Strategic development of third-party logistics providers (TPLs): “Going under the floor” or “raising the roof”?

Contemporary (third-party logistics providers) TPLs are in danger of being stuck in the middle, unable to perform customer adaptation as well as before and unable to achieve sufficient economies of scale. This conceptual paper aims to explore challenges facing the strategic development of TPLs within a context of increased digitalization, e-commerce and servitization.There are two apparent strategic paths. Under circumstances of strong price pressure, there is demand for standardized TPL services offering simplicity, minimalism and functionality based on digitalization, e-commerce and servitization. Alternatively, with market developments responsive to supply chain complexity, digitalization, e-commerce and servitization enable development towards innovation and change.We conclude that these developments do not invalidate existing frameworks for TPL strategies but contribute alternative strategies. We formulate three propositions for each strategic path. To avoid being stuck in the middle, TPLs are encouraged to either develop efficient services through servitized logistics chains and digital solutions or develop advanced solutions to integrate the consumer into the logistics network system through competencies to control increased levels of complexity.     

刘强东学习亚马逊

京东商城早就在学亚马逊,只不过现在才学得更像了。     

Cross-border e-commerce firms as supply chain integrators: The management of three flows

Cross-border e-commerce is becoming increasingly popular around the world. With the development of technology, competition has gradually shifted from commodity-based attributes, such as cost and quality, to a supply chain's service capacity for e-commerce. Within this context, the present paper delineates how cross-border e-commerce firms can generate supply chain service capabilities that yield improvements in supply chain relationship quality to e-tailors and other platform users. Insights are derived through data collected via a multiple case study approach based on four Chinese cross-border e-commerce enterprises (OSell, Zongteng, BizArk and Linca); data were collected from 41 semi-structured interviews, field visits and secondary data. Relying on the service-dominant logic as the theoretical foundation, we identify three supply chain resources (flows related to information, logistics and finance) and their interplay as being critical for the development of supply chain service capabilities, which in turn lead to an improvement in the quality of supply chain relationships (assessed by the dimensions of trust improvement/commitment, risk mitigation, and customer satisfaction). The results offer important insights into how to best manage supply chain resources in relation to the three flows by cross-border e-commerce firms in order to foster relationship quality, an attribute that has become so critical today for competitive differentiation.     

我国石油石化行业物流发展模式探讨

在我国石油石化物流快速发展的今天,对现代物流进行研究,了解第三方物流及第三方物流的运营方式,分析现代物流管理模式的特点,指出物流服务企业必须不断改进和优化企业的经营模式,拓展新型物流服务形式,对于探讨我国石油石化行业的物流发展模式有着非常重要的意义。同时指出,物流服务企业必须不断改进和优化企业的经营模式,拓展新型物流形式,以促进石油石化行业的快速发展。     

电商脱掉野蛮外衣

终于疲劳了。从＂6﹒18＂一直蔓延到＂8﹒15＂的电商价格血战,并未像京东商城CEO刘强东所豪言的＂此战之后再无大战＂,而是变奏为一种常态竞争行为,残留着碎了一地的营销口水。马云后来点评称＂（价格战）这类战术带有很浓重的上世纪工业时代的痕迹＂,各界也多以＂雷声大雨点小＂、＂虎头蛇尾＂等评论为主,     

激活电商APP

对电商APP而言,这是个最好的时代,也是最坏的时代。张志坚的行程排得很紧,上午与银泰网CEO廖斌讨论如何优化银泰的APP,下午作为嘉宾参加一个APP创业融资研讨会,直到晚上七点才得闲与记者碰面,第二天又要从北京飞回上海。两年前他创立了上海耶客网络科技,     

Motivations for selecting cross-border e-commerce as a foreign market entry mode

This article is an in-depth case study examining a foreign firm deploying Cross-border E-commerce as an entry mode to the Chinese market, integrating services provided by a major technology provider and a leading marketplace platform. Selecting which foreign market entry mode is an important internationalization strategic decision of firms and could have a considerable impact on the firm's performance. The CBEC mode emerges as a plausible choice: e-commerce has grown rapidly in many markets, particularly in China. Additionally, foreign firms face high transaction costs due to unfamiliar consumer behavior and institutional barriers. It is especially difficult for SMEs.This study deploys transaction cost theory as the underpinning framework to explain the motivations for selecting a CBEC entry mode. The findings suggest that CBEC could reduce uncertainties and opportunistic behaviors, while increasing trust. Foreign firms could lower their asset investment in physical shops, staff requirements and training, logistics and warehousing: these supports are provided by marketplace platforms. This new entry mode also takes advantage of the involvement and the dependency of intermediaries. In addition to providing market knowledge, technology providers help to build trust and reduce risks and thereby transaction costs, despite the high transaction frequency of e-commerce.     

