• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.101-112
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• 2011

Nowadays, the third-party logistics is getting special attention as one of the most useful ways to perform the logistics management effectively. In this current trend, however, there are many firms which carry out the logistics activities by themselves and strengthen the competitiveness. In respect of contingency theory, the firms' logistics management types should depend on their logistics environment and characteristics, and then the logistics performances vary with this suitability. In this context, this study analyzed empirically the difference of the logistics performances due to the fitness between their logistics characteristics and the management types. According to the finding, the study showed that the third-party logistics is more suitable when the importance and weight of logistics operation and the weight of their export are greater respectively, and the self-logistics is more suitable when the logistics cost is higher. Futhermore, the study indicated that the firms whose relationship between the characteristics and the management types is fit in their logistics are better than the others in the outcome of logistics cost reduction and the effectiveness of logistics operation.