International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

2020 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/ijpdlm-03-2020-404

Hoberg, Kai; Thornton, LaDonna; Wieland, Andreas

2020 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/ijpdlm-10-2019-0311

Gligor, David; Feizabadi, Javad; Russo, Ivan; Maloni, Michael J.; Goldsby, Thomas J.

2020 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/ijpdlm-08-2019-0258

Scholars have recently begun to empirically evaluate the triple-A supply chain, which emphasizes concurrent capabilities in agility, adaptability and alignment across the supply chain to develop sustainable competitive advantage. Complexity theory suggests however that other combinations of triple-A capabilities may be equally effective, especially given a firm's strategic orientation relative to its market and its supply chain. Our research objective was to examine what combinations of these capabilities lead to the same outcome (i.e. high firm performance).Design/methodology/approachWe collected 182 survey responses from a global sample of supply chain managers. Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) was employed to assess effective recipes of agility, adaptability, alignment, supply chain orientation, and market orientation.FindingsOur results revealed four distinct “recipes” (i.e. combinations of agility, adaptability, alignment, supply chain orientation and market orientation) that lead to high levels of firm performance.Originality/valueOur results indicate that firms currently do not necessarily have to concomitantly develop capabilities across all triple-A components. Considering the costs associated with developing each of these capabilities, the findings allow us to derive several theoretical and managerial insights.

Collignon, Stephane; Cook, Deborah F.; Li, Yuhong

2020 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/ijpdlm-05-2019-0134

This research aims at understanding the routes public e-marketplaces take, in the motor carrier spot market, to generate trust among participants.Design/methodology/approachThis work borrows cue signaling theory and an e-marketplace content analysis instrument from information systems literature. Our primary data captures differences in usage of a broad spectrum of cues between motor carrier spot e-marketplaces and a control sample.FindingsTransportation e-marketplaces use graphical cues more frequently than the control sample, display these cues on their “operational path” (where users click to conduct transactions) and try to generate beliefs in participants' integrity and competence.Research limitations/implicationsThe motor carrier online spot market constitutes a relevant test bed for trust-related theories. Several levels of trust-building conceptualizations are tested; the cue level shows the most potential. This paper extends cue signaling theory in the transportation e-marketplace context and calls for further work on operational path cues to enrich swift trust theories.Practical implicationsThis study helps e-marketplace designers by identifying essential and facultative cues for the motor carrier spot market.Originality/valueResearch on public spot e-marketplaces in the motor carrier context is scant. The context is described in detail to show its specificities in structures and behaviors. This helps to contribute to both practice and research. By evolving an existing research instrument from information systems literature, this study ensures replicability (problematic in academic research) .

Svanberg, Martin

2020 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/ijpdlm-11-2018-0373

Rigor and practical relevance are the foundations for logistics and supply chain management (LSCM) as an applied discipline. Whereas there are well-founded criteria for establishing methodological rigor, researchers must provide their own credible logic as to why their papers can influence practice. Accordingly, this paper aims to develop guidelines for establishing practical relevance in research papers.Design/methodology/approachA literature review of LSCM, marketing, operations management and management journals forms the foundation for these guidelines.FindingsRelevance criteria are identified; research should be problem-driven, timely and important, and findings should be implementable, nonobvious, novel and not too costly. Measures for researchers demonstrating the fulfillment of these criteria are identified as practitioner input, gray literature, funding, practitioner involvement and feedback. Researchers should also clearly articulate both problem relevance and the relevance of their findings.Research limitations/implicationsA lack of practical relevance is among the reasons for the rejection of papers by LSCM journals, but researchers can overcome this obstacle using these guidelines.Practical implicationsAt a metalevel, this paper contributes to research with greater practical relevance.Originality/valuePractical relevance is emphasized in the editorials of LSCM journals but has not yet been fully conceptualized from the authors' perspective.

