IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/proeco/v253y2022ics0925527322001864.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The effect of buyer digital capability advantage on supplier unethical behavior: A moderated mediation model of relationship transparency and relational capital

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang, Yanming
  • Huo, Baofeng
  • Haney, Mark H.
  • Kang, Mingu

Abstract

Drawing on organizational information processing theory, this study suggests a moderated mediation model that demonstrates how a buyer firm's digital capability advantage can reduce the unethical behavior of its suppliers. We collected two-wave survey data from 223 Chinese manufacturing firms and applied ordinary least squares regressions and the PROCESS macro model to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings reveal that a buyer firm's digital capability advantage indirectly decreases supplier unethical behavior through enhancing relationship transparency. In addition, this indirect effect is weaker when the level of relational capital is high. By examining the conditional indirect relationship between digital capability advantage and relational capital, this study provides valuable insights into how a buyer firm may effectively utilize digital capability advantage to improve relationship transparency and thereby reduce suppliers' unethical behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Yanming & Huo, Baofeng & Haney, Mark H. & Kang, Mingu, 2022. "The effect of buyer digital capability advantage on supplier unethical behavior: A moderated mediation model of relationship transparency and relational capital," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 253(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:proeco:v:253:y:2022:i:c:s0925527322001864
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2022.108603
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925527322001864
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ijpe.2022.108603?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rameshwar Dubey & Angappa Gunasekaran & David J. Bryde & Yogesh K. Dwivedi & Thanos Papadopoulos, 2020. "Blockchain technology for enhancing swift-trust, collaboration and resilience within a humanitarian supply chain setting," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(11), pages 3381-3398, June.
    2. Toorajipour, Reza & Sohrabpour, Vahid & Nazarpour, Ali & Oghazi, Pejvak & Fischl, Maria, 2021. "Artificial intelligence in supply chain management: A systematic literature review," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 502-517.
    3. George Onofrei & Hung M. Nguyen & Min Zhang & Brian Fynes, 2020. "Building supply chain relational capital: The impact of supplier and customer leveraging on innovation performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 3422-3434, December.
    4. Fabrice Lumineau & Nuno Oliveira, 2020. "Reinvigorating the Study of Opportunism in Supply Chain Management," Journal of Supply Chain Management, Institute for Supply Management, vol. 56(1), pages 73-87, January.
    5. Seongtae Kim & Claudia Colicchia & David Menachof, 2018. "Ethical Sourcing: An Analysis of the Literature and Implications for Future Research," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(4), pages 1033-1052, November.
    6. Kalaitzi, Dimitra & Tsolakis, Naoum, 2022. "Supply chain analytics adoption: Determinants and impacts on organisational performance and competitive advantage," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 248(C).
    7. Ho‐Yin Mak & Zuo‐Jun Max Shen, 2021. "When Triple‐A Supply Chains Meet Digitalization: The Case of JD.com's C2M Model," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 30(3), pages 656-665, March.
    8. Gabriella M. Hastig & ManMohan S. Sodhi, 2020. "Blockchain for Supply Chain Traceability: Business Requirements and Critical Success Factors," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 29(4), pages 935-954, April.
    9. Rajkamal Iyer & Zacharias Sautner, 2018. "Contracting between Firms: Empirical Evidence," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 100(1), pages 92-104, March.
    10. Sande, Jon Bingen & Ghosh, Mrinal, 2018. "Endogeneity in survey research," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 185-204.
    11. Jay R. Galbraith, 1974. "Organization Design: An Information Processing View," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 4(3), pages 28-36, May.
    12. Chowdhury, Priyabrata & Paul, Sanjoy Kumar & Kaisar, Shahriar & Moktadir, Md. Abdul, 2021. "COVID-19 pandemic related supply chain studies: A systematic review," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    13. Ravi Srinivasan & Morgan Swink, 2018. "An Investigation of Visibility and Flexibility as Complements to Supply Chain Analytics: An Organizational Information Processing Theory Perspective," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 27(10), pages 1849-1867, October.
    14. Pal, Rudrajeet & Torstensson, Håkan & Mattila, Heikki, 2014. "Antecedents of organizational resilience in economic crises—an empirical study of Swedish textile and clothing SMEs," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(PB), pages 410-428.
    15. Barbara Flynn & Mark Pagell & Brian Fugate, 2018. "Editorial: Survey Research Design in Supply Chain Management: The Need for Evolution in Our Expectations," Journal of Supply Chain Management, Institute for Supply Management, vol. 54(1), pages 1-15, January.
