B2B firms’ supply chain resilience orientation in achieving sustainable supply chain performance

Abstract

The present research investigates the influence of B2B firms' supply chain resilience orientation on achieving sustainable supply chain performance via firms' adaptive capability. Furthermore, this research also tests the moderating role of B2B firms' customer engagement between adaptive capability and sustainable supply chain performance. The proposed conceptual model was analyzed using Partial Least Squares (PLS)-Structured Equation Modeling (SEM) by applying survey data collected from 276 samples of 138 B2B firms. Our results indicate that B2B firms' supply chain resilience orientation positively and significantly influences sustainable supply chain performance via B2B firms' adaptive capability. Based on our analysis, the positive effect of B2B firms' adaptive capability on sustainable supply chain performance is evident only in high customer engagement. Drawing from the literature and theoretical paradigm, the first contribution of this study is the formation of a conceptual model of sustainable supply chain performance in the context of B2B firms. The second key contribution is examining how B2B firms' adaptive capability is influenced by both B2B firms' supply chain resilience orientation and sustainable supply chain performance. The outcome of this study also adds further theoretical insight by analyzing the moderating effect of B2B firms' customer engagement on the relationship between adaptive capability and sustainable supply chain performance. The findings from this research play a significant role in understanding the importance of next-generation supply chains that require B2B firms to invest considerable resources in achieving sustainable supply chain performance to remain competitive in their respective industry. Therefore, B2B firms need to embrace supply chain resilience orientation to achieve sustainable supply chain performance in response to the pandemic resulting from COVID-19.