The impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) on agility, operating, and economical performance of supply chain

Abstract

Information and communication technologies (ICT) are widely used in supply chain (SC) due to their effects on both economic performance and operational agility. This paper proposes a structural equation model integrating 17 items into four latent variables: ICT, SC agility, operating performance, and economic performance. Data analysed in the model were gathered through a questionnaire administered to 306 managers of Mexican maquiladoras. Likewise, we used statistical software WarpPLS 5.0®, which is based on partial least squares algorithms, to assess the six hypotheses established in the model. Such hypotheses were validated with a 95 % confidence level, and values were standardized to avoid problems regarding the measurement scale. Findings demonstrate that ICT have a positive direct impact on the other three analysed latent variables, which together account for 63 % of the variability of SC economic performance. Similarly, we found that ICT can explain up to 40 % of the variability of SC agility.