scholarly journals Developing third-party purchase (3PP) services: New Zealand third-party logistics providers’ perspectives

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yangyan Shi ◽  
Tiru Arthanari ◽  
Lincoln Wood

Purpose This paper aims to examine the opportunity for third-party logistics providers (3PLs) to develop further value-added services for their clients, focused on purchasing. The provider perspectives on third-party purchase (3PP) services are examined in conjunction with their business environment, with a survey informed by transaction cost economics. Design/methodology/approach New Zealand 3PL providers were surveyed, and 166 responses were received. Structural equation modeling was used to test the conceptual model. Findings From the perspective of 3PL providers, uncertainty, frequency and transaction size, but not asset specificity, are significantly associated with client value from a 3PP service. While asset specificity in investments is not required by 3PLs, they need a high frequency of orders, sufficient order size and low levels of uncertainty as supporting conditions for the development of 3PP services. Research limitations/implications The sample focuses on 3PL providers and therefore does not address the behavioral characteristics of users or customers of the services. Originality/value This study shows that 3PP services may be further developed by 3PL providers to improve the value offered to their clients.

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 286-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yangyan Shi ◽  
Abraham Zhang ◽  
Tiru Arthanari ◽  
Yanping Liu

Purpose – Third-party purchase (3PP) is a new value-added service offered by third-party logistics (3PL) providers. The purpose of this paper is to examine the perception of 3PP service from the perspective of 3PL users. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted a survey of Chinese 3PL users and received 242 usable responses. The authors then employed structural equation modeling to test the conceptual model. Findings – The authors found that the likelihood of 3PL users using a 3PP service is significantly associated with uncertainty, but not with asset specificity or frequency or transaction size. 3PP usage is significantly associated with value-to-client. Originality/value – This research is the first survey study of 3PP as a value-added service offered by 3PL providers, from the perspective of 3PL users. The findings suggest that 3PL users are very positive about the value of 3PP service. The 3PP market is still in its infancy but it has great potential, especially for commodity items that have less demand uncertainty.


Author(s):  
Yongyi Shou ◽  
Jinan Shao ◽  
Anlan Chen

Purpose Drawing upon the theory of the resource-based view, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among relational resources, innovation capability and firm performance in the third-party logistics (3PL) industry. Design/methodology/approach Based on data collected from 203 3PL providers in China, this study adopts the approach of structural equation modeling to examine the hypothesized relationships among relational resources, innovation capability and firm performance. Findings The results of this research confirm that relational resources have a positive effect on firm performance. However, the effect is not direct, but realized through the mediation of innovation capability. This study indicates that relational resources are important for 3PL providers to achieve superior performance, and innovation capability plays a mediating role between relational resources and firm performance. Originality/value The main contributions of this paper to the literature are twofold. First, it extends the extant research by highlighting the mediating mechanism of innovation capability in relational resources’ influence on firm performance. Second, it advances the existing perspectives on 3PL firms in the Chinese context and this sheds light on logistics research on emerging markets.


2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiung-Lin Liu ◽  
Pei-Yu Lai

Purpose – Outsourcing by corporations is increasing the demand for complex services (such as customization) from third-party logistics providers (3PLs). Effective integration between 3PLs and their customers, known as the external integration of 3PLs, not only allows 3PLs to respond rapidly to shippers’ needs but also to increase customer satisfaction and the effective allocation of resources while increasing operational efficiency (such as by proposing comprehensive plans for future logistics services to meet shippers’ demands). The purpose of this paper is to investigate the causal relationships among the external integration capabilities, cost advantages, and the financial performance of 3PLs. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 3PLs in Taiwan and China was performed. The research model was tested using a structural equation modeling technique along with the partial least square (PLS-SEM/PLS) approach. Findings – The results herein demonstrated a positive relationship between 3PLs’ external integration capabilities and resource efficiency. The results also suggested that cost competitiveness positively affected the financial performance of 3PLs. Although the external integration capabilities of 3PLs were not found to directly affect their financial performance, the results in this study indicated that external integration capabilities enable a firm to improve financial performance by capturing cost advantages. Originality/value – This study provides useful information about the effects of external integration capabilities on the financial performance of 3PLs in a bi-regional context. The sample in this study was drawn from the 3PL industry in Taiwan and China, enabling a comparative analysis of these two countries of similar cultural backgrounds but different degrees of development of their logistics industry and different related demands.


