Purpose This study examines how organizational informants working in Romanian companies perceive the relationships between awareness of sustainable development (ADSD), regulatory requirements (RR), leadership orientation toward sustainability (LOS), the adoption of sustainable strategies (ASS), organizational performance (OP) and organizational reputation (OR). Design/methodology/approach A confirmatory econometric model derived from a previous qualitative phase was tested with partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 4. Data were gathered through a Likert-type questionnaire administered to 117 key informants working in Romanian firms, ranging from operational to top management. ADSD and ASS were specified as reflective–reflective higher-order constructs and assessed through a two-stage disjoint procedure. Reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity (Fornell–Larcker, HTMT) and structural significance (5,000 bootstrap subsamples) were evaluated against current methodological guidelines. Findings Leadership orientation toward sustainability emerged as the dominant antecedent of the adoption of sustainable strategies (β = 0.615, p < 0.001), whereas awareness of sustainable development and perceived regulatory requirements did not exhibit statistically significant direct effects after leadership orientation was included in the model. The adoption of sustainable strategies, in turn, was strongly associated with organizational performance (β = 0.762, p < 0.001) and moderately but significantly associated with organizational reputation (β = 0.337, p = 0.002). Performance was also positively associated with reputation (β = 0.435, p < 0.001). The model explained 55.7% of the variance in ASS, 58.1% in OP and 52.7% in OR. Research limitations/implications The study offers one of the first integrated, leader-centred PLS-SEM tests of sustainability strategy adoption in a Central and Eastern European emerging economy, and challenges the assumption that awareness or compliance pressure alone are enough to move firms beyond declarative sustainability (the other approach being that the gap between declarative intent and genuine sustainability strategy adoption in Central and Eastern European emerging economies stems from a complex mix of institutional, financial, and cultural barriers). Practical implications Companies seeking to translate sustainability awareness and regulatory requirements into strategic adoption should complement compliance initiatives with sustainability-leadership training, internal sustainability champions, measurable managerial KPIs and incentive systems linked to sustainability objectives. For SMEs, these mechanisms can be implemented proportionately through a quarterly sustainability dashboard, a designated sustainability champion and a limited set of material targets. Social implications The findings suggest that strengthening managerial capabilities around sustainability could accelerate the alignment of Romanian businesses with EU climate, social and governance objectives. Originality/value The study contributes to the literature by integrating awareness of sustainable development, perceived regulatory requirements, sustainability-oriented leadership, sustainable strategy adoption, organizational performance and organizational reputation within a single PLS-SEM model tested in an underexplored Central and Eastern European context. More importantly, the findings indicate that leadership orientation toward sustainability is the only significant direct antecedent of sustainable strategy adoption when awareness and perceived regulatory requirements are considered simultaneously. The study therefore suggests that the transition from declarative sustainability intentions to strategy adoption depends primarily on leaders' capacity to translate sustainability principles into organizational priorities, resource allocation and managerial action.
Purpose Manufacturing supply chains face recurrent disruptions that demand rapid response and recovery, as well as sustained coordination across interdependent firms. Firms often encounter difficulties in translating digital investments into broader supply chain viability (SCV) because digital capabilities must be coordinated and deployed across organizational boundaries. This study adopts SCV as an overarching analytical perspective rather than as a measured higher-order construct. It examines how enterprise digitalization capability (EDC) translates through inter-firm digital collaboration effectiveness (IDCE) into three separately modeled viability-related outcomes: supply chain agility, resilience, and sustainability. It also examines whether relationship governance (RGM) strengthens this cross-organizational deployment process. Design/methodology/approach Survey data from 380 managers at manufacturing firms in China were analyzed using a complementary three-stage design. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesized direct, mediating, and moderating relationships. Necessary condition analysis was used to identify potential bottlenecks, while fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis identified alternative combinations of conditions associated with high outcome levels. Findings Among the sampled Chinese manufacturing firms, EDC is positively associated with IDCE, which serves as the key mechanism through which digital capabilities are translated into supply chain agility, resilience, and sustainability. RGM strengthens this capability-deployment process by enhancing the conversion of EDC into IDCE. The complementary analyses indicate that the three separately analyzed outcomes involve distinct bottleneck conditions and can be achieved through multiple configurations of digital capabilities, collaboration, and governance. Originality/value This study reframes enterprise digitalization from capability possession to cross-boundary capability deployment. By combining net-effect, necessary-condition, and configurational perspectives, it advances understanding of how distinct viability-related supply chain outcomes emerge from interactions among technological, collaborative, and relational conditions, without treating SCV as a measured aggregate construct.
Purpose This study examines how large language model (LLM) adoption is converted into operational performance through process intelligence and decision agility. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on dynamic capability theory and information processing theory, the study tests a sequential mediation model using three-wave matched survey data from 462 managers in Chinese manufacturing firms. Findings LLM adoption is positively associated with process intelligence, process intelligence with decision agility, and decision agility with operational performance. LLM adoption also has a significant total effect on operational performance; however, its residual direct effect becomes non-significant after the mediators are introduced. This pattern is consistent with an indirect-only capability-conversion account. Practical implications Managers should treat LLM implementation as a capability-building process that connects language-based AI resources to process diagnosis, workflow adjustment and operational decision routines. Originality/value The study contributes to business process management research by explaining how LLM adoption becomes embedded in process intelligence and decision agility before producing operational value.
