Leveraging supply chain visibility to drive customer-oriented performance The role of supply chain collaboration and supply chain learning

Abstract

The study examines the impact of supply chain visibility on customer-oriented performance in Ghana's manufacturing firms, focusing on the roles of supply chain collaboration and supply chain learning. The Resource-Based View (RBV) theory and the Organizational Learning Theory (OLT) guide the research. RBV posits that firms gain competitive advantage through unique resources, such as supply chain visibility, enabling them to effectively meet customer needs. OLT emphasizes that organizations that foster learning from supply chain activities are better equipped to adapt and improve performance. The study adopts a quantitative research approach, utilizing structured questionnaires to collect data from 152 manufacturing firms in the Greater Accra region. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to assess the relationships between supply chain visibility, collaboration, learning, and customer-oriented performance. The findings show that supply chain visibility positively affects customer-oriented performance, particularly when mediated by collaboration. Firms that engage in supply chain collaboration can leverage real-time visibility to improve customer satisfaction, product quality, and delivery timelines. Moreover, supply chain learning plays a moderating role, enhancing firms' ability to use supply chain visibility effectively to adapt to market dynamics and customer needs. The study recommends that manufacturing firms enhance supply chain visibility through technological investments and foster collaborative relationships with their supply chain partners. Additionally, firms should encourage continuous learning within their supply chains to optimize customer-oriented performance. Policymakers should create frameworks that promote collaboration and learning in supply chain networks to drive competitiveness in the manufacturing sector.