Supply chain integration, capability and performance – a business-to-business network cooperation

Purpose: Supply chain integration (SCI) is a critical issue in the study of supply chain management in terms of working with partners on business networks to complete tasks, enhance capability and increase performance in a collaborative supply chain process. Thus, this study aims to investigate the influence of SCI and supply chain capability (SCC) on supply chain performance (SCP) which has a positive effect according to the degree of integration (DI) in a supply chain management process. Furthermore, the DI has a direct or indirect impact on how SCI affects SCP. Design/methodology/approach: Through a questionnaire-survey, 454 valid responses were collected. This study investigates the relationships between SCI, SCC, SCP and the DI in the Taiwan elevator by using a structured equations model. The DI is considered as a variable for the effect of a moderated mediation in the research model. Findings: It was found that SCI, directly and indirectly, affected the SCP in a positive way. In addition, the research model is a partial mediation model and that SCC plays a mediator role and DI also existing a moderated mediating effect in the research model. The indirect effect of SCI on SCP through SCC is stronger at higher levels of DI than at lower levels of DI. Originality/value: This is the first study that suggests and empirically tests the moderated mediating impacts of the integration degree on the relationships between SCI, capability and performance with suppliers of the elevator manufacturing supply chain as the business-to-business network cooperation example in Taiwan.