Improving logistics performance in developing business competitive power: A study on the manufacturing firms

ABSTRACTDoctorate ThesisImproving Logistics Performance in Developing Business CompetitivePower: A Study On The Manufacturing FirmsAydın KAYABAŞIDokuz Eylül UniversityInstitute Of Social SciencesDepartment Of Business AdministrationIn our age, the change being lived in competitive structure andcharacteristics, and environmental factors necessitates firms to involve differentskills and special features. Especially, logistics management and logisticactivities constitute one of the major competitive conditions. Logisticscontribute positive affects on firm?s competitive power through differentfunctional areas it fulfills. In addition, because logistic activities have majorportion of the gros national product in national economies, it becomes a muchmore important matter.The development experienced especially in computer technologies intoday?s knowledge age enormously contributes that the functions carried out bylogistics are much more effectively conducted. The most important factor ofcompetitive skills is information. The way of obtaining and using informationrationally depends on functionality of managerial activities. Based on this issue,performance management constitutes a very important application area. Muchmore attention should be paid to activities related with measurement,evaluation, enhancement and improvement of logistics performance. In thesecontexts, for increasing the performance of logistics, it is obvious that using themanagement approaches related with performance improvement constitutes adifferent force in competition.In this study, Turkey?s top thousand manufacturing firms, determinedby the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, are selected as application field.Keywords: 1. Competition, 2. Competitive Power, 3. Logistics Management,4. Supply Chain Management, 5. Performance, 6. Performance Management.