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Paper info: The impact of network relationships on the competitive advantage in the changing logistics service industry

Title


The impact of network relationships on the competitive advantage in the changing logistics service industry

Authors


Justyna ?wiatowiec-Szczepa?ska and Arkadiusz Kawa

Place of Publication


The paper was published at the 32nd IMP-conference in Poznan, Poland in 2016.

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Abstract


Logistics service providers are a very important entity of modern business networks, in particular supply chains. The structure of these companies is multi-layered. It is based on coordination of the work of individual logistics companies in order to provide comprehensive logistics services to the customer. On the first level there are leading logistics companies that integrate activities of the logistics companies from the second level specializing in a particular area of activity (e.g. forwarding services, transport of selected goods, services delivered in some regions). The latter, in turn, interact with suppliers from the third level - smaller companies which carry out specific logistics tasks using their own resources. These are e.g. local carriers, customs agencies, owners of warehouses. These multi-level structures consist of direct and indirect relationships between the entities. They co-operate with suppliers, customers and competitors in the long-term. Apart from contracts and agreements (formal relations), their relationships are informal. They form a kind of a business network where the focal company is the logistics service provider. In the literature, there are few studies on the analysis of the business networks from the perspective of the logistics companies. In particular, there is a lack of empirical research on the impact of the cooperation between logistics enterprises in the business network and the network effects on the resource-based advantage of the companies and their results. The proposed article will attempt to fill this gap. In this article, apart from the overall results of the analysis of the literature on networks in logistics, results of empirical research will be presented whose primary purpose was to explain the mechanism of competitive advantage formation in enterprises using networking relationships in the logistics services industry. For the needs of the study a measurement instrument (survey questionnaire) was developed on which studies using quantitative methods were based. The results were used to develop regression models which allowed to verify the research hypotheses. The analysis took into consideration, among others, intensity of the flows in the networks, relational norms and perceived positive and negative network effects. On this basis it was stated which network factors affect the competitive advantage of enterprises and to what extent. The studies have shown a positive impact of the network strategy on the resource-based advantage of logistics enterprises, which, however, is significantly weakened by the lack of balanced interdependence in the network.