A conceptual framework for mitigating supply chain uncertainties and risks in the courier industry

Supply chain risk and uncertainty is an issue in supply chain and logistics. Due to increased globalisation, higher customer expectations, environment volatility, shorter and shorter product and technology life cycles, supply chains are more easily exposed to risks. This study proposes a Resource based view approach to manage the supply chain risks and uncertainties by deploying logistics capabilities in courier companies. Risk and uncertainty are often used interchangeably. In a real world environment, managers have to deal with both uncertainty and risk simultaneously. Based on the Resource based view, logistics capability is a distinctive capability, which can achieve competitive advantages and also be used for the development of new capabilities or to the enhancement of previous ones. This may improve the logistics performance. In contrast supply chain risk and uncertainty may influence decision makers and logistics performance resulting in problems such as delays, loss, damage, etc. This paper, therefore, gives an attempt to develop a conceptual framework to examine the applicability of logistics capabilities for mitigating supply chain risks and uncertainties in the courier industry. Meanwhile it may improve logistics performance in the courier industry. This would result in the development of a practical guidance for managers developing and deploying logistics capabilities to support and enable their supply chain risk management strategies from a Resource based view perspective.