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The purpose of this paper is to compare the supply chain strategy, flexibility, and performance relationships in the context of SMEs in Canada and Pakistan.

The research is based on a quantitative approach using a questionnaire survey from a total of 170 small and medium-sized Pakistani manufacturing companies. The current study draws upon the earlier work of Fantazy et al. (2009) for comparative purpose and employs path analysis technique.

The results partially confirm the findings of previous study on Canadian SMEs with regard to the relationships among strategy, flexibility, and performance in the context of supply chain. The survey results revealed that SMEs in Pakistan adopt followers strategy in order to achieve financial and non-financial performance. Whereas in the previous study, Canadian SMEs adopted innovative strategy and customer-oriented strategy in order to enhance their performance.

The literature did not reveal any study which attempted to compare supply chain strategy, flexibility, and performance of SMEs in developed and developing countries. The current study fills this important gap in the literature.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between strategy and flexibility in new product development, and the operational and financial performance in the supply chain context. The motives for conducting this research are to introduce the supply chain strategies and new product development flexibility (NPDF) as constructs that could have the potential to contribute to the success of supply chain performance. Based on the relational view of the firm, the authors propose that supply chain strategy is an antecedent of NPDF and can create value for the buying firm in terms of better financial and non-financial performance.

The structural equation modeling approach was used to evaluate the proposed model and analyze hypothesized relationships. The analysis, based on data collected from 175 small- and medium-sized (SME) Canadian manufacturing companies.

The analysis shows that there are direct positive effects from strategy on NPDF. The findings indicate also a direct positive association between NPDF and performance and showed that the total effect (direct and indirect) positively influenced performance.

The literature did not reveal any study which attempted to examine strategy, NPDF, and performance in the supply chain context of SMEs. The current study fills this important gap in the literature.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework conceptualizing the relative openness of a supply chain and its impact on organizational performance.

The literature on system theory and the attributes of supply chain management are used to develop a framework describing the relative openness of a supply chain.

Different supply chain terminologies – such as adaptive supply chain network, best value supply chain, and open inter-organizational system – partially draw upon the basic premises of an open system. The relative openness of a supply chain and, consequently, the dynamics of different supply chain attributes remain understudied. This supports the idea that an open system perspective of the supply chain is imperative to improve the understanding of the influence of supply chain openness on organizational performance.

The conceptual framework posits that different supply chain attributes affect the openness of supply chain to a varying degree which ultimately influences the organizational performance. The proposed framework and research propositions will serve as a springboard for conducting future empirical studies.

The purpose of this research is to develop a conceptual framework for implementing and managing supply chain flexibility in supply chain organizations. The framework suggests that supply chain flexibility should be implemented and managed using a three‐stage approach: required flexibility identification, implementation and shared responsibility, and feedback and control.

The major components of the proposed framework are based on a review of research in the manufacturing flexibility literature as well as the limited research in supply chain flexibility. The strengths and weaknesses of these frameworks, combined with a published empirical study were analyzed to identify the important issues that must be considered when implementing and managing supply chain flexibility, and those components that need to be incorporated into a new integrated framework.

This framework was constructed by synthesizing the strengths of other conceptual frameworks. As a result, the major components of the framework are supported by the current research on the implementation and management of manufacturing flexibility, as well as the current literature on supply chain management.

Empirical research is needed to examine the nature and level of responsibility sharing among different supply chain partners as suggested in this framework. It is also important to empirically investigate what constitutes flexibility in the supply chain taxonomy in various industries. Another issue of managerial interest concerns the way different supply chain flexibility types relate to one another, and whether supply chain organizations should acquire certain supply chain flexibilities as a pre‐requisite for developing others. Further studies are necessary to further explain the contribution made by key enablers, such as information technology and communication, the internet, process technology, and training and labor skills, towards the acquisition of supply chain flexibility.

The implication of this new conceptual framework for managers is that it is easy to understand and is based on best practices in the research literature on manufacturing flexibility and supply chain management.

To researchers, this framework provides a springboard for conducting exploratory and confirmatory research on the process of implementing and managing supply chain flexibility.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine how different supply chain attributes as determinants of the openness of supply chain affect organizational performance (OP).

Data were collected from 259 supply chain executives in Pakistan. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses.

The findings indicate that organizations may take the selective view of their supply chains resulting in a varying focus on different SC attributes. The results show that though all identified supply chain attributes positively relate to OP, some attributes such as combined agility and cooperation among supply chain partners have a weak correlation coefficient. This indicates that overall the relative openness of supply chain among selected sample of Pakistani organizations is low.

Supply chain executives may not have a selective focus on some attributes; rather, they may consider to have a broader perspective drawing upon a wider range of supply chain attributes as identified in the current study. In order to remain competitive, Pakistani manufacturing organizations need to learn more about opening up their boundaries and enhance the openness of their supply chain.

The contribution of the current study is two folds. First, drawing upon the current literature, it proposes the instrument to measure the relative openness of supply chain. Second, it empirically tests the selected conceptual model which highlights the relevance of supply chain attributes and their role in the resulting relative degree of supply chain openness. The empirical examination of the selected conceptual model of supply chain openness tends to make contribution to the wider literature on supply chain management.

The current study provides new insights into the relationships between knowledge development (KD) and sustainable supply chain performance (SSCP) by exploring the mediating effects of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) in terms of innovativeness, proactiveness and risk taking.

Data were collected by questionnaire survey from 242 manufacturing organizations. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses.

