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The aim of this paper is to understand the antecedents and effects of performance attribution challenges arising in the provision of business-to-business (B2B) services in supply chains.

The study draws on three in-depth case studies of logistics service providers (LSPs) offering supply chain solutions to their clients in Sweden. The analysis of performance attribution challenges and their antecedents and effects is based on 38 semi-structured interviews and review of 43 documents, including contracts and performance monitoring records.

Three key antecedents of performance attribution challenges are stressed. Two of these, the inseparability and contestability of service inputs, are closely related to the notion of service co-production. The third antecedent is the limited provider capability in performance data collection and analysis. Performance attribution challenges may result in provider aversion to performance-related risk and have a harmful effect on client relationships, for example, in terms of provider perceptions of opportunism and unfair allocation of gains. These effects can be mitigated through contracting, interventions in performance measurement system design and deployment of relational mechanisms.

The paper extends the service management literature that emphasises on service co-production by suggesting that inputs of the client firm and its supply chain partners may not only vary in quality but also can be inseparable from provider inputs and highly contestable. It also empirically demonstrates how performance attribution challenges and their antecedents and effects manifest themselves in B2B service provision, as opposed to supply chain settings where the main user of logistics services is the consumer.

LSP managers should contract for performance based on high-quality and incontestable external inputs they rely upon. Contractual specifications (performance indicators and related incentives) should explicate and consider the inputs required by clients and their supply chain partners to minimise their contestability.

The study proposes an empirically based framework of the antecedents and effects of performance attribution challenges, an issue that has received scant attention in logistics outsourcing research and the business services literature more broadly.

This paper aims to propose a customer‐oriented, objective‐based model for evaluating the performance of logistics service providers (LSPs).

The study develops an appropriate customer‐oriented, objective‐based measurement model for LSPs on conceptual grounds. The paper illustrates the application in the form of a case study of a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer.

Satisfactory results are obtained in demonstrating the application of the model. Compared with the previous model used by the case company, the new model produced sensitive, accurate, and effective manufacturing performance rating results for different achievement levels.

The proposed LSP performance‐rating model can be applied by a variety of manufacturers to assess all kinds of LSPs in various industries. The proposed model can assist manufacturers in selecting the best LSP and integrating LSP capabilities to develop an appropriate quality‐and‐profit improvement program using customer‐specific requirements.

This paper proposes an original model to solve the problem of multiple measurements in assessing an LSP, taking into account the total cost of logistics (including net price, delivery, quality, service, and so on).

The purpose of this paper is to argue that the productive analyses of logistics alliances in the literature have led to a multitude of heterogeneous contributions. These should be consolidated and systematized in order to synthesize the existing findings in a meaningful way and guide future research for effective design and management; and improve logistics alliance performance in practice.

The authors use a systematic literature review to screen and consolidate current knowledge on effective design and management of logistics alliances.

This paper categorizes the logistics literature on vertical and horizontal alliances into four key areas in order to systematically consolidate key performance factors, their sub-constructs and performance effects to identify implications for both research and practice.

Within the research agenda, the authors develop concrete research opportunities in four areas: horizontal logistics alliances; vertical logistics alliances; transfer of new research streams into the context of logistics alliances; and the incorporation of impediments and negative effects.

By consolidating existing research results, the authors provide guidance for managers looking to establish or adapt logistics alliance structures and management systems.

The consolidation of key performance impact factors on logistics alliances (both vertical and horizontal) provides a platform for further research. The developed agenda offers specific research opportunities to improve the understanding of logistics alliance performance.

Logistics service providers (LSPs) are important actors for creating logistics performance in supply chains. However, there is little previous research on how they handle the performance management process. The purpose of this paper is to explore the handling of the performance management process and its obstacles from the perspective of LSPs.

A multiple‐case study is conducted with the three largest LSPs in Sweden.

The handling of the performance management process shows similarities among LSPs in selecting performance variables, defining metrics, and capturing real‐time data. The differences are found in target setting, in report‐making and analysing, and in the perceived demand for performance management. The following three perceived obstacles are found for supply chain performance management: lack of understanding and knowledge; poor capabilities for adapting performance metrics definitions; and lagging IT solutions for performance report‐making. The findings indicate possibilities for an increased supply chain scope where activities are handled by the partner that has the best capabilities, improving efficiency in supply chains.