Managing channels of distribution in the age of electronic commerce

The emergence of electronic commerce (e-commerce) has created a new business paradigm, one that presents marketers with noteworthy opportunities and challenges. Perhaps the greatest impact is in the area of channel management. The top issue for many business-to-business (B2B) firms today is channel conflict. In this paper, we investigate the effect of introducing the Internet channel into an already complex, multichannel distribution system from the perspective of the supplier firm. We describe strategies for proactively managing conflict, both externally with channel partners and internally among the subunits responsible for managing the channels. Twelve propositions for research are developed; eight relate directly to the marketing mix and four focus on channel communication and coordination. All of the research propositions offered are mechanisms by which suppliers can influence the level of channel conflict they experience. Dedicated channel management groups, documentation of channel strategies, and superordinate goals are identified as strategies for minimizing unwanted conflict.     

基于SWOT分析法的逆向物流发展战略研究——以我国汽车行业为例

资源短缺已成为人类社会可持续发展的瓶颈环节。逆向物流通过对资源的再利用,有效的避免了资源浪费,加强了对环境的管理,实现资源的循环再生,而汽车逆向物流是逆向物流领域的重要分支。通过运用SWOT分析方法,对我国汽车行业逆向物流决策和实施的战略选择进行了分析,旨在为我国汽车制造企业是否实施逆向物流,以及怎样进行逆向物流的战略选择提供参考意见。     

聚划算凭什么

它是团购里的奇迹,是什么原因造就了这个奇迹呢？3月6日,一向顺风顺水、高歌猛进的聚划算＂意外＂迎来一次成长阵痛——因内部管理出现纰漏,阿里巴巴当天宣布免去总经理阎利珉（花名＂慧空＂）的职务。没有人怀疑阿里巴巴在内部反腐问题上的决绝态度,     

我国成品油二级物流信息化建设探析

石油是一种重要的战略能源，成品油是其消费的主要形式。与国外的石油公司相比较，我国成品油流通过程中物流成本很高，原因之一在于我国成品油物流信息化程度低下，为此必须采取必要的措施来提高成品油物流信息化程度。文章着重研究成品油二级物流的信息化建设。     

电子商务对企业内部权威分配的影响分析:以中石油、中石化为例

如今“电子商务”不再是一项单纯的技术进步，而更多地意味着企业经营管理模式的升级换代。在电子商务如何影响企业组织方面．目前很少有研究关注电子商务的发展带来的对企业内部权威分配尤其是对集权与分权安排的影响。本文以中国石油和中国石化两个传统行业企业发展电子商务的历程为案例．分析了在电子商务的环境下，企业权威分配将如何发生变化。本文认为，电子商务影响了内部交易成本（信息成本、代理成本等）。特别是带来了内部信息成本的降低，从而使企业的最优权威分配向相对集权方面转变。同时．这种组织结构上的变化将为企业带来规模经济效益、市场力量加强、降低内部竞争、降低监督成本等绩效。     

E-commerce in China: Changing business as we know it

In discussing the future of e-commerce, many experts have assumed that e-commerce in emerging markets will evolve along the same lines as it has in the US, North America, and to a great extent, in Western Europe. This assumption fails to take into account the differences that exist between the economic infrastructures of emerging markets and those of the developed markets of the West. This article considers how China's economic infrastructure, which like the infrastructures of most emerging markets is much less highly developed than the industrial West's, will influence the development of e-commerce in China. By implication, the route of e-commerce development in China may be a more likely route of development for other emerging markets to follow.     

