The Emerging Role of the Third‐Party Logistics Provider (3PL) as an Orchestrator

The connectivity and communication requirements of leading supply chains have created the emergence of a more advanced role for third‐party logistics providers 3PLs. They have evolved from providing logistics capabilities to becoming orchestrators of supply chains that create and sustain a competitive advantage. This article uses a theoretical perspective based on resource‐based theory, network theory and transaction cost economics, and a thorough literature review, to develop a model with seven propositions. Finally, using structured interviews of industry executives from a leading 3PL, we offer empirical support for the model and propositions that can be used to define the orchestrator role of a 3PL.     

ANTECEDENTS AND DIMENSIONS OF CUSTOMER PARTNERING BEHAVIOR IN LOGISTICS OUTSOURCING RELATIONSHIPS

In order to be successful in today's competitive environment, third‐party logistics providers (3PLs) increasingly strive to develop close, mutually beneficial long‐term relationships with customers. The current study identifies inter‐organizational conditions and firm‐specific factors that influence a firm's partnering behavior with its 3PL. A model of the antecedents and dimensions of partnering behavior is developed and tested with a diverse set of relationships between a focal 3PL and members of its customer base.     

The battle of traditional retailers versus discounters: The role of PL tiers

For grocery retailers in Europe, intense competition from hard discount formats like Lidl and Aldi is an established part of the competitive landscape. Due to the highly competitive retail environment, traditional retailers’ private label (PL) tiers are now set to become the new battle ground in this competition. This study analyzes how PL tiers (i.e. economy, standard and premium) affect the competition between discounters and traditional retailers. We use a representative UK household panel dataset (2009–2010) for the ready-to-eat cereal and canned soup category, and estimate a demand model for the choice between national brands (NBs) and PL tiers across the top-7 UK retailers. Using our demand estimates, we conduct several counterfactual experiments that predict consumer responses to different strategies of traditional retailers and discounters in their fight for the consumer. In particular, we compare the effectiveness of three types of PLs offered by traditional retailers to fight discounters: economy PLs versus standard PLs versus premium PLs. We find that premium PLs are not very effective strategies for traditional retailers to fight with discounters. On the other hand, economy PLs manage to steal some market share from discounters, but as a downside they also cannibalize traditional retailers’ standard PLs. Standard PLs seem the most effective tool to fight with discounters, since they steal most market share from discounters (and NBs). From the point of view of the discounters, our results indicate that discounters benefit from a further increase in their NB offerings (assortment depth) as well as from a price cut in their own PLs.     

第三方物流企业演进及其经济学含义——以宝供物流企业集团为例

第三方物流企业的发展具有一定规律,最初只是普通的储运企业,提供以运输和仓储为主的传统物流服务,与客户一般是短期的交易关系;后来逐渐发展成为第三方物流企业,提供综合物流服务,与客户一般是中短期的合约关系;之后又发展成为领先物流企业,不仅提供物流服务,而且为客户管理所有的物流服务、物流服务商和物流流程,与客户一般是中长期的合约关系,双方共担风险;最后,发展成为第四方物流企业,成为客户的供应链管理者,与客户之间是长期的合作伙伴关系。文章提出,企业从自营物流业务、物流业务分散外包到物流业务内部整合再到整合物流业务整体外包的过程是分工演进的结果,在规模经济和学习曲线的共同作用下,第三方物流企业不断演进,从传统储运企业发展到第四方物流企业。     

经济全球化背景下国际物流的发展现状及趋势

本文认为,经济全球化促进了国际物流系统的形成和发展。物流企业向海外发展的物流战略可分为五种类型,即依附型的海外发展战略、设置海外基地战略、货运代理战略、国际多式联运战略和第三方物流战略。随着东亚经济的发展,货物运输量逐步扩大,1992年以后东亚.太平洋地域在六大地域中货物运输量一直保持最大。文章提出,国际物流未来发展趋势是国际多式联运,在以散货海运为主体的同时,集装箱应用将更加广泛;国际海运货物与国际空运货物由互补关系演变为竞争关系,并将随着国际多式联运的发展而进一步演化为一种联合与合作关系。     

Performance‐Based Logistics and Interfirm Team Processes: An Empirical Investigation

Practitioners are using performance‐based logistics (PBL) strategies to reduce cost and improve value in industries such as defense, transportation, manufacturing, and healthcare. PBL is part of a group of increasingly popular buyer–supplier strategies that focuses on outcomes as oppose to the delivery of products or services. A key tenet of PBL is the use of innovation to create cost avoidance that benefits buyers and suppliers. In this research, we explore the interfirm team‐level factors associated with innovation in successful PBL strategies. This research brings together business, organizational behavior, and engineering literature to study PBL team success. The study entailed interviews with 17 managers involved in large scale PBL projects. The interviews and follow‐on member checking sessions resulted in a model composed of eight emergent categories and associated propositions. Both practical and theoretical implications are provided.     

