Ethics in Logistics: A Critical Analysis of Two Research Articles

This report critically analyzes two peer-reviewed articles focusing on ethics in logistics. The first article, "Logistic service quality as a mediator between logistics capabilities and customer satisfaction," examines the relationship between logistics capabilities and customer satisfaction, highlighting the importance of ethical considerations. The second article, "Application of structural equation modelling to analyse the impacts of logistics services on risk perception, agility and customer service level," explores the impact of logistics services on various business aspects. The report synthesizes the authors' positions, evaluates their arguments for truth and potential biases, and draws conclusions regarding the need for ethical practices in logistics, particularly emphasizing the concept of green logistics. The report emphasizes that logistics systems are increasingly impacting the environment, and businesses must integrate ethical considerations and sustainable practices to mitigate negative impacts. It concludes with recommendations for including a green dimension in logistics and reducing environmental damage through sustainable practices. The report is formatted in APA style, including a cover page, in-text citations, and a reference list.

Running head: ETHICS IN LOGISTICS
ETHICS IN LOGISTICS
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1ETHICS IN LOGISTICS
Introduction
As opined by Avelar (2018), the perception of the customers regarding a brand greatly
depends on the ease with which the services or the products manufactured by a business
enterprise are being delivered to them. Nurmala, de Leeuw and Dullaert (2017) are of the
viewpoint that the resultant effect of this is that the business enterprises are increasingly
taking the help of the framework of logistics for the purpose of delivering the commodities or
the services manufactured by them in a timely manner to the markets or for that matter at the
doorsteps of the customers. However, the major problem arises because the contemporary
business enterprises are increasingly resorting to the usage of kind of logistics services which
are not only unethical in nature but at the same time detrimental from the perspective of the
planet as well (Fernandes, Moori & Filho, 2018). It is precisely here that the need on the part
of the business enterprises to use the concept of ethics within the spectrum of the logistics
system used by them. This paper will undertake an analysis of the concept of ‘ethics in
logistics’ through the usage of two articles, namely, “Logistic service quality as a mediator
between logistics capabilities and customer satisfaction” by Fernandes, Moori and Filho
(2018) and “Application of structural equation modelling to analyse the impacts of logistics
services on risk perception, agility and customer service level” by Avelar (2018).
Logistics services and its importance
Nurmala, De Leeuw and Dullaert (2017) have articulated the viewpoint that the
process of logistics can be defined as the effective management of the flow or the transfer of
the commodities or the services from their point of origin or manufacture to the point of their
consumption or for that matter to the customers or the markets. On the other hand, Fernandes,
Moori and Filho (2018) have stated that the construct of logistics requires the business
enterprises to integrate the diverse aspects of their business processes like information flow,

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warehousing, packaging, production, transportation, inventory and others. On the basis of the
different actions which the process of logistics entails, the entire process of logistics is being
categorised into two sections, namely, outbound logistics and inbound logistics. In this
regard, Gruchmann and Seuring (2018) have stated that the process of outbound usually
entails the storing of the finished goods or services, their transportation and thereby
distribution in the markets or to the customers. On the other hand, the process of inbound
logistics includes the process which enables the business enterprises to procure raw materials,
store them and thereby use them for the manufacture of the goods or the services. More
importantly, as discussed by Avelar (2018) an important trend seen within the modern-day
business world is the fact that the business enterprises are increasingly resorting to the usage
of different disruptive technologies like automation, robotics and others for the enhancement
of the effectiveness or the efficiency of the logistics system or the processes that they use and
also for the reduction of their operations cost. However, as noted by Fernandes, Moori and
Filho (2018) the major problem arises because of the fact that these innovative logistics
processes which are being used by the business enterprises although beneficial from the
perspective of the business enterprises yet from the environmental perspective they prove to
be unethical or detrimental because of the damage that they cause.
Ethics in logistics
Chell et al. (2016) are of the viewpoint that the business activities or the actions of the
different business enterprises should be guiding by the concepts of ethics or morals and their
business activities should seek to create the maximum benefit for the stakeholders or the
planet. However, Avelar (2018) has suggested that the primary focus of the logistic systems
used by the different business enterprises is to maximise their profitability and thereby they
often disregard the concept of ethics. The resultant effect of this is that the logistics systems
used by the business enterprises are putting an ever-increasing pressure on the environment

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or the planet for that matter. For example, the transportation process used by the different
business enterprises for the transport of the finished goods or services to the markets from the
manufacturing sites or for the procurement of the raw materials causes a substantial amount
of pollution (Gruchmann & Seuring, 2018). However, the business enterprises in order to
save costs on the transportation process used by them completely disregard this aspect. In
addition to this, it is seen that the different disruptive technologies like automation, robotics
and others which are frequently being used by the enterprises for the improvement of the
logistics system that they use not only require a large amount of energy but at the same time
cause a substantial amount of pollution as well (Fernandes, Moori & Filho, 2018). On the
score of these it can be said that the logistic system used by the business enterprises are
adversely affecting the planet or the environment and thus there is a need for the enterprises
to take into account the entity of ethics and thereby take the green dimension in the logistics
system.
Nurmala, de Leeuw and Dullaert (2017) are of the viewpoint that the business
enterprises need to take into account the aspect of the environment or for that matter try to
reduce the damage that they cause to the environment on the score of the logistics system that
they use. In this regard, mention needs to be made of the construct of green logistics which
requires the business enterprises to measure as well as minimise the adverse effects that the
logistics system used by them is causing to the environment or to the planet (Gruchmann &
Seuring, 2018). However, at the same time it needs to be said that the effective usage of this
construct would require the business enterprises to not only redesign the logistics system that
they are using but at the same time remove those kinds of processes which are adversely
affecting the environment.

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Conclusion and Recommendations
To conclude, the logistics system used by the different business enterprises are
adversely affecting the environment and the planet. Thus, it becomes important for the
business enterprises to take into account the aspect of ethics and thereby use the construct of
green logistics so as to reduce the damage that they are causing to the planet and its
ecosystem. These aspects of the concept of ‘ethics in logistics’ become apparent from the
above analysis. Two of the most important measures that the business enterprises can take the
help of to effectively use the process of ethical logistics are listed below-
 Including the green dimension within the logistics system which is being used by
them
 Reduction in the damage to the environment or the planet through the usage of the
practices or measures which are sustainable as well as less damage causing to the
environment

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References
Avelar, L. (2018). Application of structural equation modelling to analyse the impacts of
logistics services on risk perception, agility and customer service level. Instituto de
Ingeniería y Tecnología.
Chell, E., Spence, L. J., Perrini, F., & Harris, J. D. (2016). Social entrepreneurship and
business ethics: Does social equal ethical?. Journal of business ethics, 133(4), 619-
625.
Fernandes, D. W., Moori, R. G., & Filho, V. A. V. (2018). Logistic service quality as a
mediator between logistics capabilities and customer satisfaction. Revista de
Gestão, 25(4), 358-372.
Gruchmann, T., & Seuring, S. (2018). Explaining logistics social responsibility from a
dynamic capabilities perspective. The International Journal of Logistics
Management, 29(4), 1255-1278.
Nurmala, N., de Leeuw, S., & Dullaert, W. (2017). Humanitarian–business partnerships in
managing humanitarian logistics. Supply Chain Management: An International
Journal, 22(1), 82-94.