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Introduction:
This article is named “Influence of supply chain risk management and its mediating role on
supply chain performance: Perspectives from an agri-fresh produce (Waqas et al., 2022).” It is
published in the journal “Annals of Operations Research.” This article is written by five authors
which are Norazlyn Kamal Basha, Umair Waqas, Sonia Umair, Normaz Wana Ismail, and
Azmawani Abd Rahman.
Considering the name of the article, it is considered that this article aims the factors’ analysis of
supply chain risk management influencing supply chain performance. This article focuses on the
significance of the fresh fruits and vegetables’ agropreneurs that play a major part in the
Malaysian economy. To further analyzing the agropreneurs’ endurance and development in this
research paper, the main focus will be put on the exploring the significance of supply chain risk
management and its mediating role. It will help to analyze factors that facilitate reduce supply
chain risks and enhance supply chain (SC) performance of Malaysian agropreneurs. Moreover, to
achieve the goals of this research paper, there have been five research objectives which aimed to
analyze the correlation between supply chain risks and other research variables such as supply
chain risk management, performance, and the mediating and moderating effect.
This research paper aimed to collect data for this study from 430 agropreneurs to review the
research hypotheses and fulfill the research objectives. These respondents were selected to
conduct a questionnaire, and they were all from the five most productive states of Malaysia.
Moreover, this study used a statistical method known as PLS-SEM to test the framework. The
questionnaire data helped conclude the idea that there exist negative connection between supply
chain risks and its performance but supply chain risk management seems to mediate that link
among supply chain risk and supply chain performance. Moreover, knowledge management
being the moderating factor seems to influence supply chain risk’s relationship towards the
supply chain performance.
Overall, Quantitative research approach by using a questionnaire and referencing 106 citations to
highlight SC risk management affect agropreneurs’ performance has been adopted in this
research paper. The data concluded in this article will be helpful for government agencies and
agribusiness institutions better grasp the significance of risk management in the supply chain and
its function in improving overall organizational performance. Furthermore, this article is related
to the topic of interest "supply chain management" since it is immediately associated with the
field of supply chain management through examining supply network risks and agropreneur
performance. Because supply chain management is a crucial component of business and reading
this article may help learn more about supply chain risks link with the supply chain performance.
It may also help learn different aspects that contribute to efficient supply chain management.
This article is related to the field of interest since it offers a valuable idea about the businesses’
effectiveness towards managing supply chain risks to enhance the overall business growth and
supply chain performance.

Literature Review:
This article has highlighted the importance of overarching theory to define the relationship
among different variables by highlighting the idea that the risks faced by managers mainly lead
to supply chain risks, such as industry risks, which may lead to supply, demand, and process
risks. The literature review of this article focuses on the importance of transaction cost theory
and knowledge-based views. The literature aims to address the gap in improving supply chain
value by suggesting the importance of knowledge management towards establishing market
information and business intelligence. It also highlights that supply chain disruptions can be
reduced by effectively planning and developing contingency plans. The literature focuses on the
importance of knowledge management through knowledge-based view theory, which provides a
competitive advantage for supply chain members and enhances organizational performance.
Organisational knowledge benefits supply chains by assisting businesses in creating
opportunities and neutralising challenges. In brief, organisational knowledge recognises supply
chain hazards and greatly aids in supply chain management performance. The increased
uncertainty level may cause increased supply chain risk, therefore the focus on analyzing the
supply chain risk’s relationship with the performance has been highlighted in the literature
review. The increased risks associated with this exchange link make it challenging for the buyer
to identify potential supply chain risks. Additionally, the literature focuses on the individual
effects of risks on risk management practises, such as demand, supply, and the environment to
effectively comprehend the association of supply chain management towards the risks. In
addition, the focus is also on risk analysis, recognition, and its mitigation measures have been put
in this section concerning the risk management of supply chain.
Furthermore, theoretical framework section aims to examine the dependence on supply chain
performance on risk management in the supply chain. Supply chain risk management importance
towards managing the response rate, reducing loss, improving cost efficiency, recognizing
possible threats, and minimizing disruption rates is also described. To further enhance the
management performance of the risks in supply chain, analyzing, recognizing, and reducing
risks; the four performance indicators described are quality, flexibility, responsive behavior, and
efficiency. The importance of effective supply chain management is highlighted for cost-saving,
profitability, and value-generation while focusing on the balance of benefits with investment.
Supply chain risk management approaches are critical for managing performance and reducing
risk impact because the key impacts of risk control on supply chain performance are uncertainty
and risk management performance.
Methodology:
This research paper is based on the positivism paradigm, which is a research philosophy where
the research focuses on exploring data in a neutral and objective manner. This research study is a
positive paradigm since it uses a quantitative research design where the knowledge-based view
and transaction cost theory are to be tested. Additionally, to ensure relationship modelling,
primary data was gathered and PLS-SEM was applied. PLS-SEM combines the analysis of
principle components with regression-based assessment to approximate the parameters of a
structural equation model's set of equations. Malaysia consists of 13 states, and the target
population of this research paper is agropreneurs from Malaysia. Therefore, as it is not possible
to collect data from all small-scale agropreneurs, non-probability sampling, and in particular the
snowball sampling technique, have been used. By initiating initial contact with a small number
of persons connected to the research topic, researchers modified snowball sampling and
questionnaire surveys. An English-designed questionnaire was translated into Malay with the aid
of respondents before being employed as the primary tool in quantitative research. A seven-point
Likert scale was employed in this investigation.
