Strategic Orientation, Operation and Performance in Retailer-3PL Relationships: A Theoretical Model

Fierce market competition forces retailers to focus on their core business. Many retailers choose to collaborate with third-party logistics provider (3PL) to lower their logistics cost. But few research focus on retailers´ collaboration with 3PL, especially in Chinese environment. This paper considers the relationships comprehensively among strategic orientation, operation and performance, proposes a new analysis framework and the corresponding propositions. It is pointed out that the performance is influenced by the strategic orientation. The authors develop scales through in-depth interviews due to Chinese different cultures and economic situations. The initial research shows the scales are initially acceptable. The further research is in process.