What Makes Logistics Integration More Effective? Governance from Contractual and Relational Perspectives

Third-party logistics (3PL) user–provider integration is attracting increasing attention from both academics and practitioners. However, it remains unclear how best to adopt governance mechanisms to safeguard 3PL user–provider integration (e.g., information sharing and process coordination). Based on transaction cost economics and social exchange theory, this study examined the individual and joint effects of contractual (e.g., detailed contracts and contract application) and relational governance (e.g., trust and relational norms) on 3PL user–provider integration for operational performance. We conducted a survey involving 247 3PL service users and analyzed the conceptual model using the method of structural equation modeling. The results showed that process coordination improved operational performance, while information sharing alone did not significantly improve operational performance but complemented the role of process coordination in improving operational performance. In addition, having detailed contracts was positively related to process coordination, while contract application was positively related to information sharing. Trust was not significantly related to information sharing or process coordination, while relational norms were positively related to both. Finally, three joint effects on 3PL user–provider integration were found. Two of them were substitutional (detailed contracts and relational norms; contract application and trust), and one was complementary (detailed contracts and trust). This study makes several theoretical contributions and provides novel guidelines for 3PL relationship development.     

Smart Cards in the Internet Commerce Era

Abstract

Smart cards are the latest wave in the world of electronic commerce. The latest development in smart cards technology is its Internet related applications, which are mostly related to the support of online payment systems and its infrastructure. This paper propels the role and potential impact of the smart card and provides insights on implementing new technologies. It is intended to develop plans and discuss solutions and navigate through the myriad of processing investment decisions impacting the anticipated widespread acceptance of the smart card in the Internet commerce era. Managerial implications for Internet commerce are addressed as well.     

商业健康保险在医疗保障体系中的角色探讨

商业健康保险绝不仅仅是社会基本医疗保险有限的、简单的补充,而应该成为我国医疗保障体系中必不可少的重要组成部分。在这样的制度定位下,本文分别探讨了商业健康保险主要承担的三种角色,即补充保障的主要提供者、基本保障的主要竞争者、医疗保险机构与卫生服务提供者关系的探索者。     

Activity-based costing user satisfaction and type of system: A research note

This paper examines user perceptions of Activity-based costing (ABC) performance for three different types of system in a major information and communication provider in South East Asia. Few prior ABC studies have considered the effect of system type on ABC performance. The study draws on a survey of 54 developers and 181 users of 16 different ABC systems within the organisation to produce five performance constructs (cost accuracy, cost-benefit trade-off, ABC impact, information use, and decision action). The results show that both the development inputs and user performance perceptions varied with the type of system (embedded, stand-alone, ad-hoc). While embedded systems enjoyed far stronger inputs (e.g. top management support, rewards and recognition, task significance) and greater development team cohesion than stand-alone systems, they were perceived by users to perform significantly less well. These findings suggest that system type is an important factor in assessing ABC performance.     

基于物流外包下双制造商定价协调研究

基于两个制造商与单一第三方物流企业构成的合作系统,制造商委托第三方物流企业负责物流活动将产品送至零售商,并将回收产品运回至制造商再造。物流服务价格一定的前提下,通过分析制造商独立决策与联合决策的定价策略,比较三者和系统总收益的情况,依据三者的讨价还价能力,给出三者的收益协调机制。最后通过实例进一步对结论进行了论证。     

传统道路货运企业向现代物流业转型途径研究

通过比较传统道路货运企业以及现代物流企业各自的特征,阐述了传统的道路货运企业转变为现代物流业的重要性、宏观意义以及优劣势;详细地研究了传统道路货运业向现代物流转型的目标模式以及确定目标模式的三个步骤,同时还提出传统道路货运企业向现代物流转型路径的选择上,除了进行企业的自我改造外,还可以采用合作、加盟、联盟等途径进行转型。     

混合型TOPSIS方法在多式联运服务商选择中的应用

多式联运服务商的选择是企业在国际贸易中的重要决策。针对多式联运服务的具体特点，建立了多式联运服务商选择的指标体系。考虑到信息的不确定性。以区间数形式表示定性指标值，应用混合型TOPSIS方法建立了目标优选的评价模型。最后通过一个实例对方法的有效性和实用性进行了验证。     

生产服务型企业差异化服务能力对竞争优势的影响:以钢铁行业为例

随着市场复杂性和竞争强度的日益加剧,传统的工业贸易企业逐渐向生产服务型企业转型,从而使得原来以产品传递为特点的运作,变成了以与客户互动为基础的集成服务运作。然而,以往的研究对与不同客户需求之间的互动如何影响生产服务型企业战略分析较少。文章以中国钢铁行业的调研数据和资料为基础,运用实证方法,分析了生产型服务企业的服务能力,即资源供应、需求管理以及客户战略匹配等三种形态。研究发现对不同的下游客户,差异化的服务能力对竞争优势的形成产生了不同的影响,对于大型企业,资源的供应能力和战略匹配是决定生产服务型企业竞争力的主要来源,而对于中小型企业,资源供应能力和需求管理是形成竞争力的源泉。     

Unchained from the chain: Supply management from a logistics service provider perspective

The last few years have seen increasing recognition of the work of logistics service providers, as well as the significance of functioning supply relationships. This paper proposes an alternative view of supply management that builds on the observation that traditional supply chain management focuses on logistics clients rather than the service providers themselves. The paper utilizes the 4 Resource Interaction tool to illustrate how a logistics service provider faces different idea structures and activated structures than its clients in three different markets. The resulting resource perceptions and preferred resource combinations create tensions and tradeoffs between the logistics service provider and its clients. Unchaining logistics from the conventional chain structures achieves a more comprehensive understanding of interactions between shippers and logistics service providers.     

Technology readiness in a B2B online retail context: An examination of antecedents and outcomes

This paper develops and empirically tests a model that examines the role of technology readiness (TR) in the business-to-business (B2B) context. The research investigates how retailers' TR, and its antecedents, impacts their evaluation of a credence based B2B service, namely web solution service providers (WSSPs). It responds to previous research calls by extending the TR construct from the business-to-consumer (B2C) perspective that is traditional in the extant literature into the B2B domain. The findings of a survey conducted with 133 firms in the retail industry are that TR is an important contributor to the eventual achievement of service quality and satisfaction. The contributions of this study are; first it develops and validates a measure of TR in a B2B context; second it investigates the antecedents of TR in this domain, demonstrating the impact of past inexperience, industry trust and switching costs on firms' level of technology readiness to adopt online operations; and third, it finds that service quality and satisfaction are outcomes of TR. The key management implication for WSSPs is the need to address the TR levels of existing and potential clients if they wish to deliver successful e-business solutions to them. Their clients' TR can be better managed by making the offering more easily understood, building relational rapport, reducing risk perceptions and adopting a client centric perspective throughout the process.