The supply chain integration – Supply chain sustainability relationship in the UK and Ghana pharmaceutical industry: A stakeholder and contingency perspective

Abstract In this research, the objective is to develop and test a model which provides understanding into the supply chain integration (SCI)-supply chain sustainability (SCS) relationship. The paper also explores how the SCI-SCS relationship is mediated by customer satisfaction and moderated by external uncertainty (EU) through the lenses of stakeholder and contingency theory by considering the pharmaceutical industry in Ghana and the UK. Empirical survey data were gathered from 231 pharmaceutical firms in Ghana and UK. We used structural equation modelling, multi-group analysis, and hierarchical regression to analyse the SCI-SCS relationship. We argue that through SCI, the economic, social and environmental performances can be simultaneously improved. However, the SCI-SCS relationship differs among the UK and Ghana context. Testing for mediation found that by increasing levels of customer satisfaction through customer integration (UK) and internal integration (Ghana), pharmaceutical companies can improve their SCS performances. However, testing moderation showed that the mediating effect is affected in both high and low EU. Drawing on stakeholder and contingency theory, our study is among the first to understand the influence of customer satisfaction and EU on the SCI-SCS relationship from a developing country (Ghana) and developed country (UK) perspective. Practitioners are provided with guidance on how to effectively/efficiently operationalise SCI to achieve SCS.