Supply chain agility in third-party logistics providers: its relationship with institutional and cultural geographical traits in a developing country

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin R. Tukamuhabwa ◽  
Henry Mutebi ◽  
Rebecca Kwagala
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Third Party Logistics ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Supply Chain Agility ◽  
Internal Operations

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between geographical traits consisting of institutional traits and cultural traits, and supply chain agility in third-party logistics providers.Design/methodology/approachA theoretical model was developed and assessed through a structured questionnaire survey using cross-sectional data from 170 third-party logistics providers registered in Uganda. To validate the suggested model, data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis, correlations and regressions.FindingsCorrelation results revealed that all institutional and cultural geographical traits in the model, i.e. infrastructural frameworks, regulatory frameworks, organisational culture and national culture are positively and significantly associated with supply chain agility. However, a further analysis using regression revealed that regulatory framework and organisational culture are the only significant predictors of supply chain agility and together, all the four traits account for 28.1% variance in supply chain agility.Research limitations/implicationsThis study applies the institutional theoretical framework to provide an empirical understanding of the role of institutional and cultural factors in supply chain management practice. Furthermore, it confirms and expands on the existing theories about supply chain agility.Practical implicationsThe findings provide firm ground for managerial decisions regarding emphasis on external factors in building firms' supply chain agility. Managers should scan the macro-environment and make conscious firm decisions regarding institutions and culture in certain geographical locations. The host countries should also be aware of their role in building firms' supply chain agility.Originality/valueDistinctive from the literature on antecedents of supply chain agility, which predominantly focuses on the firm and supply chain capabilities, this study utilises the paradigm of institutional fit to empirically show how managers in a developing country wishing to build supply chain agility should not only focus on their supply chains and internal operations, but go beyond and consider geographical traits when making firm location and/or operational decisions for certain geographical contexts in order to achieve fit.

Self-organisation and supply chain agility: empirical evidence from humanitarian relief operations in a developing country

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry Mutebi ◽  
Moses Muhwezi ◽  
John C. Kigozi Munene
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Humanitarian Relief ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Supply Chain Agility ◽  
Self Organisation ◽  
Relief Operations ◽  
Cross Sectional Design

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to establish whether self-organisation and its components matter for supply chain agility in the context of humanitarian relief operations in a developing country, Uganda.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a cross-sectional design to collect data from a sample of 101 humanitarian organisations (HOs) that deliver relief to Bidi-Bidi refugee settlement in Uganda.FindingsBased on the findings, self-organisation explains 56% of the variance in supply chain agility.Research limitations/implicationsSince the study was cross-sectional, changes in the perception of the subject matter could not be established. Hence, a longitudinal approach was recommended for subsequent studies. Data was collected only from HOs that deliver relief services in Bidi-Bidi refugee settlement.Practical implicationsIt is recommended that managers of HOs should ensure that their organisations have flexible, adaptive structures that can affect self-organisation during emergencies so as to increase the speed with which they respond to victims' needs.Originality/valueThis study generates significant empirical evidence on a less studied phenomenon in the humanitarian sector. It vividly highlights the effect of self-organisation on building supply chain agility.

Building resilience in retail supply chains: Lessons learned from COVID-19 and future pathways

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Atif Saleem Butt
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis study explores the countermeasures taken by retailers to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on supply chain disruptions.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses a multiple case study approach and undertakes 36 semi-structured interviews with senior management of the four largest retailers of the United Arab Emirates. The respondents were designated at different positions such as Vice President, Director and Project Manager.FindingsResults reveal that retailers are employing six countermeasures to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on supply chains. Particularly, retailers are securing required demand, preserving cash flows, redirecting inventory, adding capacity to their distribution centres, becoming more flexible with their direct or third-party logistics provider and finally widening delivery options for their suppliers to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has some limitations. First, the results of this study cannot be generalized to a broader population as it attempts to build an initial theory. Second, this study uses a cross-sectional approach to explore the countermeasures employed by retailing firms to mitigate the effects of COVID-19.Originality/valueA notable weakness in a supply chain disruption literature is an unfulfilled need for research examining the strategies employed by retailers to respond to/address the challenges posed by COVID-19. Our study fills this gap.