The study contributes to performance management theory by providing exploratory knowledge of the supply chain performance management process and its obstacles from the perspective of three LSPs. The study focuses on large LSPs and has respondents at the managerial level.

The study reveals differing supply chain performance management practices among LSPs, which implies that customers can choose an LSP that handles performance management in the way required.

Little previous research includes LSPs in studies of supply chain performance management. In particular it is unusual to have the perspective of LSPs and apply case‐based methodology.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how the performance management (PM) process may be affected by the design and contents of logistics service performance (LSP) contracts between customer and supplier.

A case study of four manufacturing companies' way of working with contracts towards their suppliers was conducted.

Different design and contents of contracts, containing some patterns related to industry, company size and degree of formalization, were found. The PM process with contracts was split up into one setup and one execution sub‐process. Once the setup was made, all resources were focused on measuring, analysing and improving LSP. The changed management of the PM process may be one factor explaining the improved LSP all studied customer companies perceived.

An explorative approach with few cases limits the possibilities to generalize the results to analytical generalization.

This paper has illustrated how companies can apply LSP contracts.

Few empirical and especially case‐based studies of LSP contracts were found.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate different combinations of collaboration strategies to deal with different types of supply chain disruptions, find the best combination, and provide targeting suggestions for investments.

A system dynamics simulation is applied to study a supply chain with three tiers: a producer, a logistics service provider (LSP), and a retailer. There are three types of disruptions to simulate: a producer capacity disruption, an LSP capacity disruption, and a demand disruption. As each tier has the option to choose whether or not to collaborate with the other two tiers, eight (2×2×2) scenarios are generated to represent different combinations of collaboration strategies.

For a producer capacity disruption, both the producer and the LSP should collaborate by providing their surge capacities, while the retailer does not have to collaborate. For an LSP capacity disruption, the producer should not provide its surge capacity, while the LSP should do so; the retailer does not have to collaborate. For a demand disruption, both the producer and the LSP should not provide their surge capacities, while the retailer should not collaborate but play shortage gaming. Targeting suggestions for investments are provided.

Through system dynamics modeling, this study allows the discussion of surge capacity to help supply chain partners and the discussion of shortage gaming when products are oversupplied, in a disruption recovery system over time.

The study seeks to explore the effect of socialization mechanisms on relational embeddedness of logistics service providers (LSP), and relational performance of dyads, and finally their resulting effect on the supply chain performance in transitive triads.

To elaborate on the major constructs of the study, the researchers use the theoretical lens specifically provided by social capital theory (SCT), and relational view (RV). Consequently, the researchers use SCT to examine the role of the socialization process, used by the supplier and customer, to develop relational embeddedness of logistics service providers in triads. Next, the researchers use the RV, complemented by the underpinnings of supply chain practice view (SCPV) to elaborate on the relational performance of dyads and supply chain performance. The study uses partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to estimate the higher component model (HCM) and test the research hypotheses.

The results obtained from a sample of 350 transitive triads suggest that relational embeddedness of LSPs is only shaped by the mechanisms of formal socialization, developed by the supplier and customer. Interestingly, informal socialization appears to be insignificant for this process. The results indicate that relational embeddedness of logistics service providers has a positive effect on the relational performance of three dyads, which in turn, has a positive effect on the supply chain performance in transitive triads.

One of the intriguing avenues of future research is to investigate the dynamics of supply chains. It would be also worthwhile to make use of the specificity of transitive triads, formed by the supplier, customer and LSP, to explore whether and under which circumstances (e.g. reciprocity, symmetry) the strong ties encourage the transfer and integration of knowledge among actors, and the weak ties accelerate the search for information. In connection with that, the other interesting research avenue would be to investigate the information benefits derived from the nonredundant triads.

Although there is a number of recent studies that show empirical evidence for developing relational embeddedness in transitive triads, to date, little research interest has been paid to how relational embeddedness of LSPs is shaped within the supply chain structures, and how it finally affects the supply chain performance.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology with systematic metrics for logistics service providers (LSPs) to develop their environmental sustainability performance in the context of green supply chain management.