    16. Jie Yang & Hongming Xie & Guangsheng Yu & Mingyu Liu, 2021. "Antecedents and consequences of supply chain risk management capabilities: an investigation in the post-coronavirus crisis," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(5), pages 1573-1585, March.
    17. Hartley, Janet L. & Sawaya, William J., 2019. "Tortoise, not the hare: Digital transformation of supply chain business processes," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 62(6), pages 707-715.
    18. Shivam Gupta & Vinayak A. Drave & Surajit Bag & Zongwei Luo, 2019. "Leveraging Smart Supply Chain and Information System Agility for Supply Chain Flexibility," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 21(3), pages 547-564, June.
    19. Constantin Blome & Antony Paulraj, 2013. "Ethical Climate and Purchasing Social Responsibility: A Benevolence Focus," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 116(3), pages 567-585, September.
    20. Robertson, Diana C. & Rymon, Talia, 2001. "Purchasing Agents’ Deceptive Behavior: A Randomized Response Technique Study," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 11(3), pages 455-479, July.
    21. Yu, Yan & Hao, Jin-Xing & Dong, Xiao-Ying & Khalifa, Mohamed, 2013. "A multilevel model for effects of social capital and knowledge sharing in knowledge-intensive work teams," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 780-790.
    22. Goebel, Philipp & Reuter, Carsten & Pibernik, Richard & Sichtmann, Christina, 2012. "The influence of ethical culture on supplier selection in the context of sustainable sourcing," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(1), pages 7-17.
    23. Kaynak, Ramazan & Sert, Tuba & Sert, Gurkan & Akyuz, Bulent, 2015. "Supply chain unethical behaviors and continuity of relationship: Using the PLS approach for testing moderation effects of inter-organizational justice," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 83-91.
    24. Dubey, Rameshwar & Gunasekaran, Angappa & Childe, Stephen J. & Roubaud, David & Fosso Wamba, Samuel & Giannakis, Mihalis & Foropon, Cyril, 2019. "Big data analytics and organizational culture as complements to swift trust and collaborative performance in the humanitarian supply chain," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 120-136.
    25. Chong, Alain Yee-Loong & Ooi, Keng-Boon & Sohal, Amrik, 2009. "The relationship between supply chain factors and adoption of e-Collaboration tools: An empirical examination," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(1), pages 150-160, November.
    26. Shibin Sheng & Kevin Zheng Zhou & Julie Juan Li & Zhaoyang Guo, 2018. "Institutions and opportunism in buyer–supplier exchanges: the moderated mediating effects of contractual and relational governance," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 46(6), pages 1014-1031, November.
    27. Prashant Kale & Harbir Singh & Howard Perlmutter, 2000. "Learning and protection of proprietary assets in strategic alliances: building relational capital," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(3), pages 217-237, March.
    28. Zhao, Danyang & Wang, Longwei & Gu, Flora F., 2021. "Reconsidering network embeddedness: Effects on different forms of opportunism," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 12-24.
    29. Sambasivan, Murali & Siew-Phaik, Loke & Abidin Mohamed, Zainal & Choy Leong, Yee, 2013. "Factors influencing strategic alliance outcomes in a manufacturing supply chain: Role of alliance motives, interdependence, asset specificity and relational capital," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(1), pages 339-351.
    30. Ramazan Kaynak & Tuba Sert, 2012. "The Impact of Service Supplier’s Unethical Behavior to Buyer’s Satisfaction: An Empirical Study," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 109(2), pages 219-226, August.
    31. Yu, Wantao & Zhao, Gen & Liu, Qi & Song, Yongtao, 2021. "Role of big data analytics capability in developing integrated hospital supply chains and operational flexibility: An organizational information processing theory perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    32. Fahreen Alamgir & Ozan N. Alakavuklar, 2020. "Compliance Codes and Women Workers’ (Mis)representation and (Non)recognition in the Apparel Industry of Bangladesh," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 165(2), pages 295-310, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zhao, Nanyang & Hong, Jiangtao & Lau, Kwok Hung, 2023. "Impact of supply chain digitalization on supply chain resilience and performance: A multi-mediation model," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 259(C).
    2. Jianqi Qiao & Suicheng Li & Su Xiong & Na Li, 2023. "How Does the Digital Capability Advantage Affect Green Supply Chain Innovation? An Inter-Organizational Learning Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-22, July.
    3. Huang, Kerry & Wang, Kedi & Lee, Peter K.C. & Yeung, Andy C.L., 2023. "The impact of industry 4.0 on supply chain capability and supply chain resilience: A dynamic resource-based view," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Enrique, Daisy Valle & Lerman, Laura Visintainer & Sousa, Paulo Renato de & Benitez, Guilherme Brittes & Bigares Charrua Santos, Fernando M. & Frank, Alejandro G., 2022. "Being digital and flexible to navigate the storm: How digital transformation enhances supply chain flexibility in turbulent environments," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 250(C).
