Study on Evaluation of Third-Party Logistics Enterprises’ Core Competence in China

UNIVERSITEIT

VAN

TILBURG

STUDY ON EVALUATION OF THIRD-PARTY LOGISTICS

ENTERPRISES’ CORE COMPETENCE IN CHINA

A Thesis Submitted in

Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree of

Master of Supply Chain Management

at

The Tilburg University

By:

Miao Liu

Supervisor:

drs. T.J.G. Peeters

July 2012

1 Introduction

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER1INTRODUCTION ………………………………...……………..………… 4-10

1.1 Research background ……………………………………………………………………..….. 4-5

1.2 Research motivation ………………………………………………………………………….. 5-6

1.3 Research objectives ………………………………………………………….…………………...7

1.4 Research Design ……………………………………………………………….………………... 8

1.5 Thesis outline ………………………………………………………………….……………... 9-10

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW …………………………………….................. 11-43

2.1 Third-Party Logistics (TPL) ………………………………………………………………. 11-25

2.1.1 Definition ………………………………………………………………………......... 13-14

2.1.2 Characteristics …………………………………………………………………..….. 14-15

2.1.3 Categories ………………………………………………………………………..….. 15-22

2.1.4 Current development situation ………………………………………………..….. 22-25

2.2 Core Competence ………………………………………………………………………..…. 25-37

2.2.1 Definition …………………………………………………………………………….. 25-26

2.2.2 The natures of the core competence ……………………………………………… 27-29

2.2.3 Source ………………………………………………………………………………… 29-30

2.2.4 How to identify the core competence ……………………………………...…...... 30-33

2.2.5 The components of the core competence ………………………………………… 33-36

2.2.6 Impact ………………………………………………………………………………... 36-37

2.3 Balanced scorecard (BSC) ……………………………………………………………...… 37-40

2.4 Delphi method …………………………………………………………………………….... 40-41

2.5 Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) ……………………………………………………......... 42

2

CHAPTER 3 EVALUATION MODEL CONSTRUCTION …………… ………….… 43-59

3.1 Objectives ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 43

3.2 Approach ………………………………………………………………………………………... 43

3.3 Basis of the core competence evaluation system for Chinese TPL companies …….. 45-50

3.3.1...