Economies of Product Diversity in Collaborative Logistics

Collaborative logistics, also known as shipper collaboration, is a method of reducing the freight logistics cost of firms that produce and/or distribute tangible goods (shippers), which seeks to improve capacity utilizations of trucks. This study looks at this shipper collaboration problem in the U.S. truckload (TL) industry and proposes a new approach. Unlike other studies, which focused on reducing TL costs by utilizing economies of density, we present an approach that utilizes specific TL economies gained by mixing multiple products with different weight‐to‐volume ratios, which we call economies of product diversity. Using theoretical and empirical evidence, we show that the performance of shipper collaboration can be enhanced notably using this concept, economies of product diversity, which is currently overlooked in the literature.     

Does Private Label Quality Influence Consumers’ Decision on Where to Shop?

When consumers decide where to shop, they take several criteria into account. It is not yet clear whether private label (PL) quality is one of these criteria. It is the intention of this study to shed light on this issue because many retailers have invested heavily into the quality of their PLs. They assume that PLs differentiate a store's assortment and image, which should attract customers to the store. This study examines this assumption by use of a simultaneous equation model that links PL‐specific quality evaluations to perceptions of the image of the associated store as well as to the category‐specific share of store visits. Empirical results for 10 product categories show that PL quality positively affects store image perception, and influences consumers in the decision of where to shop.     

Taking private labels upmarket: Empirical generalizations on category drivers of premium private label introductions

Premium private labels (PLs) are considered one of the hottest trends in grocery retailing. Still, retailers do not feel the need to introduce premium PLs in every category. Generalizing across approximately 150 categories for six retailers from two countries that already carry premium PLs for several years, the authors find that retailers are more likely to introduce premium PLs in categories with a higher industry PL share, and with a more proliferated assortment in terms of standard PLs. However, retailers are also aware of the risk of creating PL fatigue at high levels of standard PL proliferation. Further, premium PLs are more likely to be introduced in categories with more frequent price promotions, a longer interpurchase time, a higher need for variety, and higher functional, but lower social, risk. In addition, retailers consider category growth and the prevailing practice of their country's premium-PL pioneer when deciding in which categories to also introduce a premium PL. Finally, when NBs spend a smaller amount on advertising and NB proliferation is moderate, premium PL introductions are more likely. Importantly, while some of the earlier empirical generalizations on factors conducive to a standard PL entry still hold for a premium PL entry, new variables need to be considered as well, while other insights need to be updated to better reflect the new reality of higher-quality/higher-price premium PL introductions.     

国外物流成本研究前沿及进展——一个文献综述

国外物流成本研究主要关注微观企业物流层面的实证研究。相关研究主要集中于供应商选择策略、企业物流/配送系统设计、库存/仓储订货及优化策略、运输策略/路径选择、物流设施规划/选址、逆向/回收物流规划等专门领域,充分反映出国外物流成本研究的实用性倾向。研究表明,国外现有研究成果散落于各个学科和问题领域,建立一个系统性的理论研究框架具有重要意义。     

基于第四方物流的物流园区互联互通问题研究——双边市场视角

基于4PL的现代物流园区是典型的双边市场经营平台,为解决物流园区间物流服务供给与需求的外部不均衡性,利用双边市场结构模型分析物流服务水平不对称的两个物流园区双边市场经营平台的互联互通,并研究物流服务水平较低的物流园区的物流服务创新、物流园区双边市场交叉网络外部性对互联互通的综合影响。求解发现低物流服务水平的物流园区进行物流服务创新,在交叉网络外部性的综合作用下,会对两个物流园区双边市场经营平台互联互通后的利润、交易费、市场份额产生复杂的交叉影响。     

The Roles of Procedural and Distributive Justice in Logistics Outsourcing Relationships

In this paper, the effects of two dimensions of justice—procedural and distributive—on key attitudinal and behavioral elements of logistics outsourcing relationships are investigated. The findings suggest that the fairness of policies adopted by a third‐party logistics provider (3PL) and respective outcomes nurtures a customer's trust in and long‐term orientation toward the relationship with a 3PL. In such a relationship climate, patterns of cooperative behavior take place, providing an incentive for a 3PL to proactively pursue operational improvements.     

