Cognitive supply chain management and risk management in pharmaceuticals : the mediating roles of forecasting, synchronization, and transparency

Background: This study examines the degree to which cognitive supply chain management (CSCM) indirectly enhances supply chain risk management (SCRM), addressing the lack of specific empirical research concerning the underlying mechanisms of this relationship. Specifically, this study tests the CSCM-SCRM relationship using the mediating roles of supply chain forecasting (SCF), supply chain synchronization (SCS), and supply chain transparency (SCT). Methods: For this quantitative research, a survey was conducted among 287 respondents of pharmaceutical companies operating in Saudi Arabia. Convenience sampling was conducted, and the collected data were then analyzed via partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) through SmartPLS 4 software. The dynamic capabilities theory (DCT) and information processing theory (IPT) were integrated to develop the conceptual framework of this study. Results: The findings indicate that CSCM does not exert a direct impact on SCRM. Instead, CSCM significantly enhances SCF, SCS, and SCT. Among these, both SCF and SCT have a direct positive impact on SCRM and act as significant mediators in the CSCM-SCRM relationship. In contrast, SCS neither directly impacts SCRM nor plays a mediating role in this relationship. Based on this study, the positive outcomes of CSCM on SCRM come about via SCF and SCT rather than SCS. Conclusions: This study contributes to the literature by empirically validating a model that integrates CSCM, SCF, SCS, SCT, and SCRM in the context of Saudi pharmaceutical companies. It further contributes to the pharmaceutical practitioners by establishing that CSCM exerts an indirect positive effect on SCRM via information-intensive capabilities.