EFFECTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING IN THIRD‐PARTY LOGISTICS

Logistics service providers operate in an intense competitive environment that requires continuous improvement in logistics service quality and firm performance. Key organizational resources may contribute toward the improvement in performance of logistics service providers. This paper investigates the effect of organizational learning within logistics service providers on client relationship orientation, logistics service quality and firm performance. The study proposes and examines an original concept in logistics research that contributes to theory in the area, provides the opportunity for further research and addresses how organizational resources can contribute to performance in logistics.     

BEYOND EXPECTATIONS: AN EXAMINATION OF LOGISTICS OUTSOURCING GOAL ACHIEVEMENT AND GOAL EXCEEDANCE

As a growing number of managers consider the decision to outsource logistics activities, it is becoming increasingly critical to understand drivers of success in this area. Using survey data from 549 managers, this research examines the influence of three relationship engagement factors (communication, cooperation, and proactive improvement) on the perceived logistics outsourcing performance achieved by service providers. In particular, logistics outsourcing performance is characterized as consisting of two distinct dimensions: 1) goal achievement, and 2) goal exceedance, which management should consider, respectively, when evaluating their logistics service providers (LSPs).     

THE EMPOWERMENT OF FRONTLINE SERVICE STAFF IN 3PL COMPANIES

Research on third‐party logistics (3PL) service providers has focused more on managing customer relationships than on managing the frontline personnel who interact with customers on a daily basis. Thus, even though the overall need for 3PL's to be market‐oriented is well‐recognized, relatively little is known about how 3PL companies support and develop frontline service staff to provide better service. This study draws on 3PL company site managers' responses to a postal survey that examines the influences of internal communication, customer service training and managerial coaching for customer contact employees on the relationship between market orientation and frontline service recovery empowerment.     

SUPPLY CHAIN INTERFACES: DEFINING ATTRIBUTES AND ATTRIBUTE VALUES FOR COLLABORATIVE LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT

Managing supply chain interfaces, where information or physical goods are exchanged between one trading partner and another, is a key component of collaborative logistics management (CLM). Identifying the interfaces on which to focus, and describing the attributes and attribute values of these interfaces, fosters effective CLM arrangements.     

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.     

UNDERSTANDING AND MEASURING MACRO‐INSTITUTIONAL COMPLEXITY OF LOGISTICS SYSTEMS ENVIRONMENT

We explore the concept of macro‐institutional environmental complexity surrounding logistics systems. Macro‐institutional environmental complexity is formulated as the complexity posed by the diversity of macro‐institutions and infrastructural capabilities of external environments involved in global supply chain logistics operations. This concept is then translated into a simple Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) model evaluating the macro‐institutional logistics systems environmental complexity of the four Nordic countries.