Bae, Hee-Sung
A icle
The e ec s o us and communica ion on lexibili y and
cus ome ela ionships be ween po logis ics i ms and
shippe s
Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics (AJSL)
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
Ko ean Associa ion o Shipping and Logis ics, Seoul
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Bae, Hee-Sung (2024) : The e ec s o us and communica ion on lexibili y and
cus ome ela ionships be ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s, Asian Jou nal o Shipping and
Logis ics (AJSL), ISSN 2352-4871, Else ie , Ams e dam, Vol. 40, Iss. 2, pp. 118-125,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.ajsl.2024.02.004
This Ve sion is a ailable a :
h ps://hdl.handle.ne /10419/329740
S anda d-Nu zungsbedingungen:
Die Dokumen e au EconS o dü en zu eigenen wissenscha lichen
Zwecken und zum P i a geb auch gespeiche und kopie we den.
Sie dü en die Dokumen e nich ü ö en liche ode komme zielle
Zwecke e iel äl igen, ö en lich auss ellen, ö en lich zugänglich
machen, e eiben ode ande wei ig nu zen.
So e n die Ve asse die Dokumen e un e Open-Con en -Lizenzen
(insbesonde e CC-Lizenzen) zu Ve ügung ges ell haben soll en,
gel en abweichend on diesen Nu zungsbedingungen die in de do
genann en Lizenz gewäh en Nu zungs ech e.
Te ms o use:
Documen s in EconS o may be sa ed and copied o you pe sonal
and schola ly pu poses.
You a e no o copy documen s o public o comme cial pu poses, o
exhibi he documen s publicly, o make hem publicly a ailable on he
in e ne , o o dis ibu e o o he wise use he documen s in public.
I he documen s ha e been made a ailable unde an Open Con en
Licence (especially C ea i e Commons Licences), you may exe cise
u he usage igh s as speci ied in he indica ed licence.
h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
The Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics 40 (2024) 118–125
A ailable online 11 Ma ch 2024
2092-5212/P oduc ion and hos ing by Else ie B.V. on behal o The Ko ean Associa ion o Shipping and Logis ics, Inc. This is an open access a icle unde he CC BY-NC-ND license (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
This is an open access a icle unde he CC BY-NC-ND license (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
The e ec s o us and communica ion on lexibili y and cus ome
ela ionships be ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s
Hee-Sung Bae
Depa men o In e na ional T ade, College o Social Science, Kyonggi Uni e si y, Suwon, Republic o Ko ea
ARTICLE INFO
JEL Classi ica ions in his a icle:
M16
L91
Keywo ds:
Po logis ics i ms
Shippe s
T us
Communica ion
Flexibili y
Cus ome ela ionships
ABSTRACT
The objec i e o his s udy is o examine he e ec s o us and communica ion on lexibili y and cus ome
ela ionships be ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s. In o de o achie e his objec i e, he s udy collec ed
ques ionnai es om 238 po logis ics i ms and conduc ed analyses. The esul s a e as ollows: Fi s , he us o
po logis ics i ms has a posi i e e ec on bo h lexibili y and cus ome ela ionships. When he e is a high le el
o mu ual us be ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s, he i ms can p o ide lexible se ices and wo k o-
wa ds a common goal by sha ing in o ma ion and esou ces based on a s ong unde s anding. Second, po lo-
gis ics i ms ha engage in equen communica e wi h shippe s a e mo e likely o p o ide lexible se ices. By
exchanging in o ma ion wi h shippe s, po logis ics i ms can es ablish se ice p ocesses ha align wi h he
speci ic needs o he shippe s, ul ima ely leading o he p o ision o supe io se ices. Thi d, he lexibili y o po
logis ics i ms enhances cus ome ela ionships wi h shippe s. By o e ing lexible se ices, po logis ics i ms
can build s ong ela ionships wi h shippe s and wo k oge he owa ds common goals. Fou h, us and
communica ion o po logis ics i ms u he ein o ce he ela ionship be ween lexibili y and cus ome e-
la ionships. When he e a e us and e ec i e communica ion be ween he i ms and shippe s, he posi i e e ec
o lexibili y on cus ome ela ionships is ampli ied.
1. In oduc ion
The e a e a ious i ms in ol ed in he po logis ics p ocess,
p o iding logis ics se ices o shippe s. These i ms include line s, in-
e na ional eigh o wa de s, cus oms b oke s, loading and unloading
i ms, con aine e minals, bonded wa ehouses, bonded anspo e s,
and inspec ion i ms. I is c ucial o hese i ms o o e e icien po
logis ics se ices and es ablish s ong ela ionships wi h shippe s. The
ela ionships wi h shippe s a e also impo an o he po logis ics i ms
as se ice p o ide s. S eng hening he ela ionships be ween i ms in
po logis ics p ocesses can be seen as a s a egic and ma ke ing
app oach o enhance connec ions wi h shippe s. The e o e, conduc ing a
s udy on s eng hening he ela ionships be ween po logis ics i ms and
shippe s is necessa y o secu e a sus ainable compe i i e ad an age o
po logis ics i ms in he ma ke .
Nume ous s udies ha e examined he ela ionships be ween i ms o
a ious pe spec i es. Some s udies ha e ocused on e i ying he e-
la ionships be ween manu ac u ing i ms wi hin he supply chain
managemen (SCM) con ex (Theodo akioglou, Go zamani, & Tsiol as,
2006; Cheung and Rowlinson, 2011; Hoejmose, B amme , & Millin on,
2013; Mu ield and Ta e, 2017; Liu, Yang, & Zhang, 2020; Telle , Ko -
zab, G an , & Holweg, 2016; Ak ou , 2019; A haide, Zhang, & Klink,
2019; G aca and Ba y, 2019; Fa uquee, Paul aj, & I awan, 2021; Choi
and Pa k, 2002; Jung and Lee, 2014; Kim and Lee, 2016). Addi ionally,
he e a e s udies ha explo e he ela ionships be ween i ms in he po
supply chain (Bae, 2016; Chou, Chen, & Kuo, 2018; Lin, Po e , & Pe i ,
2020; Liu e al., 2020; Li, Yan, Yan, & Yan, 2021; Kwon, Pa k, Kim, &
Kim, 2023; Nsikan e al., 2023). These s udies ha e app oached he
ela ionships be ween i ms om a ious heo e ical pe spec i es, such
as esou ce-based heo y, in o ma ion p ocessing heo y, s a egic
choice heo y, ansac ion cos heo y, social exchange heo y, and a
ela ional iew, wi hin he amewo k o SCM.
P io esea ch has con i med he ela ionships be ween us and
ela ionship sa is ac ion (Aga wal and Na ayana, 2020), in e pe sonal
communica ion, us , and pe cei ed ela ionship quali y (Ahl , Ho ak,
Klein, & Yoon, 2019), us and pe o mance (Ali and Khalid, 2017;
Leona do, Sil e a, Ma inez-Sanchez, & Romei o, 2020), and supply
chain ela ionship managemen and i m pe o mance (Giudice e al.,
2020). Howe e , hese s udies did no conside ha communica ion and
us , when ea ed as independen a iables, ha e an impac on
E-mail add ess: [email p o ec ed].
Con en s lis s a ailable a ScienceDi ec
The Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics
jou nal homepage: www.else ie .com/loca e/ajsl
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.ajsl.2024.02.004
Recei ed 5 No embe 2023; Recei ed in e ised o m 26 Decembe 2023; Accep ed 29 Feb ua y 2024
The Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics 40 (2024) 118–125
119
lexibili y as a media o and cus ome ela ionships as pe o mance. This
o e sigh occu ed because hey p ema ily ocused on examining he
ela ionships be ween communica ion, us , and pe o mance.
