Purpose – Effective and efficient supply chain coordination requires the integration of all product flow processes. However, inconsistent empirical results have been obtained with respect to the relationships between supply chain integration (SCI) and performance. Drawing on efficiency-flexibility arguments, this paper seeks to develop a SCI model that includes buyer-supplier-supplier relationships, and proposes a contingency framework for reexamining the SCI-supplier performance relationship under demand and technological uncertainties. Design/methodology/approach – A two-stage data collection process was conducted, and a total of 878 suppliers that listed in the Taiwanese “Center-Satellite Production System” with supply contract were contacted for this study. Finally 164 suppliers were gathered and screened as valid responses. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses in this study. Findings – Evidence indicates that SCI has a significant positive effect on the suppliers' performance. The positive SCI-performance relationship can be moderately weakened by demand uncertainty; however, this positive SCI-performance relationship will be strengthened by technological uncertainty. Originality/value – While supply chain management is needed to manage the vertical and horizontal relationships simultaneously, this study offers a framework to solve efficiency-flexibility dilemma arguments when dealing with “exploitation” and “exploration” alternatives to help to reexamine the inconsistent SCI-performance relationship. Furthermore, based on transaction cost theory, this paper takes the nature of uncertainty into account for improving the theoretical background of the SCI-performance relationship arguments. Empirical results indicate the existence of an ambidextrous supply chain integration strategy which justifies the choice of which one is preferable in efficiency-flexibility dilemma arguments.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how psychological antecedents (i.e. consumer mindsets) and individual difference characteristics (i.e. moral identity) affect the intention to purchase Fair Trade products based on the triadic reciprocal causation model in social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986). The primary factors that influence ethical consumption decisions in ethnic Chinese societies were explored by integrating the unique cultural environment of the Chinese. Design/methodology/approach The study effective sample comprised university students and professors. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses and indirect effects. Results showed that moral identity internalization had a mediating effect on the relationship between a collectivistic mindset and the intention to purchase Fair Trade products. Findings A high moral identity symbolization had a moderating effect on the relationship between a collectivistic mindset and the intention to purchase Fair Trade products. This demonstrated that the two dimensions of moral identity, internalization and symbolization, play different roles and have different functions in regards to the intention to purchase Fair Trade products. Research limitations/implications Future studies are urged to examine this issue at a cultural level by performing a cross-cultural comparison and to integrate consumer heterogeneity for a deeper examination of the interaction between demographic factors and psychological traits on consumer behaviours regarding Fair Trade products. Originality/value This study indicates that moral identity internalization is the primary factor that influences ethical consumption decisions in Chinese societies. In terms of the moderating effect of moral identity symbolization, results showed that the higher an individual’s moral identity symbolization, the stronger the relationship between a collectivistic mindset and the intention to purchase Fair Trade products is. These results can serve as a reference for marketing communications and market segmentation policies in the business world.

Sustainable development is a common global theme of the 21st century. Global environmental issues have attracted increasing public attention in recent years. As one of the most important industries in Taiwan, the automotive industry needs to implement green supply chain management to comply with current trends, and the selection of suppliers of green parts is particularly important in this regard. Supplier selection is a classic case of multiple‐criteria decision‐making (MCDM). A traditional method, called the decision‐making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL)‐based analytical network process (ANP) (DANP), is appropriate to solve the problem of supplier selection. This study proposes a novel variant of DANP, called grey DANP, to effectively reduce the huge problem arising from pairwise comparisons. An empirical study was used to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed grey DANP. It contributes to finding the key factors of selecting green suppliers for Taiwan's automotive industry, including technology, delivery time, environmental management system and pollution control. The cause–effect relationships among key factors indicate that the environmental management system should be given more attention by manufacturers in the selection of green suppliers.

Purpose This paper aims to adopt the perspectives of cognition and emotions to investigate whether the interdependent self-construal of consumers in a Chinese collectivist culture, along with empathy and moral identity, evokes direct and indirect responses to corporate cause-related marketing (CRM). Design/methodology/approach A total of 901 valid questionnaires were retrieved, and PROCESS macro for SPSS was used to test the multiple mediation and serial mediation hypotheses. The structural equation modeling was also used to confirm the results. Findings The empirical results showed that consumer self-construal exerts a positive influence on consumer responses to corporate CRM through empathy. The results also suggest that CRM events provoke empathetic responses in consumers and trigger their moral identity, which in turn affects their evaluations on CRM corporations and their purchase intentions for CRM goods. Research limitations/implications The present study targeted the relatively affordable CRM events in convenience stores to investigate consumer responses; the results may not be applicable to CRM events in other industries. Besides that, as this study is focused on CRM activity, respondents may have more positive evaluation. Practical implications Corporations are advised to improve their corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication strategies. These should rely on factual, sincere, easy-to-understand and appropriate communication to trigger moral identity in consumers. Because empathy is regarded as the core of human moral and emotional systems, corporations are advised to associate their charitable events with social emotions to strengthen consumer perceptions, enhance moral identity and promote prosocial behaviors. Originality/value This study verified the serial multiple mediating effect of empathy and moral identity in the relationship between consumer self-construal and responses to corporate CRM. Corporations are advised to improve their CSR communication strategies and public expression of moral actions to raise consumer empathy and moral identity, so as to improve consumer responses to CRM.

As a crucial part of producer services, the logistics industry is highly dependent on the manufacturing industry. In general, the interactive development of the logistics and manufacturing industries is essential. Due to the existence of a certain degree of interdependence between any two factors, interaction between the two industries has produced a basis for measurement; identifying the key factors affecting the interaction between the manufacturing and logistics industries is a kind of decision problem in the field of multiple criteria decision making (MCDM). A hybrid MCDM method, DEMATEL-based ANP (DANP) is appropriate to solve this problem. However, DANP uses a direct influence matrix, which involves pairwise comparisons that may be more or less influenced by the respondents. Therefore, we propose a decision model, Grey DANP, which can automatically generate the direct influence matrix. Statistical data for the logistics and manufacturing industries in the China Statistical Yearbook (2006–2015) were used to identify the key factors for interaction between these two industries. The results showed that the key logistics criteria for interaction development are the total number of employees in the transport business, the volume of goods, and the total length of routes. The key manufacturing criteria for interaction development are the gross domestic product and the value added. Therefore, stakeholders should increase the number of employees in the transport industry and freight volumes. Also, the investment in infrastructure should be increased.