Supply chain performance measurement for third party logistics

2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 944-963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhanya Jothimani ◽  
S.P. Sarmah
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Asset Management ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Supply Chain Performance ◽  
Third Party Logistics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Scor Model

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to explore the applicability of the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model and to identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) for the service-oriented sector – namely a third-party logistics (3PL) service provider. Design/methodology/approach – The performance attributes of SCOR model (reliability, responsiveness, flexibility, cost measures and asset management efficiency) are used as the basis for defining the KPIs. A questionnaire was sent to relevant decision makers. Findings – This paper illustrates the use of the integrated approach of SCOR, fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) for measuring the supply chain performance (SCP) in the light of a real life case study company. Research limitations/implications – This method forms the basis for performance measurement using the SCOR model to evaluate strategy. In this work, the performance of the company has been compared with its own previous performance. The work can be extended to external benchmarking and also to other sectors. Practical implications – The paper attempts to overcome the conflict between the top-down strategy and bottom-up implementation process. The paper links the strategic objective with operations which would aid managers at different levels of an organization with decision making. The KPIs, when implemented in a business intelligence (BI) tool, would result in real time performance measurement. Originality/value – The paper focusses on 3PLs. It provides a base for measuring the SCP using SCOR model. The paper also identified KPIs for three domains of 3PL, namely freight forwarding, customs and warehousing.

A preliminary investigation into senior management skills: the context of third-party logistics (3PLs) providers

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Midgley ◽  
Ozlem Bak
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Senior Management ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Third Party Logistics ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Management Skill ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk

PurposeThe third-party logistics (3PL) provider has faced significant change since containerisation with the broadening scope of supply chains and technological developments. With these changes, the required supply chain skills discussions have covered mostly graduate skills or employees' skills with a limited discussion to what extent and whether senior management skills were changing. Hence, 3PL senior management skill requirements will be compiled based on existing studies and assessed to check whether these are still relevant and if so to what extent for today's 3PL senior managers.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire has been devised based on 3PL senior management skills identified in the academic literature and sent out to senior managers via professional social networks of 3PL. Based on the previous literature, the senior managers selected had to fulfil the selection criteria of a minimum five years' managerial experience in a 3PL, and a minimum of ten years' experience in general, which limited the sample size to twenty-seven senior managers in the 3PL sector.FindingsThe findings indicated that 3PL senior managers’ skills highlighted an increasing dependence on and importance of relational and behavioural skills, particularly when compared with the more traditional functional and managerial skills. The study indicated that the 3PL senior managers highlighted an increasing dependence and importance upon relational and behavioural skills, particularly when compared with the more traditional functional skills.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has explored the senior management skills in 3PL in the UK, albeit the respondents possessing diverse backgrounds. Therefore, it would be beneficial to test whether these findings are exemplary across the wider 3PL sector, not only in the UK but also across Europe to see how corporate agenda for executive supply chain skills could be devised.Practical implicationsCorporate supply chain training and development staff can develop specific programs based on the 3PL senior management skill sets especially on relational and behavioural skills, which are needed for future managers as well as up-skill senior managers' skills which are deemed to be most important in the current 3PL market.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the supply chain skills discussion and reports subject relevant challenges for today’s senior management in the 3PL industry. The findings have generated preliminary discussions on whether senior management skills are changing with the broadening scope of supply chains.

Benchmarking the outsourcing factors of third-party logistics services selection: analysing influential strength and building a sustainable decision model

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharfuddin Ahmed Khan ◽  
Shahed Alkhatib ◽  
Zaina Ammar ◽  
Md. Abdul Moktadir ◽  
Anil Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Third Party Logistics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Decision Factors ◽  
Logistics Service ◽  
Outsourcing Decision

