The effects of information sharing, organizational capability and relationship characteristics on outsourcing performance in the supply chain: An empirical study

Customer-provider relationships become more important as activities are outsourced and business becomes more global. Through a study of the relationships between unpaired third-party logistics (3PLs) providers and customers, this research addresses how information sharing affects outsourcing performance in the supply chain. Relationship characteristics and organizational capabilities are tested as modifiers in the model as an extension of previous literature, which suggested that those variables influence the strength of the relationship. The quantitative data are derived from surveys of logistics executives in the United States. Moderated multiple regression analysis is used to test the association between information sharing and perceived outsourcing performance, as well as the interaction effects of organizational capabilities and relationship characteristics. Results indicate that there is a significant relationship between information sharing and outsourcing performance. The moderator relationship variables of communication and perceived satisfaction with a previous outcome were also significant.