多站点物流行业业务系统设计与开发

现代物流的根本宗旨是提高物流效率、降低物流成本、满足客户需求,并越来越呈现出信息化、网络化、智能化、柔性化、标准化和社会化的特征。基于B/S的多站点物流行业业务系统从专线物流企业实际业务流程出发,实现了从托运单管理、发货单管理、运输协议管理、派送单管理、委托单管理等在线操作,过程中实现了套打托运单、运输协议、行车命令单等流程,同时包括车辆管理、仓储管理、财务管理、查询统计分析等功能,使传统业务与在线办理业务有机结合起来,提高了专业化水平,而且实现了客户端零维护。     

论产品包装在物流运输中的作用

产品包装作为物流的起点,对整个物流运输过程都起着非常重要的作用。在物流日趋普遍的今天,通过对产品包装含义的简要介绍及对产品包装策略的阐述,剖析产品包装在物流运输中存在的问题,并提出改进建议。     

Why Collaborate in a Physical Internet Network?—Motives and Success Factors

The vision of the Physical Internet (PI) involves both sharing logistics resources and information exchange within an open network. The implementation of PI is seen as a promising contribution toward sustainable logistics. This paper investigates motives for and success factors in collaborating in a PI network. We apply an interpretive case‐based research approach involving four shippers and three logistics service providers (LSPs) that operate in a PI network. Motives are defined as the reasons that encourage an organization to enter the PI network. Success factors are conditions required for organizations to continue collaborating in a PI network. This is the first PI study conducted in a multi‐industry context. The findings demonstrate the central and neutral orchestration of resources (i.e., physical, digital/intangible, and relational resources) as a substantial and multi‐faceted issue in PI and continuous PI collaboration. A well‐accepted theory (Resource‐Based View) and its most recent extension (Resource Orchestration Theory—ROT) frame and guide our research. ROT informs the deployment of physical, digital/intangible, and relational resources by a neutral orchestrator in a PI network. The knowledge of motives and success factors allows the development of future user‐oriented PI services that are likely to be accepted by shippers and LSPs.     

绿色物流管理策略探讨

经济的发展、环境的恶化使物流企业认识到对资源的开发和利用必须坚持可持续发展的战略。物流企业可以通过集约、优化各种资源,提高流通效率、压缩流通成本的同时也节约资源、提高资源利用效率。文章从绿色物流的内涵入手,简析了绿色物流兴起的原因,从运输、仓储、包装和流通加工四个方面对绿色物流策略进行了探讨,为物流企业管理提供借鉴。     

Adding budget and premium private labels to standard private labels: Established empirical generalizations,emerging empirical insights,and future research

Standard private labels (PLs) have been the topic of multiple prior reviews. Having been leapfrogged by business practice, the marketing literature has only recently witnessed a surge in interest in multi-tier PL offerings. These typically include a budget and/or premium tier in addition to the omnipresent standard PL tier. This study offers a systematic review of recent empirical findings on budget and premium PLs. Our review is structured along the following four research questions: (i) why do retailers introduce budget and premium PLs, (ii) who buys budget and premium PLs, (iii) what is the nature of the competition among the different tiers and with national brands, and (iv) what are the budget and premium PL tiers’ respective success drivers? While standard PLs still generate the largest volume sales, premium PLs (which are not only characterized by a higher dollar margin but which are also most beneficial to the retailer's image) are currently driving PL growth. Budget PLs, in contrast, are hardly growing in volume share, have a lower absolute and percentage margin, and are found to be less effective in fighting discounters than initially thought. We identify some commonalities across the different tiers but also report on many differences. Various avenues for future research are presented.     

中小型第三方物流企业发展问题及对策研究

第三方物流是随着物流理论与实践不断深入发展而出现的新的物流形态,本文探讨了我国中小型第三方物流企业发展的基本问题,并提出了相应的发展策略。     

CUTTING LOGISTICS COSTS WITH OCEAN CARRIER SELECTION

Two decades of survey research has shown that transit‐time differences among ocean carriers are often secondary considerations in carrier selection. However, this study found that shippers can pay substantial premiums for superior ocean transit‐time service, and cut logistics costs even when substantial variability occurs in landside segments of supply chains.     

铁路货运的经济性分析

本文肯定了运输在物流环节中的重要性,指出运输环节在降低物流成本、减少社会资源耗费中的突出地位,列举铁路运输方式的经济比较优势,分析铁路运输成本在经济学意义上的价值构成和含义,以及运输成本的计算、构成和与产品的联系等特点,得出降低铁路运输成本的主要途径是强化科学管理、优化运输组织的结论,并据此提出均衡运输、合理运输、直达运输、集中化运输、重载和高速运输、向第三方物流发展等经济性方法。