PurposeOutsourcings always affect crucial supply chain functions concerning flexibility and cost. During the decision to outsource and consider third-party logistics service provider selection, decision-makers need to pay more attention to certain critical outsourcing factors such as coordination, integration and cooperation as these key factors are essential to improve overall supply chain performance. The main purpose of this work is to identify the inter-relations among outsourcing decision factors to highlight the most important and influential factors that should be considered and carefully thought through when making outsourcing sustainable decisions.Design/methodology/approachA two-phased methodology has been used in this study. In the first phase, outsourcing decision factors are identified from existing literature and validated by decision-makers from industry and academia. To understand the influential strength and build a sustainable model, the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method is used. A courier company in the UAE is considered for implementation.FindingsAll identified and validated factors are segregated into two categories (cause and effect). The result shows that the most influential factors are developing strategic alliances, uncertainty and risk mitigation and deficiency of internal resources for a service.Practical implicationsThere are several insights for industry managers and practitioners. The results of the study may help practitioners and logistics managers to make the logistics service sustainable and more efficient for businesses.Originality/valueThis study focusses on a courier company to understand the interdependencies among outsourcing decision factors; this is unique in this field of literature.

Green supply chain management practice adoption in Ugandan SME manufacturing firms

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 154-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheila Namagembe ◽  
R Sridharan ◽  
Suzanne Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Environmental Pollution ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Green Supply Chain ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practice Adoption

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to advance enviropreneurial orientation (EO) as a new internal driver for green supply chain practice adoption. Because manufacturing supply chains are major contributors to environmental pollution, green practice adoption is a means of reducing environmental pollution. However, why owner/managers adopt green practices remains uncertain. The concept of EO is a potential and important motivation for adoption of green supply chain practices that has yet to be explored. The study investigates the relationship between EO and green supply chain practice adoption. Design/methodology/approach – Cross-sectional survey design was employed to collect data from owners/managers of SME manufacturing firms in Uganda. The structural equation modelling was used to analyse results on the influence of each of nine EO on green supply chain practice adoption and the influence of EO dimensions on green supply chain practice adoption. Findings – Findings show that EO positively influences green supply chain practice adoption. All but two of nine dimensions of EO were significant predictors of green supply chain practice adoption. Competitive aggressiveness and perceived pressure from environmental regulations were not significant predictors for green supply chain practice adoption. Research limitations/implications – The study was cross-sectional. A longitudinal survey was more appropriate because of the presence of a behavioural variable green supply chain practice adoption. Further a comparative study is required because of the existence of differences in classifications of SMEs in both the developing and developed countries. Originality/value – The research contributes to further scholarly understanding of green practice adoption in SMEs through offering a new construct, EO, and its role in influencing green supply chain practice adoption. The authors develop EO as a construct, a concept that has not been developed for more than two decades.

scholarly journals Corporate and supply chain network governance of third party logistics service providers: Effects on buyers’ intention to continue the relationship

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avci Salih Börteçine ◽  
İyigün İsmail
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Network Governance ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Supply Chain Network ◽  
Third Party Logistics ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Relationship Continuity ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis study focuses on the impact of corporate governance, supply chain network governance and competencies such as sales and logistics competence on buyers’ intention to relationship continuity. A total number of 258 questionnaires were distributed to Turkish manufacturing firms, selected using cross-sectional sampling method from the Istanbul and Edirne Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Turkey. The data of survey was analysed using PLS-SEM model with WARP PLS 5.0 software. Our findings indicate that corporate governance and supply chain network governance seem to have a positive effect on sales competence and logistics competence, and together, they influence buyers’ intention to relationship continuity. In this respect, the outcomes of this study may provide valuable insights for the third-party logistics (3PL) literature in terms of buyers’ intention to relationship continuity.

Sustainable evaluation and selection of potential third-party logistics (3PL) providers

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rakesh Raut ◽  
Manoj Kharat ◽  
Sheetal Kamble ◽  
Chandra Shekhar Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Selection Criteria ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Integrated Model ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Third Party Logistics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Selection Of

