Collaborative Supplier Relationship Management Practices and Supply Chain Performance: A Case Study of Friendship Textile Mill – Juba City

Abstract

The study examined the influence of Collaborative Supplier Relationship Management (CSRM) practices, specifically collaborative planning, trust-based partnerships, and transparent information sharing on supply chain performance at Friendship Textile Mill in Juba City, South Sudan. Guided by relational and resource-based theoretical perspectives, the study adopted a descriptive research design and collected primary data from staff across procurement, production, and logistics functions through questionnaires. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that collaborative planning significantly improved demand forecasting accuracy, reduced stockouts, and minimized operational costs, consistent with past studies on Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment (CPFR). Trust-based partnerships enhanced material quality, long-term relationships, and reduced monitoring costs, although responsiveness was constrained by infrastructural and institutional challenges. Transparent information sharing emerged as the strongest enabler, with respondents affirming its role in minimizing delays, improving coordination, and strengthening buyer– supplier commitment. The study concludes that CSRM practices are critical drivers of supply chain performance but their effectiveness in fragile contexts depends on digital maturity, governance mechanisms, and infrastructural capacity. It recommends that policymakers invest in infrastructure and supplier development, practitioners adopt low-cost digital tools and trust-building strategies, and academics extend research into fragile contexts to better understand the conditional nature of CSRM outcomes.