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The purpose of this manuscript is to assess the impact of logistics salience on logistics capabilities and performance. Specifically, the impact of logistics salience on logistics innovativeness and logistics service differentiation is measured along with logistics innovativeness and logistics service differentiation effect on logistics performance.

Conclusions were drawn from survey data gathered from logistics and supply chain managers at US firms. Structural equation modelling was utilized to measure the statistical significance of the hypothesized model paths with all findings meeting the basic requirements of interpretation.

The results suggest that logistics salience positively impacts both logistics innovativeness and logistics service differentiation. Logistics innovativeness and logistics service differentiation both positively influence logistics performance. These findings give credence to the resource based view of the firm which states that resources lead to capabilities which leads to performance.

Conclusions based on the study's results highlight the importance of logistics within firms and indicate that the function must be made salient throughout the firm to further capitalize on the benefits of logistics. These benefits include enhanced logistics capabilities and their eventual impact on logistics performance.

Using the resource based view of the firm as the theoretical framework, the manuscript supports the notion that logistics salience is an important resource for firms looking to provide differentiated services and innovative logistics operations to their customers.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on radio frequency identification (RFID) acceptance and examine three understudied drivers: a company's satisfaction with existing logistics technologies, its logistics technology readiness (technology optimism and technology innovativeness), and relationship hostage position. The proposed conceptual model also investigates the impacts of RFID acceptance and these three antecedents on the company's logistics performance.

Survey data were collected from the members of three professional associations in the USA. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed relationships.

According to the analysis results, a company's satisfaction with existing technology has negative impact on RFID acceptance, and technology readiness has positive impact on RFID acceptance. However, the relationship between a company's hostage position and RFID acceptance was found to be only partially significant. Also, the positive relationship between a company's RFID acceptance and its logistics performance is confirmed in this study. Furthermore, while a company's satisfaction with existing technology and technology innovativeness were found to be positively related to logistics performance, its technology optimism and hostage position were not significant related to its logistics performance.

This research confirms that a company's RFID acceptance is positively related to logistics performance. Therefore, even if a company is satisfied with its existing technologies, careful evaluation is warranted to determine if RFID as a new technology is needed to maintain the company's logistics performance in a dynamic environment. Also, this research suggests that supply chain members should be extremely cautious about the power usage toward its partners, because the authors' results show that forcing other partners to take cooperative actions may not yield the desired results.

This is first study examining RFID technology through a behavioral perspective. A new construct, RFID acceptance, was proposed, and related measurement scale was developed and tested along with its antecedents and outcomes.

Logistics capability is an important enabler of supply chain resilience (SCR). However, few studies have analyzed the underlying influence mechanism of logistics capability on SCR in extreme conditions, such as those of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to increase understanding of the role of logistics capabilities in constituting a resilient supply chain.

Drawing upon the dynamic capability perspective and contingency theory, the proposed conceptual framework aims to demonstrate the relationship between a firm's logistics capabilities and SCR. Furthermore, the conceptual framework is illustrated by empirical evidence from a case study of a Chinese manufacturing company, which focuses on extracting practical lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The findings suggest that digitalization, innovativeness, and modularization comprise potential mediating pathways for firm logistics capability to affect SCR and government policies, risk management culture, trust and cooperation moderate the effect positively. The potential associations are identified and elucidated by detecting the corresponding strategies and practices of a Chinese manufacturer that performed well amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study provides specific guidelines for logistics managers to enhance SCR during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seeing SCR as a dynamic capability, the framework is also instructive for manufacturers, supply chain members, and policymakers to achieve the sustained competitive advantage of supply chains.

The findings expand the understanding of enhancing SCR in a logistics approach. The empirical validation of propositions in the case study reveals a new vista for research on SCR.

So far, most of the literature on logistics social responsibility (LSR) has prioritized the examination, classification of and adaption toward positive LSR practices instead of investigating necessary logistics service providers’ capabilities to implement LSR strategies. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to contribute to theory by an assessment of LSR and its linkages to dynamic capabilities theory to gain insights into how logistics service providers can foster an enhanced application of LSR practices.