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to efficiently assist the decision makers in evaluating and selecting the most appropriate third-party logistics (3PL) provider from environmental sustainability perspective using a two-phase model based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) and analytic network process (ANP). Design/methodology/approach The study uses an integrated approach of DEA and ANP as an evaluation and selection methodology to select an efficient and requisite 3PL. The integrated model is a sound technique for 3PL evaluation and selection. DEA effectively screens the maximally efficient 3PLs, whereas ANP easily performs the cumbersome process of weighting diverse criteria and ranks various alternatives according to their performance on the basis of these criteria. This study lists the prominent evaluation and selection criteria taking into consideration the environmental sustainability. Finally, a real-life industrial application is presented to demonstrate the proposed method. Findings The current research work is devoted to the emerging research topic of environmental sustainability in logistics industry and supply chain management. The results of study indicate that eco-efficient transportation and 3PLs lead better transportation planning, better inventory and warehouse management, lower inventory cost and sustainable supply chain operations. Also, the applied approach enables the decision makers to better understand the complex relationships of the relevant criteria in the decision-making process. Research limitations/implications This study does not investigate the relationships between environmental performances and differentiation advantage from the perspective of 3PLs. Also, sensitivity analysis is not performed. Practical implications The developed integrated model enables decision analysts to better understand the complete evaluation process of 3PL evaluation and selection considering environmental sustainability perspective. Furthermore, the developed approach provides a more flexible, simple, accurate, effective, and systematic decision support tool for 3PL evaluation and selection. Originality/value The current study is first of its kind to use the integrated approach in evaluation and selection of 3PLs from environmental sustainability perspective considering the inter-dependencies among the evaluation and selection criteria.

Assessment of risks associated with third-party logistics in restaurant supply chain

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saket Shanker ◽  
Hritika Sharma ◽  
Akhilesh Barve
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Fuzzy Ahp ◽  
Risk Index ◽  
Relative Weight ◽  
Evaluation Framework ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Preference Ranking ◽  
Third Party Logistics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Index Value

PurposeThe restaurant network is reforming rapidly due to the advancements encountered so far in the restaurant–third party logistics (3PL) collaborations. These collaborations resulting from a strategical partnership between the restaurant and the 3PLs play a significant role in getting a good handle on the web, logistics activities, online business and many more services. Despite the collaborations, 3PL in the restaurant supply chain is associated with many risks that may hamper the supply chain's profitability. In this study, several risks related to 3PL are investigated and analysed.Design/methodology/approachDeciding the relative importance of different risks is an intricate errand. The predominance of one risk over the others changes from individual to individual and ?rm to ?rm. Therefore, to catch the changeability in choice, the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is an extremely valuable tool used in this research. In addition to this, fuzzy AHP is incorporated with fuzzy TOPSIS for preference ranking of 3PL risks in the restaurant supply chain and obtain risk index value, which provides an excellent approach to rank the risks. Furthermore, we performed a sensitivity analysis to analyse the stability of the results obtained in this study.FindingsResults indicate that “macro-level risks” (i.e. the risks associated with 3PL in the restaurant supply chain due to political agitation in the district, cataclysmic events, ailments like COVID-19, bird influenza, etc.) is the most relevant first-level risk with high-risk index as well as high relative weight. As per the analysis of second-level risks, the occurrence of cataclysmic events holds the most elevated risk index value.Practical implicationsThis research provides the restaurant industry and the 3PL with a generalized framework with set parameters that can be used to attain a successful 3PL in the restaurant supply chain of any developing nation.Originality/valueThis research proposes an evaluation framework for the risk assessment of third-party logistics in the restaurant supply chain. This paper explores risks for efficient implementation of 3PL in the restaurant supply chain. From a managerial perspective, the rank table is also provided with the goal that mitigation of the risks can be done quickly.

Integration, supply chain resilience, and service performance in third-party logistics providers

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiung-Lin Liu ◽  
Ming-Yu Lee
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Service Performance ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Third Party Logistics ◽  
Customer Integration ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Supply Chain Resilience ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Internal Integration

Purpose Supply chain resilience (SCR) is essential to the success of firms. However, very few studies have focused on the relationships between different types of integration, SCR and service performance from the perspective of third-party logistics providers (3PLs). The purpose of this paper is to develop and assesses a conceptual model for these relationships. Design/methodology/approach A total of 161 3PLs in Taiwan were surveyed and their responses were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM/PLS). Findings The responses of respondents demonstrated that, of the three types of integration (internal integration, customer integration and logistics collaborator integration) used by 3PLs, internal integration had the greatest effect on SCR. Customer integration was found to have three fully mediating effects on the relationships between internal integration and service performance, between logistics collaborator integration and SCR, and between logistics collaborator integration and service performance. Originality/value This study provides useful information on how different types of integration manifest in the SCR and service performance of 3PLs.

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