Fu he mo e, hey also ailed o iden i y he ac o s ha s eng hen he
link be ween lexibili y and cus ome ela ionships.
P io esea ch has empasized he signi icance o o ganiza ional cul-
u e in os e ing ela ionships be ween i ms and enhancing compe i-
i eness. O ganiza ional cul u e should no only be cul i a ed wi hin
indi idual o ganiza ions bu also be sha ed be ween o ganiza ions (Cho,
2013). T us and communica ion ha e been iden i ied as cu cial ele-
men s o he dissemina ion o o ganiza ional cul u e, and hey a e
conside ed as ela ional asse s as in angible asse s o he i ms (Cho,
2012).
As se ice i ms p o iding logis ics se ices o shippe s, po logis ics
i ms need o es ablish an excellen se ice p ocess. They o e po lo-
gis ics se ices h ough con ac s wi h se ice p o ide s based on he
spec ic needs o shippe s. Unde s anding hese needs accu a ely and
possessing he necessa y capabili ies o ul ill hem a e essen ial.
Al h ough mos se ices a e p o ided by po logis ics se ice p o ide s,
po logis ics i ms hemsel es mus possess lexible capabili ies o adap
o he equi emen s o shipppe s in he logis ics p ocess. These lexible
capabili ies enable hem o build s ong ela ionships wi h shippe s,
ul ima ely leading o sus ainable compe i i e ad an ages in he ma ke .
In spi e o a ious s udies on he ela ionships be ween i ms, p io
esea ch has he ollowing limi a ions: Fi s , s udies on he ela ionships
be ween i ms ha e been p edominan ly ocused on manu ac u ing
i ms. The e is a weal h o esea ch a ailable on he ela ionships be-
ween manu ac u ing i ms and dis ibu o s. Howe e , conside ing he
signi icance o in e na ional ade in he Ko ean economy, he e is a lack
o ac i e esea ch on he ela ionships be ween i ms om he
pe spec i e o po logis ics i ms ha p o ide in e na ional logis ics
se ices o ade s as shippe s.
Second, he e is a dea h o s udies conce ning he se ices p o ided
by po logis ics i ms as se ice p o ide s. While p io esea ch has
examined he se ice quali y o po logis ics i ms, he e is a lack o
esea ch on he speci ic ypes o se ices eques ed by shippe s as cus-
ome s. Fu he mo e, since po logis ics i ms p o ide shippe s wi h
non- ace- o- ace o he se ices, he le el o shippe s’ in ol emen in
po logis ics se ices is pe cei ed o be low, despi e hei high demands
o such se ices. Consequen ly, i is essen ial o in es iga e he capa-
bili ies o po logis ics i ms in p o iding lexible se ices, as hese ca-
pabili ies di ec ly e lec he needs o shippe s in he po logis ics
p ocess. The e o e, he e is a need o a s udy ha ocuses on he lexi-
bili y o po logis ics i ms.
Thi d, he e has been a lack o p io esea ch ocusing on he e-
la ionships be ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s. E en i po lo-
gis ics i ms o e excellen se ices, i i ails o mee he needs o he
shippe s, he shippe s will seek ou se ice p o ide s ha can be e
add ess hei equi emen s. The e o e, es ablishing s ong ela ionships
be ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s is c ucial o a aining sus-
ainable compe i i e ad an ages in he ma ke . Consequen ly, i is
essen ial o po logis ics i ms o iden i y he ac o s ha a ec hei
ela ionships wi h shippe s. This s udy aims o examine he e ec s o
us and communica ion on lexibili y and cus ome ela ionships be-
ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s. Fu he mo e, his s udy also
analyzes he in e ac ion e ec s o us and communica ion on he
ela ionship be ween lexibili y and cus ome ela ionships.
2. Li e a u e e iew
2.1. Communica ion o po logis ics i ms
Resea ch on he ela ionships be ween po logis ics i ms and
shippe s is no cu en ly ac i e. Howe e , in p ac ice, po logis ics i ms
ha p o ide po logis ics se ices o shippe s aim o es ablish sus ain-
able ela ionships in o de o a ain sus ainable compe i i e ad an ages
in he ma ke . Du ing he po logis ics p ocess, hese i ms no only o e
di ec se ices o shippe s bu also ul ill hei needs h ough con ac s
wi h po logis ics se ice p o ide s. Hence, us and communica ion
a e c ucial ela ionship asse s o po logis ics i ms in hei in e ac ions
wi h shippe s. By cul i a ing high le els o us and communica ion
wi h shippe s, po logis ics i ms can encou age a g ea e deg ee o
lexibili y o mee hei needs. This lexibili y is conside ed an impo an
esou ces o i ms, despi e ha ing social complexi y and causal ambi-
gui y conce ning pe o mance.
To es ablish in e - i m ela ionships, po logis ics i ms mus iden-
i y he speci ic needs o shippe s. Con inuous communica ion wi h
shippe s se ices as he ounda ion o logis ics se ice p o ide s,
enabling hem o ul ill cus ome equi emen s e ec i ely. F om he
pe spec i e o shippe s, secu ing eliable po logis ics i ms ha p o ide
s able se ices is a c ucial elemen o he implemen a ion o ade
con ac s. The e o e, he ela ionships be ween po logis ics i ms and
shippe s can be unde s ood as s a egic alliances, and e ec i e
communica ion se ices as he basis o minimizing ansac ion cos s.
Consequen ly, he communica ion be ween po logis ics i ms and
shippe s can be ega ded as a aluable ela ionship asse o he o me .
Communica ion in i m ela ionships is conside ed a c ucial ac o
ha enhances he lexibili y o se ice p o ide s. Po logis ics i ms
should main ain con inuous communica ion wi h shippe s o comp e-
hend hei needs, minimize misunde s andings in he ela ionships, and
adap o any changes in he shippe s’ equi emen s wi hin he po lo-
gis ics p ocess. By doing so, po logis ics i ms can es ablish high-
quali y ela ionships wi h shippe s and u he s eng hen hose e-
la ionships (Cho, 2012; Paul aj e . al., 2008).
The communica ion o po logis ics i ms can be seen as he es ab-
lishmen o di ec ela ionships wi h shippe s. I enables hem o di ec ly
unde s and he needs o shippe s, sha e ealis ic in o ma ion, de e mine
app op ia e cou se o ac ion, sol e p oblems, and gain a mu ual un-
de s anding o he si ua ion. Paul aj, Lada, and Chen (2008) ound
empi ical e idence ha communica ion be ween buye s and supplie s
posi i ely a ec s pe o mance. Communica ion, he e o e, can be seen
as a key aspec o he ela ionships be ween i ms and con ibu es o he
o ma ion o long- e m ela ionships. Fu he mo e, Cousins and Menguc
(2006) iden i ied communica ion as a i m esou ce and demons a ed
i s posi i e e ec s on he pe o mance o buye s.
F om he pe spec i e o i m ela ionships, communica ion be ween
po logis ics i ms and shippe s di ec ly a ec s he lexibili y o po
logis ics i ms and he quali y o hei cus ome ela ionships. Po lo-
gis ics i ms enhance hei capabili ies by iden i ying he needs o
shippe s and es ablishing lexible in e nal p ocesses o ul ill hose
needs. This capabili y-building p ocess can be explained by he
esou ce-based heo y. Mo eo e , communica ion se es as he oun-
da ion o po logis ics i ms o s eng hen hei cus ome ela ionships
wi h shippe s by unde s anding hei speci ic equi emen s. Based on
hose conside a ion, his s udy p oposes he ollowing hypo hesis.