Data Analysis:
The measurement model, SPSS, and SEM were utilised to confirm the data's dependability and
assess the study paper's hypotheses. The techniques used for the data preparation, confirmatory
measurement models adoption to define validity and reliability of the results, and detailed
characteristics’ study such as the demographics of the respondents, hypotheses testing, and the
correlation of mediating and moderating variables to understand the relation are considered the
strengths of data analysis. SPSS and SEM both are considered suitable techniques for the
analysis of research questions and data sets from questionnaires because they can offer a
valuable approach to the relationships between variables and help researchers test their
hypotheses. Both measurement model and structural models are conducted and explained in the
data analysis sections, respectively. The section on data analysis explains the measurement
model’s analysis, which was addressed before the analysis of the structural model. The formative
measurement model was used after the reflective measurement model, and before that, the
internal consistency was evaluated. When evaluating dependability based on the intercorrelations
of the indicators, Cronbach's alpha is used. Additionally, the reflecting measurement items were
examined for different purposes such as to measure the convergent validity, AVE is adopted.
Similarly, composite reliability (CR) is used for internal consistency and individual indicator
reliability analysis. There are four variables (supply chain risk, supply chain management, supply
chain performance, and knowledge management) in this research study to test the correlation and
hypotheses.
Questionnaire Design:
The questionnaire of this article aimed to obtain the profile of the participants such as their
gender, ethnicity, age, marital status, education, farming status, states, position, training, and
working experience. Moreover, the others factors and items such as cost efficiency, demand risk,
environmental risk, flexibility, financial risk, knowledge acquisition, knowledge application,
knowledge conversion, process risk, quality, risk evaluation, responsiveness, recognition of the
risk, alleviation strategies of risk, as well as supply risk are asked and analyzed through
reflective measurement model. This is the strength of this questionnaire because it particularly
analyzed factors one by one and made it clear that what particular factors are to be analyzed
regarding the research objectives of this paper. The questionnaire is suitable because it helped to
evaluate the research objectives because all factors are asked one by one and then joined together
to understand the correlation of the variables.
In addition, importance of knowledge management regarding supply chain risks considering the
previous discussed factors are analyzed by using formative measurement model. And, the
estimated agropreneurs are sourced from the Department of Agriculture instead of collecting
through questionnaires. The answers obtained through questionnaires and measurement models
has made it clear to conduct the path coefficient assessment and evaluate hypotheses.
Results:
The hypotheses of the results designed in this research paper are based on the literature review,
conceptual framework, transaction cost theory, mediating role, and path coefficient assessment,
which have helped assess the study’s hypotheses. The hypotheses of this article focuses on idea
that the higher supply chain risk level towards high motivation of identifying the risks, their
assessment, mitigation, and practicing mitigation techniques in the organization. It explains the
correlation between all variables in explained in detail in the result section. Mainly, the
hypotheses of the study are based on analyzing the correlation among variables through
mediating and moderating variables. Moreover, Knowledge management (moderating variable)
has aided in the development of several theories, including knowledge management moderations,
the correlation of the hypotheses. These variables and hypotheses are explored through a
questionnaire and measured through SPSS and PLS-SEM through Cronbach’s alpha, AVE,
composite reliability, HTMT, and VIF. The correlation of risk identification and supply chain
performance shows that the coefficient link is unsupported. While, other variables’ relationship
have a positive impact on the supply chain performance; however premise of risk identification
having a positive impact on supply chain performance was not substantiated.
Furthermore, it is analyzed through mediating variable that assessment and the mitigation
strategies of risk moderation the relation between hazards and performance of agripreneurs’
supply chain. However, Supply chain risk is not supported when the condition is the risk
identification mediating the correlation towards supply chain performance. The moderation
effect assessment (knowledge management) demonstrates the mitigated association towards risk
and their identification as well as assessment but not seems to regulate the relationship between
risks and their mitigation techniques. Overall, a p-value of 0.01 indicates that the results are
statistically significant.
These findings are all helpful and significantly help understand the objective of this research
paper.
Conclusion:
It is concluded from this research study than supply chain risk management and knowledge
management (moderating variable) both have an extensive influence on the agri-fresh support
supply network and their performance. Moreover, the transaction cost and knowledge-based
perspective theories used in this paper are correctly applied and are deemed to be validated in
terms of the research objectives. Furthermore, the research study focused on the supply chain
risk management’s three main components which are the assessment and mitigation techniques
of the risks and mediating correlation between performance and risks of supply chain in some
industry. In addition, the indirect influence on managing risk in supply chain through lowering
supply chain risk’s unsupported effectives was investigated using a moderating variable
(knowledge management).
The performance management towards the agripreneurs and the overall sector is also explained.
The data analysis and findings of this research study will help agropreneur institutions and
government organizations helpfully focus on the risk management in supply chain and its
function to enhance agropreneur effectiveness.
Since it was found that this research paper is cross-sectional, only focused on examining the
Malaysian agri-fresh produce supply chain, not focused on exploring a detailed understanding of
the issues, and included only five states, which is not even half. Thus, it is recommended to use a
mixed-methods or qualitative approach to focus on the validity and explore issues in detail,
including small and medium agribusinesses, to conduct more robust research, include more states
for generalizing the results, and conduct longitudinal studies to explore causal links between the
constructs.
I may replicate this study in another context by thinking about the function of knowledge
management in industries other than agri-fresh products to mitigate the pessimistic consequences
associated risks of supply chain while improve its performance. The knowledge-based
perspective hypothesis was founded on the concept that knowledge is a critical resource for
sustaining competitive advantage. Furthermore, because the model's mechanisms of risk
recognition, risk mitigation techniques, and risk evaluation towards managing risks in diverse
supply chains, the transaction cost theory-based model can be used to manage risks in other
industries.
References
Waqas, U., Abd Rahman, A., Ismail, N.W., Kamal Basha, N. and Umair, S. (2022). Influence of
supply chain risk management and its mediating role on supply chain performance: perspectives
from an agri-fresh produce. Annals of Operations Research. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-
022-04702-7.