Strategic Distribution Partnerships and Value Chain Innovation in Emerging Markets: A Moderated Mediation Analysis of Nigeria’s Lubricant Oil Industry (Published)
This study considers in what way strategic distribution partnerships drive value chain innovation and outcomes in emerging market supply chains. Drawing on Resource-Based View, Value Chain Theory, Strategic Alliance Theory, and Institutional Theory, we test a moderated mediation framework using data from 562 stakeholders in Nigeria’s lubricant oil industry. Structural Equation Modelling reveals that collaborative alliances considerably enhance value chain innovation (β = 0.63, p < 0.001), which in turn improves operational performance (β = 0.57, p < 0.001). Value chain innovation mediates the partnership-performance relationship (indirect effect = 0.36, p = 0.004), while institutional conditions moderate partnership-innovation outcomes (β = 0.21, p = 0.018). Partnerships function as dynamic capability enablers, with innovation serving as the main mechanism for performance gains. However, institutional context significantly conditions these relationships, stressing the importance of context-sensitive strategy in emerging economies. The study contributes a validated system for understanding how indigenous firms leverage collaborative systems to overcome physical and institutional constraints.
Keywords: Emerging Markets, Institutional Theory, Supply chain management, moderated mediation, strategic distribution partnerships, value chain innovation