H.1: Communica ion be ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s
posi i ely a ec s lexibili y (H. 1–1) and cus ome ela ionships (H. 1–2)
o po logis ics i ms.
2.2. T us o po logis ics i ms
In o de o os e alue sha ing be ween i ms, i is essen ial o hem
o ha e a sense o empa hy owa ds he alue, and mu ual us should
be es ablished (Cho, 2013). When he e is a lack o empa hy o alue
be ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s wi hin he po supply chain,
he unde s anding o sha ed goals wi hin he po supply chain is
diminished, esul ing in a lack o mu ual us . This lack o us makes i
challenging o achie e he desi ed goals. To p e en his, po logis ics
i ms and shippe s need o cul i a e empa hy o alue h ough p oac-
i e communica ion, which, in u n, enhances he le el o us .
P io esea ch has de ined us as he ex en o which pa ne s
belie e in each o he (Doney and Cannon, 1997; Maye , Da is, &
H.-S. Bae
The Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics 40 (2024) 118–125
120
Shoo man, 1995; Jung and Lee, 2014; Tong and Chan, 2022). F om he
iewpoin o SCM, us can be seen as he deg ee o solida i y among
pa icipan s. T us wi hin he po supply chain specially pe ains o he
ela ionships be ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s. Po logis ics
i ms es ablish hese in e - i m ela ionships h ough con inuous con ac
and in e ac ion wi h shippe s. Th ough close coope a ion, shippe s
p o ide ma ke in o ma ion o po logis ics i ms, while po logis ics
i ms sha e se ice- ela ed in o ma ion wi h shippe s. The mu ual ex-
change o in o ma ion is seen as a mu ually bene icial a angemen ,
con ibu ing o he o ma ion o aluable knowledge wi hin he ma ke .
Ul ima ely, his knowledge se es as he ounda ion o building us
be ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s.
F om he pe spec i e o po logis ics i ms, he high-quali y e-
la ionships o med h ough us wi h shippe s a e applied o in e nal
se ice p ocesses, laying he g oundwo k o he p o ision o excellen
se ices such as lexibili y. T us be ween po logis ics i ms and ship-
pe s canno be es ablished in a sho pe iod o ime; ins ead, i is cul i-
a ed h ough long- e m coope a ion and communica ion, o ming he
basis o s anda dizing p ocesses be ween i ms. Consequen ly, shippe s
become inc easingly elian on he logis ics se ices p o ided by po
logis ics i ms due o he s ong and us wo hy ela ionship es ab-
lishing be ween hem.
T us is conside ed a c ucial ac o in in e - i m ela ionships,
specially iewed as a ela ionship-speci ic elemen . I is ecognized as an
in angible asse ha eme ges om he in e play o i ms wi hin he
esou ce-based heo y amewo k. In e - i m us is explained h ough
he lens o mu ual bene i s be ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s,
wi h bo h pa ies expec ed o ac in he u mos good ai h. Wi h a ocus
on mu ual bene i s, hey engage in p o i -sha ing beha io du ing in-
o ma ion exchange, and he sha ed in o ma ion is subsequen ly in e-
g a ed in o he in e nal p ocesses o he espec i e i ms. This sha ed
in o ma ion becomes he ounda ion o de eloping compe i i e
ad an age as in angible asse s o he i ms. P io esea ch has consis-
en ly demons a ed a posi i e ela ionship be ween in e - i m us and
pe o mance (Rajagu u and Ma anda, 2009; S ua , Ve ille, & Taskin,
2012; Ali and Khalid, 2017; Ahl e al., 2019; Aga wal and Na ayana,
2020; Leona do e al., 2020). Based on hese indings, his s udy p o-
poses he ollowing hypo hesis.
H.2: T us be ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s posi i ely a ec s
lexibili y (H. 2–1) and cus ome ela ionships (H. 2–2).
2.3. Flexibili y and cus ome ela ionships o po logis ics i ms
In e - i m ela ionships can be explained h ough he lens o
compe i ion and coope a ion, as highligh ed by Nalebu and B anden-
bu ge (1996). Simila ly, when examining he ela ionships be ween
po logis ics i ms and shippe s, i is e iden ha coope a ion plays a
mo e signi ican ole han compe i ion, unlike ypical se ice
p o ide -cus ome ela ionships. In his con ex , he ela ionships be-
ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s can be be e unde s ood h ough
he empa hy sha ed be ween he i ms. Shippe s p o ide in o ma ion o
po logis ics i ms ha allows hem o adap hei in e nal p ocesses o
mee ma ke demands, he eby enabling he de elopmen o lexible
p ocesses ha ul ill hese needs. The es ablishmen and con inua ion o
hese ela ionships a e d i en by he pu sui o sus ainable compe i i e
ad an ages in he ma ke .
Flexibili y, in his con ex , e e s o he abili y o po logis ics i ms
o ge he ex e nal ma ke in o ma ion, inco po a e i in o hei in e nal
p ocesses, and deli e supe io se ice p ocesses. This concep aligns
wi h he no ion o ma ke o ien a ion in ela ionship ma ke ing (Bae and
G an , 2018). By os e ing lexibili y, po logis ics i ms can o ge
long- e m ela ionships wi h shippe s and enhance he quali y o hese
ela ionship. Howe e , achie ing lexibili y is no an easy ask, gi en he
inhe en di e ences be ween se ice i ms and manu ac u ing i ms.
G ¨
on oos (2000) emphasized h ee cha ac e is ics o se ices, namely
he simul anei y o p oduc ion and consump ion, in isibili y, and
ex e nal ac o s. Simila ly, po logis ics se ices sha e hese same
cha ac e is ics, making i challenging o achie e lexibili y.
In pa icula , lexibili y is e en mo e di icul o a ain in he con ex
o po logis ics se ices, as hey a e ypically p o ided h ough con-
ac s be ween a ious po logis ics se ice p o ide s (such as loading/
unloading i ms, bonded wa ehouses, bonded anspo e s, con aine
e minals, cus oms b oke s, e c.) and ca ie s (such as line s o in e -
na ional eigh o wa de s), ac ing on behal o shippe s. To o e come
his challenge, po logis ics i ms can de elop lexible se ice p ocesses
by cul i a ing long- e m ela ionships wi h shippe s, o s e ing us and
e ec i e communica ion, and adap ing hei se ice p ocesses o
accommoda e he needs o shippe s. This, in u n, enables po logis ics
i ms o enhance collabo a ion wi h shippe s, p ima ily buil upon he
ounda ion o long- e m ela ionships. Based on hese conside a ions,
his s udy p oposes he ollowing hypo hesis:
H.3: Flexibili y o po logis ics i ms posi i ely a ec s cus ome
ela ionships.
2.4. In e ac ion e ec s o us and communica ion on lexibili y and
cus ome ela ionships o po logis ics i ms
The e a e wo ac o s ha con ibu e o he o ma ion o long- e m
ela ionships be ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s. The i s ac o
is he es ablishmen o sus ainable us and communica ion be ween
hem, while he second ac o in ol es he abili y o po logis ics i ms
o adap hei se ice p ocesses o align wi h he needs o shippe s.
