Students often identify specific moments or specific individuals who changed the courses of their academic experience, choices of careers, or the paths of their careers. Business schools have attempted to frame these moments and experiences in the form of high-impact practices (HIP). This research examines a live case competition with business professionals as judges. We have incorporated survey results from student participants, comments from competition judges, and interviews with former participants. The former participants explain how this competition affected their careers and educational experiences. We incorporate the perceptions of students, industry judges, and former participants to give a unique view of this HIP. We also blend empirical analysis, using qualitative and quantitative methods. The research contributes to the marketing education literature in unusual if not unique ways because of the interviews with former participants who have advanced in their careers. This research also underscores the idea that live case competitions of this nature have substantial impacts on students’ academic experiences and their careers, so such case competitions have earned the designation of High Impact Practice.

Industry advancements are accelerating at phenomenal rates and changing the management of logistics and supply chain operations. Employers must develop supervision with advanced skills to manage and retain the most effective employees making up the new workforce of highly skilled and technologically advanced personnel. Emotional intelligence is a managerial competence leveraged by leaders to connect with subordinates on a psychologically emotional level. Our research evaluates and applies emotional intelligence within the context of managing logistics and supply chain employees. Recognizing that employees are critical to production and service delivery, logistics and supply chain managers must be able to cognitively analyze situations and connect with employees in a positive manner even during challenging times. We find that managers possessing higher levels of emotional intelligence are better equipped to help their employees manage emotions, build more positive working conditions for subordinates, increase retention of employees, and achieve more positive service outcomes for external customers.

Over the last two years blockchain technology has presented itself as a potential digital transformation that could disrupt and revitalize many business models. However, this digital transformation is still new and many companies grapple with possible applications of its theoretically sound benefits. Academic research is scarce and often limited to high level perspectives on how blockchain can benefit businesses in general. The time is right for exploring specific applications of the technology. This research considers how the digital transformation to blockchain could impact inventory management practices within the retail industry. The research relies on data collected through phenomenological interviews with management personnel of three clothing retail store franchisees.

Purpose The purpose of the current research seeks to understand what role supply chain (SC) collaboration plays in effectively managing customers of a firm. The research also investigates what role industry competitive intensity plays on SC collaboration formation. Design/methodology/approach The current research utilizes empirical survey data from professionals whose companies collaborate within a SC. Structural equations modeling is employed to assess the relationship of collaborative process competence on SC collaboration as well as the moderating impact of industry competitive intensity. A further boundary condition is examined with the partner interdependence SC collaboration relationship. Additionally the SC collaboration account management relationship is also investigated. Findings The paper provides empirical insights on how SC collaboration contributes to focal firm customer account management. Additionally, results suggest that collaborative process competence and its relationship with SC collaboration works differently in the presence of partner interdependence and the moderator of industry competitive intensity. Research limitations/implications While the findings help to promote the generalizability of the new research, future research could seek to understand how firms could develop specific account management value propositions through SC collaboration in specific contexts. Originality/value The main contributions of the work include empirical analysis of a proposed theoretical model, a better understanding of the role collaborative process competence plays on SC collaboration formation and the discussion of customer account management as an outcome of SC collaboration.

This article explores the relationships among factor market rivalry, factor market myopia, and strategic blind spots in the context of the labor market for truck drivers. Levitt (1960) developed the concept of market myopia to explain how managers often overlooked key competitors in product markets. Trucking managers might do the same thing in looking at competition for truck drivers. Factor market myopia and strategic blind spots help to explain how this happens, and how it becomes more severe in the context of factor market rivalry. In the trucking industry, factor market myopia and strategic blind spots may mean that managers overlook competition for workers who not only can drive trucks, but can also do many other jobs. We find that the labor market for truck drivers offers important lessons on the practical and theoretical ways in which these ideas interact.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the past 50 years of driver research from a historical context linked to the political and economic developments of the US motor carrier industry. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive literature review was conducted and studies were targeted that exemplified eras of historic change pertaining to trucking published within the top-tier logistics journals. Findings Distinctive categorizations of driver research emerged: organizing era from 1930 to 1949, era of the collective mind from 1950 to 1979, era of the individual from 1980 to 2009 and the era of the driver as extension of the firm from 2010 to present. Research streams are highly influenced by current industry developments, economic conditions and the political landscape. Research limitations/implications The chronological framework of research established specific time-based eras. An alternative framework or other emerging eras may be conceived as scholars consider factors in addition to those explored within this research. Practical implications Managers within developing countries may leverage the research within a specific era to help resolve driver problems that have already been researched in the USA. Scholars are encouraged to further study truck drivers as critical extensions of the firm in light of the advances in autonomous vehicles, drones and other technology impacting the motor carrier industry. Social implications For nearly a half century, the turnover of truck drivers has been a major issue. This research provides driver managers with the knowledge to better understand and to more adequately provide for the needs and welfare of truck drivers. Originality/value This research is the first to fully connect the research and developments pertaining to the motor carrier industry, the occupation of truck driving and the historical developments of US policy and the economy.

