Impacts of cognitive and social distances on supply chain capability: the moderating effect of information technology utilization
The International Journal of Logistics Management
ISSN: 0957-4093
Article publication date: 21 March 2023
Issue publication date: 2 January 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine how implicit distance (cognitive and social) impacts supply chain capabilities, and the roles of information technology (IT) utilization and supply chain flexibility in this process.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors designed a conceptual model including the implicit distance, supply chain flexibility, supply chain capability and IT utilization and verified the relationships among variables through a survey that collected data from 104 manufacturing enterprises in China.
Findings
The results show that cognitive and social distances positively and negatively affect supply chain flexibility, respectively. Furthermore, IT utilization strengthens the positive effect of cognitive distance and the negative effect of social distance on supply chain flexibility. Additionally, supply chain flexibility has a positive effect on supply chain capability and mediates the effects of cognitive and social distances on supply chain capability.
Practical implications
Enterprises should prioritize cooperation with different types of partners with whom the enterprises have established good collaborative working experiences. Moreover, if enterprises cooperate with new partners, enterprises should communicate and handle things face to face instead of frequently utilizing IT.
Originality/value
This study links the implicit distance between enterprises with supply chain capability and newly applies social network theory to explain the mechanism. Further, the authors' data confirm the moderating role of IT utilization in this process, supplementing the research on implicit distance. Moreover, this study employs dynamic capability theory to better understand how firms can improve supply chain capabilities.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (71702053, 71762006, 72162008), Scientific Research Fund of Hunan Provincial Education Department (21B0529) and Provincial Natural Science Foundation of Hunan (2021JJ30222). The authors also appreciate the constructive feedback got from the anonymous reviewers and the editor. Their comments greatly improved the manuscript.
Citation
Hu, Q., Yu, H., Wu, H. and Chen, J. (2024), "Impacts of cognitive and social distances on supply chain capability: the moderating effect of information technology utilization", The International Journal of Logistics Management, Vol. 35 No. 1, pp. 233-255. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLM-05-2022-0218
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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