Flexibili y, in his con ex , e e s o he ope a ional app oach o po
logis ics i ms, which en ails mo e han simply accommoda ing he
needs o shippe s; i in ol es engaging in coope a i e p ocesses wi h
hem. The ope a ional lexibili y o po logis ics i ms can be de ined as
hei esponses, in en ions and beha io s in mee ing he needs o
shippe s.
Fu he mo e, lexibili y is also explained wi hin he amewo k o
social exchange heo y, which no only equi es changes in he se ice
p ocesses o po logis ics i ms in esponse o he needs o shippe s bu
also necessi a es changes in he logis ics p ocesses o shippe s o mee
he needs o po logis ics i ms. Wi hou us and communica ion om
a long- e m pe spec i e, in e - i m ela ionships a e likely o be dis-
con inued due o a lack o lexibili y. The e o e, us and communica-
ion be ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s a e c ucial ac o s ha
s eng hen he ela ionship be ween lexibili y and cus ome ela ion-
ships (Hand and Seung, 2007).
The e ec s o us and communica ion be ween po logis ics i ms
and shippe s on lexibili y and cus ome ela ionships o po logis ics
i ms we e been explained abo e. T us and communica ion a e ega -
ded as an eceden a iables ha a ec lexibili y and cus ome e-
la ionships. Howe e , he e is cu en ly no esea ch ocusing on he
a iables ha enhance he ela ionship be ween lexibili y and cus ome
ela ionships om he pe spec i es o po logis ics i ms and shippe s.
In in e - i m ela ionships, he sho - e m pe spec i e ends o p io i ize
e iciency, while he long- e m pe spec i e can be cha ac e ized by he
sha ing o mu ual bene i s. Po logis ics i ms and shippe s sha e in-
o ma ion o mu ual bene i s and subsequen ly adap hei p ocesses
acco dingly. As a esul , us and communica ion se e as in e ac ion
a iables in addi ion o being an eceden a iables in he ela ionship
be ween lexibili y and cus ome ela ionships. Based on hese consid-
e a ions, his s udy p oposes he ollowing hypo hesis.
H. 4: T us (H. 4–1) and communica ion (H. 4–2) be ween po lo-
gis ics i ms and shippe s enhance he ela ionships be ween lexibili y
and cus ome ela ionships o po logis ics i ms.
3. Resea ch model and me hodology
3.1. Resea ch model
The heo e ical ela ionships be ween he a iables necessa y o
H.-S. Bae
The Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics 40 (2024) 118–125
121
achie e he objec i es o his s udy ha e been iden i ied h ough p io
esea ch. The esea ch model is p esen ed below Fig. 1:
3.2. Me hodology
3.2.1. The de ini ions o he a iables
This s udy aims o analyze he ela ionships be ween us , commu-
nica ion, lexibili y, and cus ome ela ionships be ween po logis ics
i ms and shippe s. The concep ual and ope a ional de ini ions o hese
a iables ha e been es ablished h ough p io esea ch. Fi s , us e e s
o he deg ee o belie in pa ne s and is de ined as he le el o eliabili y
be ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s (Chen, Yen, Rajkuma , &
Tomochko, 2011; Cho, 2012). Second, communica ion is de ined as he
equency, quali y, and quan i y o in o ma ion exchange be ween po
logis ics i ms and shippe s (Doney and Cannon, 1997; Jung and Lee,
2014). Thi d, lexibili y is de ined as he ex en o which po logis ics
i ms espond lexibly in p o iding se ices o shippe s (S ank, Kelle , &
Daughe y, 2001/2002; Bae and Lee, 2008). Fou h, cus ome e-
la ionships a e de ined as he coope a i e e o s, unde s anding o
di e en pe spec i es, sha ing in o ma ion and esou ces, and achie e-
men o common goals be ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s (S ank
e al., 2001; Bae and Lee, 2015). All i ems a e measu ed using a
se en-poin Like scale based on esponden s’ pe cep ions. The ope a-
ional de ini ions o he a iables can be ound in Appendix 1.
3.2.2. Analy ical me hods
The popula ion o his s udy comp ises po logis ics i ms in he
Republic o Ko ea. Gi en he di e se ange o i ms in ol ed in po
logis ics p ocesses, his s udy dis ibu ed ques ionnai es o i ms
p o iding po logis ics se ices o shippe s. The sampling ame con-
sis ed o i ms lis ed in he membe ship os e o he Busan Po Au-
ho i y, which is ep esen a i e as i includes he majo i y o po
logis ics i ms.
A andom sampling me hod was employed o selec 1000 i ms om
he sampling ame. The ques ionnai e was sen o hese i ms ia email
o he su ey (URL). The su ey was conduc ed om Janua y 2022 o
Ma ch 2022, and 242 i ms esponded. Fou esponses we e excluded
due o same esponses o no esponses, esul ing in 238 usable esponses
(23.8%) o analysis.
Va ious analy ical me hods we e u ilized o es he hypo heses in
his s udy. Fi s , he me hod ecommended by A ms ong and O e on
(1977) was employed o examine non- esponse bias in he da a. The
ques ionnai es we e ca ego ized in o ou clus e s based on he o de o
a i al, wi h he i s clus e ep esen ing he mos en husias ic e-
sponden s and he las clus e ep esen ing he mos cau ious e-
sponden s. I he e we e no signi ican di e ences in he esponses
be ween hese wo clus e s, i would indica e he absence o
non- esponse bias. Analysis o a iance was employed o his es . The
esul o he es indica ed no non- esponse bias (F=0.975, p =0.326).
Second, a s abili y analysis o he da a is conduc ed om con i ma-
o y ac o analysis, which aims o assess whe he he sample
cha ac e is ics align wi h he popula ion cha ac e is ics based on he
i ness indices o he model. In e ms o i ness indices, i he P alue is
no signi ican a he 5% le el, he Roo Mean Squa e E o o App ox-
ima ion (RMSEA) is below 0.08, and he o he s i indices a e o e 0.9, i
indica es ha he sample cha ac e is ics a e consis en wi h he popu-
la ion cha ac e is ics. To examine disc iminan alidi y, he a e age
a iance ex ac ed (AVE) is compa ed wi h he squa e o a co ela ion
coe icien , and i he o me is highe han he la e , i indica es no
issue.
Thi d, he hypo heses a e es ed by wo me hods. One is ha he pa h
analysis among he a iables is conduc ed h ough a s uc u al equa ion
model, which is a a iable analy ical app oach as i p o ides mo e
comp ehensi e insigh s compa ed o mul iple eg ession analysis. The
o he is ha he in e ac ion e ec s o us and communica ion a e
examined using clus e analysis, analysis o a iance, and eg ession
analysis. The selec ion o mul iple analy ical me hods is based on he
need o es he in e ac ion e ec h oughly. The analysis ollows h ee
s eps: i s ly, he in e ac ion a iable is di ided in o wo clus e s (i.e.,
high and low) based on he a e age; secondly, he causali y be ween he
a iables is es ed wi hin each clus e s; hi dly, he in e ac ion a iable
is deemded signi ican i he high clus e demons a es highe alues
han he low clus e , as e idenced by a compa ison o alues, F alues,
and R-squa e alues. This is p e e ed due o i s igo ous na u e. The
esul s a e p esen ed as ollows.
4. The esul s o empi ical es s
4.1. The gene al cha ac e is ics o esponding i ms
To achie e he objec i es o his s udy, 238 da a we e u ilized o
analysis. The ollowing ou lines he gene al cha ac e is ics o he
esponding i ms.