Fischer-Preßler, Diana; Eismann, Kathrin; Pietrowski, Rafael; Fischbach, Kai; Schoder, Detlef

2020 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/ijpdlm-04-2019-0119

This paper reviews and classifies research connecting supply chain risk management (SCRM) and information technology (IT) and derives a structured proposal for fruitful research directions.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a systematic literature review of the interplay of SCRM and IT, drawing from major journals in the relevant fields. These findings are enriched by experiences from a three-year international research project.FindingsCurrent research focuses on the role of IT for risk reduction, rather than for risk identification, analysis and monitoring. While much research has investigated operational supply chain risk, fewer insights into disruption risk are available. There is little research on the role of IT in SCRM beyond its potential to enhance information sharing among supply chain partners. To address these gaps, the paper proposes a two-dimensional framework to categorize IT potential for SCRM according to the source and impact of disruption risk on physical supply chain flows, which suggests promising directions for future research.Originality/valueThe paper offers a systematic review to further our understanding of the relationship of SCRM and IT. In addition, it presents and discusses nine areas for further research aimed at mitigating the gaps identified at the intersection of SCRM and IT.

Benrqya, Yassine; Babai, Mohamed Zied; Estampe, Dominique; Vallespir, Bruno

2020 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/ijpdlm-03-2019-0091

The objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of products' characteristics on the performance of three distribution strategies: traditional warehousing (TW), cross-docking pick by line (XDPL) and cross-docking pick by store (XDPS).Design/methodology/approachBased on a case study of an FMCG “Fast Moving Consumer Goods” company and a major French retailer, we empirically analyse the impact of the products' characteristics on the performance of the three distribution strategies. We consider a three-echelon supply chain composed of one supplier DC, one retailer DC and multiple retailer stores. The inventory at each echelon is controlled according to an order-up-to (OUT) level policy. The demand is forecasted by means of a single exponential smoothing method. A sensitivity analysis is also conducted to analyse the impact of the supply chain parameters on the comparative performance of the strategies when the parameters' values deviate from the empirical base case.FindingsThe empirical investigation shows that the use of XDPL results leads to an increase in the supply chain total cost, whereas XDPS reduces the cost. Moreover, we show that for a service-level target, cross-docking strategies should be selected for products with low variability, high shelf space, low value and short lead-time. For an inventory reduction target, these strategies should be selected for products with high demand volume. We also propose a managerial framework for choosing the right strategy for each product.Originality/valueThis paper fills a gap in the literature by presenting empirical results based on a real business case of a multi-echelon supply chain. Both cost and service are used to evaluate the performance of the strategies.Research limitations/implicationsOur work has the limitation to ignore the transportation cost implications when selecting the right distribution strategy. Hence, including such cost in the analysis would constitute an interesting extension of this work. Moreover, our empirical analysis represents a practical rich context that makes the scope for transferability of findings learned from this article substantial. However, for the generalisability of the findings, larger datasets in the retail supply chain would be interesting to consider

Al Humdan, Eias; Shi, Yangyan; Behnia, Masud; Najmaei, Arash

2020 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/ijpdlm-06-2019-0192

Supply chain agility (SCA) has recently received considerable attention in the literature and in practice. Despite its popularity, the concept of SCA seems to be vaguely defined and loosely structured. More specifically, definitional ambiguity and conceptual fragmentation have prevented the concept of SCA from reaching its full potential. The time is ripe to address these issues through a systematic literature review.Design/methodology/approachA review and synthesis of the literature on SCA was undertaken. The authors selected 56 top-tier related articles for further analysis after applying rigorous filtering procedures.FindingsThe results of the review confirm that several key themes surround SCA's definition and enablers. In addition, consensus needs to be reached in terms of its performance dimensions and measures. Accordingly, this study constructed an encompassing definition, scrutinized SCA enablers and outcomes and thus developed an original framework for SCA, providing a unique conceptual contribution. Several research directions were also addressed accordingly.Originality/valueThe novelty of this research lies in the selection of highly recognized publications. It also provides an encompassing definition of SCA, consolidates its enablers for better communication and synthesizes its performance implications.