The results reveal that innovativeness and proactiveness have full mediating effects on the relationship between KD and SSCP. Though KD is negatively related to risk taking and has insignificant indirect effect on SSCP via risk taking, the mediating effect of risk taking remains moderate positive on the relationship between KD and SSCP.

Given that the current study focuses on manufacturing sector, future research is needed for more comparative studies conducted in different sectors and cultural contexts. The negative link between KD and risk taking also warrants future investigation.

Organizations may reduce their level of risk taking due to the increase in KD. However, in order to enhance SSCP, risk taking is still needed as it mediates the relationship between KD and SSCP.

The mediating effects of innovativeness, proactiveness and risk taking on the relationship between KD and SSCP are unknown. Current study aims to address this gap.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the effects of the attributes of supply chain openness on sustainable supply chain performance (SSCP).

Data were collected by questionnaire survey from 259 supply chain executives in Pakistan. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses.

The results indicate that the relative openness of supply chain organizations in Pakistan is very low. Further, all the attributes of supply chain openness have positive but weak association with SSCP. This indicates that there is some awareness of sustainable supply chain but there remains a significant room for improvement with regard to the relationships among different attributes of supply chain openness and SSCP. Pakistani organizations do not fully embrace the concept of supply chain openness in order to achieve SSCP.

The current paper makes three important contributions to the existing literature. First, it empirically examines the attributes of supply chain openness. Second, it contributes to the broader sustainable supply chain management literature by exploring the effects of the attributes of supply chain openness on SSCP. Third, given the limited studies that address sustainable supply chain issues in the context of developing countries, this is one of the few studies that add value to the body of literature in the context of developing countries, such as Pakistan.

Using a dynamic capability view, this study examined the relationships between big data analytics capability (BDAC), entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and sustainable supply chain performance (SSCP) by exploring the moderating role of trust among supply chain partners.

Questionnaires were collected from 300 manufacturing organizations using snow sampling. The moderating connections and direct relationships were examined using Hays' process macro and structural equation modeling.

BDAC was positively related to EO and SSCP. When supply chain partners experienced low levels of trust, an increase in BDAC did not enhance SSCP. As trust increased, the relationship between BDAC and SSCP became more positive, underpinning the moderating effects of trust. Moreover, trust did not moderate the relationship between BDAC and EO. The moderating effect of trust on the relationship between EO and SSCP showed a positive relationship between EO and SSCP when trust was low; however, the relationship became negative when trust was high.

Developing technology alone may not be sufficient, as supply chain managers need to establish a strong business relationship based on mutual trust. However, they also need to be aware of the dangers of high levels of trust because these may negatively affect performance. Therefore, supply chain managers need to achieve an optimal level of trust that is neither excessive nor insufficient.

Advances in technology and entrepreneurial drive for supply chain sustainability make it pertinent to examine trust levels among supply chain partners and the varying impact on BDAC, EO and SSCP. The current study shows the negative aspects of too much trust among supply chain partners.

The purpose of this paper is to draw upon the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm in an attempt to explore how a firm’s resources (i.e. assets and capabilities) such as social capital (SC) and strategic entrepreneurship (SE) relate to sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) and organizational performance (OP).

Data were collected by questionnaire survey from the supply chain and logistics managers of 242 manufacturing firms in Pakistan. The structural equation modeling approach was used to test the hypotheses.

The results provide support for the proposed hypotheses. The results indicate that SC and SE are positively related to OP. However, the findings show a positive but weak association of SC and SE with SSCM. In a developing country context of Pakistan, organizations are more likely to employ SC and SE for achieving OP. However, relatively less emphasis is placed on linking SC and SE to SSCM. Pakistani organizations need to integrate SSCM into their business strategies. It is concluded that organizations in Pakistan though have some degree of involvement in SSCM but still face some challenges.

The current study attempts to narrow the gap in the available literature in three important aspects. First, it makes the contribution to the literature on SSCM by employing RBV and exploring the relationships of a firm’s resources (i.e. SC) and capabilities (i.e. SE) to SSCM and OP. Second, it employs a relatively more comprehensive measure of SE compared to the limited measures in existing empirical research. Third, the examination of the links of SE and SC to SSCM and OP is of particular importance in the context of a developing country such as Pakistan.

Drawing on the dynamic capability view (DCV), the current study aims to examine the mediating effects of entrepreneurial orientation (EO), in terms of innovativeness, proactiveness and risk taking, on the relationships between big data analytics (BDA) capability and sustainable supply chain performance (SSCP).

Data were collected by questionnaire survey from 300 manufacturing organizations. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses.

The findings showed that innovativeness and proactiveness fully mediated the link between BDA capability and SSCP. However, risk taking only partially mediated the relationship between BDA capability and SSCP. There was also a negative relationship between BDA and risk taking.

Given that the current study focused on the manufacturing sector, future research is needed to compare different sectors and cultural contexts. Further exploration is also needed into the dimension of risk taking in terms of the role of risk taking in linking BDA capability with SSCP in different cultural settings.

Technology may not increase the risk taking capability. Organizations may be creative and proactive but may remain risk averse despite having access to big data. Organizations need a more balanced approach to dynamically integrate and reconfigure the organizations' BDA and EO capabilities in order to enhance SSCP.

The role of EO in mediating the relationship between BDA capability and SSCP has not been studied before. The current study aimed to address the gap and contribute to the existing debate on better understanding the factors that are needed by organizations to effectively employ technology to enhance SSCP. Untapped areas for future research are also identified.