The e a e a ious ypes o business p esen ed in Table 1. The la ges
ca ego y is o wa de s, consis ing o 82 i ms, while he smalles ca e-
go y is loading and unloading i ms, comp ising only 7 i ms. O he
Fig. 1. Resea ch model.
Table 1
The gene al cha ac e is ics o he esponding i ms.
Types o business F equency (%) Annual u no e
(million U$)
F equency (%)
Line s
Fo wa de s
Cus ome b oke s
Loading/unloading
Bonded wa ehouses
Inland anspo
O he s
No esponse
11 (4.6)
81 (34.0)
12 (5.0)
7 (2.9)
58 (24.4)
62 (26.1)
3 (1.3)
4 (1.7)
Less han 1
1 - 5
5 - 10
O e 10
No esponse
71 (29.8)
92 (38.7)
16 (6.7)
55 (23.1)
4 (1.7)
Employees F equency (%)
Less han 10
10 - 30
30 - 50
50 - 100
O e 100
No esponse
77 (32.4)
103 (43.3)
4 (1.7)
6 (2.5)
45 (18.9)
3 (1.3)
To al 238 (100.0)
H.-S. Bae
The Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics 40 (2024) 118–125
122
ca ego ies include a ious se ice p o ide s in ol ed in po logis ics
p ocesses. Rega ding annual u no e , he e a e 92 i ms wi h u no e s
anging om o e U$ 1 million o less han U$ 5 million, ep esen ing
he highes coun . Mo e o e , he e a e 103 i ms wi h he highes
numbe s o employees alling be ween o e 10 and less han 30. These
indings indica e signi ican di e si y in e ms o business ypes, annual
u no e , and he numbe o employees wi hin he sample.
4.2. The esul s o eliabili y and alidi y es s
Be o e es ing he hypo heses, his s udy conduc ed a con i ma o y
ac o analysis o assess he s abili y o he da a. The esul s a e p e-
sen ed below.
As p esen ed in Table 2, us is ep esen ed by h ee i ems ( u 4 is
dele ed), while communica ion is ep esen ed by ou i ems. The mea-
su emen model exhibi s excellen i ness indices, indica ing a good i .
Addi ionally, he ac o loading coe icien s o all i ems exceed 0.5, and
AVE coe icien s a e also abo e 0.5, con i ming sa s ac o y alidi y.
Howe e , i em 4 in us ca ego y is excluded om he analysis due o i s
ac o loading coe icien alling below he equi ed c i e ion. Despi e
his exclusion, eliabili y emains high, wi h us sco ing 0.898 and
communica ion sco ing 0.899 based on C onbach’s alpha coe icien ,
demons a ing good in e nal consis ency.
As p esen ed in Table 3, bo h lexibili y and cus ome ela ionships
consis o i e i ems each. The alidi y o he measu emen model is
sa is ac o y as all i ness indices exceed he equi ed c i e ia. Addi ion-
ally, he ac o loading coe icien s and he AVE alues a e all wi hin
accep albe anges, indica ing good alidi y. Mo eo e , he eliabili y o
he cons uc s is high, wi h lexibili y sco ing 0.915 and cus ome e-
la ionships sco ing 0.939 based on C onbach’s alpha coe icien s,
demons a ing s ong in e nal consis ency and eliabili y. The e o e,
he e a e no issues wi h he eliabili y o he measu es.
Table 4 displays he ela ionships be ween he a iables. To assess
disc iminan alidi y, he AVE is compa ed wi h he squa e o he co -
ela ion coe icien s o each a iable. The esul s indica e ha he AVE
alues a e highe han he co esponding squa ed co ela ion co-
e icien s, con i ming disc iminan alidi y. The e o e, he e a e no is-
sues wi h he esul s in e ms o disc iminan alidi y.
4.3. The esul s
To es he hypo heses, pa h analyses we e conduc ed. The esul s a e
ep esen ed below.
The esul s o he hypo heses es ing a e p esen ed in Table 5.
Howe e , he i ness indices do no mee he c i e ia o all indices,
indica ing di e ences be ween he cha ac e is ics o he popula ion and
he sample. As a esul , he indings can only be gene alized o he
sample i ms. Hypo hesis 1 is suppo ed, sugges ing ha us has a
posi i e e ec on lexibili y and cus ome ela ionships. Hypo hesis 2 is
pa ially suppo ed, e ealing ha communica ion has a posi i e e ec
on lexibili y (H. 2–1 is suppo ed), bu i has no e ec on cus ome
ela ionships (H. 2–2 is ejec ed). Hypo hesis 3 is suppo ed, indica ing
ha lexibili y has a posi i e e ec on cus ome ela ionships. The
ollowing eusl s pe ain o he in e ac ion e ec s o us and commu-
nica ion on he ela ionship be ween lexibili y and cus ome
ela ionships.
As p esen ed in Table 6, us is di ided in o wo clus e s. Clus e 1
ep esen s a g oup wi h low us be ween po logis ics i ms and
shippe s, wi h an a e age sco e o 3.93. On he o he hand, clus e 2
comp ises a g oup wi h high us , wi h an a e age sco e o 5.75. These
clus e s a e demons a ed as a esul o he ANOVA analysis, indica ing
dis inc le els o us be ween he g oups. Based on his classi ica ion,
his s udy p oceeds o analyze he in e ac ion e ec o us and lexi-
bili y on cus ome ela ionships.
As p esen ed in Table 7, he high clus e exhibi s highe alues in -
alue, F- alue, and R-squa e compa ed o he low clus e . Consequen ly,
hypo hesis 4–1 is suppo ed, sugges ing he p esence o an in e ac ion
e ec be ween us and lexibili y on cus ome ela ionships.
As p esen ed in Table 8, communica ion is ca ego ized in o wo
clus e s. The i s clus e ep esen s a g oup wi h high communica ion,
ha ing an a e age sco e o 5.26, while he second clus e comp ises a
g oup wi h low communica ion, ha ing an a e age sco e o 3.57. This
classi ica ion is demons a ed h ough ANOVA, es ablishing dis inc
clus e s based on communica ion le els. Nex , his s udy examines he
esul o he in e ac ion e ec be ween communica ion and lexibili y on
cus ome ela ionships.
As p esen ed in Table 9, he high clus e demons a ed highe alues
in - alue, F- alue, and R-squa e compa ed o he low clus e . Conse-
quen ly, hypo hesis 4–2 is suppo ed, indica ing he exis ence o an
in e ac ion e ec be ween communica ion and lexibili y on cus ome
ela ionships. Now, le ’s p oceed wi h he discussion o he esul s.
5. Discussion
The esul s o he analyses can be discussed as ollows. Fi s , us
be ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s has a posi i e e ec on lexi-
bili y and cus ome ela ionships. Po logis ics i ms p o ide lexible
se ices o shippe s, sha e in o ma ion and esou ces on he basis o a
high le el o mu ual unde s anding, and achie e common goals when
he e is a high le el o us be ween hem. These esul s align wi h
p e ious indings by Ch is o e sen (2013), S ua e al. (2012), and Cho
(2012), which also demons a ed he posi i e impac o us on pe -
o mance. Es ablishing us as an in e nal esou ce o po logis ics
i ms akes ime, and he exis ing us wi h shippe s becomes a aluable
asse o i ms. Mo eo e , us be ween po logis ics i ms and shippe s
con ibu es o e ec i e collabo a ion, ep esen s a a e esou ce, is no
easily imi a ed by compe i o s, and holds a unique posi ion among o he
esou ces. Addi ionally, he ela ionshhip be ween us and pe o -
mance in ol es social complexi y and causal ambigui y. The e o e, po
Table 2
The esul o a con i ma o y ac o analysis on us and communica ion.