2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (8) ◽  
pp. 1738-1760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baofeng Huo ◽  
Qianwen Wang ◽  
Xiande Zhao ◽  
Zhongsheng Hua

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate effects of two integrative mechanisms of third-party logistics (3PL) integration (i.e. information sharing and process coordination) between users and providers on relationship satisfaction, and further explores how partnership-surrounding (e.g. legal unprotectability) and partnership-specific barriers (e.g. measurement difficulty and cooperation difficulty) influence 3PL integration in the context of Chinese 3PL practices. Design/methodology/approach Using data collected from 247 3PL users in China, this study uses the structural equation modeling method to empirically examine the relationship among partnership-surrounding/specific barriers, 3PL integration and relationship satisfaction. Findings The results show that information sharing has no significant effect on relationship satisfaction, while process coordination has a positive effect on relationship satisfaction and partially mediates the relationship between information sharing and relationship satisfaction. Furthermore, as partnership-specific barrier, measurement difficulty and cooperation difficulty are negatively related to information sharing and process coordination. Surprisingly, as partnership-surrounding barrier, legal unprotectability is not significantly related to information sharing but is positively related to process coordination. Originality/value As a comprehensive study on 3PL user-provider relationship in China, this study extends existing 3PL literature by providing evidence about the importance of 3PL integration and different types of barriers to 3PL integration, also providing managerial implications for 3PL users, providers, law and regulation makers about how to better implement 3PL integration in China.


2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rameshwar Dubey ◽  
Angappa Gunasekaran ◽  
Stephen J. Childe ◽  
Thanos Papadopoulos

Purpose A shortage of skills is recognized as a major source of risk in supply chain networks. This study uses two independent organizational theories to explain how to build applicable skills for continuous availability of appropriate supply chain talents. The purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated framework that links human agency theory, social capital theory and supply chain skill. Design/methodology/approach This framework is analyzed in third party logistics (3PL) organizations by confirmatory factor analysis and tested using a survey. After pre-testing by six academics and six practitioners, and following the total design method, the data were collected from 183 3PL organizations in India. Data were checked to ensure no non-response bias. Research hypotheses were tested using WarpPLS-structural equation modeling. Findings A primary finding offers guidance to 3PL managers. Their driving role and mediating role of access to information and access to resources facilitate building supply chain skill. Leaders who invest in library, acquiring e-resources, offer financial support and create trust among employees are enablers of building supply chain skill. Originality/value This study classified 14 supply chain skills into three categories as: managerial skill, quantitative skill and supply chain core skill. The study could be extended to similar companies in other developing countries.


2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 448-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sladjana Cabrilo ◽  
Aino Kianto ◽  
Bojana Milic

Purpose In investigating the linkage between intellectual capital (IC) and innovation, it is important not only to explore how IC as a whole is associated with organizations’ innovative performance but also to gain a deep understanding of the role of different IC components (groups of intangibles) in companies’ innovation performance, which is the purpose of this paper in the context of Serbian companies. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on survey data collected from 100 Serbian companies with at least 100 employees during 2014/2015. Six IC components were analyzed (human, structural, internal relational, external relational, renewal and entrepreneurial) in terms of their effect on innovation performance. Analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling and correlation analysis. Findings Findings demonstrate that renewal capital, internal relational capital and structural capital have statistically significant positive effects on overall innovative performance in Serbian companies. Practical implications The outcomes reveal potential and barriers within IC that are crucial to innovation performance in Serbian companies. In this way, this study enables a deeper understanding of intangible drivers of innovation and highlights possibilities to foster intangible innovation potential in Serbian companies. Originality/value As context (economic and cultural) has emerged as a relevant factor in researching IC, this study is original in investigating IC effect on innovation within the Serbian business environment. Additionally, the broad sexpartite taxonomy of IC contributes to a wider understanding of knowledge and its linkages to innovation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 787-814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wantao Yu ◽  
Roberto Chavez ◽  
Mark Jacobs ◽  
Chee Yew Wong ◽  
Chunlin Yuan

