Logistics resources, capabilities and operational performance: A contingency and configuration approach

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how different logistics resources and resource patterns, such as logistics infrastructure, logistics location, logistics knowledge and logistics information, affect logistics capabilities and operational performance.

Based on data collected from 273 companies in China, this study examines impacts of individual logistics resource dimensions on resource integration capability, customer service capability and operational performance through contingency approach. Furthermore, three logistics resource patterns are identified and linked with resource integration capability and operational performance through configuration approach.

Contingency results show that different logistics resources have different impacts on resource integration capability and operational performance. Configuration results reveal that companies’ capabilities and operational performance vary for different logistics resource patterns: the high-uniform pattern has a better resource integration capability and operational performance than other patterns, while all logistics resource patterns have similar customer service capability levels.

Future studies should examine other resource capabilities and performance indicators of companies and extend this study to other countries and regions.

This study contributes to the logistics resource literature through empirically investigating relationships among logistics resources, resource integration capability and operational performance using contingency approach, and through identifying different logistics resource patterns based on configuration approach. The findings extend the logistics resource literature, particularly on research of logistics parks in China.