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1925Currently, “chain-leading” enterprises are recognized as a vital pathway to achieve the modernization of industrial and supply chains. However, the role of digitalization by “chain-leading” enterprises in the efficiency of industrial and supply chains remains ambiguous. Thus, this paper adopts the perspective of “chain-leading” enterprises to systematically analyze the theoretical impact of their digitalization on the efficiency of industrial and supply chains, and provides empirical evidence through the analysis of data from listed companies from 2013 to 2021.
The study reveals that the spillover effect of digitalization by “chain-leading” enterprises can significantly enhance the efficiency of industrial and supply chains. Mechanism testing indicates that the spillover effect facilitates the collaborative development of upstream and downstream enterprises through the information effect, cost effect, and innovation effect, thereby boosting the efficiency of industrial and supply chains. Heterogeneity analysis demonstrates that at the level of “chain-leading” enterprises, the spillover effect on the efficiency of industrial and supply chains is more significant when enterprises are state-owned, operate in the manufacturing industry, and have a strong dependence on industrial and supply chains. At the level of the spillover effect of digitalization by “chain-leading” enterprises, the spillover effect on the efficiency of industrial and supply chains is more pronounced when upstream suppliers have a larger scale, downstream customers have a stronger market influence, and there is a greater geographical distance between “chain-leading” enterprises and upstream/downstream entities.
This paper not only contributes to a deeper theoretical understanding of the impact of “chain-leading” enterprises on industrial and supply chains, but also provides policy implications for local governments to leverage the advantages of “chain-leading” enterprises. It suggests that we should fully leverage the leading role of “chain-leading” enterprises in industrial and supply chains, construct an ecosystem of industrial and supply chains led by the digitalization of “chain-leading” enterprises, and enhance the role of “chain-leading” enterprises in the high-quality development of the manufacturing industry.