The paper is conceptual and grounded on dynamic capabilities theory. Relevant literature from logistics management, supply chain management and sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) as well as dynamic capabilities was examined to build upon existing theory by conceptualizing LSR from a dynamic capabilities perspective. In addition, propositions for future research are presented based on the conceptual model.

With regards to the controversial discussion in the literature about the direct link between dynamic capabilities and competitive advantage as well as the necessary degree of heterogeneity of dynamic capabilities, the conceptualization of LSR from a dynamic capabilities perspective adds new elements to this discussion. Considering long-term or even sustainable competitive advantage, the current degree of homogeneity across logistics services might hinder a sustainable advantage in the long run and demands for more advanced logistical capabilities. In this line, it is important to understand and utilize the causal relationships between different logistical resources and capabilities to achieve a unique long-term advantage allowing logistics service providers to further enhance LSR practices.

Due to the current role of logistics service providers, they should not just foster their resources focusing on the relationship to the focal firm, but they should also develop and implement new logistical capabilities derived from SSCM-related dynamic capabilities to design alternative service portfolio extensions and new business models.

Although dynamic capabilities have been studied intensively in the last two decades, the causal relationships between different logistical resources and necessary dynamic capabilities to achieve advantages by enhancing LSR practices still lack conceptualization. To build on the understanding of LSR, the paper at hand presents a conceptual framework explaining LSR and SSCM practices through the lens of dynamic capabilities theory.

The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically the antecedents and consequences of innovativeness or innovation capability of logistics service providers (LSPs). In particular relationship orientation is examined as an antecedent to innovativeness that will in turn lead to higher levels of logistics service quality and firm performance. The outcomes aim at contributing towards understanding the main drivers of innovativeness and the outcomes of developing the capability to innovate.

Data to empirically analyze the four research hypotheses on the relationships between relationship orientation, innovativeness, logistics service quality and firm performance are collected via a survey of a random sample of LSPs in Hong Kong and analyzed using structural equation modelling via LISREL 8.52. The LISREL diagnostics indicated good fit of the measurement and structural models, providing supporting evidence to the hypothesized causal relationships.

The empirical findings indicate that relationship orientation in the LSP‐client relationship will lead to higher levels of innovativeness, improvement in the quality of logistics service and improved performance for the LSP.

The study has indicated that innovativeness is influenced by relationship orientation between two partners in a business‐to‐business setting. The findings add credence to the relational paradigm, which suggests beneficial performance outcomes of strong relational ties. In addition, that innovativeness is an important determinant of logistics service quality and in consequence customer value and firm performance. Future research may address the issue by adopting a longitudinal rather than a cross‐sectional approach and also extend the study to other industrial and cultural contexts.

Managers should emphasize the development of client relationships and inter‐organisational capabilities that can lead towards higher levels of innovativeness. The study supports the notion that the ability to provide high quality logistics services and fulfil customer requirements requires building client relationships and introducing innovations in processes and techniques.

The originality of the paper arises from the fact that innovativeness is examined for the first time as a consequence of relationship orientation and a contributing factor to logistics service quality and performance. In this regard, the paper extends theoretical knowledge and also provides valuable managerial implications to LSPs.

Information technology is a key enabler of logistics performance. Unfortunately, most logistics information systems are implemented with forward logistics processes in mind, with little, if any, consideration for the reverse channel. Informed by task‐technology fit theory, the authors aim to explore how use of complementary information technologies to support reverse logistics processes can lead to enhanced process performance.

The authors use a survey method to gather data from logistics professionals who are positioned within various reverse logistics functions. Using reverse logistics processing effectiveness and reverse logistics cost effectiveness as dependent variables, the authors use multiple regression to examine the relationships between indicators of task‐technology fit and reverse logistics performance.

The authors’ models explain 49 percent and 30 percent of the variance in reverse logistics cost effectiveness and processing effectiveness, respectively. Information technology use and reverse logistics technology innovativeness are shown to enhance levels of reverse logistics cost effectiveness; information system compatibility and reverse logistics technology innovativeness are shown to enhance levels of reverse logistics processing effectiveness.

Although limited by the sample frame, the authors’ findings remain consistent with task‐technology fit theory and suggest that employing information technologies that are designed to complement reverse logistics processes can lead to increased reverse logistics process performance.

