Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a benchmarking framework for assessing the performance of the distribution models adopted by the local branches of National Health Services (NHSs) for delivering health technologies to patients at a local level, and to derive prescriptions for...

Customer service is often described as consisting of a set of measurable elements. Similarly, market response to customer service may be viewed as consisting of a set of components which are measurable. Most published empirical studies of the relationship between customer service and market...

Reveals that physical distribution organization and information system development among US manufacturing firms is still in a period of transmission. Concludes that many problems have arisen because of the move towards the formalization of physical distribution management as an integral part of...

Practical issues of customer service within a distribution environment are reviewed, with particular reference to the development of a structured approach to achieving satisfactory, co‐ordinated and competitive levels of performance from the organisation as a whole. Some common management...

Trade‐offs among logistics cost and service elements often make transport selection analysis difficult, especially when demand is uncertain and carriers offer different rates and services. The spreadsheet environment offers a powerful, manager‐friendly medium for analysing these...

Describes how an LP‐based one‐dimensional packing algorithm can be used to minimise costs in three different multiple‐vehicle shipment planning problems. The three applications considered are: (1) shipping industrial trucks by container when weight is the dominant constraint; (2) shipping...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the realignment of the physical distribution process for store-based retailers in their efforts to integrate the online channel into their business model. Multiple attributes of the physical distribution process are evaluated to identify...

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the perceived impact of packaging logistics on the efficiency of freight transportation (EOT), and examine the interaction and relationship between packaging logistics and EOT. Design/methodology/approach – The paper set up the conceptual model with seven...

Purpose – Increased competition and more extensive customer needs have motivated companies to develop integrated solutions. In practice, companies struggle to co‐create effective solutions that meet customer needs. The purpose of this paper is to identify critical factors affecting the...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to, built upon Johanson and Vahlne’s (2009) Business Network Internationalization Process Model, explore the role of personal networks and business networks and their impact on foreign market knowledge and performance among small and medium-sized...