Abstract
Supply chain flexibility (SCF) represents the capability of firms to respond to unanticipated changes in customer needs and competitor actions. Given the growing research interest in flexibility strategies, the development of a valid and reliable instrument to measure organizational responses toward environmental uncertainties or risks is imperative. However, no systematic and scientific research has been conducted to develop such an instrument. The present study adopts a comprehensive and rigorous procedure to develop a multifaceted scale for SCF through an empirical investigation. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis suggest that SCF can be operationalized as a second-order factor model comprising four dimensions, namely: sourcing flexibility, operating system flexibility, distribution flexibility, and information system flexibility. A series of goodness-of-fit indices further demonstrates that this scale is internally consistent, reliable, and valid. The various findings suggested in the present study provide a more succinct picture of SCF, and the well-validated scale could be used as a basis for further research and theoretical groundwork in the field of supply chain management.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 191-203 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | European Journal of Operational Research |
Volume | 222 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 16 Oct 2012 |
Keywords
- Instrument development
- Measurement model
- Scale validation
- Supply chain flexibility
- Supply chain management
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Modelling and Simulation
- Management Science and Operations Research
- Information Systems and Management