The global supply chain has become increasingly competitive and unstable due to factors such as uncertainties in the supply chain, prolonged wars between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas, intensified trade conflicts between the US and C...
The global supply chain has become increasingly competitive and unstable due to factors such as uncertainties in the supply chain, prolonged wars between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas, intensified trade conflicts between the US and China, and exponential technological advancements. In this context, it has become difficult for companies to secure a competitive edge independently, making cooperation among companies within the supply chain more critical. Accordingly, companies growing in various industries in Korea are striving to identify factors necessary for strengthening supply chain networks by establishing cooperative networks among companies within the supply chain. Especially, exponential technological advancements shorten the life cycle of products and services that companies produce, necessitating innovation through cooperation rather than responding independently to meet the diverse needs of consumers. Thus, supply chain partnerships will play a crucial role in devising strategic alternatives to secure competitiveness. The continued research on supply chain partnerships is driven by the increasing impact of unprecedented variables in the changing business environment. Additionally, despite various policies and support systems to promote coexistence and cooperation between large and small-medium enterprises in Korea, industry-wide polarization has not been alleviated. Therefore, this study examines the influence of strategic fit, interdependence, communication, and compatibility on SCM performance through a review of previous research analyzing partnership factors and SCM performance in companies with cooperative relationships within the supply chain. Furthermore, it analyzes whether trust, which strengthens partnerships, mediates the relationship between partnership attributes and SCM performance. To verify the relationship between partnership factors and SCM performance, empirical analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0 and IBM AMOS 21.0, and the results derived from the hypothesis testing process are summarized as follows: First, the verification of the direct effect between SC cooperation determinants and SC cooperation enhancement factors showed that as interdependence, compatibility, and communication (excluding strategic fit) are activated, trust relationships are further strengthened. Second, the verification of the direct effect between SC cooperation determinants and financial performance indicated that three attributes (excluding compatibility) have a significant positive (+) impact on financial performance (p<0.05). Third, the verification of the impact of SC cooperation determinants on non-financial performance revealed that all four sub-attributes have a significant positive (+) impact on non-financial performance (p<0.05). Fourth, it was found that higher trust enhances SCM performance. Trust significantly positively affects financial performance (β= 0.492, t-value 8.49) and non-financial performance (β= 0.492, t-value 9.96) (p<0.05). Fifth, the verification of the mediating effect of trust between SC cooperation determinants and SCM performance indicated that trust influences all relationships. Specifically, strategic fit, interdependence, compatibility, and communication improve financial performance through trust. Additionally, in the mediating effect of trust between partnership determinants and non-financial performance, strategic fit, interdependence, compatibility, and communication statistically significantly impact. The results of this study academically contribute to the expansion of win-win cooperation research using continuous and diverse variables that positively influence SCM performance and practically provide effective alternatives for maximizing SCM performance through the presentation of success factors for win-win cooperation to supply management practitioners in small-medium enterprises. Therefore, to enhance network competitiveness through win-win cooperation activities, it is essential to strengthen the partnership based on mutual trust, with mutual reliance and practical efforts, suggesting a win-win cooperation model.