The recent Coronavirus Infectious Disease-19 (COVID-19) outbreak has stressed the importance of the global supply chain, and many organizations have come to realize the significance of network stability in the global supply chain amidst the ongoing pa...
The recent Coronavirus Infectious Disease-19 (COVID-19) outbreak has stressed the importance of the global supply chain, and many organizations have come to realize the significance of network stability in the global supply chain amidst the ongoing pandemic. Furthermore, the need for cold chain vaccine-related medicines is becoming increasingly apparent, and temperature management during the process of vaccine distribution as well as vaccine development is also becoming critical. Moreover, with increased consumer demand for food safety, the fresh logistics market is seeing a noticeable growth, and the necessity for a cold chain is becoming ever more crucial. Also, as the importance of the role of cold chain 3PL grows with the opening of the logistics market, it is necessary to identify factors that maximize company performance by reducing logistics expenses and improving the quality of logistics service.
Therefore, this study seeks to verify the relationship between logistics service quality and collaboration, which affects corporate performance, based on the findings of previous studies that connected logistics service quality of cold chain 3PL for food with corporate performance and on the assumption that logistics service quality is a key variable in predicting corporate performance. The objective of this study is to identify the effect of logistics service quality of cold chain 3PL for food on corporate performance of the shipper company. To this end, this study proposes the following research questions. First, does collaboration and logistics service quality of cold chain 3PL for food affect corporate performance of shipper companies? Second, does the logistics service quality of cold chain 3PL for food indirectly affect corporate performance of shipper companies through collaboration?
An empirical analysis targeting employees of shipper companies related to cold chain 3PL for food was conducted in order to identify the structural relationship among logistics service quality, collaboration, and corporate performance. Subjects of the survey were 300 employees of shipper companies in the cold chain 3PL for food industry, and survey data of 267 subjects were included in the final statistical analysis. Data analysis was performed using SPSS21 and AMOS21 statistics programs, and the measurement tool was a questionnaire consisting of questions related to logistics service quality, collaboration, and corporate performance. Frequency analysis was performed to identify general characteristics of shipper company employees. A Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to determine the correlation among logistics service quality of cold chain 3PL for food, collaboration, and corporate performance. A difference test was also run to examine the difference in position-, company size-, and industry-specific general characteristics. Finally, structural equation modeling was used in order to establish a structural relationship among variables, and bootstrapping was conducted in order to verify significance of indirect effect of collaboration between logistics service quality and corporate performance. The key findings of these analyses are as follows.
First, the logistics service quality of cold chain 3PL for food was found as having a positive effect on collaboration. Second, logistics service quality of cold chain 3PL for food was also found as having a positive effect on corporate performance. Third, collaboration was found as having a positive effect on corporate performance. Fourth, the direct channel of logistics service quality of cold chain 3PL for food on corporate performance and the indirect channel of logistics service quality on corporate performance through collaboration were found to be significant. These findings signify that not only does the logistics service quality of cold chain 3PL for food directly affect corporate quality, but it also promotes collaboration and thereby enhances corporate performance. For this reason, promoting collaboration and exploring ways to cooperate through smooth communication and understanding between cold chain 3PL for food and shipper companies in ways that can benefit both parties seem essential in improving corporate performance of shipper companies.
The findings of this study may offer meaningful implications or be used as fundamental data in verifying logistics service quality of cold chain 3PL for food and collaboration as key predicting variables of corporate performance. Moreover, these findings may be utilized by shipper companies to secure a collaboration-centered expertise and to design a win-win process that benefits both the cold chain 3PL for food and shipper companies in the rapidly growing online distribution industry in the post-COVID-19 era. Therefore, taking into account that collaboration has a substantial effect on corporate performance in the structural model based on the theoretical model suggested in this study, the implications of this study may provide practical information on communication and understanding of 3PL in occasions such as new employee training, OJT, and in-company education.