ICT Adoption among Logistics Companies in ASEAN Countries

In this era of globalization, adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) is one of the critical determinants of logistics companies' competitiveness and growth. This is especially so for the ASEAN countries as they pursue the vision of regional economic development and integration. Existing empirical studies on ICT adoption by logistics companies in developing countries are, however, scarce and have limited theoretical support and so far no comparative analysis of ICT adoption among ASEAN logistics companies and its determinants has been undertaken. This paper investigates the level of ICT adoption among ASEAN logistics companies and also develops an investment-based model to explain it. The model is evaluated with logistic regression using firm-level data collected from interviews with a sample of ASEAN logistics companies. The study finds that ICT adoption level varies significantly among the ASEAN countries and provides an empirical support for an investment-based view of ICT adoption. It also finds no further evidence for the relevance of the institutional theory to the ASEAN logistics industry. These findings have important strategic and policy implications for the ASEAN policy-makers and logistics industry.     

Achieving an ASEAN single shipping market: shipping and logistics firms’ perspective

ABSTRACT

To establish an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Single Shipping Market (ASSM) is an important part of ASEAN governments’ overall plan to achieve an ASEAN Economic Community by 2015. It is expected that a single shipping market will improve the region’s logistics performance and international competitiveness. To achieve this vision, however, the ASEAN countries need to remove any remaining barriers to logistics performance. In this light, the objective of this paper is to identify these barriers and assess their effects on the logistics performance of shipping and logistics firms based in ASEAN countries. Using a questionnaire-based survey, the study revealed several barriers affecting their logistics performance with varying significance among these countries. Unless these barriers from the perspective of the industry are removed, the ability of the shipping and logistics industry to benefit from a liberalized market would be limited. These perceived barriers are examined in detail and strategies to address them are proposed. The ASEAN experience is applicable to similar countries in the process of integrating their international shipping sector as well as contributes to the understanding of the different barriers and how these barriers can affect the logistics performance of shipping and logistics companies.     

中国汽车出口东盟市场面对的挑战及对策分析

随着时代的发展,汽车贸易出口也在逐步的增加,中国汽车的国际市场实力不容小觑.为了使中国的汽车走出国门,积极地参与竞争,就必须顺应时代的发展,拓展市场宽度.