The antecedents of supply chain agility of a firm: Scale development and model testing
研究提出供应链流程柔性是敏捷性的重要前因，通过实证数据开发量表并检验模型，发现制造和采购流程的柔性直接影响敏捷性，而分销物流柔性间接影响。
Abstract In a constantly changing global competitive environment, an organization's supply chain agility directly impacts its ability to produce, and deliver innovative products to their customers in a timely and cost effective manner. While the beneficial impact of supply chain agility is generally acknowledged, very little research exists to date addressing how an organization can achieve supply chain agility. This study first presents a framework of an organization's supply chain process flexibilities as an important antecedent of its supply chain agility, and then establishes the key factors that determine the flexibility attributes of the three critical processes of the supply chain—procurement/sourcing, manufacturing, and distribution/logistics. Using empirical data, we develop flexibility and agility scales related to our supply chain agility model, and then test the model. Findings reveal that supply chain agility of a firm is directly and positively impacted by the degree of flexibility present in the manufacturing and procurement/sourcing processes of the supply chain; while it is indirectly impacted by the level of flexibility within its distribution/logistics process. The results also support our view that a firm's supply chain agility is impacted by the synergy among the three process flexibilities in its internal supply chain.