Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to present the research results of a study conducted in the Slovene logistics market of conflicts and opportunism as disturbing factors while examining their impact on cooperation in logistics outsourcing performance. Relationship variables are proposed that directly or indirectly affect logistics performance and conceptualize the hypotheses based on causal linkages for the constructs. On the basis of extant literature and new argumentations that are derived from in-depth interviews of logistics experts, including providers and customers, the measurement and structural models are empirically analyzed. Existing measurement scales for the constructs are slightly modified for this analysis. Purification testing and measurement for validity and reliability are performed. Multivariate statistical methods are utilized and hypotheses are tested. The results show that conflicts have a significantly negative impact on cooperation between customers and logistics service providers (LSPs), while opportunism does not play an important role in these relationships. The observed antecedents of logistics outsourcing performance in the model account for 58.4% of the variance of the goal achievement and 36.5% of the variance of the exceeded goal. KEYWORDS: logistics outsourcing performance; logistics customer–provider relationships; conflicts and cooperation in logistics outsourcing; PLS path modelling
Highlights
Globalization, lead time reductions, and outsourcing are major changes that contribute to the increasing importance of transport and logistics today
The results show that conflicts have a significantly negative impact on cooperation between customers and logistics service providers (LSPs), while opportunism does not play an important role in these relationships
The set of indicators for the construct was initially examined using exploratory factor analysis (PCA – Principal Components Analysis) to identify items not belonging to the specified domain
Summary
Globalization, lead time reductions, and outsourcing are major changes that contribute to the increasing importance of transport and logistics today. In such an environment, the ever-changing and innovative customer–provider relationships gain increasing importance. Supply chain management and logistics services outsourcing are critical weapons for industries to use when developing competitive advantages. The development of successful provider-customer relationships, ranging from pure transactions to partnerships, is significant for the logistics providers [e.g. 1, p.33, 2, p.377, 3, p.382]. All terms reflect the idea that cooperative actions are necessary in order to achieve the desired goals of specific customer–provider relationships that are established to increase benefits and decrease risks in logistics outsourcing, and to offer better customer service performance
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