Impact of agile supply chains' delivery practices on firms' performance: cluster analysis and validation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the critical distribution practices of agile supply chains and provide a comprehensive framework that can be used to improve the responsiveness of supply chains. The research is carried out in the context of different manufacturing industries and provides empirical evidence that agile supply chain distribution enhances organisational performance. Design/methodology/approach – The paper employed survey research, using a sample of 128 manufacturing companies. Findings – The paper explores the critical distribution practices of supply chains that make supply chains agile. Collaborative distribution, order commitment, distribution flexibility and inventory management are the key SCM distribution practices associated with agile supply chains, and have significant impact on organisational performance. Research limitations/implications – Data were collected from a single node/respondent of a supply chain. Further research could be carried out using mutiple node data of each supply chain to make the research more meaningful and generalisable. Practical implications – The findings may be used to gauge the competitive capabilities of SCM distribution and to guide organisations to measure and improve supply chain responsiveness and organisational performance. Originality/value – The paper provides evidence regarding the impact of the critical distribution practices of agile supply chains on performnace.