Understanding the impact of technology investments on financial performance among Latin American supply chains

Purpose In spite of the fact that today’s supply chains are global, it is surprising the current research lacks studies primarily focusing on Latin American (LATAM) firms. To enhance our understanding in this domain, this study examines the impact of technology investments on inventory turnover, asset turnover and employee productivity measures within the LATAM context. Design/methodology/approach We use an unbalanced panel of over 2,101 firm-year observations from the Worldscope database between 2010 and 2022 and limit our analysis to firms located in the Latin American region. We use panel data and regression analysis to test our hypotheses. Findings The findings reveal a positive impact of technology investments on inventory turnover, asset turnover and employee productivity. Originality/value There is a dearth of research in the discipline primarily focusing on the firms from the LATAM region. The extant literature has largely focused on the Western firms and we know from prior cross-cultural research that there are significant differences in terms of how firms and governments operate differently in emerging and non-Western regions such as LATAM or parts of Asia and Africa. By specifically focusing on a sample of LATAM firms, the study makes important contributions to the extant literature with respect to the role of technology investments in improving inventory turnover, and also on asset turnover and employee productivity. The study further provides implications for practice.