Strategic adoption of logistics and supply chain management

The relationship between logistics and organizational performance in a supply chain context

The success of managing the distribution of goods, raw materials and the flow of information within a company directly determines the success in managing all operations along the supply chain. Supply chain performance has the status of one of the key organizational performance determinants, while logistics performance is an important determinant of the supply chain performance. The subject of this research is the analysis of impact of logistics performance on organizational performance, with special emphasis on supply chain management performance. Using the analysis of business practice of companies from the territory of the Republic of Serbia, the aim of the research is to crystallize the importance of logistics management for improving the determinants of organizational performance: supply chain management performance, marketing performance and financial performance. The results show that logistics performance is one of the key drivers of generating supply chain management goals, which is directly reflected in the improvement of all categories of organizational performance.

Leadership styles in supply chain disruptions: a multimethod evaluation based on practitioner insights

Purpose

The authors empirically determine the stages and leadership styles that enhance the effectiveness of firm response and recovery efforts during each stage.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use an inductive exploratory approach and mixed-method research design. Study 1 uses a combination of qualitative data gathered through two rounds of exploratory focus groups (26 managers and executives), Q-sorting (60 participants) and a confirmatory focus group (6 experts) to highlight how expert practitioners perceive the staged progression of a supply chain disruption. Study 2 uses responses from 90 experienced managers in an experimental vignette to determine the most effective leadership style during each stage.

Findings

Expert practitioners are strongly partial to a two-staged disruption model that includes an early/response and late/recovery stage. They consider decisiveness to be the most effective style in the response stage. However, in the recovery stage, a style that combines decisiveness and task-centered leadership is perceived to be the most effective. Further, effective leadership hinges on applying distinct styles depending on the progression of events during supply chain disruptions.

Originality/value

Empirical evidence and validation of conceptual models on leadership behavior during crises are essentially nonexistent in the literature. This study is likely the first to pursue the subject of leadership during stages of crises and the first to offer empirical evidence thereof. Relatedly, the authors contribute to the growing research on crisis management, which is likely to receive even more attention as the frequency and size of crises facing organizations increase.

Estimating the national logistics outsourcing market size: a multi-method approach and an application to the Italian context

Purpose

Today logistics is an ever-growing multi-billion-dollar business, and logistics operations have been increasingly outsourced to specialised players. The intended aim of this paper is to offer a multi-method approach for estimating the size of the national logistics outsourcing market by building upon financial-reporting data of logistics service providers (LSPs).

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed approach is structured into four steps, clustered around two main stages: framework setting and data collection, and processing. A combination of methods is offered, including a review of academic literature and secondary sources, focus groups, interviews and data extractions from national databases.

Findings

The proposed approach is meant to be replicable in different countries, thus allowing for comparison amongst markets. With reference to a specific country and year, the following outputs are provided: market size in terms of the number of players and generated turnover – total and split by LSPs type – and market concentration measures. A practical application of the proposed approach to a specific context, i.e. Italy is finally offered.

Originality/value

The study focusses on the logistics outsourcing market and considers financial-reporting data from LSPs, avoiding the need for introducing assumptions about the value of logistics operations for shippers. The proposed approach can contribute to strengthening the accuracy of LSPs' market analyses, and supporting the development of national policies by local governments. The adoption of multiple methods brings rigour and reliability to the study. Finally, high flexibility is ensured, as the method may be adaptable over time to cope with future changes in the logistics landscape.

Influencing factor modeled examination on internet rural logistics talent innovation mechanism based on fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method

In recent years, China’s economic development has advanced by leaps and bounds, but the development of China’s rural logistics system is still at its primary stage. Some remote areas with inconvenient transportation are still in a state of serious lack or even blank, and due to the high cost of rural logistics delivery services, the rural logistics business of the enterprise also has a profit problem, which limits the development of rural logistics talent innovation to some extent. The purpose of this paper is to study a new influencing factor model of the Internet rural logistics talent innovation mechanism. This paper innovatively proposes countermeasures to improve the innovation of e-commerce practitioners in rural areas. Through research, the author finds that the innovation of rural e-commerce application talents in China is generally low. The key point of the solution lies in how to improve the level of innovation in rural e-commerce application talents. According to the status quo, identify the factors that hinder the innovation and improvement of rural e-commerce application talents. Combined with the great environment of the development of rural e-commerce industry in China, the paper proposes to improve the countermeasures for improving the innovation of rural e-commerce application talents. Improve the current situation of rural e-commerce application talents mediocrity and promote the innovation of rural e-commerce application talents. Fundamentally promote agricultural development and the building of a new socialist countryside. This paper adopts the literature research method based on fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method, system analysis method and the combination of questionnaire survey and interview. Through big data and information science methods for data processing, using a company’s Internet rural talent data set to simulate, the results It shows that with the method of this paper, the recognition rate reaches 98%, the speed increases obviously, and it is 20% faster than others.

