From visibility to performance: the mediating roles of supply chain resilience and sustainability in emerging markets

Purpose This study aims to investigate the influence of supply chain visibility, resilience and sustainability on supply chain performance within Ghana’s shea industry. The research addresses the critical need to understand how integrated capabilities create competitive advantage in emerging market contexts. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected from 388 respondents across Ghana’s major shea-producing regions using a structured questionnaire. The study used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.0 to test six hypotheses examining the relationships between supply chain visibility, resilience, sustainability and performance. Findings Results reveal that supply chain visibility has no direct effect on performance but significantly influences resilience and sustainability. Supply chain resilience and sustainability both demonstrate strong positive effects on performance. The model explains 56.9% of the variance in supply chain performance, confirming the mediating role of resilience and sustainability in the visibility-performance relationship. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to Ghana’s shea industry, potentially affecting generalisability. Future research should examine these relationships across industries and geographic contexts, as well as the temporal dynamics and technological moderators. Practical implications Organisations should prioritise visibility investments as foundational capabilities that enable resilience and sustainability development. The findings suggest a sequential capability development approach: invest in visibility systems, build resilience capabilities, develop sustainability practices and achieve superior performance through integrated approaches. Originality/value This research contributes by empirically demonstrating complete mediation effects and providing evidence from an under-researched emerging market context. The study advances supply chain management theory by integrating dynamic capabilities, resource-based view and stakeholder perspectives.