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Purpose-Drawing upon the theory of the resource-based view (RBV), this paper aims to examine the relationships among relational resources, innovation capability and firm performance in the third-party logistics (3PL) industry. Design/methodology/approach-Based on data collected from 203 3PL providers in China, this study adopts the approach of structural equation modeling to examine the hypothesized relationships among relational resources, innovation capability and firm performance. Findings-The results of this research confirm that relational resources have a positive effect on firm performance. However, the effect is not direct, but realized through the mediation of innovation capability. This study indicates that relational resources are important for 3PL providers to achieve superior performance, and innovation capability plays a mediating role between relational resources and firm performance. Originality/values-The main contributions of this paper to the literature are twofold. Firstly, it extends the extant research by highlighting the mediating mechanism of innovation capability in relational resources' influence on firm performance. Secondly, it advances the existing perspectives on 3PL firms in the Chinese context and this sheds light on logistics research on emerging markets.

PurposeAs a popular supply chain finance (SCF) strategy, reverse factoring has been widely adopted by buyer firms. However, the extant literature provides scant empirical evidence on the performance effect of reverse factoring. The purpose of this study is to seek to narrow this gap by empirically examining the relationship between reverse factoring and operating performance and the contingency conditions of this relationship.Design/methodology/approachBased on a sample of 167 announcements of reverse factoring implementation made by publicly listed Chinese manufacturing firms between 2014 and 2018, this paper employs a long-term event study approach to analyze the operating performance effect of reverse factoring as well as the moderating effects of production and innovation capabilities.FindingsThe event study results indicate that reverse factoring has a positive effect on buyer firms' operating performance in terms of cost efficiency and operating margin. In addition, both production and innovation capabilities positively moderate the relationship between reverse factoring and operating margin. However, neither of them moderates the relationship between reverse factoring and cost efficiency.Originality/valueThis is the first study that empirically examines the impact of reverse factoring on operating performance based on secondary data. Furthermore, it sheds light on the SCF literature by providing insights into the contingency effects of production and innovation capabilities, which also extends our understanding of the application of extended resource-based view in SCF research.

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PurposeThe highly uncertain and turbulent environments nowadays intensify the paradoxical effects of supply base concentration (SBC) on improving cost efficiency while increasing idiosyncratic risk (IR). Digitalization is regarded as a remedy for this paradox, yet digitization's potentially curative effect has not been empirically tested. Leveraging the lenses of paradox theory and information processing theory (IPT), this study explores how two distinct dimensions of digitalization, i.e. digitalization intensity (DI) and digitalization breadth (DB), reconcile the paradoxical effects of SBC.Design/methodology/approachUsing a panel dataset of 1,238 Chinese manufacturing firms in the period of 2012–2020, this study utilizes fixed-effects regression models to test the proposed hypotheses.FindingsThe authors discover that SBC enhances a firm's cost efficiency but induces greater IR. More importantly, there is evidence that DI restrains the amplifying effect of SBC on IR. However, DB weakens the enhancing effect of SBC on cost efficiency and aggravates the SBC's exacerbating effect on IR.Originality/valueThis study advances the understanding of the paradoxical effects of SBC on cost efficiency and IR from a paradox theory perspective. More importantly, to the best of the authors' knowledge, the authors' study is the first to untangle the differential roles of DI and DB in reconciling the paradox of SBC. This study also provides practitioners with nuanced insights into how the practitioners should use appropriate tactics to deploy digital technologies effectively.

PurposeThe aim of this study is to empirically test the link between servitization and trade credit in manufacturing firms as well as the boundary conditions of this link.Design/methodology/approachUsing a unique dataset of 4,974 observations covering 838 manufacturing firms publicly listed in the United States during 1990–2020, this study examines the impact of servitization on trade credit and the moderating impacts of financial slack and service relatedness based on fixed-effect regression models.FindingsThe authors find that servitization shows a U-shaped relationship with trade credit. Besides, financial slack negatively moderates this U-shaped relationship whereas service relatedness has no significant impact on this relationship.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to empirically verify the influence of servitization on trade credit in manufacturing firms based on longitudinal secondary data and signaling theory. The research findings can provide several important theoretical and managerial implications for scholars and practitioners in operations management.

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