A survey of businesses in the automobile aftermarket industry provided insights into how reverse logistics performance can be influenced by a few key strategic decisions. Resource commitment is critical to program performance. However, it is important that the resources be focused on developing...

A series of visits to a Fortune 500 wholesale distribution company of technology products revealed a changing perspective regarding building and implementing reverse logistics programs. Five major initiatives define the reverse logistics program design process at this company: (1) Gain senior...

Buyers' expectations regarding customer service have increased dramatically in recent years. Requests for tailored or customized service often represent standard business practice today. Survey research was undertaken to examine: (1) how well firms are doing in responding to customers' requests...

Increased outsourcing of logistical services by manufacturers has prompted reconsideration of traditional relationships between manufacturers and third party logistics firms. Firms are moving away from single transaction business arrangements and forming cooperative relationships with third...

Communication between buyers and sellers is central to the supply chain philosophy. Further, the trend toward more detailed customer demands has made it even more important for firms to solicit input and feedback from their customers in order to better tailor their offerings to customer needs....

A conceptual model of customer evaluations of service provision in continually delivered business service contexts (CDBS) is presented and empirically tested in the third-party logistics (3PL) industry. The study demonstrates the importance of considering specific aspects of service provision,...

Using the concept of external organizational commitment (EOC), survey data from 312 logistics service provider (LSP) implants are used to test a model of the determinants of implant level of commitment to their host firm and the consequences of such commitment to the LSP. The results show that...

The ability of organizations to effectively compete in the global marketplace is contingent on identifying and selecting an adequate number of qualified global managers. Nowhere is the shortage of managerial talent more evident than in the management of global supply chains. The complex and...