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Abstract
The research reported in this paper examines the buying behaviour of shippers in France in respect of their purchasing of logistics services, and in particular their attitudes towards purchasing more ecologically sound services. We have conducted empirical measurements of the gap between shippers’ declared willingness to purchase ecologically sound services and their actual buying behaviour regarding offers of logistics services, and have proposed a research model to explain this gap. This research is a significant extension of earlier pilot study work in the French Picardy region, such that the study area now covers 4 regions, representing approximately 64% of the demand for logistics services in France. Based upon 172 valid survey responses received, the statistical testing of our explanatory research model has revealed three main antecedents of ecological buying behaviour: perceived compatibility between the quality levels of ecological logistics services available and traditional logistics services; the visibility of the shipper's individual ecological actions within the overall supply chain; and the shipper's overall basic ecological strategy anchored at the corporate level. According to the results of this survey, these company-specific antecedents are a more important influence on purchasing behaviour than relational aspects and regulatory constraints.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the following for their help and support for our research: Amiens School of Management for their overall support for the project; all the interviewees (shippers) for their time and their precious insights they provided; the team of 15 interviewers for collecting data; and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions. We also say thank you to all those colleagues in logistics research who we have met at scientific conferences and other meetings who have provided such constructive feedback on our work.
Notes
Ecological logistics can be defined as logistics that respects the ecological environment and that contributes to sustainable development in a reactive or proactive manner (i.e. reduce negative impacts on the environment). This research study concentrated on the ecological dimensions of sustainable development and CSR.
Unfortunately, we were not able to include the importance of physical flow in terms of tonnages or tons by kilometres in the shipper selection criteria due to lack of data.