Purpose It remains unclear how environmental scanning (ES) can generate firm performance through supply chain management (SCM) practices. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of ES on operational performance through supply chain integration (SCI) and supply chain responsiveness (SCR). Design/methodology/approach The scanning–interpretation–action–performance (SIAP) model and organization information processing theory (OIPT) are used to explain the ES–SCI–SCR–performance (S–I–A–P) relationships, which were tested by structural equation modeling of survey data of 329 manufacturing firms in China. Findings The results indicate that ES has a significant positive effect on SCI and SCR. SCI is significantly and positively related to SCR. SCR partially mediates the relationship between ES and operational performance, and fully mediates the relationship between SCI and operational performance. Practical implications Supply chain managers should collaborate with senior executives to obtain signals from ES activities, as input for building SCI and SCR and use SCI as a joint interpretation mechanism of ES signals for developing SCR to reap operational advantages in the rapidly changing business environment. Originality/value Strategic management academics and practitioners have explicitly emphasized the importance of ES in developing strategic plans but are unsure about the role of SCM in creating operational advantages through ES. Using the SIAP model, this study theorizes and demonstrates how SCI and SCR transform signals from ES into operational performance. In doing so, a more precise application of OIPT is explicated in the supply chain context.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Mustafa Raziq ◽  
Cristina Doritta Rodrigues ◽  
Felipe Mendes Borini ◽  
Omer Farooq Malik ◽  
Abubakr Saeed

Purpose Multinational enterprises (MNEs) encourage their subsidiaries to develop and transfer their unique knowledge and expertise back to the MNE as it is critical for the development of the MNE as a whole. However, what underlies the subsidiary ability to create such specialized knowledge that can be transferred to the MNE is less clear. The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of MNE entrepreneurial strategy, subsidiary initiatives and expatriation on reverse knowledge transfers in a cross-country comparative context. Design/methodology/approach Data are gathered through surveys from 429 foreign subsidiaries operating in New Zealand and 164 subsidiaries in Brazil, and these are analyzed using variance-based structural equation modeling. Findings Subsidiary initiatives partially mediate the relationship between MNE entrepreneurial strategy and reverse knowledge transfers in case of subsidiaries operating in Brazil, but they fully mediate in case of New Zealand. Furthermore, expatriation, in case of the latter, has a negative interaction in the relationship between subsidiary initiative and reverse knowledge transfers, but, in case of the former, it has no moderating role. Overall, the results suggest that the influence of MNE entrepreneurial strategy and expatriation on reverse knowledge transfers can be explained by contingencies such as the subsidiary host economy and the heterogenous HQ–subsidiary relationships. Originality/value The paper contributes to literature by identifying some contingencies with regard to the occurrence of reverse knowledge transfers. It addresses some research calls with regard to examining reverse knowledge transfers and the role of expatriation across different empirical contexts.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 772-793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sajan M.P. ◽  
Shalij P.R. ◽  
Ramesh A. ◽  
Biju Augustine P.

Purpose The relevance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in contributing to the economy and social development is increasingly felt in the current business environment. Focusing on sustainable development, SMEs have also implemented many acting strategies of large-scale enterprises such as lean and green practices. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the linkage between lean manufacturing practices (LMPs) in SMEs and their sustainability performances. Further, this study explores the relationship between the triple bottom line sustainability performances. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a survey conducted and data collected from 252 manufacturing SMEs in India. The hypothesized relationships are then analyzed with structural equation modeling. Findings The outcome of the analysis shows that LMPs are positively associated with various sustainability performances categorized as economic, environmental, and social performances. Further, this study shows that environmental sustainability is correlated with economic and social sustainability performances. Research limitations/implications The study conducted was limited to a particular state in India. Moreover, the study uses the data from a cross-sectional survey from single respondents. Practical implications The findings of the study become an added advantage for the managers to convince their various stakeholders for implementing LMPs in SMEs. Originality/value The research findings provide theoretical and practical insights to derive the importance of LMPs in maximizing sustainability performances. It gives an enhanced perspective of the importance of LMPs on the sustainability performance of SMEs.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim-Lim Tan ◽  
Peik Foong Yeap

PurposeGrounding our research in the conservation of resources (COR) theory and the job demands-resources (JD-R) theory, this study addresses the research gap of examining the relationship between meaningful work and dimensions of job burnout with work engagement as the mediator, especially in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also attempts to understand if age plays a role in moderating the effect of these relationships.Design/methodology/approachThis study collected data using a questionnaire protocol that was adapted and refined from the original scales in existing studies. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze data collected from 530 social workers working in New Zealand nonprofit organizations (NPO).FindingsResults indicated that meaningful work only addressed one dimension of job burnout. Work engagement was found to have mediating effects on the relationships between meaningful work and all the dimensions of job burnout. Age does not have any moderating effect on these relationships.Originality/valueThis study addresses the lack of literature that collectively examines the constructs of meaningful work, dimensions of job burnout and work engagement in the same model. In doing so, this study provides a unique verification of job burnout as a multidimensional construct. At the same time, this study offers insights into the effect of these constructs in NPOs, unraveling the complexities that drive these NPOs' human resources (HR) processes.


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