I ems Es ima e S.E. C.R. P Fac o loading AVE
u 1 2.212 0.356 6.216 0.000 0.865 0.756
u 2 2.493 0.385 6.472 0.000 0.984
u 3 1.829 0.271 6.760 0.000 0.742
u 4 1.000 - - - 0.388
com 1 1.143 0.070 16.303 0.000 0.933 0.681
com 2 1.158 0.071 16.425 0.000 0.945
com 3 0.799 0.061 11.905 0.000 0.595
com 4 1.000 - - - 0.778
No es) Chi-squa e=4.202, d =4, P =0.379, GFI=0.996, AGFI=0.960,
CFI=1.000, IFI=1.000, TLI=0.999, RMSEA=0.015; u: us ; com:
communica ion
Table 3
The esul o a con i ma o y ac o analysis on lexibili y and cus ome
ela ionships.
I ems Es ima e S.E. C.R. P Fac o
loading
AVE
le 1 1.029 0.056 18.226 0.000 0.841 0.690
le 2 1.017 0.049 20.883 0.000 0.899
le 3 0.734 0.068 10.730 0.000 0.615
le 4 0.937 0.049 19.068 0.000 0.862
le 5 1.000 - - - 0.902
cus 1 0.940 0.062 15.198 0.000 0.834 0.731
cus 2 1.010 0.064 15.714 0.000 0.853
cus 3 1.220 0.069 17.685 0.000 0.958
cus 4 1.014 0.051 19.710 0.000 0.805
cus 5 1.000 - - - 0.814
No es) Chi-squa e=13.993, d =9, P =0.123, GFI=0.989, AGFI=0.930,
CFI=0.998, IFI=0.998, TLI=0.990, RMSEA=0.048; le: lexibili y; cus:
cus ome ela ionships
H.-S. Bae
The Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics 40 (2024) 118–125
123
logis ics i ms ha ha e al eady de eloped us wi h shippe s can
le e age i as a co e compe ency and a means o main ain a sus ainable
compe i i e ad an age in he ma ke .
Second, po logis ics i ms ha engage in equen communica ion
wi h shippe s a e be e able o p o ide lexible se ices. Th ough in-
o ma ion exchange wi h shippe s, hese i ms can ailo hei se ice
p ocesses o mee he speci ic needs o shippe s, he eby deli e ing
excellen se ices. As a esul , hey can enjoy a sus ainable compe i i e
ad an age in he ma ke . Howe e , he e ec o communica ion on
cus ome ela ionships is no suppo ed in he esul . In p ac ice, when
se ice p o ide s engage in high le els o communica ion wi h cus-
ome s, cus ome needs may inc ease, po en ially leading o a s ain in
he ela ionship be ween se ice p o ide s and cus ome s. I is impo -
an o bo h po logis ics i ms and shippe s o ecognize ha no all
needs o shippe s can be accommoda ed, and excessi e demands om
shippe s migh nega i ely a ec he ela ionship wi h po logis ics
i ms.
Thi d, he lexibili y o po logis ics i ms enhances cus ome e-
la ionships wi h shippe s. Po logis ics i ms capable o p o iding
lexible se ices o shippe s can e ec i ely align hei objec i es and
es ablish supe io ela ionships wi h shippe s. Since po logis ics se -
ices always in ol e non- ace- o- ace in e ac ions wi h cus ome s, he
lexibili y o se ice p o ide s plays c ucial ole in os e ing posi i e
cus ome ela ionships. Speci ically, he lexibili y o po logis ics se -
ices is conside ed an in angible asse ha con ibu es o he
de elopmen o long- e m ela ionships wi h shippe s, gi en he high
unce ain y p e alen in in e na ional logis ics. The e o e, po logis ics
i ms ha p io i ize and de elop lexibili y as an in angible asse can
build endu ing ela ionships wi h shippe s, ul ima ely se ing as a
ounda ion o a aining sus ainable compe i i e ad an ages in he
ma ke .
Fou h, he e a e in e ac ion e ec s be ween independen a iables
( us and communica ion) and lexibili y on cus ome ela ionships o
po logis ics i ms. Acco ding o he a o emen ioned esul s, po lo-
gis ics i ms should p oac i ely emphasize us and communica ion
wi h shippe s o s eng hen hei lexibili y and cus ome ela ionships.
Addi ionally, p o iding lexible se ices o shippe s is essen ial,
alongside building endu ing and us ul ela ionships wi h hem o
achie e common objec i es. Mo eo e , es ablishing lexible p ocesses
ha ca e o he speci ic needs o shippe s h ough sus ainable
communica ion is i al. As demons a ed in he esul s, po logis ics
i ms should p io i ize cul i a ing long- e m ela ionships wi h shippe s
and achie ing common goals based on hese ela ionships, a he han
solely ocusing on enhancing pe o mance h ough us and commu-
nica ion. The e o e, by enhancing us and communica ion wi h ship-
pe s, p o iding lexible se ices, and main aining long- e m
ela ionships, po logis ics i ms can e ec i ely achie e sha ed
objec i es.
Table 4
The esul o co ela ion analysis.
Va iables A e age S anda d
de ia ion
T us Communica ion Flexibili y Cus ome ela ionships
T us 5.275 1.010 1.000
Communica ion 4.778 1.004 0.401 ***
(0.161)
1.000
Flexibili y 4.488 1.034 0.458 ***
(0.210)
0.704 ***
(0.496)
1.000
Cus ome
ela ionsips
4.240 1.151 0.408 ***
(0.196)
0.670 ***
(0.449)
0.763 ***
(0.583)
1.000
No es) * ** <0.01; The numbe s in pa en heses a e he squa e o a co ela ion coe icien .
Table 5
The esul s o empi ical es .
H. Pa h Es ima e S.E C.R. P Resul s
H. 1-1 T us →Flexibili y 0.099 0.043 2.288 0.022 Suppo ed
H. 1-2 T us →Cus ome ela ionships 0.029 0.013 2.257 0.024 Suppo ed
H. 2-1 Communica ion→Flexibili y 0.813 0.085 9.573 0.000 Suppo ed
H. 2-2 Communica ion→Cus ome ela ionships -0.034 0.053 -0.636 0.525 Rejec ed
H. 3 Flexibili y→Cus ome ela ionships 0.652 0.073 8.954 0.000 Suppo ed
No es) Chi-squa e=223.347, d =96, P =0.000, GFI=0.822, AGFI=0.682, CFI=0.886, IFI=0.888, TLI=0.819, RMSEA=0.152
Table 6
The esul o clus e analysis on us .
Clus e 1 2 ANOVA (F)
Low (n =62) 3.93 396.006
(p =0.000) High (n =176) 5.75
Table 7
The in e ac ion e ec be ween us and lexibili y on cus ome ela ionships.
Pa h Low clus e (n =62) High clus e (n =176)
F R
2
F R
2
Flexibili y→
Cus ome
ela ionships
3.518
***
12.373
***
0.171 16.287
***
265.271
***
0.604
No e) * ** <0.01
Table 8
The esul o clus e analysis on communica ion.
