۱- Introduction

۲- Literature Review

۳- The Research Hypotheses and Methodology

۴- The results of empirical tests

۵- Conclusion

References

Abstract

The objective of this research is to verify gaps in firm performance between the levels of relationships between international freight forwarders and port logistics service providers. To achieve the objective, this research developed the conceptual and operational definitions of the variables through prior research and the questionnaire was sent to the forwarders. The collected data were analyzed by cluster analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The results are as follows. First, the high level of the inter-corporate collaboration is based on the high level of customer performance. In this regard, the forwarders have the need of operational collaboration with port logistics service providers and as a result, they achieve a high level of customer performance. Second, the high level of the inter-corporate commitment is connected to the high level of firm performance. The forwarders provide shippers with the quality of customer service through commitment with port logistics service providers and this is the cause of firm performance. Third, the high level of the inter-corporate communication is based on a gap in customer performance. The forwarders can achieve the needs of shippers through communication with port logistics service providers and this is connected with a high level of customer performance.

Introduction

Prior research has performed research on the relationships between shippers and port logistics firms (Bae, 2012). However, there is a lack of studying the relationships between international freight forwarders and logistics service providers in port logistics processes. On the basis of the characteristic of port logistics services, the forwarders or liners provide shippers with port logistics services. In this regard, shippers become customers of the forwarders and port logistics service providers become suppliers who provide real port logistics service to the forwarders. These are the characteristics of port logistics services, which are non-face to face services and the forwarders provide shippers with port logistics services through contracts with port logistics service providers on behalf of shippers. Hence, research on the relationship between international freight forwarders and port logistics service providers is needed for developing port logistics services. Prior research on the relationship among firms was performed from various viewpoints. Prior research is approached as an inter-corporate relationship from the viewpoint of supply chains (Bae, 2012) and it is based on superior performance (Kang, 2012). In addition, inter-corporate collaboration in supply chains enhances performance (Bae and Ha, 2014). The relationships between inter-corporate relationships and performance can be explained as contingency theory. Logistics service providers in port logistics processes exist in the exterior of international freight forwarders and from the viewpoint of uncertainty, the forwarders treat port logistics service providers as external environment (Flynn et al., 2010). The forwarders can control the environment through making the high quality of relationships with port logistics service providers as external environment. Despite the positive relationship between inter-corporate relationships and performance, prior research has limitations as follows. First, there is no research on the relationship between international freight forwarders and port logistics service providers in port logistics processes. Second, there is no research on the levels of the inter-corporate relationship in port logistics processes. Third, in port logistics processes, performance dimensions to reflect the inter-corporate relationship should be clearly verified. Therefore, the objective of this research is to analyze gaps in performance between the levels of the relationship between international freight forwarders and port logistics service providers.