The Impact of Exogenous Shocks on the Sustainability of Supply Chain Relationships: Evidence from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Comprehensive Evaluation:

This paper examines the impact of exogenous shocks (taking the COVID-19 pandemic as an example) on the sustainability of supply chain relationships by analyzing the data of Chinese A-share listed companies from the second quarter of 2018 to the fourth quarter of 2021. The research results show that after experiencing exogenous shocks, the sustainability of supply chain relationships actually strengthens. The article conducts an empirical analysis using the "supplier-quarter-customer" relationship dataset and reveals through channel analysis that trade credit is one of the mechanisms affecting the sustainability of supply chain relationships. In addition, the study also explores how factors such as market concentration, product input heterogeneity, and firm ownership type affect the sustainability of supply chain relationships. Overall, this research not only expands the research field of supply chain risk and relationship management but also provides valuable policy suggestions for practice.

Questions and Suggestions:

1.Theoretical Framework: Although concepts such as the resource dependence theory are mentioned in the text, it can further elaborate on how these theories specifically guide the design and hypothesis development of this study.

2.Sample Selection Limitations: Since only the data of listed companies are used, this may limit the universality of the research results. It is recommended to discuss the potential different performances of non-listed companies in this context and consider incorporating this part of the data in future research. Additionally, the data was selected up to 2021, which is relatively old.

3.Variable Definition: For the definition method of some key variables such as "affected" (based on the cumulative number of confirmed cases), are there more accurate or representative indicators to measure the actual impact on enterprises?

Robustness Tests: Although it is mentioned in the text that a robustness test was carried out using the 50th percentile value as an alternative threshold, other sensitivity analysis methods can also be explored, such as changing the critical value of the Jaccard similarity coefficient to test the stability of the conclusion.

4.Literature Review Update: Given the current time point is 2025 and some of the cited literature is relatively old (such as Barrot and Sauvagnat, 2016), it is recommended to update the literature review section to reflect the latest academic progress.

5.Specification of Policy Implications: Although several policy suggestions have been put forward, it can be more specific about the specific measures that different types of enterprises and industries should take, thereby enhancing the practicality and operability of the suggestions.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The paper needs to provide significant improvement. 

1. Please provide the reasons for selecting the data range from Q2 2018 to Q4 2021.
2. For the hypothesis, I cannot see the hypothesis development to construct the research model. Please rework on this part. 
3. In Figure 3, the X axis needs to change to Chinese language
4. Most literature is outdated, please conduct a recent 5-year literature. 
5. The COVID-19 pandemic has passed away for a period, is still valuable?  Please explain the reason why we still consider the topic. 

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors have made substantial and satisfactory revisions. I have no further concerns or additional questions at this stage.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

 The English could be improved to more clearly express the research.

Author Response

We sincerely appreciate your comments and have further refined the language and expression in the manuscript accordingly. The revised version has been uploaded. Thank you once again for your valuable suggestions.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The paper still needs to revisit the hypothesis issue. It is not necessary to set the hypothesis. The research model was not found, and the research design did not support it. 

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx