Strategic Value Chain Management

Strategic Value Chain Management

The TRUST Model: A Framework for Managing Resource Imbalances in the Value Chains of SMEs through the Sharing Economy Approach

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Meisam Moddaresi 1
Davood Feiz 2
Hossein Bahrami 3
Fatemeh Jafari 4
Mojtaba Abdolhosseini Rad 5
1 Department of Entrepreneurship Management, Faculty of Economics, Management and Administrative Sciences, Semnan University, Iran
2 Professor, Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics, Management and Administrative Sciences, Semnan University
3 PhD Student, of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics, Management and Administrative Sciences, Semnan University
4 Master’s Student in Entrepreneurship, Department of Entrepreneurship Management, Faculty of Economics, Management and Administrative Sciences, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran
5 PhD Student in Marketing, Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics, Management and Administrative Sciences, Semnan University.
10.22075/svcm.2026.39912.1077
Abstract
Background: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), despite their critical role in economic growth, employment generation, and innovation, continue to face challenges such as resource imbalance, underutilized capacities, and structural limitations. The sharing economy, as an emerging approach, can enhance productivity, resilience, and competitiveness across production networks by enabling the shared use of capacities and assets, thereby facilitating the transition toward more sustainable supply chains.
Purpose: This study aims to develop a localized framework for managing resource imbalance in the supply chain of Iranian small industries, based on the principles and potential of the sharing economy.
Method: To achieve this objective, data were collected through 13 semi-structured interviews with industrial managers and experts and analyzed using thematic analysis through three stages of open, axial, and selective coding.
Findings: The results indicate that the adoption of the sharing economy in small industries depends on three essential prerequisites: strengthening digital infrastructure, establishing clear legal and insurance frameworks, and enhancing trust and collaborative culture at the organizational level. Based on these findings, the conceptual TRUST model was developed, consisting of five pillars—Technology, Regulation, Utilization, Strategy, and Transparency. By placing trust at the center, the model demonstrates that these components can transition from potential capability to effective performance only when inter-firm trust is reinforced.
Conclusion: The TRUST model not only contributes a theoretical innovation to the literature on the sharing economy and supply chain management but also serves as a practical roadmap for policymakers and industrial managers. It can facilitate the transition of small industries toward collaborative practices, sustainable productivity, and effective management of resource imbalance.
Keywords
Sharing Economy
Resource Imbalance
SMEs
Supply Chain
Trust
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Strategic Value Chain Management
Volume 3, Issue 2 - Serial Number 9
Research papers
Summer 2026
Pages 1-23

  • Receive Date 02 December 2025
  • Revise Date 13 April 2026
  • Accept Date 13 April 2026
  • Publish Date 23 July 2026