James R. Stock

Applying theories from other disciplines to logistics

Proposes that the discipline of logistics can benefit from borrowing theories from other areas of study. Presents examples of theories from other disciplines that have already been applied to logistics issues. Offers potential applications from a variety of non‐logistics disciplines, including accounting, anthropology and sociology, computing, economics, marketing, philosophy, political science, and psychology. Discusses examples from various disciplines in some detail and identifies some possible applications of the theory. Concludes with a discussion of the benefits of “borrowing” non‐logistics theories to logistics research, practice and theory development.

International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management

The importance of logistics in the new product development process is examined under the aegis of Logistics Early Involvement (LEI) and the basics of good management are presented in the light of their relevance to logistics executives.

Adoption and implementation of technological innovations within long-term relationships

Abstract As businesses move toward long-term cooperative relationships, they face increasing needs to coordinate, especially with respect to the adoption of innovative technologies. Since effective adoption involves both adoption and implementation, both stages are critical. This study builds and tests models of adoption and implementation as a function of influence, dependence, and relational variables. Results of this study on electronic data interchange (EDI) adoption in hospital supply chains indicate social influence achieves higher adoption rates than either coercive or noncoercive influence efforts. In addition, communication and participative decision-making are critical implementation variables.

Logistics Thought and Practice: A Perspective

As business approaches the next century, numerous challenges and opportunities will be faced by logistics practitioners and academicians. New and expanded perpectives, coupled with the traditional concepts, will have to be blended. One perspective, and certainly not the only one, is presented. It is argued that people in logistics have generally taken a limited view of the discipline. If the area is to achieve the level of importance prophesised for it, academicians and practitioners will have to take a much broader and pervasive view of what logistics is and what it could become. Some questions are posed to those involved in the logistics process.

Becoming a “World Class” Company With Logistics Service Quality

A “world class” organization must provide high levels of logistics service quality to customers. Knowledge of customer expectations and an understanding of the firms performance on logistics service attributes relative to competitors are vital to achieving service excellence. Research studies in four industries identify the most important logistics service attributes in business‐to‐business settings. There is consistency across industries in terms of the attributes considered most important by customers. Typically, vendors within an industry do not perform up to customer expectations, which provides the opportunity for a firm to gain a competitive advantage over industry rivals.

Marketing myopia revisited: lessons for logistics

Refers to the historic article by Theodore Levitt, entitled “Marketing myopia”, that appeared in 1960 in the Harvard Business Review which has had significant impact on business thought and practice. The philosophy or orientation presented by Levitt still has profound implications for the discipline of logistics, even 40 years after the writing of his article. This article argues that persons in logistics have sometimes taken a myopic view of the discipline and that if the area is ever to achieve the level of importance prophesied for it, academicians and practitioners alike will have to take a much broader and pervasive view of what logistics is and what it could become. Some provocative questions are posed to those involved in the theoretical and applied areas of logistics.

A research view of supply chain management : developments and topics for exploration

There have been advances in the understanding of supply chain management (SCM) since its inception in the early-1980s. However, there are still some basic issues of SCM that remain unresolved. Much of the research that has been conducted takes one or more of the following three perspectives: (1) development of methods and techniques to study SCM and its components/processes; (2) developing solutions or answers to specific supply chain-related problems or challenges; and/or (3) measuring the results or outcomes of supply chain strategies and tactics. Each of these three perspectives is briefly examined, with selected examples from the literature cited to illustrate the type of research that has been conducted. Some potential areas of research exploration are presented. The areas examined include: theory development, and SCM processes and functions.

An Evaluation of Logistics and Related Journals

Logistics and related journals typically are oriented towards two audiences: practitioners and/or educators. This article examines practitioner and educator perceptions of logistics and related journals. Comparisons are made among the various journals both with each other and with the perceived ideal characteristics of logistics journals. While differences were found to exist between the academics and practitioners, the overall perceptions were surprisingly similar.

The Social Sciences and Logistics: Some Suggestions for Future Exploration

The premise of this article is that theories borrowed from non-business areas can be applied to logistics with the potential for enhancing theoretical and pragmatic aspects of the logistics discipl...

Dimensions Underlying Retail Logistics and Their Relationship to Supplier Evaluation Criteria

Logistics is becoming an increasingly important part of overall retail strategy because it provides opportunities for enhanced profit, market growth and sustainable competitive advantage. This research examines the underlying factors which impact retail logistics. The factors found are warehousing/transportation, supplier performance/communications, internal information systems, activity levelling and inventory/cost reduction. The extent to which many supplier evaluation criteria are used is shown to vary with some of these five underlying operational dimensions.