Can standardization by supply chain leading enterprises reduce supply chain disruption risk? Empirical evidence from China

Using a panel of Chinese listed firms from 2012 to 2024, this study investigates the impact of standardization by supply chain leading enterprises on supply chain disruption risk. We find that such standardization significantly reduces supply chain disruption risk. Mechanism analyses suggest that this effect operates through two channels: transforming linear supply chains into networked structures and enhancing the resource coordination efficiency of supply chain leading enterprises. Further heterogeneity analyses show that the risk-mitigating effect of such standardization is more pronounced when the supply chain leading enterprise is state-owned and when supply chain concentration is higher.