How supply chain architecture and product architecture impact firm performance: An empirical examination

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Authors
Saeed, Khawaja A.
Malhotra, Manoj K.
Abdinnour, Sue
Advisors
Issue Date
2019-01
Type
Article
Keywords
Supply chain agility , Product modularity , Performance , Survey , Structural equation modeling
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Citation
Saeed, Khawaja A.; Malhotra, Manoj K.; Abdinnour, Sue. 2019. How supply chain architecture and product architecture impact firm performance: An empirical examination. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, vol. 25:no. 1:pp 40-52
Abstract

In order to enhance performance, manufacturing firms are building various capabilities and utilizing supply chain networks that are geographically dispersed around the globe. This study examines how decisions related to supply chain architecture and product architecture influence organizational competitiveness. Building on the cospecialization perspective, we evaluate the performance implications of product modularity and supply chain agility. While, product modularity constitutes a product configuration related to sourcing and assembling of products, supply chain agility is a supply chain configuration related to velocity (sensing, comprehending, and responding) and visibility (supplier network, internal operations, and external environment). Both the product and supply chain architectural decisions can impact performance, individually and in conjunction with each other. We empirically test the hypothesized relationships using data collected from 103 manufacturing firms. Results show that supply chain agility and product modularity directly enhance responsiveness and enable organizations to reduce cost. Furthermore, supply chain agility partially mediates the relationship between product modularity and both responsiveness and cost reduction. We elaborate on the key contributions of this study for both research and practice, discuss limitations, and also offer various avenues for further research.

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Publisher
Elsevier
Journal
Book Title
Series
Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management;v.25:no.1
PubMed ID
DOI
ISSN
1478-4092
EISSN