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In spite of intensive research that explained the strategic flexibility-performance and information technology (IT) strategy-performance relationships, there is a little insight regarding how these notions ideally affect business performance. Accordingly, this study attempts to investigate how businesses can translate IT directions and strategic practices into actual increases in business performance. More precisely, the primary purpose of this paper is to explore the influential role of strategic flexibility and IT strategy on business performance considering balanced scorecard (BSC) dimensions in the context of the tourism industry.

An empirical investigation of 331 tourism businesses was performed to explore the relationship between strategic flexibility, IT strategy and business performance. A non-probability convenience sampling was applied to select the sample. Factor analysis, descriptive statistics and cluster analysis were used to analyze the data.

The findings include the clustering of the studied businesses in terms of strategic flexibility and IT strategy. A cluster analysis based on strategic flexibility indicates that businesses can be divided into four main clusters, and based on IT strategy, they can be classified in three main clusters. The results show that businesses with a high level of strategic flexibility and a high level of IT strategic practices have high performance. More importantly, it was known that proactiveness and strategic use of IT have more predictor role on performance.

A review of the strategic management literature reveals a lack of empirical studies that adequately explore the significant roles of strategic flexibility and IT strategy on business performance in the tourism industry. This paper provides actionable insights into these two main determinants that explain why some tourism businesses outperform others. The primary contribution of this study is to address the gap in our understanding of the interconnections between strategic flexibility, IT strategy and business performance through cluster analysis in the tourism industry.

The literature has generally examined supply chain disruptions and mitigation, assuming that resilience capabilities are universal. This assumption undermines the productivity and competitiveness of manufacturing firms in developing economies due to differences in contextual attributes and challenges. In this study, we advance the current knowledge in the literature and explore context-driven disruptions in developing economies to provide a foundational step for disruption-mitigation fit to enhance operational efficiency and business continuity.

This study adopts a qualitative multi-case study approach and explores the operational environment of manufacturing firms in developing economies to unpack context-driven disruptions and strategies for managing disruptions. An in-depth exploratory multiple case study of 8 manufacturing firms was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 31 key informants across the case firms.

Findings indicate that manufacturing firms in developing economies face operational disruptions and challenges specific to their business environment, contrasting with those experienced in developed countries and documented in the literature. This contrast suggests that mitigation strategies designed for disruptions in developed economies may prove ineffective in addressing emergent and context-driven disruptions in developing countries.

Since this paper is based on an in-depth single case study, its findings may not be empirically generalisable to other sectors and countries beyond Africa.

Considering the interconnectivity of global supply chains, this study highlights the need for firms and managers in developed economies to be cognisant of context-specific disruptions affecting firms in developing economies. The study provides valuable insights into how manufacturing firms can build resilience by embedding context-specific planning practices into their strategic supply chain agenda.

With Africa’s lack of production contribution to the global manufacturing value-added, this study underscores the need for manufacturing firms in developing economies to be proactive, pragmatic, and strategic in devising planning consistent with their operations and the dynamic business environment.