An empirical study of supply chain performance in transport logistics

A cross-sectional survey was conducted with firms in three transport logistics industry sectors, i.e., air and sea transport, freight forwarding, and third-party logistics services, to evaluate their perceived SCP in transport logistics from both cost and service perspectives. The study results showed that all the three sectors were mature, attaining a certain degree of sophistication in their SCP. On the other hand, there were significant differences in SCP between firms in the three sectors. They differed in their perceived service effectiveness towards shippers and consignees and in their operations efficiency in performing the services. The study's findings provide managerial insights for firms in the industry to understand their SCP in transport logistics and to benchmark areas to improve their performance. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.