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Introduction
The importance of the logistics function has increased dramatically over the past 20 years. It has taken a further 70 years or so for the basic principles of logistics management to be clearly defined (Christopher, 1998). In the general area of management research, the interest in logistics as a function or, more broadly, as a strategic activity, first emerged in the 1980s. Business interest in the subject of logistics has developed progressively, in stages, as the logistics function has been integrated into organisational structures (Halley and Guilhon, 1997). In the 1960s–1970s, customer service emerged and the “technical era of distribution logistics” began, where logistics were limited to warehousing, transportation, conditioning and order processing functions, supported by the development of micro-computing and the need to calculate customer service costs. Logistics performance was measured mainly through monitoring the cost of distribution activities. In the 1970s–1980s logistics became a function in the organisation, incorporated within the marketing and production functions. Logistics performance was measured by cost control, quality and deadlines. In the third phase, environmental pressures led to the emergence of logistics as a strategic means for firms (McGinnis et al., 1995). In our days, it is widely accepted that logistics is one of the main functions of organisations and plays a major strategic role in achieving a competitive advantage. On the other hand, third-party logistics (3PL) is becoming a reality for many organisations trying to reduce costs, improve efficiency, delivery performance and satisfy their customers. Terms such as “Third party logistics” or “logistics outsourcing” have been used to describe the organisational practice of contracting-out part of or all logistics activities that were previously performed in-house (Bowersox, 1990; Lieb, 1992; Aertsen, 1993; Sink et al., 1996). 3PL firms may perform any logistics activity at any point in the supply chain. Logistics activities performed by 3PL firms include: transporting, warehousing, managing inventory, packaging, materials handling and managing logistics information (LaLonde and Maltz, 1992; McGinnis et al., 1995; Lieb and Peluso, 1999). Logistics activities that are most frequently outsourced by manufacturers and merchandisers include outbound and inbound transportation, freight bill auditing/payment and warehousing (Lieb and Peluso, 1999). 3PL is usually associated with the offering of multiple, bundled services, rather than just isolated transport or warehousing functions...