Fostering Supply Chain Flexibility Under Economic Uncertainty: Role of Digitalization, Collaboration, Visibility, and Risk Management

Thi Huong Tran; Thu Vuong Thi Chuc; Dieu Le Thi Huyen

doi:10.31181/ijes1612027284

Authors

Thi Huong Tran Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4084-748X
Thu Vuong Thi Chuc Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam Author https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9739-2052
Dieu Le Thi Huyen Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam Author https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7426-6415

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31181/ijes1612027284

Keywords:

Digitalization of operations management, Supply chain flexibility, Collaboration, Visibility, Risk management

Abstract

Today, turbulence in the economic environment creates numerous challenges across various aspects of firms, requiring organizations to respond quickly to survive and grow. As a result, supply chain flexibility (SCF) has become a strategic priority for companies and a prevalent topic in academia. Grounded in Resource-Based View (RBV) and Dynamic Capabilities Theory (DCT), this study examines how the business environment (ENVI) drives digitalization in operations management activities (DOM) and how DOM enhances SCF both directly and indirectly through supply chain visibility (SCV), supply chain collaboration (SCC), and supply chain risk management (SCRM). In this research, we collected data from 289 Vietnamese firms and analyzed them using PLS-SEM. We checked the reliability and discriminant validity of the measurement scales, then predicted the effect sizes and mediation effects of the relationships. The results show that ENVI significantly drives DOM adoption, which in turn improves SCV, SCC, and SCRM, thereby strengthening SCF. The findings reveal that supply chain visibility and risk management, but not collaboration, mediate the DOM–SCF relationship and function as sequential pathways through which environmental turbulence translates into greater supply chain flexibility. Furthermore, the research offers managerial insights into leveraging digital tools to construct more adaptable and resilient supply chains in volatile economic environments.

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