Impact of climatic risks on SMEs of perishable food supply chains: Moderating role of consortia

Given the pressure for a sustained food supply, global economies are seeking competitiveness in perishable food supply chains (PFSCs). Nonetheless, SMEs of PFSCs face numerous risks from changing climatic conditions. In response, a growth in consortia formation, among these firms, is seen. However, the model testing the links between climatic risks, firm performance and moderating role of consortia support, is missing. Using survey data from 249 Australian firms and structural equation modeling, this paper offers a unique model empirically investigating the impact of climatic risks on firms’ performance, and the variance in risk management competence of the firms associated vs. not associated with consortia. This paper is the first in revealing the role of consortia in managing climatic risks, thus contribute new knowledge to both theory and practice.