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The purpose of this paper is to understand the specific components of effective information logistics.

A total of 44 interviews were carried out with executives responsible for information logistics‐related issues such as IT/IS, knowledge/information management, R&D, purchasing/supply chain management, operations management and market research.

The journey towards successful information logistics can be divided into phases, the main phases and steps of which are outlined in the article. The research indicates ten key tasks which the survey companies tended to do effectively, and which – in combination – represent the building blocks of excellence in information logistics.

A selection has been made of 20 companies who enjoy a reputation for excellence in information logistics. Consequently, the results of the study do not represent a large statistically valid sample, but should be considered as interpretations and considered opinions.

Information logistics helps to improve processes, promote employee learning, improve the speed and quality of services to customers, underpin new forms of commercial activity, and, can go even further by generating entirely new value propositions for customers. Companies such as Goldman Sachs, Merck, HSBC and Bain & Company thrive through successful information logistics strategies.

In today's fast changing markets, the key to “better” is to bring the full force of an organization's information to bear on the effort. Information logistics as a new management technique helps integrate, coordinate and distribute information to where it can best be applied.

The transport infrastructure will provide the necessary capacity for freight movement and handling. However, the increase in the physical infrastructure alone is not a sufficient condition for the improvement of logistics systems. The logistics information capability which facilitates the seamless flow of information is a very important element in further enhancing the efficiency of logistics activities and in potentially reducing the demand for the transport infrastructure itself. Reviews the existing logistics information practices in Korea and describes recent nation‐wide efforts to build an integrated logistics information system (ILIS). Raises some important issues for successful implementation of the system and also discusses the relationship between the Korean CVO (K.CVO) programs.

During the last several decades, logistics has increasingly emerged as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. This article incorporates recent work in services marketing on customer information acquisition, with research on industrial buying behavior to help logistics service providers understand and manage their customers’ information acquisition and purchase activities for logistics services.

In today's progressive business environment, it is an accepted fact in many firms that the effective management of logistics activities is a prerequisite to overall cost efficiency, and the ability to assure the competitive pricing of products and services. Also, there is a growing tendency among corporate executives to view logistics capabilities as being among the key ways in which the firm can differentiate its products and services from those of its competitors.

The purpose of this paper is to test how integrative mechanisms, including information sharing and process coordination, influence logistics outsourcing, and how logistics outsourcing influence performance from an extended RBV perspective.

The structural equation modeling (SEM) method is used to examine the proposed model, based on data collected from 361 companies in greater China.

Integrative mechanisms are helpful for logistics outsourcing (basic, customized, and advanced outsourcing). Specially, information sharing contributes to customized and advanced outsourcing, but has no significant effect on basic outsourcing. In contrast, process coordination improves basic and advanced outsourcing, but insignificantly influences customized outsourcing. Besides, each type of logistics outsourcing has differently effects on 3PL users’ performance. This study contributes to 3PL theories and practices.

This study empirically examines the antecedents and the outcomes of logistics outsourcing, contributing to 3PL literature and practices.

Though logistics security only took care of trading phase in the past, many countries in the world have begun to introduce logistics security system as its coverage has been extended from production stage to delivery at the final destination. Logistics security system has become indispensable element for global corporations involved in international trading and studies on logistics security keep going on. Most of the studies, however, are focused on discussion of system, cost and influence of logistics security and few of them have been specifically dealing with substantial effectiveness thereof. This study developed the models of supply chain security activities and their outcome by means of using Balanced Scorecard (BCS) which is a well known performance indicator to identify relationship between supply chain security activities and their accomplishment. In this study we have presented 8 supply chain frameworks, human resources management, information system management, facilities/freight management, security process, crisis management capability, relationship with partners, sharing of logistics information and logistics security accomplishment, with reference to standards of C-TPAT and AEO based on WCO framework, 10 supply chain security capabilities. This study further indicates that relationship with partners has more effect on logistics security accomplishment than sharing of logistic information. Just as relationship between corporations in chain of supply and sharing of information among them are important elements in management of supply chain, relationship with partners and sharing of logistic information will have positive effect on supply chain security accomplishment and raise its effectiveness.

