Product return and logistics knowledge: Influence on performance of the firm

Survey data on reverse logistics processes from 284 Spanish firms are used to test a structural model that analyzes the importance of returned materials and the creation of logistics knowledge within processes of reverse logistics and their effects on organizational performance. The results show that the cost of reverse logistics and the value of returns were found to be positively related to reverse logistics activities. Further, their proper management and the creation of logistics knowledge that improves organizational performance.     

Environmental purchasing and firm performance: an empirical investigation

Much debate has occurred in the extant literature as to whether socially responsible actions undertaken by firms result in improved financial performance. One key dimension of social responsibility is environmental initiatives and programs. While the purchasing function can create value and significantly affect the environmental actions of a firm and its upstream supply chain, no research to date has explored the effect of environmental purchasing on firm performance. Our research provides an initial examination of this relationship. We combine survey and archival data to show that environmental purchasing is significantly related to both net income and cost of goods sold, after controlling for firm size, leverage, and primary earnings per share.     

Corporate governance,financial management decisions and firm performance: Evidence from the maritime industry

This study investigates the relation between corporate governance with (i) financial management decisions such as earnings management and sub-optimal investment, and (ii) firm performance in maritime firms. The study reveals that important corporate governance measures, such as insider ownership, board size, presence of corporate governance committees, the percentage of directors serving on the boards of other firms and CEO duality, are associated with financial management decisions and firm performance. The associations revealed can potentially assist in mitigating agency problems and improving financial management decisions and performance in maritime firms.     

Greening propensity and performance implications for logistics service providers

Stakeholders in the logistics industry have growing concern about the damage caused by logistics operations to the environment. Logistics service providers (LSPs) have taken steps to pursue environmental objectives by involving customers in their operations. This study defines greening propensity (GP) as “involvement of customers to perform logistics activities to achieve environmental performance”. We analyze survey data collected from the logistics industry in Hong Kong to address the following questions: What are the categories of greening capability in LSPs? What are the performance outcomes of LSPs’ greening capability? Theoretical contributions and implications of the study results are discussed.     

The moderating roles of risk and efficiency on the relationship between logistics performance and customer loyalty in e-commerce

Using data from online customer ratings, we explore how the relationships between logistics performance and customer loyalty are affected by risk characteristics of products and efficiencies of the websites. Risk is defined in terms of price and ambiguity of products. Efficiency is interpreted as the ability of the websites to achieve good ratings in terms of operational factors (such as satisfaction of customers with product specifications, refunds/returns, prices, management accessibility, etc.) and also achieve good ratings in terms of customer loyalty. Our results show that efficiency, but not risk, is a significant moderator of the impact of logistics performance on customer loyalty.     

Hotel performance and knowledge sources in Spanish tourism districts

The present paper brings together two of the research lines which have proved most relevant in the field of strategic management during the last few years: the importance of knowledge as a source of competitive advantage; and the ease of access to that resource within clusters and/or industrial districts. More specifically, our work focuses on the tourism sector, analysing the extent to which the profitability of Spanish vacation hotels located along the Mediterranean coastline depends on internal and external knowledge, that is, on the knowledge resources generated at each destination. A multiple linear regression is designed for the empirical analysis. The evidence supports the hypothesis that the external knowledge generated at each destination is statistically significant, even though internal knowledge turns out to be more relevant in terms of hotel profitability.     

Relative logistics sprawl: Measuring changes in the relative distribution from warehouses to logistics businesses and the general population

The logistics sprawl – warehousing and distribution centers relocating farther away from central urban areas to the urban periphery – has been widely examined in multiple global trade gateways. The spatial shifts have been attributed to the systematic and geographic restructuring of goods production and distribution systems at the global scale. More recently, growing online shopping sales and demand for instant delivery have put tremendous pressure on online retail businesses to locate order fulfillment centers in urban areas with direct access to the consumer markets. Has the trend of sprawling warehouses reversed? Have warehouses been relocating closer to consumer demand? In this research, I use a relative distribution measure to quantify the spatial distribution of warehouses relative to the logistics sector, the goods movement sector, and the general population over time. The main data source is ZIP Code Business Patterns from 2003 to 2016 with the study area of the 64 largest US metropolitan areas. In 2016, warehouses were most closely distributed relative to logistics sectors (38.6 km), followed by goods movement sectors (41.2 km), and population (43.5 km). From 2003 to 2016, the distance between warehouses and related businesses has increased, but the extent varies with respect to metropolitan and warehouse size. The trend of increasing relative distance from warehouses to related businesses stopped since the economic recession in 2008. Relative distribution measures are significantly correlated with internal ground shipment ton-kilometers but only in large trade gateways.     

