An Assessment of the Impacts of Logistics Planning on Logistics Firms

ABSTRACT

The aim of the study is to develop a logistics performance model incorporating logistics performance as the focal construct with logistics planning strategy as antecedent and organizational performance, both marketing and financial, as consequences. The author proffers that logistics planning processes are dynamic capabilities because of improvement in logistics competitive capabilities and enhanced disaster immunity. Data from a sample of 230 top/middle managers representing different SPDC-based logistics firms were randomly selected from the Nigerian logistics employees are analyzed using a structural equation modeling methodology. The findings suggest that logistics planning influences financial performance via improvement in logistics competitive capability and enhanced disaster immunity. Further, the findings indicate that when a firm employs mindful-planning processes, an important element within logistics planning, it can avoid the trade-off between risk management and efficiency.. Thus, when firms employ logistics planning they gain a competitive advantage, which improves financial performance. The results indicate that logistics performance is positively impacted by logistics planning strategy and that both logistics performance and logistics planning strategy positively impact marketing performance, which in turn positively impacts financial performance. Both logistics planning strategy and logistics performance was found to directly impact financial performance. As firms work to improve the logistics processes, they support their organization's logistics planning strategy, resulting in improved performance for the overall supply chain and ultimately their manufacturing organizations.