An analysis of the role of information technology in creating flexible supply chains with the mediating role of trust and industry competitiveness

The current research has been conducted with the aim of investigating the role of information technology in creating flexible supply chains with the mediating role of trust and industry competitiveness. This study is applied and descriptive in terms of purpose and was conducted with a survey method. The statistical sample in this study is 183 managers and employees of Ghadir Niriz Steel Company, who were selected by convenience sampling. In order to analyze the data, partial least squares method and Smart PLS-2 software were used. Convergent validity was used to measure validity, and Cronbach's alpha was used to measure reliability, and its coefficient is greater than 0.7 for all research constructs. . The obtained results indicate that information technology has a positive and significant effect on flexible supply chains respectively with the path coefficient (0.411), trust (0.582) and industry competitiveness (0.667). On the other hand, the confidence and competitiveness of the industry also has a positive and significant effect on flexible supply chains. Finally, it can be said that both trust variable and industry competitiveness play a mediating role in the relationship between information technology and flexible supply chain. Therefore, it can be said that paying attention to information technology is necessary in order to create flexibility and trust in the supply chain and competitiveness in the steel industry.