Factors that influence digital supply chain practices mediated by stakeholders’ intention in higher education institutes of the least developed countries

There is limited understanding regarding factors influencing Digital Supply Chain (DSC) practices in Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) of Bangladesh. The primary objectives are to identify the determinants influencing DSC usage intentions among stakeholders of HEIs, determine the relationship of these determinants with DSC practices, and investigate the mediating role of DSC usage intention in these relationships. Data was collected from 434 respondents selected using a simple random sampling technique. The study employed the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach for data analysis. Five factors were identified as influencing stakeholders' DSC usage intentions: digital literacy (DL), facilitating conditions (FC), facilitating value (FV), performance expectancy (PE), and trust (T). It was found that DSC usage intention mediates the relationship between these identified factors and DSC practices among the stakeholders in Bangladesh's HEIs. The findings revealed positive relationships among DL, FC, FV, PE, T, and DSC usage intention. Moreover, DSC usage intention was found to positively affect DSC practices in HEIs. Mediation analysis confirmed that DSC usage intention significantly mediated the relationships between DL, FC, FV, PE, T, and DSC practices. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners in the higher education sector by highlighting the importance of enhancing digital literacy, creating favorable conditions, promoting the value of DSC, and building trust among stakeholders to facilitate the adoption of DSC practices. The implications of these results, future research directions, recommendations, and conclusions are thoroughly discussed in the thesis.