An investigation on logistics outsourcing on exports of minerals goods

This paper presents a study to investigate the effects of outsourcing logistics on improvement of export activities in minerals firms. The proposed study designs a questionnaire with 20 questions in Likert scale and distributes it among 67 firms out of 81 active organizations, which are responsible for exporting minerals in province of Tehran, Iran. Using structural equation modeling, the study has determined that there was a meaningful relationship between strategic orientations of exporters against outsourcing third part logistics (3PL) and basic and additional capabilities of 3PL. In addition, there was a meaningful relationship between basic capabilities of 3PL and competitive advantage of exporters but there was not any meaningful relationship between additional capabilities of 3PL and competitive advantage of exporters. Finally, there was a meaningful relationship between competitive advantage of exporters and performance of exports. In summary, the survey indicates that the outsourcing logistics influences positively on the performance of minerals firms.