Could supply chain technology improve food operators' innovativeness? AÂ developing country's perspective

The developing economies' food industry is undergoing a rapid transformation in response to the evolving consumer demands and intensifying competition. Firms in this sector are increasingly developing their innovative capabilities by adopting supply chain technology in order to sustain their competitive advantage. This study develops a framework which captures the impact of the supply chain technology on firms' innovativeness, more specifically the level of product, process and relational innovation. This framework was empirically tested using cross-sectional data collected from both upstream and downstream perspectives of firms positioned at different nodes. The findings demonstrate that such supply chain technology has a significant impact on firms' relational innovation performance, while its effect on process innovation is only marginal. Product innovation however, is not associated with supply chain technology adoption.