Journal of Business Logistics最新文献

This article investigates the impact of sustainability messaging on activating consumers' preferences for more sustainable last-mile delivery options, namely the use of parcel lockers versus home delivery. By employing signaling theory, this research explores how firms can effectively communicate the sustainability impact of last-mile delivery options to drive consumers toward more sustainable options. Through three scenario-based experiments, we analyze the influence of positive and negative sustainability messages across the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of the Triple Bottom Line on US consumers' likelihood to select parcel lockers. Our findings reveal that consumer choices are significantly affected by the framing of sustainability messages, as well as by shopping motivations and residential location. Notably, rural consumers exhibit a preference for parcel lockers when presented with negative sustainability messages, while urban consumers favor them under positive messaging and hedonic motivations. This research contributes to the stream of research on consumer logistics and last-mile delivery by providing valuable understanding into consumer-centric strategies that can enhance sustainability in logistics operations. The implications for both theory and practice are discussed, highlighting the need for targeted communication strategies in promoting parcel locker adoption and activating sustainable delivery practices.

Firms continually experience supply chain sustainability issues that seem to conflict with stated values, highlighting the importance of supply chain integrity. As stakeholders evaluate how firms align their values and practices with supply chain partners, decision makers will need to balance normative and instrumental goals to make ethical and sustainable relationship decisions. Indeed, researchers have called for an exploration of the ethics of supply chain partnerships with the intent of identifying ways to create more sustainable and productive supply chains. Yet, much is still unknown about the mechanisms driving the ethical decision-making process to achieve integrity in supply chain relationships. Therefore, in a field experiment, this research evaluates ethical decision-making in buyer–supplier relationships by assessing individuals' evaluations of environmental or social sustainability norms and economic consequences on their ethical judgments and decisions related to buyer–supplier relationship continuance. Results revealed that while individuals' ethical judgments positively influenced relationship continuance intentions, individuals may have relied more heavily on evaluations of economic outcomes when considering tradeoffs with environmental or social outcomes. Results also indicated individuals' bottom-line mentality influenced decision-making to a degree. Overall, we suggest firms move from chain liability to chain responsibility by centering integrity in supply chain relationships.

Crowdsourced delivery (CD) is increasingly combined with private delivery (PD) to respond to last mile delivery (LMD) demand uncertainty. As independent contractors, CD drivers self-schedule, which simultaneously creates labor supply uncertainty. Consequently, such LMD capacity planning requires addressing both uncertainties concurrently, a duality we term “two-sided uncertainty.” In this setting, two key questions emerge: what is the optimal level of PD capacity when CD is available? How does two-sided uncertainty impact the PD capacity decision? To that end, we adapt a two-stage newsvendor model to explore the impact of two-sided uncertainty on optimal PD capacity when CD is available. We combine Monte Carlo simulation and optimization in empirically grounded experiments using data from a Brazilian prepared meals company. We find a positive relationship between two-sided uncertainty and PD capacity. We also reveal nuance in the relationship by identifying moderating effects due to correlation in driver availability across CD price tiers and failed delivery costs. The results also indicate that optimal delivery capacity typically combines PD and CD sources rather than relying on a single source. We show that managerial decisions based solely on lowest unit delivery cost while assuming away two-sided uncertainty can lead to suboptimal decisions.

The world's economic systems are based on global supply chains that have evolved into densely interconnected and complex networks, challenging existing approaches to supply chain management. Supply ecosystems offer a new theoretical perspective on the organizational form of the supply chain that will change the way firms interact by characterizing a coordinated and collaborative way of working. The increased complexity of this organizational form requires a central actor for ecosystem development and management—known as ecosystem orchestrator. Research on capabilities for ecosystem orchestrations has focused on neighboring ecosystem disciplines, neglecting the more complex supply ecosystems. To elucidate supply ecosystems, this study applied a multiple case study with six large multinational technology companies that each orchestrate a supply ecosystem. By conducting 32 interviews with different actors in six ecosystems, this article highlights capabilities an ecosystem orchestrator requires. The results show 35 dynamic and ordinary capabilities and categorized them into nine sets of capabilities. The systematic classification of capabilities into five areas illustrates the diversity and complexity of these capabilities, which range from technological fundamentals to adopting the role of an evangelist inside and outside the own company.

When natural disasters are imminent, retailers often aim to curb consumer stockpiling and promote equitable distribution of critical commodities by employing product rationing or purchase quantity limits. However, marketing studies have shown that restricting purchase quantities tends to increase product desirability and, consequently, sales per consumer. Due to these contradictions, this study investigates how imposing different purchase quantity limits in the wake of a natural disaster impacts consumer stockpiling propensity. We also explore how the use of signs advocating social norms or social nudges moderates this relationship. Using a scenario-based experimental design, we find that two mechanisms take place. First, when consumers' needs were less than the set purchase limits, the limits positively and directly affect consumer stockpiling propensity due to the anchoring effect. Additionally, under the same premise, purchase limits exhibit a negative indirect effect on consumer stockpiling propensity mediated by consumers' perceived future regret. Though we do not observe any significant effect of social nudges in the presence of purchase quantity limits, they significantly reduce consumer stockpiling propensity when no limits are placed. Retailers, therefore, should carefully define these limits to balance these opposing forces more effectively and promote equitable distribution of essential products for natural disaster preparedness.

Regulators and NGOs have taken an increasingly active role in reducing forced labor, and increasing investor scrutiny is compelling firms to address it, but the problem remains large and growing. For example, the United States imported $562 billion in goods at risk of being produced with forced labor in 2021 and 2022. Many firms perceive forced labor as occurring somewhere else, beyond the bounds of the firm or even their first-tier suppliers. As a result, firms may not view forced labor as their problem or recognize forced labor issues within their supply chains. Using grounded theory, we investigate executive perceptions of forced labor and its impacts. This research resulted in an emergent, practitioner-derived definition of forced labor that includes two additional components of forced labor: economically forced labor and unwanted mandatory overtime. Additionally, our analysis uncovered three aggregate dimensions related to firm efforts to reduce forced labor: defining forced labor, managing forced labor awareness, and managing forced labor risk. Managerial implications highlight the importance of identifying leadership beliefs regarding forced labor, standardizing forced labor prevention practices, and engaging in socially responsible forced labor remediation along the supply chain.

Global supply chains are increasingly vulnerable to disruptions, underscoring the importance of effective resilience strategies. This study examines how agility, adaptability, and alignment (AAA capabilities) mitigate the negative impacts of major disruptions on corporate performance and influence capability enhancement during recovery. Using a longitudinal survey conducted across two phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, we find that agility significantly enhances resilience in conditions of high demand uncertainty, whereas adaptability is particularly effective under high supply uncertainty. Conversely, alignment demonstrates limited effectiveness during acute disruptions but remains critical for post-disruption collaboration and recovery. Interestingly, firms often respond to severe disruptions by broadly investing in all three capabilities, potentially overlooking their distinct, context-specific advantages. This study advances supply chain resilience theory by clarifying the contingent roles of AAA capabilities, guiding managers in strategically prioritizing resilience investments based on specific disruption scenarios and environmental uncertainties.