The country context in Triple-A supply chains : an advanced PLS–SEM research study in emerging vs developed countries

Purpose: This paper analyzes whether the Triple-A supply chain (SC)–competitive advantage (CA) relationship is influenced by the country context and considers the case of emerging vs developed countries. Any differences in the importance of the three Triple-A SC dimensions (agility, adaptability and alignment) and a potential synergy effect among them when pursuing CA are also analyzed. Design/methodology/approach: Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method is applied to an international multiple informant sample of 304 manufacturing plants in nine developed and five emerging countries. Findings: A significant positive relationship is found between the Triple-A SC and CA in the full sample and in the two separate samples of emerging and developed countries, which is more intense in the emerging countries. For the same samples, it is also concluded that (1) there are no significant differences in the importance of SC adaptability (SC-Ad), SC agility (SC-Ag) and SC alignment (SC-Al) as levers in the Triple-A SC–CA relationship and (2) a synergy effect among the Triple-A SC dimensions when pursuing CA is not supported. Research limitations/implications: The present study brings new evidence to the previous research on Triple-A SC and its relationship with CA in different country contexts. For managers, this work (1) shows that Triple A should be considered in the design of global SCs irrespective of the country context and (2) offers a first approach for determining the Triple-A SC levers that must be taken into consideration when pursuing a CA. Originality/value: This paper contributes to Triple-A SC theory development. It is the first research study that analyzes the effect of the country context on the Triple-A SC–CA relationship and the importance of each of the Triple-A SC dimensions and their possible synergy effect when pursuing CA using a multiinformant international sample taken from different country contexts.