Abstract:
The apparel sector is important to Sri Lanka's economy since it highly contributes
to export earnings and employment. Yet, there is a lack of research on the
relationship between Industry 4.0 technologies and export performance in this
sector. The main aim of this study is to find the relationship between Industry 4.0
technologies and the export performance of the Apparel sector while considering
the impact of supply chain agility. A quantitative research design has been used
for this study. The research formulates hypotheses from a comprehensive
literature review. These hypotheses are tested using structural equation
modeling (SQM), and the data was collected from 97 apparel organizations in
the Sri Lankan sector. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23 and Smart PLS.
There is a positive and significant impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on Export
performance. Internet of Things, Big data analytics, and Cloud computing have a
positive and significant impact on Export performance. Supply chain agility
mediates between Industry 4.0 technologies and Export performance. The study
discusses the findings, advances limitations, and managerial implications related
to the research area. The research paper also suggests future research avenues.
It highlights some recommendations to support Sri Lankan apparel organizations
in forming flexible supply chains and using the latest technology to increase
export performance. The findings of this research have practical implications for
both practitioners and researchers. Overall, this study contributes to the
literature on strategic management, showing the reliability of the scales used and
the affirmative of the factor structure. Further, the study shows that, orientation
is critical in increasing export performance in strategic management technology.
This study has used the resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capabilities
theories.
