Interrelationship between uncertainty and performance within reverse logistics operations

Uncertainty is a major issue within reverse logistics operations, but one that has received less attention within the literature. The aim of this paper is to analyse the relationship between the uncertainty and performance in reverse logistics. There is a focus upon external uncertainty, outside the boundaries of the firm. In doing so, results are drawn from a survey of electronics manufacturers within China. Through regression analysis, it is shown that uncertainty in channel relationships and legislation have the biggest impact, with the former particularly affecting economic performance and the latter the biggest influence on environmental performance.