Purpose This study examines how knowledge-intensive organisations develop green product innovation. Specifically, it examines how external knowledge generated through customer collaboration is transformed into green product innovation, highlighting the roles of supply chain integration and environmental strategic ambidexterity. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the knowledge-based view of the firm, the study develops a conceptual model linking customer collaboration, supply chain integration, environmental strategic ambidexterity, and green product innovation. The model is empirically tested using survey data from 301 medium-sized manufacturing firms, analysed through partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings The results show that customer collaboration contributes to green product innovation through supply chain integration and environmental strategic ambidexterity. Supply chain integration facilitates the alignment of externally generated knowledge, while environmental strategic ambidexterity enables its transformation into green product innovation. These findings show that green product innovation emerges through the alignment and transformation of externally generated knowledge, with environmental strategic ambidexterity emerging as its strongest predictor. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by reconceptualising green product innovation as a multi-stage knowledge process involving knowledge generation, knowledge alignment, and knowledge transformation. It shows that customer knowledge alone is insufficient to develop green product innovation unless it is aligned through supply chain integration and transformed through environmental strategic ambidexterity. It also advances environmental strategy research by introducing environmental strategic ambidexterity as a higher-order capability.
PurposeThis study aims to examine how Industry 4.0-enabled Digital Innovation Solutions reconfigure business processes across the Music Industry Supply Chain from a Business Process Management perspective. The purpose is to explain how digital solutions are embedded in core and support processes, reshaping coordination mechanisms, governance structures, and process maturity across interorganizational settings. By systematically mapping Digital Innovation Solutions to specific supply chain processes and assessing their Readiness Levels, the study advances BPM research and provides practical guidance for managing process-oriented digital transformation in cultural and creative industries. Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a multimethod research design that integrates a systematic literature review, grey literature analysis, and expert validation. An inductive content analysis of academic sources is first conducted to identify needs, trends, and Industry 4.0-enabled Digital Innovation Solutions across the Music Industry Supply Chain. Grey literature is then examined to assess the implementation status and Readiness Levels of these solutions. Finally, expert consultation is used to refine solution definitions, validate their allocation to supply chain processes, and corroborate readiness assessments, ensuring a process-oriented analysis grounded in Business Process Management. FindingsThe findings identify 37 Industry 4.0-enabled Digital Innovation Solutions that address nine trends and six process-related needs across the Music Industry Supply Chain. These solutions are unevenly distributed across core and support processes and exhibit different levels of maturity. Eighteen solutions operate at a commercial level, thirteen at an experimental level, and six remain conceptual. The results show that digital innovation primarily manifests through process reconfiguration, influencing coordination mechanisms, governance structures, and process maturity rather than through isolated technological adoption. Variations in Readiness Levels reflect both technological maturity and organizational and institutional constraints across supply chain processes. Research limitations/implicationsFuture research could further explore how process governance mechanisms, organizational capabilities, and interorganizational coordination shape the successful implementation of Digital Innovation Solutions across supply chains. Empirical studies grounded in Business Process Management approaches, such as process mining, longitudinal case studies, and survey-based maturity assessments, could deepen understanding of how digital solutions evolve from experimental to commercial stages. In addition, research examining institutional and regulatory dynamics, as well as strategies for aligning technological innovation with process governance, would enhance the practical applicability of Industry 4.0-enabled digital transformation in the music industry and other cultural and creative sectors. Practical implicationsThe findings provide actionable guidance for managers, policymakers, and practitioners in the music industry by clarifying how Industry 4.0-enabled Digital Innovation Solutions support process reconfiguration across the Music Industry Supply Chain. By linking digital solutions to specific processes and Readiness Levels, the study helps decision makers prioritize digital investments, anticipate coordination and governance challenges, and align technological initiatives with process maturity. The proposed framework supports strategic planning by identifying where digital solutions are commercially viable and where experimental or conceptual initiatives require further organizational, regulatory, or ecosystem-level development. Social implicationsThis study highlights how process-oriented digital transformation can influence social outcomes in the music industry. Industry 4.0-enabled Digital Innovation Solutions can enhance transparency in copyright management, improve fair remuneration for artists, and broaden access to music creation, education, and consumption. By supporting more inclusive, accountable, and participatory processes, digital solutions may reduce power asymmetries between creators, intermediaries, and audiences. In addition, the adoption of digitally mediated processes can expand cultural access and participation, particularly through virtual and hybrid music experiences, contributing to the social sustainability of creative and cultural industries. Originality/valueThis study offers original value by advancing Business Process Management research into the context of cultural and creative industries, an area that remains underexplored in BPM literature. Rather than examining digital technologies as isolated artifacts, the study conceptualizes Industry 4.0-enabled Digital Innovation Solutions as process-embedded capabilities that reshape coordination, governance, and maturity across an interorganizational supply chain. By systematically mapping digital solutions to specific supply chain processes and assessing their Readiness Levels, the study provides a novel process-oriented framework that extends BPM theory and supports informed decision making in complex, digitally mediated ecosystems.