The relationship between managers' environmental perceptions,environmental management and firm performance in Spanish hotels: a whole framework

The examination of the possible direct link between environmental protection and firm performance has generally produced mixed results. This paper contributes to the literature by considering the antecedents of hotel managers' environmental attitudes to check whether perceptions of the external and internal factors are behind the adoption of a proactive environmental management. The study also tests whether or not the resource‐based view of the hotel mediates the positive relationships of proactive environmental management and improved environmental performance with competitive advantage and financial performance. This contribution is original because this study develops a comprehensive whole picture of this path process, which has previously only been partially discussed in the literature. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of the spatial pattern of logistics facilities using urban logistics land-use and traffic simulator

Despite the growing research interests on the spatial restructuring of logistics facilities that occurred in many cities around the world, the relationship between the spatial pattern of logistics land use and the level of externalities is far from being elucidated. We use the Urban Logistics Land-use and Traffic Simulator (ULLTRA-SIM), developed for the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, to evaluate the level of externalities that accompany different spatial distribution patterns of logistics facilities. The ULLTRA-SIM takes a novel approach to analyze the urban freight impacts through the simulations of logistics facility locations, urban logistics chains, and truck flow. The results indicate that, while the moderate concentration and deconcentration of logistics facilities do not significantly affect the level of externalities, scarcity of logistics facilities in or near the high demand locations exacerbates negative externalities. Also, the results of the simulations underscore the need for rigorous analysis in order to reduce negative externalities through logistics land use policies.     

Horizontal cooperation in logistics: Opportunities and impediments

This paper presents the results of a large-scale survey on the potential benefits of and impediments for horizontal cooperation in Flanders. The main findings are that in general Logistics Service Providers strongly believe in the potential benefits of horizontal cooperation to increase their profitability or to improve the quality of their services. The impediments for cooperation that are perceived or expected by the non-cooperating Logistics Service Providers prove to be experienced by the cooperating Logistics Service Providers. Finding a reliable party to lead the cooperation and constructing a fair allocation mechanism for the benefits are the impediments that respondents agree with most.     

物流园区后评价的必要性研究

物流园区作为商品集散和转移中心,以其先进的基础设施、便利的交通条件、快速敏捷的信息传达拉动城市经济要素和经济活动,同时能够带动周围区域经济相对均衡发展,具有很重要的作用.截至2008年,我国包括运营、在建和规划中的物流园区共475个(2006年第一次调查为207个).     

Comparative North American and European gateway logistics: the regionalism of freight distribution

The global freight distribution system has been impacted by convergence in terms of technology, infrastructure, modes and terminals. Still, in spite of strong converging forces, it can be argued that logistical practices are far from being uniform. This paper analyses the regionalism in freight transport systems by providing a comparative analysis of gateway logistics practices in North America and Europe. It is demonstrated that Europe and North America are not walking the same paths when it comes to the configuration of transport and logistics networks, via operational decisions and the setting of a regulatory framework. The attributes of gateways, corridors, hinterlands, regulation, governance, value chains and labor provide an analytical framework to understand the regionalism of freight distribution in the North American and European contexts, as well as anywhere else.     

Process innovation capability and subsequent collaborative team performance in travel planning: a knowledge exchange platform perspective

Purpose: Backpacker tourism is flourishing in this century as the high development of Internet technology which enables travellers to search for resources they need easier. The research goal of this study was to exam how virtual skill and collective efficacy affect process innovation capability and subsequent team performance of collaborative design team in a virtual community. Design/methodology/approach: In this study, we formulated the virtual team model from the perspectives of open innovation paradigm and virtual competence, and we collected virtual community participation samples from the online communities. Invitation emails were delivered to numerous trip plan initiators in two well-known online travel communities for filling survey questionnaires for this study. In total, 3000 invitation messages were mailed, of which 373 were returned completed. The model and hypotheses were tested by structural equation modelling. Findings: Virtual competence, including collective efficacy and virtual media skill, is the essential key to facilitate process innovation capability and subsequent team performance success. Besides, knowledge sharing significantly moderates the relationship between process innovation capability and the team performance. Originality/value: Backpackers in the online travel communities have to have not only the willingness to collaborate, but also the abilities of using the correct tool to help with their tasks. When a self-efficacy gets into collective efficacy, it enables the collaborative team to develop with good virtual competencies. Accordingly, trip plan initiator and participants of a virtual team are as expertise contributors between conformity in online communities and online compulsive control tendencies.     

Measuring the effect of transportation infrastructure on retail firm co-location patterns

This paper studies the effects of transportation infrastructure on the location behavior of competing retail firms. First, in a game theoretic framework that describes the location choices made by retailers with respect to each other, the connection between relative firm location and transportation demand is outlined. Second, a multivariate point pattern statistic based on this theoretical framework is applied to location patterns of fast food outlets to measure the effects that major road infrastructure has on firm location behavior in this sector.The results suggest that transportation infrastructure affects the location behavior of firms with respect to their location in relation to their competitors. Access to important transportation infrastructure induces competing outlets to locate next to each other—a tendency not necessarily observed among outlets without such access. Theoretically, this does not only affect economic outcomes, but also travel demand and consumer accessibility. The findings from this study stress the importance of accounting for how transportation infrastructure changes the location behavior of firms in travel demand frameworks.     

