Explaining the Impact of Green Supply Chain Management on Sales Force Agility Considering the Mediating Role of Employees’ Environmental Stimuli in Manufacturing Companies in Ardabil Province

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explain the impact of green supply chain management on sales force agility considering the mediating role of employees’ environmental stimuli in manufacturing companies in Ardabil Province. The present research employed a descriptive-correlational design with a path analysis approach. The study population consisted of managers and employees of manufacturing companies in Ardabil Province, where initial estimates indicated the presence of 53 managers and 1,500 employees working in the sector. Based on Morgan's table, 306 employees from industrial companies in Ardabil Province were selected as the sample. The research adopted a purposive sampling method. Data collection was conducted using the Green Supply Chain Management Questionnaire by Saman (2019), the Sales Force Agility Questionnaire by Breu et al. (2006), and the Environmental Stimuli Questionnaire by Zhao (2014) and Kotter (2010). Path analysis was used to test the research hypotheses, and LISREL statistical software was employed for data analysis. The research findings indicated that the relationship between green supply chain management and sales force agility is intensified by the environmental stimuli variable. Specifically, as the environmental stimuli of the company increase, this effect becomes stronger, whereas if environmental stimuli and company performance weaken, the relationship naturally diminishes. This conclusion is derived from the significance and positive direction of the effect of environmental stimuli.