A structural analysis of business-to-business digital markets

Digital markets allow sellers and buyers to conduct transactions electronically and are becoming major driving forces in business-to-business e-commerce. This article explores the theoretical and managerial foundations of digital markets. This study first investigates the structure and components of digital markets. A comprehensive sample of 196 digital markets is then examined to uncover the structural dimensions and success factors of digital markets. The findings of this study provide important managerial insights into various issues that are pertinent to the functioning of digital markets, such as how the nature of founding companies may affect the dominant function chosen for a digital market and what factors may affect the market-making mechanisms used by the digital markets.     

“另类”甲骨文

在貌似大者恒大的企业级软件市场上,甲骨文一直是个让人又爱又恨的矛盾集合体。大环境的风向已然变了,这艘巨轮准备如何应对？     

Research priority setting in food and health domain: European stakeholder beliefs about legitimacy criteria and processes

Dietary factors are the most important risk factors affecting health and well-being of population in every Member State of the European Region. Finding sustainable solutions to the food and health challenges is one of the key issues that today’s society urgently needs to address. Research prioritisation thus has an essential role in directing public resources to addressing these challenges. However, the processes of prioritisation among the food and health funders are rarely subject to scrutiny and the calls for democratizing science continue, as a means of enhancing both input legitimacy (with its focus on the processes of decision-making) and output legitimacy (the utility and impact of such decisions). The current study examines what conceptualisations of legitimacy (input and output) are held by the European stakeholders of the food and health research and innovation (R&I) process such as business organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and public sector organisations. We analyse stakeholder views from a series of European Awareness Scenario Workshops across nine EU countries (N = 295). The content and thematic analysis of the outputs identified six criteria determining conceptualisations of legitimacy: Influence; Representation; Procedural issues; Epistemic focus; Strategic vision; and Impact. The statistical analysis of the coded data highlighted stakeholder differences with business sector organisations being significantly less concerned about influence and representation than either NGO or public sector organisations. The results indicate that input legitimacy is of major concern to civil society and public sector actors. They reflect the wider debate about the way in which food and health R&I should be funded and policy decisions conducted, suggesting a need for better delineation of stakeholder roles and power differentials in this process. The findings are discussed with reference to the current discussions about Responsible Research and Innovation.     

十月妈咪：电商“破”与“立”

怀孕6个月的魏意涵来到杭州银泰的“十月妈咪”专柜，为自己添置些孕期内衣。像往常一样，她习惯一边站在电子试衣镜前，看着模拟图像挑选自己喜欢的款式，一边与店员聊着怀孕的经历，从害喜到孕期血糖再到孕妇餐，天马行空。     

关于市场营销专业建设的探索与思考

在高等教育快速发展的今天,市场营销专业也面临一些新的问题和挑战,需要我们与时俱进,进行专业改革,也对我们提出了更高的要求。本文以长江大学为例,对如何做好新形势下市场营销专业建设进行了探究,提出了一些如何办好市场营销专业的建议和主张。     

逆向物流在我国的发展策略研究

发达国家在过去十多年推行循环经济的这一阶段里,逆向物流发挥了显著的作用,它越来越受到重视,而当前在我国重视逆向物流的研究和实施更有着突出的意义。本文介绍逆向物流的内涵与成因,分析发展逆向物流在我国的战略价值和意义,并初步探讨在我国发展逆向物流的策略选择,从而为在我国挖掘逆向物流的价值和构建逆向物流的管理形式提供理论依据。     

Global market segmentation for logistics services

While logistics services have become a significant source of competitive differentiation between firms, significant challenges exist relative to developing logistics service offerings for global business customers. Diverse regulations across borders, longer lead times, and increased transportation costs all add to the difficulty of managing logistics services internationally. As a service offering, logistics is often characterized by intensive customer contact, extensive customization requirements, and a reliance on extrinsic cues for service performance. Because of these qualities, logistics services are also subject to cultural influences that exist in cross-border trade. In this article, we argue that logistics service quality (LSQ) components can be used to identify global, horizontal, and vertical segments of logistics services customers, and that cultural and organizational characteristics may modify the LSQ-customer satisfaction relationship. By identifying specific customer segments, some which may transcend national borders, logistics managers can benefit from reduced costs, enhanced revenue, and the ability to differentiate their offering from the highly competitive marketplace.