Dennis Krumwiede

A model for reverse logistics entry by third-party providers

Reverse logistics has become an important entity in the US economy. Nonetheless, many companies are not capable of or are unwilling to enter the reverse logistics market. Such reluctance appears to be attributed to lack of knowledge of reverse logistics. This paper reviews current industry practices in reverse logistics. Specifically, we examine the issues and processes that an organization has to address to engage in the reverse logistics business. A reverse logistics decision-making model is developed to guide the process of examining the feasibility of implementing reverse logistics in third-party providers such as transportation companies. The purpose of this model is to help those companies who would like to pursue reverse logistics as a new market. A field study was conducted with a larger US transportation company to validate the proposed model.

The relationship of logistics to supply chain management: developing a common industry definition

Over the past few years there has been confusion and disagreement among general business practitioners and operations professionals concerning the terms “logistics” and “supply chain management”. Various formal definitions have been offered for both terms. In addition, the common usage of each term in industry varies. Business terms are often defined over time, by the common use or application of the term. Examines the historical definitions of both terms, looks at current practitioner views of the terms, and proposes a hierarchy for the relationship between logistics and supply chain management.

Efficacy of environmental and supplier relationship investments—moderating effects of external environment

Supply chains competing today seemingly have to be able to cut costs in the face of global competition while simultaneously keeping up with rapid technological change. External stakeholders have much higher expectations in terms of environmental and social performance than they did in the past. This research is an initial step in directing operational investments in this new, complicated marketplace. Specifically we examine the efficacy of investing in buyer supplier relationships and environmental management while controlling for the competitive environment. A significant contribution of this research is that operational performance is not treated as a uni-dimensional construct. The end result is a more complete understanding of the specific performance benefits of each type of investment.

The impact of color in the e‐commerce marketing of fashions: an exploratory study

As the number of Internet purchases of fashion items increases, the problem of inaccurate color representation on the Web becomes more significant. Color inaccuracy has many negative consequences for marketers, including loss of sales, increased returns and complaints, and customer defections. This research reports the findings of a survey conducted as part of an initial investigation into consumer opinions about fashion merchandise purchasing over the Internet. Results indicate that companies are losing customers and sales as a result of having colors on e‐commerce sites that do not accurately represent the actual colors of the products being sold. Increased dissatisfaction on the part of consumers leads to greater costs in both customer service and reverse logistics. Further, a majority of the respondents indicated that they would not make additional purchases from an e‐tailer if they received items in colors different than they expected. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research.

The effect of national differences on multinational ERP implementation: An exploratory study

Previous ERP implementation studies focused primarily on single-site and domestic implementations. The issue of ERP implementation at facilities across nations has been seldom discussed, although industry has indicated such a need. This exploratory study investigates the relationships between national differences and multi-national ERP implementation. Using case research that involves direct observation and systematic interview at four US and Taiwanese manufacturing firms, this study investigates what and how national differences affect implementation practices across nations. The results suggest that language, culture, politics, government regulations, management style, time zone, and labour skills impact several ERP implementation practices. Understanding such effects will enable companies to be more proactive in planning for multinational ERP implementation. Managerial implications of the findings and future research issues are discussed.

Efficacy of purchasing activities and strategic involvement: an international comparison

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of purchasing activities and the purchasing functions involvement with corporate strategy on manufacturing competitiveness as it is affected by national differences. In particular, the authors are interested in the research question: do purchasing theories built on samples from mainly North American and Western European countries apply in other countries with different cultural contexts?Design/methodology/approach – Based on the 511 samples collected from ten countries or two distinct cultural groups (Group 1: Asia; Group 2: Western Europe/USA), the authors tested a purchasing model that is well‐grounded in the literature. Two statistical methods were applied. First, multiple‐group structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was performed to test the model. The authors then applied regression analysis to examine whether the two country groups differ in their choice and efficacy of purchasing activities and strategic involvement.Findings – The ...

Macroeconomic Influences On Japanese Hotel Stock Returns

This study investigates the influences of macroeconomic factors on hotel stock returns in Japan using a 30-year data period. In addition to the macroeconomic variables commonly used in previous studies (i.e., changes in discount rate [DSCHG], growth rates of money supply [ΔMS], changes in unemployment rate [UPCHG], growth rates of consumer price index [ΔCPI], and industrial production [ΔIP]), we also include the percentage change in yen–dollar exchange rate (ΔEXCH), the percentage change in oil price (ΔOILP), and growth rates of total trade (ΔTTR) as critical explanatory factors of Japanese hotel stock returns. This study uses the Granger causality procedure based on the vector autoregression model. Test results indicate that economic variables DSCHG, UPCHG, and ΔOILP could significantly cause Japanese hotel stock returns and serve as significant determinants of Japanese hotel stock returns.

The effects of market orientation on new service performance: the mediating role of innovation

The empirical results of the relationship between market orientation and new service performance are mixed, implying that this relationship is more complicated than expected. To respond to this complication, this study takes a component-wise approach to investigate how three market orientation components contribute to new service performance by way of two service innovations and also examine how three environmental factors interact with each market orientation component to affect service innovation. Based on a survey of 235 senior managers using structural equation modelling, the results indicate that customer orientation has a positive relationship with incremental service innovation, while competitor orientation and inter-functional coordination are significantly associated with radical service innovation, and all of which positively lead to two types of new service performances. In addition, both market and technological turbulence significantly and positively moderate the relationship between customer and competitor orientations and service innovation.