This study supports the notion that more attention should be given to reverse logistics processes. In order to achieve maximum return on investment, managers should consider allocating resources toward information technologies and systems that directly support reverse logistics.

This research employs a theory that has seen little attention in the logistics literature to provide insight into how use of complementary information technology can enhance reverse logistics processes.

Successful firms are important sources of productivity, employment and economic stability in societies. As the micro-level origins of firm innovations are increasingly attracting attention amongst innovation scholars, the purpose of this study is to investigate the role of managerial innovativeness, i.e. small firm managers' innovative behaviour for firm performance. Specifically, the present study investigates managerial innovativeness as a predictor of small firms' product innovativeness and market performance.

This research model suggests that managerial innovativeness is positively linked to firms' market performance and that product innovativeness partially mediates the relationship between managerial innovativeness and market performance. The model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with a dataset (N = 93) collected from small logistics firms in South-Eastern Finland.

The findings support the authors' hypotheses and show that managerial innovativeness had a direct effect on firms' product innovativeness and market performance. The authors also found that firms' product innovativeness mediated the relationship between managerial innovativeness and firms' market performance.

This is one of the few studies that shed light on and show that managerial innovativeness is significantly and positively related with small firms' product innovativeness and market performance, whereas earlier research tended to focus on managers' personalities, traits, characteristics or managerial actions, leaving managerial innovativeness unexplored.

High failure rates characterise the experience of new entrepreneurial ventures in Nigeria and other emerging economies. Reliance on strategic tools such as entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is critical to the growth and survival of new ventures. This empirical study aims to deepen the understanding of the relationship between EO and performance of new venture logistics firms in Nigeria. It further explores the contingent effects of social capital and marketing capabilities on the hypothesised direct relationships from a transport industry perspective.

Managers of 650 new venture logistics service providers in selected Nigerian cities were Web-surveyed. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed. Regression analysis was further performed. Common method variance and other validity checks were assessed.

The 469 valid responses showed a positive relationship between EO and new venture performance (NVP). Social capital and marketing capabilities positively moderate the direct relationship between EO and NVP. Managerial implications suggest that context-specific dynamics must be considered when making strategic EO decisions to aid firm growth and survival.

This study directly responds to the contingency approach recommendation of past studies (Anwar et al., 2022; Van Stel et al., 2021; Covin and Wales, 2019) using the logistics service and emerging economy context. It also introduces social capital and marketing capabilities as moderators.

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into commonalities and differences of service innovation across industries. The compared sectors are logistics service providers and IT service providers (SPs).

Data were collected from 778 SPs via an online survey. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the empirical data.

Both types of SPs benefit from close customer relations in terms of innovativeness and customer satisfaction. However, ITSPs rely more on a large number of customers to be innovative than logistics service providers (LSPs), further, LSPs can evoke a higher level of customer satisfaction when being innovative.

Empirical data were collected in a single country (Germany) and at one point in time. A confirmation of the results in different service settings is therefore encouraged.

The results help managers with regard to their strategic decisions. The differentiating effects influencing innovativeness and customer satisfaction have been revealed.

The research is extended by developing a model based on the knowledge of service innovation, social exchange theory and industry characteristics and by empirically testing this model.

The purpose of this study is to explore ways to establish an effective coordinative mechanism to ensure the effective practice of career coaching in innovativeness and creativity training programs in higher education.

This study aims to explore a successful case – that of Wenzhou University College – to elucidate how to establish an effective coordinative mechanism. The Delphi method is an interview approach for obtaining and analyzing case data.

According to research results, first, the causes of conflict were found and an attempt was made to solve these by using a personal system and training program structure revision; the main reasons for the conflicts are an overemphasis on “experts’ experience leading” and a “cognitive gap” between experts as coaches and teaching faculties; second, to decrease conflict, a revision of the training program structure will aid the improvement in the specialization for experts and teaching faculties; and third, revision of one’s personal system requires the teaching faculties to be from within the industries or companies facilitating the process of these faculties gaining practical experience; moreover, it will be easier if experts are the ones who are communicating how to re-design training programs and cooperative modes.

This study provides a coordinative mechanism for the effective practice of innovativeness and creativity training in higher education institutions. On the basis of research results, higher education institutions can effectively develop a training program of innovativeness and creativity based on the concept of career coaching.