Employees are better equipped to provide exceptional service when they are appropriately provided for and understand the company’s value proposition (Berry and Parasuraman, 1991). Internal market- orientation (IMO) pertains to a specific workplace environment that fosters employees who are trained and believe in the value offered by the company. Such support and development translates into higher quality service employees interacting with customers and their products (Lings, 2004). Linkages between IMO, emotional intelligence (EI) and organizational identification (OI) are evaluated within a supply chain and logistics context. Results indicate the direct influence of OI on IMO, and a supervisor’s ability to help employees manage emotions mediates the relationship between the ability of a supervisor to self-manage emotions and his or her propensity to create an internal market-orientation. An internal market-orientation is beneficial to the customer experience, and ultimately benefits the firm.

Forty years have passed since the first multi‐item measurement scales were employed through survey research to better understand important logistics concepts. Through the years, four leading logistics journals have published research containing a total of 1,670 scales within 283 articles. A 42% increase in utilization has occurred during the most recent decade. The research fully discloses the conceptualization, composition, and properties of the multi‐item survey scales utilized in the study of logistics and supply chain management theory and practice. By documenting each scale published from 2001 to 2010, the authors make comparisons with results from the 1973–2000 study. Primary findings indicate an increase in the percentage of research utilizing multi‐item scales, and an increase in the application of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) has assisted in producing more highly acceptable psychometric properties of the scales. This implies that researchers are utilizing more highly developed scales and following strict scale‐development procedures for building more robust scales to measure concepts important for advancing our knowledge of logistics and supply chain management. The top four conceptual categories for the scales have remained the same since 1973 and account for greater than half of the scales published. Eight additions to the categories since 2001 pertain greatly to controlling our supply chains for customer, brand, and overall security benefits. The compendium of scales provides a central document to reference as researchers seek to employ highly developed survey measures.

The importance of transportation and logistics to the U.S. economy has been well documented. As we move toward a more competitive global economy, there will be an increasing demand for highly qualified people to create and manage more efficient logistics systems and supply chains. Businesses have recognized the shortage of talent in this discipline. Unfortunately, logistics education has lagged behind the needs of the industry. American universities are not providing an adequate number of students to meet the needs of American businesses, even when the field is broadened to include supply chain management. This article reviews the current status of logistics and supply chain programs, discusses the reasons for the shortage of talent, and proposes a solution to address it.

To retain competitive viability, some progressive warehouses and distribution centers are expanding services and adopting a customer orientation. Through cluster and ANOVA analyses, three distinct classifications of frontline logistics managers are disclosed and compared with respect to their perceived levels of internal customer orientation toward their subordinates, common performance indicators, and other demographic and organizational‐type variables. Important differences exist among the groups; however, logistics managers in all three clusters score relatively well in most areas explored.

