Trust, commitment, logistics outsourcing relationship quality, relationship satisfaction, strategy alignment and logistics performance – a case of selected manufacturing firms in Uganda

PurposeThis study examines the relationships among trust, commitment, logistics outsourcing relationship quality (LORQ), relationship satisfaction, strategy alignment and logistics performance considering selected manufacturing firms in a developing country, Uganda.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on insights from the commitment-trust theory and strategy alignment literature, and using a cross-sectional survey design with a self-administered questionnaire, and applying the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach to analyze quantifiable data obtained from managers of 103 manufacturing firms in Uganda outsourcing logistics operations, the study examined the logistics performance effects of trust, through commitment, LORQ and relationship satisfaction.FindingsThe study findings reveal that trust influences logistics performance, indirectly through its effects on commitment, LORQ and relationship satisfaction, sequentially, and that the positive effects of relationship satisfaction on logistics performance strengthen with improvements in LORQ. Strategy alignment exerted a strong positive influence on LORQ.Research limitations/implicationsThe study findings have important implications for theory development and literature. The study applies the commitment-trust view to both theoretically and empirically examine logistics outsourcing as a competitive strategy to enhance logistics performance, and thereby providing a theoretical base for future research. However, this research is confined to manufacturing firms in Uganda, and the results are not necessarily generalizable to other contexts.Practical implicationsThe study findings provide insights for logistics managers regarding the role of trust, commitment, LORQ, relationship satisfaction and strategy alignment in enabling successful logistics outsourcing relationships, and how drawing on these, managers can improve firm logistics performance.Originality/valueThis study contributes to logistics management literature by empirically examining the relationship of trust, commitment, LORQ, relationship satisfaction and strategy alignment with logistics performance, considering manufacturing firms in a developing country, where these aspects have not been largely explored before. It highlights the need to build trust, promote greater commitment of logistics user firms in logistics outsourcing relationships as well as aligning logistics outsourcing strategies to improve LORQ and enhance logistics performance. Additionally, the study provides for the first-time new evidence for the moderation effect of LORQ on the influence of relationship satisfaction on logistics performance. The study findings suggest advancing further scholarly discussions on logistics outsourcing as a critical strategy to enhance firm logistics performance within a developing country context. Due to limitations in logistics infrastructure, and existing low-level technologies, logistics in developing countries still revolves around conventional materials handling, packaging, inventory and transportation operations, and logistics outsourcing is new, thereby presenting an interesting research context for empirical investigations on logistics in general, and logistics outsourcing in particular.

Performance improvements in logistics outsourcing relationships: the role of LSP and customer organizational culture archetypes

PurposeThe study aims to develop an organizational culture typology and explore how different logistics service provider (LSP) and customer archetypes interact to generate performance improvements in logistics outsourcing relationships.Design/methodology/approachA multiple case study approach with 12 dyads was employed. Interviews as well as public and internal data from LSPs and customers were analyzed.FindingsThe results reveal four archetypes each for LSPs and customers, characterized by two dimensions: “activeness” and “openness”. Furthermore, analyzing the interaction among the archetypes, three relationship patterns are identified (“static”, “restrained”, and “progressive”) that differ in the exploratory and exploitative improvement outcomes.Research limitations/implicationsThe study contributes to theory development at the intersection of organizational culture and logistics outsourcing.Originality/valueThe study provides a typology of organizational culture in logistics outsourcing and how different archetypes interact to generate improvements.

A resilient pricing and service quality level decision for fresh agri-product supply chain in post-COVID-19 era

PurposeThis paper investigates how the channel leadership strategies develop a post-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) resilient agri-supply chain, which reduces supplier and retailer's price loss and enhances the logistics service quality level considering logistics outsourcing of agri-product especially for the rapidly changing market condition.Design/methodology/approachBased on the classical leadership theory, two channel leadership strategies, i.e. LPL and SL, are considered. The proposed framework first derives the equilibrium price and service quality level decision among the supplier, the logistics provider and the retailer. Then it compares both leadership strategies in terms of the equilibrium prices and service quality theoretically. This article also presents a case study of Arabian dates pricing and supply chain to test the theoretically derived propositions.FindingsSelection of suitable leadership strategy is a critical factor for profit maximization of the supply chain drivers and proper optimization of equilibrium price and service quality. Here, the product's quality and the market's socio-economic condition play an important role in selecting a suitable leadership strategy. A random transformation of the physical market to an e-commerce portal creates a wide variation of the market's socio-economic parameters, affecting the equilibrium pricing and the logistics provider's service quality.Research limitations/implicationsThis study proposes a post-COVID-19 resilient agri-supply chain framework considering price and quality-dependent stochastic market demand, incorporating a wide range of socio-economic factors in the model to counteract the effect of rapid behavior change of agri-market due to COVID-19 norms. This research examines the effect of different channel leadership strategies to facilitate suitable decisions on prices and service quality and retrieve the profit of the supplier, retailer and logistics provider. The future models can incorporate competitiveness in logistics outsourcing, fourth-party logistics (4PL) and contract farming in the agri-supply chain. Each of the extensions can open avenues in different directions.Practical implicationsAs the post-COVID-19 market and the customer behavior is randomly changing, and the traditional market is rapidly converting into supermarkets and e-commerce portals, this paper examines the model with a wide variety of e-commerce portals with multi-variation of product. It is conclusive that the product's quality and the market's socio-economic behavior significantly impact the equilibrium decision. The drivers of the supply chain must take them into account before choosing a particular channel leadership strategy.Originality/valueThis study considers a multi-product and multi-market (e-commerce) model by integrating a wide variety of products and the market's socio-economic parameters. The model is tested in a price and quality-dependent stochastic market condition, contributing to the literature by reconciling two different channel leadership strategies into the global logistics of fresh agri-product.

