Logistics capability, logistics outsourcing and firm performance in an e‐commerce market

Emerald - Tập 38 Số 5 - Trang 336-359 - 2008
JayJoong‐Kun Cho1, JohnOzment2, HarrySink1
1School of Business and Economics, NC A&T State University, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
2Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

Tóm tắt

PurposeEffective and efficient supply chain management is critical to the success of firms engaging in e‐commerce. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of logistics capability and logistics outsourcing on firm performance in an e‐commerce market environment.Design/methodology/approachThis research examines the relationship between firm's logistics capability, logistics outsourcing and its performance. Multiple‐item constructs are used to measure the strength of logistics capability and firm performance. The use of logistics outsourcing is represented by a dichotomous variable. Data obtained via a survey were analyzed to investigate relationships among constructs and various hypotheses were tested.FindingsStudy results revealed logistics capability to be positively related to firm performance in the e‐commerce market. However, counter‐intuitively, logistics outsourcing and firm performance were not found to be positively linked. Further, the association between logistics capability and outsourcing was not supported. Finally, the interactive effect of logistics outsourcing on the relationship between logistics capability and firm performance was not sustained.Research limitations/implicationsResearch findings are constrained, as the study was limited to the computer and consumer electronics retailing industry. However, the importance of logistics capability was confirmed in the e‐commerce supply chain for this segment. And the benefit of using third‐party logistics (3PL) to enhance firm performance was not fully established.Practical implicationsLogistics capability is critical for superior firm performance in e‐commerce. However, study findings lead to the presumption that firms should avoid logistics outsourcing if performance is predicated on competitive advantage due to internally strong logistics capability and competencies.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the study of logistics capability and 3PL in e‐commerce. The development of a logistics capability measurement construct in e‐commerce originated with this research. Also the impact of logistics outsourcing on firm performance is tested for the first time in an e‐commerce market environment.

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

Anderson, J.C. and Gerbing, D.W. (1984), “The effects of sampling error on convergence, improper solutions and goodness‐of‐fit indices for maximum likelihood confirmatory factor analysis”, Psychometrika, Vol. 49, pp. 155‐73.

Anderson, J.C. and Narus, J.A. (1995), “Capturing the value of supplementary services”, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 73, pp. 75‐84.

Baker, W.E. and Sinkula, J.M. (1999), “The synergistic effect of market orientation and learning orientation on organizational performance”, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 27 No. 4, pp. 411‐27.

Ballou, R.H. (2004), Business Logistics Management, 5th ed., Prentice‐Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Bardi, E.J. and Tracey, M. (1991), “Transportation outsourcing: a survey of US practices”, International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, Vol. 21 No. 3, pp. 15‐21.

Barney, J. (1991), “Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage”, Journal of Management, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 90‐120.

Baron, R.M. and Kenny, D.A. (1986), “The moderator‐mediator variable distinction in social psychological research”, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 51 No. 6, pp. 1173‐82.

Bowersox, D.J. and Daugherty, P.J. (1995), “Logistics paradigms: the impact of information technology”, Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 16 No. 1, pp. 65‐80.

Brooksher, D.K. (1999), “E‐commerce and logistics”, Traffic World, November, p. 31.

Churchill, G.A. Jr (1979), “A paradigm for developing better measures of marketing constructs”, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 16, pp. 64‐73.

Clinton, S.R. and Closs, D.J. (1997), “Logistics strategy: does it exist?”, Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 19‐44.

Copacino, W.C. (1997), “Electronic commerce: how it will affect logistics”, Logistics Management, March, p. 39.

Croom, S.R. (2005), “The impact of e‐business on supply chain management: an empirical study of key developments”, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 25 No. 1, pp. 55‐73.

Daugherty, P.J., Stank, T.P. and Ellinger, A.E. (1998), “Leveraging logistics/distribution capability: the effect of logistics service on market share”, Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 35‐52.

Deckmyn, D. (1999), “Transport company dives into fish market”, Computerworld, Vol. 33 No. 29, pp. 20‐1.

Eckert, J.A. and Fawcett, S.J. (1996), “Critical capability for logistics excellence: people, quality, and time”, Proceedings of the Council of Logistics Management, pp. 183‐97.

Ellinger, A.E., Daugherty, P.J. and Keller, S.B. (2000), “The relationship between marketing/logistics interdepartmental integration and performance in US manufacturing firms: an empirical study”, Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 1‐22.

Ernst & Young (1999), The Second Annual Ernst & Young Internet Shopping Study, Ernst & Young, New York, NY.

Fawcett, S.E., Stanley, L.L. and Smith, S.R. (1997), “Developing logistics capability to improve the performance of international operations”, Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 18 No. 2, pp. 101‐28.

Fornell, C. and Larcker, D.F. (1981), “Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error”, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp. 39‐50.

Foster, T. (1999), “Dot‐com retailers give 3PLs their big chance”, Logistics Management & Distribution Report, October, p. 38.

Gerbing, D.W. and Anderson, J.C. (1988), “An updated paradigm for scale development incorporating unidimensionality and its assessment”, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 25, pp. 186‐92.

GLRT at Michigan State University (1995), World Class Logistics: The Challenge of Managing Continuous Change, Council of Logistics Management, Oak Brook, IL.

