Current Research Bulletin

This research examines the mediating effects of digital technology adoption and supply chain resilience on the relationship between firm intellectual capability and firm performance in small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises in Shanxi, China. Grounded in Resource-Based Theory, this conceptual paper addresses significant gaps in understanding how manufacturing SMEs can utilise intellectual assets to improve performance via digital transformation and efficient supply chain strategies. The proposed framework integrates four key constructs—firm intellectual capability, digital technology adoption, supply chain resilience, and firm performance—and examines both direct and serial mediation effects. The research employs a quantitative, cross-sectional design, utilising structured data collection from 385 manufacturing SMEs in Shanxi Province. Measurement instruments draw on validated scales from prior studies, with data analysis conducted through SPSS version 29 and SmartPLS version 4 for structural equation modelling. The framework is grounded in a thorough review of over 35 empirical studies and employs Resource-Based Theory to clarify how valuable, rare, inimitable, and non-substitutable resources enable sustained performance improvements. The study contributes to strategic management literature by elucidating mechanisms through which intellectual resources provide competitive advantage in emerging economies, and offers practical guidance for SME managers and policymakers seeking to foster digital transformation and supply chain resilience as strategies for sustained competitive advantage.

Digital technology adoption, supply chain resilience, firm intellectual capability, firm performance, manufacturing SMEs, Resource-Based Theory, serial mediation, Shanxi Province.

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