Global city regions and the location of logistics activity

The aim of this paper is to extend and develop research surrounding the links between transport and urban regions. An understanding of transport activity has long involved the use of spatial frameworks, seen in the idea of a gateway city (with its surrounding hinterland) and in the identification of hubs or nodes. The particular framework used here is the global city region, a build-out from the much researched global city, and acknowledged as the most prominent feature of spatial development in the global economy. As these areas can accommodate important sea and airport infrastructure, the global city region can be expected to play a significant role in global logistics. Whether that significance extends just from the physical realm, as reflected in the infrastructure, or whether it is embedded in the scale and complexity of the advanced business services sector within the global city, is the issue that lies at the heart of the research. The research has set out to answer the question: “How important are these regions in logistics activity?”. The question has relevance in the context of transport geography as it provides an urban structure perspective on what is commonly seen as separate port or airport activity. Its relevance is enhanced as its answer relies upon a simultaneous analysis of both sea and air freight activity. Results show these regions counted for a substantial and growing share of sea and air freight between 1996 and 2006. In accounting for that outcome the research explores the particular effect of infrastructure (showing that global city regions with multiple seaport and airports play a special role) and also isolates the links with global city functions. The paper concludes with some insight on the special challenge these places create for strategic urban planning policy.     

Causal nexus between the transport and logistics sector and trade: The case of Australia

Although a number of studies have already been conducted on the economic impact of the development of the transport and logistics sector and international trade, these are regarded as two separated topics, and little has been done so far to study in depth the relationship between them. This paper seeks to shed light on this issue in the context of Australia. To this end, the vector autocorrelation (VAR) framework is employed to explore the causal relationship between Australia–China trade and the development of the Australian transport and logistics sector. This framework is then extended to allow for the effect of Australia's trade with the US, Japan, the rest of the world and other variables. Based on the analysis results, implications for the transport and logistics sector are discussed.     

Transport corridors and regional balance in China: the case of coal trade and logistics

Coal plays a vital role in the socio-economic development of China. Yet, the spatial mismatch between production centers (inland Northwest) and consumption centers (coastal region) within China fostered the emergence of dedicated coal transport corridors with limited alternatives. Serious problems of energy shortage and power rationing have already affected southeastern China. At the same time, enormous interregional coal transfers face a lack of transport capacity along the transport system. Based on first-hand statistics, a disaggregated analysis of coal distribution patterns since the late 1970s provides novel evidences about the local effects of macroscopic trends, such as the shift from dominant exports to dominant imports in terms of changing traffic concentration levels and distribution patterns among routes and ports. The spatial evolution of coal distribution is also discussed in terms of related industry linkages and local influences, coal trade policies and market pricing, port system evolution, and transport network planning. The paper also discusses possible improvements of the current situation through enhancing multimodal transport based on a review of current policies.     

Type of diversification and firm resources: new empirical evidence from the Spanish tourism industry

This paper analyses the diversification strategies followed by tourism firms from the perspective of the resource‐based view. More specifically, it seeks to verify whether the composition of the firms' resources has a bearing on the decision to undertake one type of diversification or another (related or unrelated). From a mail survey to 80 Spanish tourism firms, we identified 94 entries into new business areas. We applied an ordered logit regression and have statistically confirmed that intangible resources lead to a more related type of diversification. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Locational dynamics of logistics facilities: Evidence from Tokyo

This study uses data from a large-scale freight survey conducted in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area to jointly analyze the spatial distribution of logistics facilities and their proximities to the locations of shipment origins and destinations. The aim of the study is to examine in detail the argument that logistics sprawls increase truck trip distances, and thus would incur negative impacts to the society. We found that between 1980 and 2003, logistics facilities in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area have migrated outward, albeit in a much smaller scale than the cases documented in some U.S. and European cities. Our analysis of the shipment data confirms that logistics sprawl increases truck travel. Furthermore, we found that, regardless of their age, logistics facilities tend to increase shipping distances as their distances to the urban center increase, due to the spatial mismatch between the locations of the facilities and the shipment origins and destinations. The findings underscore the importance of comprehensive efforts to coordinate land use, not only for logistics facilities but also other businesses that generate freight movements.     

Growth and relational strategies used by the European logistics service providers: Rationale and outcomes

This article reports on research into the ways European providers of logistics and transport services develop and grow. The strategic behaviour adopted by the leading 20 third-party European logistics service providers (3PLs) between 1998 and 2004 is examined, particularly their approach to mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and logistics alliances. It shows that while growth among 3PLs is aimed at providing more cohesive European logistics coverage, national culture constrains their efforts. More consolidation within the 3PL industry is expected. A few market leaders offer a wide range and scope of services, while most other firms have a diversified portfolio of interests.