The Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) theoretical framework could be adapted to fit the
organizational context rather than its traditional application in psychology. This theoretical
alignment has precedent in the extant literature and is increasingly used in supply chain and
operations management research to explain how external factors (stimulus) trigger internal
processes (organism), which in turn influence strategic outcomes (response).
Origin and adaptation
The S-O-R framework was introduced by Mehrabian and Russell (1974) in environmental
psychology to explain how external stimulus affect internal states (organism), which then drive
behavioral responses. While originally developed for individual-level consumer behavior, it has
been extended to organizational-level analysis in recent years, particularly in operations, supply
chain, and technology adoption studies.
Key components:



Stimulus (S): External enablers, drivers, or environmental factors.
Organism (O): Internal processes, perceptions, or capabilities developed in response to
stimulus.
Response (R): Organizational behaviors or outcome (e.g., performance, strategic actions).
Applying to my SEM model
Stimulus (S): Enablers
The Driving, Linkage, Dependence, and Autonomous Enablers in the model serve as external or
structural stimulus that influence the organization’s procurement behavior. These enablers
represent environmental, technological, and relational conditions that shape procurement systems.
These enablers can be considered organizational-level stimulus.
Organism (O): Capabilities - Agile and Sustainable Procurement
The procurement capabilities (agility and sustainability) reflect the internal organizational
processes and cognitive-behavioral responses to stimulus. They are developed or enhanced as a
result of exposure to the external enablers.


Agile procurement reflects dynamic capabilities to respond to uncertainty and
change.
Sustainable procurement captures normative and processual adaptations to
environmental and social pressures.
These capabilities function as mediators, consistent with the role of the "organism" in S-O-R
theory.
Response (R): Final Outcome - Supply Chain Performance
The final dependent variable, supply chain performance, clearly represents the organizational
response or final outcome in the S-O-R model. It reflects how internal procurement capabilities
translate into external performance metrics—cost efficiency, responsiveness, etc.
S-O-R
Element
Model Component
Role
Driving,
Linkage,
Dependence, External structural and contextual
Autonomous Enablers
factors
Agile Procurement and Sustainable Internal dynamic and sustainable
Organism (O)
Procurement
capabilities
Strategic outcome of internal capability
Response (R) Supply Chain Performance
development
Stimulus (S)
Theoretical justification
The present study is theoretically grounded in the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R)
framework originally proposed by Mehrabian and Russell (1974), which has been widely used to
explain how external stimulus influence internal states, subsequently leading to observable
outcomes. While traditionally applied in consumer behavior and psychology, the S-O-R model has
been increasingly adopted in supply chain management research (Malhotra et al., 2023). The core
logic of the S-O-R framework is its ability to capture the causal progression from contextual factors
(stimulus), through internal capabilities or processes (organism), to strategic or performance
outcomes (response).
In the context of this study, the enablers of agile and sustainable procurement—categorized as
driving, linkage, dependence, and autonomous enablers—are conceptualized as external stimulus.
These enablers represent the technological, relational, regulatory, and operational conditions that
influence procurement strategies. In response to these stimuli, organizations develop internal
capabilities in the form of agile procurement and sustainable procurement, which function as the
organism components. These procurement capabilities reflect the firm’s adaptive and normative
processes that are shaped by external pressures and enablers. Finally, the response in the model is
represented by supply chain performance, capturing the tangible outcomes of procurement
strategies in terms of efficiency and responsiveness.
This application of the S-O-R framework is supported by prior literature that has successfully
employed similar logic in supply chain contexts. For instance, Dubey et al. (2021) conceptualized
agile and sustainable procurement as organism-level capabilities that mediate the impact of
institutional and technological stimulus on supply chain resilience. Similarly, Cheng et al. (2021)
used the S-O-R model to explain how digital transformation (stimulus) enables ambidextrous
capabilities (organism), which improve supply chain performance (response). Yu et al. (2018)
further demonstrated that IT capability (stimulus) enhances supply chain agility (organism),
ultimately improving firm performance (response). These studies collectively establish the
theoretical and empirical relevance of the S-O-R framework in examining how enablers translate
into capabilities and outcomes in complex supply chain environments.
Accordingly, the present study adopts the S-O-R framework to theoretically structure and explain
the causal linkages among procurement enablers (stimulus), agile and sustainable procurement
practices (organism), and supply chain performance (response) in the context of the plastic
industry. This alignment allows for a nuanced understanding of how firms internalize external
stimulus to develop strategic capabilities and achieve superior performance outcomes.
References
Malhotra, G. (2023). Impact of circular economy practices on supply chain capability, flexibility and
sustainable supply chain performance. The International Journal of Logistics Management, (ahead-ofprint).
Mehrabian, A., & Russell, J. A. (1974). An approach to environmental psychology. the MIT Press.