEPs in the context of China is novel. Implications of this pattern of results on academic theory building and practice are offered.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 376-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Franziska Richter ◽  
Rudolf R. Sinkovics ◽  
Christian M. Ringle ◽  
Christopher Schlägel

Purpose – Structural equation modeling (SEM) has been widely used to examine complex research models in international business and marketing research. While the covariance-based SEM (CB-SEM) approach is dominant, the authors argue that the field’s dynamic nature and the sometimes early stage of theory development more often require a partial least squares SEM (PLS-SEM) approach. The purpose of this paper is to critically review the application of SEM techniques in the field. Design/methodology/approach – The authors searched six journals with an international business (and marketing) focus (Management International Review, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of International Management, International Marketing Review, Journal of World Business, International Business Review) from 1990 to 2013. The authors reviewed all articles that apply SEM, analyzed their research objectives and methodology choices, and assessed whether the PLS-SEM papers followed the best practices outlined in the past. Findings – Of the articles, 379 utilized CB-SEM and 45 PLS-SEM. The reasons for using PLS-SEM referred largely to sampling and data measurement issues and did not sufficiently build on the procedure’s benefits that stem from its design for predictive and exploratory purposes. Thus, the procedure’s key benefits, which might be fruitful for the theorizing process, are not being fully exploited. Furthermore, authors need to better follow best practices to truly advance theory building. Research limitations/implications – The authors examined a subset of journals in the field and did not include general management journals that publish international business and marketing-related studies. Fur-thermore, the authors found only limited use of PLS-SEM in the journals the authors considered relevant to the study. Originality/value – The study contributes to the literature by providing researchers seeking to adopt SEM as an analytical method with practical guidelines for making better choices concerning an appropriate SEM approach. Furthermore, based on a systematic review of current practices in the international business and marketing literature, the authors identify critical challenges in the selection and use of SEM procedures and offer concrete recommendations for better practice.


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