Research on third‐party logistics (3PL) service providers has focused more on managing customer relationships than on managing the frontline personnel who interact with customers on a daily basis. Thus, even though the overall need for 3PL's to be market‐oriented is well‐recognized, relatively little is known about how 3PL companies support and develop frontline service staff to provide better service. This study draws on 3PL company site managers' responses to a postal survey that examines the influences of internal communication, customer service training and managerial coaching for customer contact employees on the relationship between market orientation and frontline service recovery empowerment.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the core literature pertaining to frontline logistics personnel and their managers that has been published in the leading logistics journals. An annotated, yet integrated, review presentation will aid researchers in better understanding the concepts developed and linkages between the most critical variables studied to date. The paper aims to present a comprehensive model containing the primary variables pertaining to the recruitment, development, supervising, and retention of high quality logistics personnel to meaningfully identify what is known and not known about personnel issues in logistics.Design/methodology/approachThe findings in this paper are based on a comprehensive review of articles pertaining to frontline logistics personnel and their managers, which were published in the leading logistics journals. For analysis, the paper is divided into five related areas: student samples and student perspectives compared to those of corporate recruiters; research oriented toward the skills of managers and issues relating to career development; research pertaining to the work environment and success of non‐supervisory, frontline employees; literature relating to logistics reputation; and research pertaining to logistics diversity.FindingsPrior to this review of the literature, substantially less is known about how research links together previous research findings to formulate an integrative depiction of important concepts pertaining to logistics personnel. The results provide a better understanding of the knowledge researchers have discovered to date, as well as identification of areas in need of further exploration.Research limitations/implicationsMost conspicuously absent from the paper is research pertaining to the interaction of logistics personnel and technology, the importance of logistics personnel in securing the supply chain, and the importance of elevating frontline logistics jobs to the next level of professionalism to achieve supply chain excellence.Practical implicationsTo assist organizations in preparing managers, this paper has compiled and integrated the research relating to logistics personnel issues. This compilation should be valuable in aiding managers in recruiting, developing, supervising, and retaining high‐quality logistics personnel.Originality/valueWhile there is a growing body of literature in the area of frontline logistics employees and their managers, a comprehensive review of the literature has not been published that links the results of various studies together to help identify gaps in the literature or conflicting results that should be further explored. This paper provides such a review as well as two theoretical models to help us better understand the important components necessary in hiring, developing, motivating, and retaining supervisors and frontline workers in various logistics operations.

Firms have begun to look internally for ways to increase external service quality. ANOVA is used to examine the effect of interdepartmental customer orientation on time, inventory, and customer service-based performance variables in distribution centers. Findings indicate that high interdepartmental customer orientation positively affects distribution center performance in terms of time-based performance measures and customer satisfaction. Interdepartmental customer orientation was found to have only a marginal affect on inventory performance. Implications of the current research for distribution centers and transportation managers are discussed along with limitations and opportunities for future research.

Inter-functional collaboration can significantly improve service operations. Yet, despite the compelling need to increase collaborative behavior, our understanding of how firms' logistics and marketing departments view each other and of the behavioral factors that influence inter-functional collaborative behavior is limited. This study utilizes a descriptive, interview-based approach that draws upon the Critical Incident Technique to discover nuances and insights about logisticians' and marketers' often complex interactions.

Frontline employees can have an important impact on the quality of products and services delivered by a firm since they are often in direct contact with external customers or are the last people to handle the customer's product and information before delivery. Marketing efforts can offer firms a greater competitive advantage by overtly stimulating the impact of frontline logistics employees on customer value creation. In such a situation, internal marketing is a good strategy in both service and product support contexts. This paper introduces a broad marketing mix framework that shifts the application from marketing products to marketing the workplace to logistics distribution employees. Research findings support a multidimensional operationalization of internal marketing. Holistic tests indicate that internal marketing on an interpersonal level is associated with satisfied and higher performing distribution center employees and increased interdepartmental customer orientation. Theoretical and managerial implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Book Review| October 01 2006 Trucking in the Age of Information Trucking in the Age of InformationBelman, Dale; White, ChelseaIII Scott B. Keller Scott B. Keller Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Transportation Journal (2006) 45 (4): 72–73. https://doi.org/10.2307/20713656 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Twitter Permissions Search Site Citation Scott B. Keller; Trucking in the Age of Information. Transportation Journal 1 October 2006; 45 (4): 72–73. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/20713656 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectivePenn State University PressTransportation Journal Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. Copyright © 2006 American Society of Transportation and Logistics2006American Society of Transportation and Logistics Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

The world has changed a great deal since the most recent installment in the carrier selection criteria literature. The terrorist attacks of September 11(th), the recession that followed, and a current business environment characterized by constrained transportation capacity are all likely to have changed the emphasis shippers place on attributes used to select carriers. First, the authors posit three selection criteria have grown more important in the post-September 11(th) world. Second, the benefits of utilizing the Theory of Reasoned Action to determine the most important selection criteria, and to identify the parties in the shipping organization who value these criteria, are explained. Third, results of an exploratory study demonstrating the usefulness of the Theory of Reasoned Action to predict carrier choice are illustrated. Implications and contributions to academic research and industry practice are then discussed.