Hair, J.F., Anderson, R.E., Tatham, R.L. and Black, W.C. (1998), Multivariate Data Analysis, 5th ed., Prentice‐Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

Harrington, L.H. (2000), “Supply chain execution in the internet era”, Transportation & Distribution, January, pp. 36‐40.

Hill, S. (1999), “E‐tailing: the internet meets SCM”, Apparel Industry Magazine, October, pp. 66‐9.

Hoffman, D.L., Novak, T.P. and Chatterjee, P. (1995), “Commercial scenarios for the web: opportunities and challenges”, Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 29‐53.

Holmbeck, G.N. (1997), “Toward terminological, conceptual, and statistical clarity in the study of mediators and moderators: examples from the child‐clinical and pediatric psychology literatures”, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Vol. 65 No. 4, pp. 599‐610.

Huppertz, P. (1999), “Market changes require new supply chain thinking”, Transportation & Distribution, March, pp. 70‐4.

Innis, D.E. and Lalonde, B.J. (1994), “Customer service: the key to customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and market share”, Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 15 No. 1, pp. 1‐28.

Karpinski, R. (1999), “The logistics of e‐business: web commerce demands new approach to inventory, shipping”, Internetweek, May, pp. 1‐14.

Knemeyer, A.M., Coris, T. and Murphy, P. (2003), “Logistics outsourcing relationships: customer perspectives”, Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 24 No. 1, pp. 77‐109.

Kroll, K. (1999), “Delivering an e‐Christmas: from infrastructure to trucks, e‐commerce support companies get wall street's attention”, The Investment Dealers' Digest, December, pp. 1‐6.

La Londe, B.J. and Cooper, M.C. (1988), Partnerships in Providing Customer Service: A Third Party Perspective, Council of Logistics Management, Oak Brook, IL.

La Londe, B.J. and Maltz, A.B. (1992), “Some propositions about outsourcing the logistics functions”, The International Journal of Logistics Management, Vol. 3 No. 1, pp. 1‐11.

Langley, J. Jr, Newton, B.F. and Tyndall, G.R. (1999), “Has the future of third‐party logistics already arrived?”, Supply Chain Management Review, Fall, pp. 85‐94.

Lieb, R.C. (2002), “The use of 3PL services: the 2002 survey”, Logistics Management, Vol. 42 No. 1, p. 16.

Lieb, R.C. and Randall, H.L. (1999), “1997 CEO perspectives on the current and future projects of the third party logistics industry in the United States”, Transportation Journal, Vol. 38 No. 3, pp. 28‐41.

Lynch, D.F. (1998), “The integration of firm resources: the role of capability in strategy and firm performance”, doctoral dissertation, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR.

McQuivey, J.L., Delhagen, K., Levin, K. and Kadison, M.L. (1998), “Retail's growth spiral”, The Forrester Report, Vol. 1 No. 8, pp. 1‐34.

Maltz, A.B. (1994), “The relative importance of cost and quality in the outsourcing of warehousing”, Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 45‐62.

Morash, E.A., Droge, C.L.M. and Vickery, S.K. (1996), “Strategic logistics capability for competitive advantage and firm success”, Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 1‐22.

Mullaney, T. et al., (2003), “The e‐biz surprise”, Business Week, February 4, pp. 40‐5.

Murillo, L. (2001), “Supply chain management and the international dissemination of e‐commerce”, Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 101 No. 7, pp. 370‐7.

Murphy, P.R. and Poist, R.F. (2000), “Third‐party logistics: some user versus provider perspectives”, Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 121‐34.

Narver, J.C. and Slater, S.F. (1990), “The effect of a market orientation on business profitability”, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 54 No. 3, pp. 20‐35.

Nunnally, J.C. (1978), Psychometric Theory, 2nd ed., McGraw‐Hill, New York, NY.

Scheraga, D. (1999), “Taking stock”, Chain Store Age Executive, Vol. 75 No. 10, pp. 172‐4.

Sink, H.L. and Langley, C.J. Jr (1997), “A managerial framework for the acquisition of third‐party logistics services”, Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 18 No. 2, pp. 163‐89.

Slater, S.F. and Narver, J.C. (2000), “Intelligence generation and superior customer value”, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 28 No. 1, pp. 20‐35.

Steinfield, C. and Whitten, P. (1999), “Community level socio‐economic impacts of electronic commerce”, Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, Vol. 5 No. 2, available at: www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol5/issue2/steinfield.html.

Swaminathan, V., Lepkowska‐White, E. and Rao, B.P. (1999), “Browsers or buyers in cyberspace? An investigation of factors influencing electronic exchange”, Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, Vol. 5 No. 2, available at: www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol5/issue2/swaminathan.html.

Teece, D. (1986), “Profit from technological innovation”, Research Policy, Vol. 15 No. 6, pp. 286‐305.

Thomas, J. (1998), “The quest continues”, Logistics Management & Distribution Report, August, pp. 39‐44.

US News & World Report (1999), US News & World Report, October 11.

Vickery, S.K., Droge, C.L.M. and Markland, R. (1993), “Production competence and business strategy: do they affect business performance?”, Decision Science, Vol. 26 No. 2, pp. 435‐56.

Zhao, M., Droge, C. and Stank, T.P. (2001), “The effects of logistics capabilities on firm performance: customer‐focused versus information‐focused capabilities”, Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 22 No. 2, pp. 91‐107.

Thông tin
Thông tin xuất bản

Emerald

Tập 38 Số 5

336-359

Thông tin tác giả