Clus e 1 2 ANOVA (F)
High (n =170 5.26 332.676
(p =0.000) Low (n =68) 3.57
H.-S. Bae
The Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics 40 (2024) 118–125
124
6. Conclusion
The objec i e o his s udy is o examine he e ec s o us and
communica ion on lexibili y and cus ome ela ionships be ween po
logis ics i ms and shippe s. To accomplish his objec i e, he heo e ical
ela ionships among he a iables we e assessed based on p io esea ch,
and da a was collec ed h ough a su ey adminis a ed o po logis ics
i ms. The eliabili y and alidi y o he da a we e e alua ed using
con i ma o y ac o analysis and C onbach’s alpha coe icien s. The
hypo heses we e es ed u ilizing a s uc u al equa ion model analysis,
clus e analysis, analysis o a iance, and eg ession analysis. The
heo e ical implica ions o he esul s we e discussed ea lie , and he
ensuing sec ions co e manage ial implica ions, limi a ions and u u e
esea ch di ec ions.
The manage ial implica ions can be ou lined as ollows: Fi s , man-
age s wi hin po logis ics i ms should ac i ely o s e us and
communica ion wi h shippe s, ea ing hem as alued cus ome s. The
app oach will s eng hen lexibili y and enhance cus ome ela ionships.
To add ess he di e se equi emen s o shipe s h oughou po logis ics
p ocesses, manage s should es ablish adap able se ice p o ocols ha
a e esponsi e o he needs communica ed h ough us -based in-
e ac ions. Cul i a ing endu ing ela ionships wi h shippe s will play a
pi o al ole in achie ing mu ual objec i es. Consequen ly, manage s
should de elop lexible se ice p ocesses i mly g ounded in us and
e ec i e communica ion wi h shippe s, he eby nu u ing s onge
cus ome ela ionships. This is pi o al o gaining a compe i i e edge in
he ma ke .
Second, manage s o po logis ics i ms should p uden ly manage
excessi e demands om shippe s. While communica ion helps man-
age s unde s and he needs o shippe s, i is c ucial o disce n o e ly
bu densome demands ha could s ain ela ionships be ween se ice
p o ide s and cus ome s. Resea ch indica es a nega i e impac cus ome
ela ionships s emming om such excessi e demands. The e o e, man-
age s need o ca e ully e alua e he app op ia e le el o communica ion
necessa y o es ablish and main ain op imal ela ionships be ween po
logis ics i ms and shippe s. S i ing o a balanced and mu ually ben-
e ical app oach becomes impe a i e in os e ing hese ela ionships.
S ong elaionships enable po logis ics i ms o enjoy compe i i e
ad an ages in he ma ke .
Thi d, communica ion and us ac no only as p eceding a iables
bu also as in e ac ing a iables in luencing he lexibili y and cus ome
ela ionships o po logis ics i ms. Manage s mus cons uc lexible
se ices aligned wi h cus ome needs o pa e he way o sus ainable
ela ionships wi h shippe s. To achie e his, i is pi o al o manage s o
cul i a e endu ing long- e m ela ionships h ough us and e ec i e
communica ion. This unde sco es he necessi y o c ea ing a coope a i e
cul u e ounded on us and communica ion, complemen ing he p o-
ision o lexible se ices and he eby nu u ing long- e m ela ionships
wi h shippe s. These i ms can p o ide cus ome s wi h high quali y po
logis ics se ices.
No wi hs anding he a o emen ioned implica ions, his s udy is no
de oid o limi a ions, which a e delinea ed as ollows. Fi s , he pos u-
la ion ega ding he e ec o communica ion on cus ome ela ionships
has been nega ed. While his s udy a ibu es his ou come o he
de imen al impac o communica ion s emming om he excessi e
demand placed by shippe s, a mo e comp ehensi e explo a ion o he
in ica e ela ionship be ween hese a iables is wa an ed. Second, he
i ness indices o he s uc u al model ail o mee sa is ac o y s anda ds.
Al hough his s udy o e s an explana o y by con ining o gene aliz-
abili y o esul s o he sampled i ms, a mo e exhaus i e examina ion is
impe a i e o shed ligh on his ma e . Thi d, his s udy did no explo e
cul u al o egional a ia ions since he popula ion comp ises po lo-
gis ics i ms in he Republic o Ko ea. The e o e, based on he i ness
indices, he esul s a e gene alized o he sample i ms. These limi a ions
inhe en ly guide he u u e esea ch di ec ions, p opelling he need o
u he in es iga ions in his domain.
Decla a ion o Compe ing In e es
None.
Acknowledgemen
This wo k was suppo ed by he Minis y o Educa ion o he Re-
public o Ko ea and he Na ional Resea ch Founda ion o Ko ea (NRF-
2021S1A5A2A01066725).
Appendix 1. The ope a ional de ini ions o he a iables
Va iables Measu ing i ems Resea che s
Communica ion F equency o con ac wi h shippe s (com 1)
Con inuous con ac wi h shippe s in ela ion o wo ks (com 2)
In o mal con ac wi h shippe s in ela ion o wo ks (com 3)
Smoo h con ac wi h shippe s (com 4)
Chen e al. (2011)
Cho (2012)
T us S ic ul illmen o p omises wi h shippe s ( u 1)
Responsible conduc in ela ion o shippe s ( u 2)
A deg ee o doing you bes o he needs o shippe s ( u 3)
A high le el o ecogni ion by shippe s o po logis ics se ices ( u 4)
Doney and Cannon (1997)
Jeung and Lee (2014)
Flexibili y An inc ease o ope a ional lexibili y h ough coope a ion wi h shippe s ( le 1)
An abili y o espond o he changing needs o shippe s ( le 2)
An abili y o sus ainably sha ing in o ma ion wi h shippe s o espond o he change o ma ke en i onmen ( le 3)
An abili y o p o iding alue-added se ices in he whole po logis ics p ocesses ( le 4)
An abili y o coope a i ely wo k wi h shippe s when p oblems a e happened ( le 5)
S ank e al. (2001)/(2002)
Bae and Lee
(2008)
(con inued on nex page)
Table 9
The in e ac ion e ec be ween communica ion and lexibili y on cus ome ela ionships.
Pa h Low clus e (n =62) High clus e (n =176)
F R
2
F R
2
Communica ion→
Cus ome
ela ionships
17.055
***
290.885
***
0.634 3.570
***
12.745
***
0.162
No e) * ** <0.01
H.-S. Bae
The Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics 40 (2024) 118–125
125
(con inued)
Va iables Measu ing i ems Resea che s
Cus ome ela ionships Close in o ma ion exchange wi h shippe s o po logis ics managemen (cus 1)
A deg ee o e lec ing he needs o shippe s when po logis ics se ices a e p o ided (cus 2)
A deg ee o sha ing in o ma ion conce ned wi h po logis ics wi h shippe s (cus 3)
An abili y o p o iding po logis ics se ices which shippe s wan (cus 4)
The mu ual e o o achie ing po logis ics pe o mance wi h shippe s (cus 5)
S ank e al. (2001)
Bae and Lee
(2015)
Re e ences
Aga wal, U. A., & Na ayana, S. A. (2020). Impac o ela ional communica ion on buye -
supplie ela ionship sa is ac ion: Role o us and commi men . Benchma king: An
In e na ional Jou nal, 27(8), 2459–2496.
Ahl , H., Ho ak, S., Klein, A., & Yoon, S. W. (2019). Demog aphic homophily,
communica ion and us in in a-o ganiza ional business ela ionships. Jou nal o
Business and Indus ial Ma ke ing, 34(2), 474–487.
