Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine when and how organizations build big data analytics capability (BDAC) to improve supply chain agility (SCA) and gain competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach The authors grounded the theoretical framework in two perspectives: the dynamic capabilities view and contingency theory. To test the research hypotheses, the authors gathered 173 usable responses using a pre-tested questionnaire. Findings The results suggest that BDAC has a positive and significant effect on SCA and competitive advantage. Further, the results support the hypothesis that organizational flexibility (OF) has a positive and significant moderation effect on the path joining BDAC and SCA. However, contrary to the belief, the authors found no support for the moderation effect of OF on the path joining BDAC and competitive advantage. Originality/value The study makes some useful contributions to the literature on BDAC, SCA, OF, and competitive advantage. Moreover, the results may further motivate future scholars to replicate the findings using longitudinal data.
Dubey et al. (2018) studied this question.