Information technology has been among the foremost topics within the logistics literature of recent years. However, there has been little empirical evidence relating logistics information system (LIS) capabilities to logistics competence. Seeks to close this gap in the research, identify particular LIS capabilities that contribute most to logistics competence, and develop an understanding of the relationship between LIS development strategy and logistics competence. A review of the LIS literature identifies relevant issues. The research findings suggest four conclusions: world class firms perceive both their logistics operating and planning systems as highly capable; internally controlled characteristics generally receive higher evaluations than criteria requiring external co‐ordination; overall logistics competence is primarily influenced by logistics operating timeliness, usage driven formatting, and flexibility; and LIS development strategy does not significantly influence performance evaluations.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how different logistics resources and resource patterns, such as logistics infrastructure, logistics location, logistics knowledge and logistics information, affect logistics capabilities and operational performance.

Based on data collected from 273 companies in China, this study examines impacts of individual logistics resource dimensions on resource integration capability, customer service capability and operational performance through contingency approach. Furthermore, three logistics resource patterns are identified and linked with resource integration capability and operational performance through configuration approach.

Contingency results show that different logistics resources have different impacts on resource integration capability and operational performance. Configuration results reveal that companies’ capabilities and operational performance vary for different logistics resource patterns: the high-uniform pattern has a better resource integration capability and operational performance than other patterns, while all logistics resource patterns have similar customer service capability levels.

Future studies should examine other resource capabilities and performance indicators of companies and extend this study to other countries and regions.

This study contributes to the logistics resource literature through empirically investigating relationships among logistics resources, resource integration capability and operational performance using contingency approach, and through identifying different logistics resource patterns based on configuration approach. The findings extend the logistics resource literature, particularly on research of logistics parks in China.

The increasing demand for high-quality logistics services has forced container shipping firms to decrease logistics service failure to retain the customers. This study thus aims to apply organizational information processing theory (OIPT) to construct a maritime supply chain collaborative decision-making model and examine its impact on logistics service performance.

In total, 142 usable questionnaires were collected from questionnaire survey. A two-step structural equation modeling approach including confirmatory factor analysis was subsequently performed to test the hypotheses.

The results show that internal information integration positively impacts external information integration, that external information integration positively impacts collaborative decision-making, and that collaborative decision-making positively impacts logistics service performance for container shipping firms. However, a relationship between internal information integration and collaborative decision-making was not found in this study.

This study primarily examines collaborative decision-making from the view of container shipping firms. Future research including other supply chain members is needed to generalize the results and could also incorporate other factors such as relationship quality and culture, into the model to address this issue.

To decrease the occurrence of logistics failures and improve service quality in the maritime logistics process, it is suggested that container shipping firms apply information technology for acquiring and assimilating logistics information internally and externally across the supply chain to facilitate decision-making.

This study contributes to the knowledge about the antecedents and impacts of collaborative decision-making for container shipping firms in Taiwan. Particularly, in line with OITP, the findings indicate that container shipping firms can facilitate logistics decision-making and strategy formulation through information integration, which in turn enhances logistics service performance.

Aims to conceptualize flexible logistics programs and information connectivity as two important aspects of logistics flexibility and to examine the role of information connectivity in making flexible logistics programs successful.

A hierarchical regression model is used to test the research hypotheses.

The results suggest that flexible logistics programs are strongly related to all performance dimensions, and that information connectivity fully mediates the relationship between flexible logistics programs and asset productivity and partially mediates the relationship between flexible logistics programs and delivery competence.

Future theoretical research can develop a detailed conceptualization of logistics flexibility. In this paper, the constructs are developed utilizing an exploratory factor analysis approach. Future research utilizing confirmatory factor analysis approach will allow a better validation of the performance constructs. The paper also considers that studies that link flexible logistics program, information connectivity and performance in a structural equations modeling framework will further enrich one's understanding. In this framework, flexible logistics programs can be considered as a latent variable comprising several individual resource level flexibility measures.

This research highlights the need for organizational structure, role dependencies and a proactive preparedness in terms of managerial policies. The concept of special programs for accommodating changing customer requirements exemplifies the importance for a firm to be aware of shifting demand characteristics and the ability to tailor service delivery accordingly.

An examination of the research questions sheds some light on logistics flexibility as a critical component of logistics capability. With this study logistics flexibility is characterized in terms of flexible logistics programs and information connectivity and hypotheses are tested that link these aspects with performance. It is believed that this enhances and enriches the existing logistics literature and presents avenues for further investigation. Meanwhile, testing the link presents managerial insights for prudent decision making. An investigation of the role of information connectivity provides directions for firms to align their information system strategies with their flexibility‐oriented planning decisions.