Inhibitors and enablers of supply chain integration across multiple supply chain tiers: evidence from Malawi

Purpose

This paper investigates the inhibitors and enablers of supply chain integration (SCI) across multiple tiers in the supply chains of manufacturing-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malawi.

Design/methodology/approach

Following a qualitative approach, data were collected through face-to-face interviews across three supply chains, each consisting of a focal manufacturer, a major supplier and a retailer.

Findings

The research identified interpersonal relationships, supplier cost transparency and joint supply chain management (SCM) investments as key enablers of SCI. Concerning the inhibitors of SCI, the study found that a lack of external integration inhibited internal integration by acting as a source of disruption to intra-firm processes and relationships. Further, the research found weaker links between manufacturer–-retailer dyads than in manufacturer–supplier dyads, which constrained the ability to achieve multi-tier supplier–manufacture–retailer integration. The study also revealed that resource and infrastructural deficiencies, a culture of fear and intimidation within and between firms, corruption in sourcing transactions and a lack of inter-firm trust inhibited SCI.

Research limitations/implications

The paper extends earlier evidence that internal integration is a prerequisite for external integration demonstrating that a basic level of external integration is necessary to prevent disruptions to internal integration.

Originality/value

This study is one of the few to go beyond the focal firm perspective and explore the inhibitors and enablers of SCI across multiple supply chain positions, and provides new evidence on the role of external integration in achieving internal integration.

Environmental alignment between logistics service providers and shippers – a supply chain perspective

Purpose

Various suggested paths for greening logistics and supply chains often address the specific perspectives of single supply chain actors. Drawing on stakeholder theory, the purpose of this paper is to develop a deeper understanding of the alignment between logistics service providers (LSPs) and shippers in the context of adopting more environmentally sustainable logistics practices.

Design/methodology/approach

With a case study approach, a dual perspective is taken in which both LSPs and shippers were researched. The cases comprise eight LSPs and six shipper companies in Sweden, Italy and Ireland. Information was first analysed in relation to levels of environmental awareness, customer requirements and provider offerings and critical success factors (CSFs) and inhibitors. In a second step, the findings were analysed using stakeholder theory.

Findings

LSPs demonstrate higher ambition levels and more concrete offerings compared to shippers' requirements for green logistics services. Paradoxically, customers are an important CSF and also an inhibitor for both LSPs and shippers. Both LSPs and shippers perceive financial factors and senior management priorities as important CSFs. The application of stakeholder theory helps to illuminate the importance of the many secondary stakeholders vs that of one or a relatively small number of primary stakeholders.

Originality/value

The three-dimensional analysis of environmental alignment between LSPs and shippers reinforces existing knowledge and provides new insights. A novel use of stakeholder theory in a supply chain context underlines its usefulness in research of this kind.

Environmental Sustainability in the Follow-Up and Evaluation Stage of Logistics Services Purchasing: Perspectives from UK Shippers and 3PLs

The purpose of the research described in this paper is to investigate the role played by the green agenda and sustainability in the follow-up and evaluation stage of the purchasing of logistics services. This stage is relatively under-explored in the extant academic literature. However, there is some evidence of a divergence between the perspectives of shippers and forwarders in this area. In this context, therefore, two carefully selected groups of UK-based supply chain management professionals—from shippers (i.e., manufacturers and retailers) and third-party logistics (3PLs)—were investigated using semi-structured interviews. The interviews were based on a data collection guide informed by the authors’ three overall research objectives. Data from the interviews were analysed using a combination of content analysis and grounded analysis. The findings suggest that, while shippers and 3PLs recognise a positive link between cost savings and the development of green initiatives, there is considerable room for improvement in this area in order to reorient the focus of the follow-up and evaluation stage from price and service levels towards sustainability. The authors’ exploratory research leads to the identification of a number of potentially fruitful areas for future research.