Modern Solutions of HR-Logistics

The article is devoted to the issues of personnel logistics. Such main provisions of HR-logistics as definition, goals, functional areas of management, the place and role of HR-logistics in enterprise management structures are considered. The analysis of modern solutions in the sphere of HR-logistics is carried out. The potentially productive principles of strategic partnership of enterprises-employers and universities acting as suppliers of the labor force are considered. Also, among the modern methods of HR-logistics, outsourcing technologies in personnel management, the approach and tools of sustainable logistics, tools for designing the labor process, a humanistic approach in the personnel motivation system, knowledge management methods are highlighted. HR logistics is of interest as an area for conducting scientific researches, and also, has a high potential for practical implementation at enterprises of various fields of activity.

Revisiting critical factors of logistics outsourcing relationship: a multiple-case study approach

PurposeThis paper aims to examine critical factors of successful logistics outsourcing relationship from the perspectives of both LSPs and shippers employing case studies in Singapore and Vietnam as examples of well-established and growing logistics outsourcing markets.Design/methodology/approachThe case study design is adopted to empirically examine logistics outsourcing practices. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with senior managers from four cases in Singapore and seven cases in Vietnam. These case organisations are engaged comprehensively in logistics outsourcing activities and encompass both international firms that have their local operations and those local firms whose operations expand internationally.FindingsResults suggest that the success of logistics outsourcing may depend on five strategic factors and five operational factors, with some of them being the same between LSPs and shippers in both countries and in line with the literature. There also seemed to be a difference between logistics outsourcing practitioners in a developed country (Singapore), and those in a developing country (Vietnam), in which factors, i.e. having the right people and management support, business processes integration and cultural intelligence, tend to be emphasised and practised more in the former. A strategy matrix of logistics outsourcing was mapped accordingly.Research limitations/implicationsThe generalisation of this study would require further empirical examination from more quantitative research, for example, the use of surveys with shippers who engage with LSPs.Practical implicationsFindings from this research can assist managers in charge of outsourcing to reflect on their practices and devise and implement appropriate strategies for successful logistics outsourcing. Especially for growing logistics outsourcing markets and not-yet-standardised practices like Vietnam, the findings of this research are significant as they provide policy and managerial insights into how logistics outsourcing can be performed successfully. Specifically, adequate guidelines and resources including training relating to strategic factors of logistics outsourcing must be provided.Originality/valueThis research is one of the first studies that categorise success factors of logistics outsourcing into strategic and operational factors and postulates their conceptualisation in a strategy matrix that can be applied in future research.

Effect of customer cooperative behavior on reverse logistics outsourcing performance in the construction industry – A partial least squares structural equation modeling approach

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the effect of Australian construction firms' cooperative behavior on reverse logistics outsourcing performance (RLOP).Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the aim, a questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data from construction firms in Australia. Following this, the study used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze 173 responses for testing seven hypotheses that are related to the positive effects of cooperative behavior on RLOP.FindingsThe results indicate that three dimensions of customer cooperative behavior (cooperation, commitment and planning) positively influence RLOP in different ways. Cooperation only directly affects RLOP while planning only has an indirect influence on RLOP. Commitment affects RLOP both directly and indirectly.Originality/valueThis is the first study examining empirically antecedents of RLOP in the construction industry. Additionally, it reveals the mediating role of cooperation. Cooperation fully mediates the relationship between planning and RLOP, and partially mediates the relationship between commitment and RLOP.

Examining the links between logistics outsourcing, company competitiveness and selected performances: the evidence from an emerging country

PurposeThis study examines the mediation effects of time-based competitiveness, cost-based competitiveness and customer performance between logistics outsourcing and financial performance.Design/methodology/approachThe study relied on a questionnaire as the primary data collection instrument and further employed partial least squares structural equation modelling technique to test all formulated hypotheses.FindingsThe results demonstrate that logistics outsourcing has a significant positive impact on time-based competitiveness, cost-based competitiveness, customer performance and financial performance. Time-based competitiveness and cost-based competitiveness were both found to have a significant positive impact on financial performance; however, customer performance had no significant impact on financial performance. The mediation analysis further indicates that while both time-based competitiveness and cost-based competitiveness play mediation effects between logistics outsourcing and financial performance, customer performance plays no mediation effect between logistics outsourcing and financial performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe sampled firms for this study came from a single emerging country; hence, the results cannot be generalized or imported to reflect the results that may be obtained from other emerging geographical settings.Practical implicationsThe results provide sufficient evidence for managers to turn their attention to logistics outsourcing, as a transformative business initiative, to gain time-based and cost-based competitiveness so as to improve financial performance.Originality/valueThe study provides significant insight and makes an additional contribution to literature in the area of logistics outsourcing, especially by collecting data from an emerging country. Modelling time-based competitiveness, cost-based competitiveness and customer performance as mediating variables between logistics outsourcing and financial performance make this work relatively different from other studies.