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Diagnosing the service quality of perishable-food logistics: temperature-sensitive milk delivery

Pei-Ju Wu (Department of Transportation and Logistics, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan)
Liang-Tay Lin (Department of Transportation and Logistics, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan)
Chi-Chang Huang (Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan)

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics

ISSN: 1355-5855

Article publication date: 19 November 2021

Issue publication date: 9 September 2022

614

Abstract

Purpose

High-quality cold-chain logistics are key to effectively managing the quality of temperature-sensitive foods. Hence, this study investigates the service quality of such logistics, using a real-life case of temperature-sensitive milk delivery.

Design/methodology/approach

This study focuses on developing business analytics for quality control in cold-chain perishable-food logistics, grounded in normal accident theory and stakeholder theory, and tests them using real-world data.

Findings

The empirical business-analytics results indicate that cargo locations, logistics status and delivery times are the essential factors that influence the quality of temperature-sensitive milk.

Research limitations/implications

This study confirms that a combination of normal accident theory and stakeholder theory can be usefully applied to the development of strategies for managing perishable-food logistics. As such, its proposed business analytics provide a fresh foundation for research on logistics quality management.

Practical implications

The balance between efficiency and service quality in a logistics system should be assessed carefully, and logistics companies should collaborate with their stakeholders and can help to mitigate potential cold-chain risks.

Originality/value

This pioneering analytical study explores the essential quality issues that confront cold chains and demonstrates how to extract vital insights from temperature-sensitive food logistics monitoring data. As such, it represents a noteworthy contribution to the field of logistics quality management.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Valuable suggestions by the editor Professor Ian Phau and the anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged. Any errors or omissions remain the sole responsibility of the authors. Moreover, the authors are deeply indebted to HANTEK TECHNOLOGY for providing them with real cold-chain logistics data.

Funding: The authors acknowledge funding from Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan, R.O.C (Award Number : MOST 110-2410-H-035-027MOST 108-2410-H-035-048-MY2).

Citation

Wu, P.-J., Lin, L.-T. and Huang, C.-C. (2022), "Diagnosing the service quality of perishable-food logistics: temperature-sensitive milk delivery", Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. 34 No. 9, pp. 1943-1955. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-04-2021-0255

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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