PurposeThe chemical industry is struggling to improve its supply chain performance, and improved asset utilization may help get the industry headed in the right direction. Since most chemical firms own or lease their rail fleets, rail utilization can have a substantial impact on overall asset utilization. The paper aims to focus on current managerial processes and situational factors that impact railcar asset performance.Design/methodology/approachRail car cycle data are analyzed, focusing on major sources of variation in transit inventory as railcars move from plant to customer and back.FindingsFindings include the importance of establishing and adhering to policies regarding supply chain practices; substantial differences exist between hopper and tank car performance; distance is not a major predictor of total cycle time variance; and vendor‐managed inventory relationships can operate with less customer inventory.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper addresses only one component of supply chain performance: railcar cycle time. Further analysis is needed to investigate differences between hopper car and tank car transit times. Additional research should also involve the railroad companies as participants in chemical firms' supply chains.Practical implicationsThe paper provides several practical recommendations for chemical company supply chain managers relating to process controls, focusing on large customer accounts, managing transit time and variation of rail cars between plant and factory. The findings and recommendations can be applied across many industries.Originality/valueThis paper focuses on supply chain practices in the chemical industry, which has been slow to adopt supply chain practices. In particular, this paper investigates railcar coordination as one means of enhancing supply chain performance, reducing both inventory and transportation assets.

PurposeThis work seeks to examine how front‐line employee performance and interdepartmental customer orientation affect the service, supply chain, and financial performance of US distribution centers.Design/methodology/approachThe authors approached this subject by utilizing works from the supply chain management, services marketing, total quality management, and logistics personnel literature. Surveys were administered in 18 distribution centers across the USA and canonical correlation was employed to test the propositions that front‐line employee performance and interdepartmental customer orientation have a positive effect on distribution center service, supply chain, and financial performance.FindingsFindings indicate that high levels of front‐line employee performance and interdepartmental customer orientation a positive effect on distribution center service and supply chain performance. The relationship of the two independent variables to distribution center financial performance was only partially supported.Research limitations/implicationsThe research did not explore how higher levels of front‐line employee performance may be obtained and may not be generalizable beyond a distribution center setting. For researchers, the results may be utilized in studies of logistics best practice. Moreover, studies investigating market orientation may find the results useful, as previous contributions have shown interdepartmental customer orientation to be positively related to the market orientation of the firm.Practical implicationsThe results provide managers with evidence supporting the value of front‐line employees and the importance of encouraging departments to service other departments in a customer‐oriented manner.Originality/valueThis is the first study to detail the relationship between interdepartmental customer orientation and firm performance in a logistical setting, and adds further credence to the importance of front‐line distribution personnel in the delivery of quality output.

PurposeTo examine warehouse worker development associated with managerial coaching in the logistics industry.Design/methodology/approachExamine the efficacy of this developmental approach in a logistics context, a survey method was used to provide an overview of supervisors' coaching behavior at 18 distribution centers in the United States. Warehouse workers answered questions about their interactions with their supervisors and their own job satisfaction while supervisors answered questions pertaining to the job‐related performance of warehouse workers for whom they were directly responsible.FindingsThe study findings indicate that warehouse workers at these distribution centers encounter low levels of supervisory coaching behavior. However, despite these low levels, significant positive associations were found between supervisory coaching behavior, warehouse worker job satisfaction and supervisors' perceptions of their subordinates' job‐related performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are based on the perceptions of respondents at the specific distribution centers in our study and therefore should not be interpreted as being generalizable. However, we hope that they will stimulate further empirical research on the growth, development and retention of front‐line logistics workers – an important, but relatively under‐researched, area of supply chain management.Practical implicationsThe logistics industry is becoming progressively more service‐oriented and technologically‐driven and greater front‐line worker competence in these areas will be required for many firms to survive.Originality/valueAs the greatest aggregation of labor in the supply chain is in distribution center operations, our findings may encourage logistics organizations to evaluate the feasibility of adopting more people‐oriented supervisory approaches like coaching that focus on personnel development and the provision of more intrinsically‐rewarding work environments.