the top three by only 11 percent of the respondents. This finding does not indicate a
priority on logistics performance measurement between firms.
Question 6
The sixth question concerns itself with perceptions of the quality of the measures that
are being done in terms of a number of attributes of the measures. We constructed
12 Likert-like questions anchored by “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree” with the
center point being labeled neither/nor. The attributes for quality came from a variety of
sources including the Delphi study, the case studies and the literature. Table V
provides the results of that analysis, providing the frequency of responses, as well as
the mean and standard deviation for each question.
The sample clearly has mixed perceptions on the quality of the data. In no case is the
overall mean under 2.0, or moderately agree, but in three cases it is over 3.0 which means
the mean perceptions are slightly negative as all questions were worded so that a lower
number indicates higher quality perceptions. The actual means range from 2.31 to 3.19
and the standard deviations are between 1.0 and 1.16 and are thus very consistent.
5. Discussion and managerial implications
Based on the findings of what is being measured, most of the emphasis in logistics
measurement is directed at activities internal to the firm. Still, many firms are not even
capturing key measures of internal logistics performance. Many firms that are
capturing logistics measures perceive their quality to be deficient. The lack of
availability of accurate, timely, and actionable information seems to be blamed on the
absence or incompatibility of IT systems and lack of organizational resources. Perhaps,
in those firms, a strong case has not yet been made for the business value of improved
Number of responses/category
12 3 45
Attribute SA MA N/N MD SD Mean value SD
Measure is accurate 58 181 26 61 18 2.42 1.12
Is interpreted similarly by internal users 64 163 33 59 21 2.44 1.16
Is interpreted similarly by external users 26 91 106 85 34 3.03 1.10
Is understandable by decision makers 54 168 47 56 18 2.46 1.10
Is inclusive of all relevant aspects 21 95 68 115 43 3.19 1.16
Internal measure benefits outweigh costs to collect 98 125 59 39 22 2.31 1.18
External measure benefits outweigh costs to collect 46 114 110 48 21 2.66 1.08
Measures are compatible with existing internal
information and systems 39 164 54 61 22 2.60 1.11
Measures are compatible with existing external
information and systems 10 105 109 91 26 3.05 1.00
Measures are compatible with existing cash flow
measures used 22 107 123 61 25 2.88 1.02
Measures provide sufficient degree of detail for users 30 143 61 78 25 2.78 1.12
Measures used minimize the incentives for
counterproductive behaviors 24 132 88 68 25 2.82 1.07
Notes: Total responses range from 337 to 343 due to missing values; actual population was 355