Many of today's most successful companies have decided to focus on their core business and purchase other functional needs from outside vendors. Time and resource constraints make utilization of public or contract warehousing providers an attractive option. Because of their specialized...

Organizational structure significantly influences firm performance. A recent survey of logistics professionals revealed that centralized structures accommodated logistics system integration better than decentralized structures. Also, centralized firms spent a lower percentage of net sales on...

The impact of information exchange on suppliers' performance is investigated in the context of trade relationships formed between manufacturers and third party providers of international logistics services. A conceptual model that predicts the important linkages among information exchange,...

Functional areas within a firm must effectively interact and work together to plan, coordinate, and implement strategic initiatives. Interfunctional integration is believed to be directly related to a firm's competitiveness and profitability. The current research was undertaken to gain a greater...

Purpose – The paper extends a central paradigm of the strategy literature to the supply chain environment to foster a better understanding of the elements characterizing strategic decisions that lead to supply chain structural development and performance. Design/methodology/approach –...

Trade promotions have become an important instrument in accomplishing supply chain objectives. The extensive use of trade promotions does not appear likely to fade in the immediate future. Results of a recent survey of independent grocery retailers are presented. The research examines the...

Reverse logistics is one of the toughest supply chain challenges. One approach to achieving more effective reverse logistics is to adopt a relationship‐oriented perspective. Two aspects of a relationship‐orientation ‐ trust and relationship commitment ‐ were examined by surveying senior...

Purpose – Collaboration has been referred to as the driving force behind effective supply chain management and may be the ultimate core capability. However, there is a fairly widespread belief that few firms have truly capitalized on its potential. A study was undertaken to assess the current...

Purpose – This paper is intended to extend previous research by exploring the scope of integration and its impact on firm performance. In addition to, examining dyadic integrative relationships, the research also looks at firm‐wide process‐oriented integration. Design/methodology/approach...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically develop a valid measurement scale for process orientation – a critical supply chain management (SCM) concept that warrants greater study. Design/methodology/approach – This study follows the measurement development approach proposed by...