Relationships between intra-organizational resources, supply chain integration and business performance

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of intra-organizational resources, including top management support (TMS) and information technology (IT), on inter-organizational capabilities including supply chain integration (SCI, with a focus on supplier integration (SI) and customer integration (CI)) and on business performance via a resource-based view (RBV), socio-technical systems theory and an extended resource-based view (ERBV). Design/methodology/approach – Partial least squares is used to analyze a sample of 176 manufacturers in China. Findings – TMS and IT are two vital enablers of SCI and have different roles in improving SCI. In addition, SI has a significant effect on business performance, and CI has a marginally significant effect. Originality/value – Based on the RBV/ERBV, this study explores the enablers of SCI and their effects on business performance, ultimately contributing to both SCI theories and practices.