Ak ou , H. (2019). T us in buye -selle ela ionships: F om ad anced, eme ging, and
de eloping ma ke s. Ad ances in Business Ma ke ing and Pu chasing, 26, 1–5.
Ali, T., & Khalid, S. (2017). T us -pe o mance ela ionship in in e na ional join
en u es: The mode a ing oles o s uc u al mechanisms. Jou nal o Business and
Indus ial Ma ke ing, 32(7), 962–973.
A ms ong, J. S., & O e on, T. S. (1977). Es ima ing non esponse bias in mail su eys.
Jou nal o Ma ke ing Resea ch, 14(3), 396–402.
A haide, G. A., Zhang, J., & Klink, R. R. (2019). Buye ela ionships when de eloping
new p oduc s: A con ingency model. Jou nal o Business and Indus ial Ma ke ing, 34
(2), 426–438.
Bae, H. S. (2016). The mode a ing e ec o logis ics in o ma ion sys ems on in e -
o ganiza ional collabo a ion and pe o mance o Ko ean shipping and logis ics i ms.
In e na ional Jou nal o e-Na iga ion and Ma i ime Economy, 5(3), 85–96.
Bae, H. S., & G an , D. B. (2018). In es iga ing e ec s o o ganiza ional cul u e and
lea ning on en i onmen al collabo a ion and pe o mance o Ko ean expo ing i ms.
In e na ional Jou nal o Logis ics Resea ch and Applica ions, 21(6), 614–630.
Chen, J. V., Yen, D. C., Rajkuma , T. M., & Tomochko, N. A. (2011). The an eceden
ac o s on us and commi men in supply chain ela ionships. Compu e S anda ds
and In e aces, 33(3), 262–270.
Chou, S., Chen, C. W., & Kuo, Y. T. (2018). Flexibili y, collabo a ion and ela ionship
quali y in he logis ics se ice indus y: An empi ical s udy. Asia Paci ic Jou nal o
Ma ke ing and Logis ics, 30(3), 555–570.
Ch is o e sen, J. (2013). A e iew o an eceden s o in e na ional s a egic alliance
pe o mance: Syn hesized e idence and new di ec ions o co e cons uc s.
In e na ional Jou nal o Managemen Re iews, 15(1), 66–85.
Cousins, P. D., & Menguc, B. (2006). The implica ions o socializa ion and in eg a ion in
supply chain managemen . Jou nal o Ope a ions Managemen , 24(5), 604–620.
Doney, P. M., & Cannon, J. P. (1997). An examina ion o he na u e o us in buye -
selle ela ionship. Jou nal o Ma ke ing, 61(2), 35–51.
Fa uquee, M., Paul aj, A., & I awan, C. A. (2021). S a egic supplie ela ionships and
supply chain esilience: Is digi al ans o ma ion ha p ecludes us bene icial?
In e na ional Jou nal o Ope a ions and P oduc ion Managemen , 41(7), 1192–1219.
G ¨
on oos, C. (2000). Se ice managemen and ma ke ing: a cus ome ela ionship
managemen app oach. Wiley.
Hoejmose, S., B amme , S., & Millin on, A. (2013). An empi ical examina ion o he
ela ionship be ween business s a egy and social esponsible supply chain
managemen . In e na ional Jou nal o Ope a ions and P oduc ion Managemen , 33(5),
589–621.
Kwon, J., Pa k, S., Kim, T., & Kim, H. (2023). Ano el business cycle indica o o he
Ko ean shipping indus y. Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics, 1–10. h ps://doi.
o g/10.1016/j/ajsl.2023.10.002
Li, Q., Yan, R., Yan, L., & Yan, B. (2021). Empi ical s udy on imp o ing in e na ional d y
po compe i i eness based on logis ics supply chain in eg a ion: E idence om
China. The In e na ional Jou nal o Logis ics Managemen . h ps://doi.o g/10.1108/
IJLM-06-2020-0256
Lin, M. S. M., Po e , A., & Pe i , S. (2020). Rela ionship he e ogenei y in Taiwanese
ma i ime logis ics se ice supply chains. Supply Chain Managemen : An In e na ional
Jou nal. h ps://doi.o g/10.1108/SCM-03-2019-0116
Liu, R., Yang, J., & Zhang, F. (2020). Managing echnology ans e be ween coope i i e
i ms: he oles o coope i ion, asse speci ici y and jus ice. Jou nal o Business and
Indus ial Ma ke ing. h ps://doi.o g/10.1108/JBIM-10-2019-0462
Leona do, S. B., Sil e a, M. A. P., Ma inez-Sanchez, P. M., & Romei o, M. C. (2020).
T us and knowledge con ibu ion o ag icul u al clus e pe o mance. In e na ional
Jou nal o P oduc i i y and Pe o mance Managemen . h ps://doi.o g/10.1108/
IJPPM-10-2019-0495
Maye , R. C., Da is, J. H., & Shoo man, F. D. (1995). An in eg a ion model o
o ganiza ion us . The Academy o Managemen Re iew, 20(3), 709–734.
Nalebu , B.J. & B andenbu ge , A.M. (1996). CO-OPETITION, Doubleday Dell
Publishing G oup, Inc., New Yo k, NY, USA.
Nsikan, J., Micheal, R., Me cy, O., Adebnkola, A., B iggs, I., & Inegbedion, D. (2023).
Robus p ac i es o managing ma i ime supply chain iks: A su ey o Nige ia’s
seapo . Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics, 1–7. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.
ajsl.2023.09.001
Paul aj, A., Lada, A. A., & Chen, I. J. (2008). In e -o ganiza ional communica ion as a
ela ional compe ency: An eceden s and pe o mance ou comes on collabo a i e
buye -selle ela ionships. Jou nal o Ope a ions Managemen , 26(1), 45–64.
Rajagu u, R., & Ma anda, M. J. (2009). In luence o in e -o ganiza ional in eg a ion on
business pe o mance: The media ion ole o o ganiza ional-le el supply chain
unc ions. Jou nal o En e p ise In o ma ion Managemen , 22(4), 456–467.
S ank, T. P., Kelle , S. B., & Daughe y, P. J. (2001). Supply chain collabo a ion and
logis ical se ice pe o mance. Jou nal o Business Logis ics, 22(1), 29–48.
S ank, T. P., Kelle , S. B., & Closs, D. J. (2001/2002). Pe o mance bene i s o supply
chain logis ics in eg a ion. T anspo a ion Jou nal, 41(2/3), 32–46.
S ua , F. I., Ve ille, J., & Taskin, N. (2012). T us in buye -selle ela ionships: Supplie
compe ency, in e pe sonal ela ionships and pe o mance ou comes. Jou nal o
En e p ise In o ma ion Managemen , 25(4), 392–412.
Telle , C., Ko zab, H., G an , D. B., & Holweg, C. (2016). The impo ance o key supplie
ela ionship managemen in supply chains. In e na ional Jou nal o Re ail and
Dis ibu ion Managemen , 44(2), 109–123.
Theodo akioglou, Y., Go zamani, K., & Tsiol as, G. (2006). Supplie managemen and i s
ela ionship o buye s’ quali y managemen . Supply Chain Managemen : An
In e na ional Jou nal, 11(2), 148–159.
Tong, S. C., & Chan, F. F. Y. (2022). Re isi ing us in he igi al e a: The in e play o
online us and online dialogic communica ion om he p ac i ione s’ pe spec i e.
Jou nal o Communica ion Managemen , 26(3), 271–293.
H.-S. Bae