    2. Behl, Abhishek & Gaur, Jighyasu & Pereira, Vijay & Yadav, Rambalak & Laker, Benjamin, 2022. "Role of big data analytics capabilities to improve sustainable competitive advantage of MSME service firms during COVID-19 – A multi-theoretical approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 378-389.
    3. Zhu, Qingyun & Bai, Chunguang & Sarkis, Joseph, 2022. "Blockchain technology and supply chains: The paradox of the atheoretical research discourse," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    4. Sen, Sandipan & Savitskie, Katrina & Mahto, Raj V. & Kumar, Sampath & Khanine, Dmitry, 2022. "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it? Indian manufacturing SMEs’ quest for strategic flexibility," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 27-35.
    5. Jingsi Zhang & Liangqun Qi, 2021. "Crisis Preparedness of Healthcare Manufacturing Firms during the COVID-19 Outbreak: Digitalization and Servitization," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-23, May.
    6. Rameshwar Dubey & David J. Bryde & Cyril Foropon & Gary Graham & Mihalis Giannakis & Deepa Bhatt Mishra, 2022. "Agility in humanitarian supply chain: an organizational information processing perspective and relational view," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 319(1), pages 559-579, December.
    7. Huynh, Minh-Tay & Nippa, Michael & Aichner, Thomas, 2023. "Big data analytics capabilities: Patchwork or progress? A systematic review of the status quo and implications for future research," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    8. Zahoor, Nadia & Gabriel Pepple, Dennis & Choudrie, Jyoti, 2021. "Entrepreneurial competencies and alliance success: The role of external knowledge absorption and mutual trust," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 440-450.
    9. Md Ahsan Uddin Murad & Dilek Cetindamar & Subrata Chakraborty, 2022. "Identifying the Key Big Data Analytics Capabilities in Bangladesh’s Healthcare Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-21, June.
    10. Seongtae Kim & Claudia Colicchia & David Menachof, 2018. "Ethical Sourcing: An Analysis of the Literature and Implications for Future Research," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(4), pages 1033-1052, November.
    11. Verónica H. Villena & Thomas Y. Choi & Elena Revilla, 2021. "Mitigating Mechanisms for the Dark Side of Collaborative Buyer–Supplier Relationships: A Mixed‐Method Study," Journal of Supply Chain Management, Institute for Supply Management, vol. 57(4), pages 86-116, October.
    12. Hamann-Lohmer, Jacob & Bendig, Miriam & Lasch, Rainer, 2023. "Investigating the impact of digital transformation on relationship and collaboration dynamics in supply chains and manufacturing networks – A multi-case study," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    13. Benzidia, Smail & Makaoui, Naouel & Bentahar, Omar, 2021. "The impact of big data analytics and artificial intelligence on green supply chain process integration and hospital environmental performance," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    14. Daniel Etse & Adela McMurray & Nuttawuth Muenjohn, 2023. "Sustainable Procurement Practice: The Effect of Procurement Officers’ Perceptions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 184(2), pages 525-548, May.
    15. Kedwadee Sombultawee & Pattama Lenuwat & Natdanai Aleenajitpong & Sakun Boon-itt, 2022. "COVID-19 and Supply Chain Management: A Review with Bibliometric," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-21, March.
    16. Bag, Surajit & Yadav, Gunjan & Wood, Lincoln C. & Dhamija, Pavitra & Joshi, Sudhanshu, 2020. "Industry 4.0 and the circular economy: Resource melioration in logistics," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    17. Lai, Kee-hung & Feng, Yunting & Zhu, Qinghua, 2023. "Digital transformation for green supply chain innovation in manufacturing operations," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    18. Yu, Wantao & Zhao, Gen & Liu, Qi & Song, Yongtao, 2021. "Role of big data analytics capability in developing integrated hospital supply chains and operational flexibility: An organizational information processing theory perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    19. Taiwen Feng & Hongyan Sheng, 2023. "Identifying the equifinal configurations of prompting green supply chain integration and subsequent performance outcome," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(8), pages 5234-5251, December.
    20. Horn, Philipp & Scheffler, Paul & Schiele, Holger, 2014. "Internal integration as a pre-condition for external integration in global sourcing: A social capital perspective," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 54-65.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:proeco:v:253:y:2022:i:c:s0925527322001864. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ijpe .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.