An integrated analytical approach which combines analytical network process (ANP) with quality function deployment (QFD) is proposed to develop LSPs’ environmental sustainability performance. In the approach, QFD is used to translate customer requirements (CRs) for “green” concerns into multiple criteria for LSP’s design requirements (DRs). ANP is used to analyze the inter-relationships among the various CRs and DRs.

The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated by applying it to a global LSP. A case study shows how the proposed “ANP-QFD” technique can be deployed to understand customers’ expectation for environment management and develop tactics and measures with the aim to achieve the desirable outcome for LSPs’ environmental sustainability performance.

Firms that emphasize sustainability as a competitive priority will benefit by communicating sustainability efforts to customers. Therefore, “ANP-QFD” is an integrative method which helps develop LSPs’ environmental sustainability performance by enabling logistics managers incorporate the “voice” of customers for environmental concerns into their decision-making process. The study demonstrates how to develop LSPs to be greener in order to realize the requirements of green supply chains. The proposed integrated approach can also be applied in other decision-making scenarios for effective green supply chain management.

Various approaches that can deal with multiple and conflicting criteria have been adopted for LSP assessment in the literature. However, they fail to include the impact of business objectives and the requirements of company stakeholders (customer in this study) in the identification of performance criteria for LSP. They also did not incorporate the environmental sustainability perspective. This paper contributes to the emerging research topic of environmental sustainability in logistics and supply chains by tackling these inadequacies in the literature. The study facilitates LSPs and the supply chains they serve in achieving better economic and environmental performance, thus leading to truly sustainable outcomes.

There is a growing body of literature discussing the green logistics practices (GLPs) that companies could introduce to reduce the logistics environmental impact. Current approaches also identify several influencing factors within firms that could serve as barriers to, or enablers of, GLPs. However, less is known about the role of extra-firm stakeholders, even though these are crucial to operationalizing green logistics effectively. This study merges current theoretical understanding with empirical evidence to provide a detailed stakeholder analysis of GLPs.

Using stakeholder theory as a theoretical lens, the authors aimed at offering a mid-range contribution by conducting multiple embedded case studies examining Italian logistics service providers and shippers. GLPs and the related influencing factors were examined as sub-units of analysis within broader companies' environmental sustainability strategies.

The authors identified cascading effects among factors influencing the adoption of GLPs (e.g. key economic factors are affected by external factors which also influence organizational and collaboration factors). These effects are moderated by interdependencies between primary and secondary stakeholders, and the study highlights the prominent involvement of secondary stakeholders, such as final consumers.

This paper contributes to better understanding how and why companies adopt GLPs, emphasizing the wide set of stakeholders involved and illustrating how different stakeholders impact on GLPs adoption by affecting a set of influencing factors. By combining insights from the available literature with contemporary empirical data, the authors emphasize how Logistics Service Providers (LSPs) and shippers can no longer address the adoption of GLPs as “focal companies”, but only as part of a “focal network of interconnected stakeholders”, all of them influencing GLPs adoption.

Information and communication technology (ICT) plays a critical role in supporting logistics services outsourcing arrangements. Despite the literature highlighting the benefits of ICT usage by logistics service providers (LSPs), a gap between what is expected of ICT and satisfaction with LSP performance has persisted. Seeking to reduce this gap, the purpose of this paper is to propose an ICT implementation process designed for LSPs.

A theoretical model was built, which took into account the ICT implementation models identified in the literature and the LSP requirements from ICT usage. The model was adjusted according to technology innovation and change management practices. A multi‐case descriptive study was conducted to evaluate the adequacy of this model in practice.

The proposed ICT implementation model designed for LSPs combines both theoretical and empirical research. It comprises 39 activities, of which 32 were available in the literature and seven are new – mainly for aspects related to external integration. Through multiple‐case analysis, the model proved itself appropriate for supporting a step‐by‐step ICT implementation in LSPs.

The paper considers LSP requirements related to integrating and coordinating supply chains in the proposed model. In addition to an engineering perspective, it addresses behavioral issues for technology acceptance. It also exposes the problem posed by the definition of implementation process boundaries. Moreover, it features case studies in the Brazilian LSP industry, which has received little attention in the mainstream literature.