Title: Supply chain quality management and the triple bottom line: underlying relationship in a developing country

Authors: Minh Hue Nguyen; Anh Chi Phan; Yoshiki Matsui

Addresses: University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam ' VNU – University of Economics and Business, Hanoi, Vietnam ' The Open University of Japan, Chiba, Japan; Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Japan

Abstract: This paper investigates the underlying mechanism between quality management, supply chain management, and three components of the triple bottom line. Based on data collected from Vietnamese firms, the study employs regression analysis and PROCESS macro with a bootstrap method. Analytical results illustrate that quality management shows a significant effect on economic, environmental, and social bottom lines with or without the mediating role of supply chain management. The direct impact of supply chain management on those performances is insignificant, but it becomes significant with the mediating effect of quality management. Quality management seems to be a prerequisite for an effective supply chain quality model regarding sustainability. Moreover, the concurrence of supply chain and quality management results in a conflictual effect on economic return, although some possible synergy could be found among individual practices. It sheds light on the efficient resource allocation to achieve a certain level of balance in achieving sustainable goals.

Keywords: supply chain quality management; SCQM; triple bottom line; TBL; developing country.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPMB.2025.145991

International Journal of Process Management and Benchmarking, 2025 Vol.20 No.2, pp.174 - 197

Received: 10 Jan 2024
Accepted: 02 Feb 2024
Published online: 01 May 2025 *

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