Cross-country comparison of operant resources in logistics outsourcing relationships
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the gaps concerning the organizational operant resources (OORs) of logistics service providers (LSPs) expected in outsourcing relationships. The study considers the views of both manufacturing firms (M-firms) and LSPs in India and DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) seeking gaps within and across regions.
Design/methodology/approach
This research employed a survey targeting executives from large M-firms and LSPs in both India and DACH. The perceptions about the importance and improvement expectations of 17 OORs are analyzed. A modified version of importance-improvement analysis (A-B), a novel comparative A-B analysis (CABA) method, has been proposed to identify the importance and improvement gaps in OORs between M-firms and LSPs within and across India and the DACH region.
Findings
There are more gaps between M-firms and LSPs in India compared to DACH. Cross-country comparisons reveal that LSPs in India and DACH have similar perceptions concerning the OORs, but M-firms in India have significantly higher improvement expectations than those in DACH.
Research limitations/implications
This study proposes an analytical approach that enables managers to identify improvement areas and better align with their outsourcing relationship partners. It also highlights aspects that need to be considered while entering emerging markets such as India.
Originality/value
The analysis approach using CABA is novel. Also, among the cross-country studies, this is the first to compare outsourcing relationships in India with the DACH region while involving both users' and service providers' perspectives.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Since acceptance of this article, the following author have updated their affiliations: Hans-Joachim Schramm is at the Department for Operations Management, Copenhagen Business School, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
The authors would like to thank Professor Balram Avittathur, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, for the support in conducting the survey and suggestions toward the study.
Citation
Munim, Z.H., Maditati, D.R., Kummer, S. and Schramm, H.-J. (2023), "Cross-country comparison of operant resources in logistics outsourcing relationships", International Journal of Emerging Markets, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOEM-11-2021-1753
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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