There can be challenges like changing demands of the customers, unexpected natural

calamities, technological up-gradation and compatible supplier’s needs for the supply chain.
These issues can affect the efficiency of the supply chain responsiveness. Hence, to achieve the
competitive advantage, the companies must use emerging technologies for enhancing supply
chain responsiveness. A cost-efficient solution is needed so that responsiveness of supply chain
can be facilitated. Internal and external integration can be used for operating closely with other
markets. A mathematical model proposed also help the organizations to develop a Key
Performance Indicator (KPI) to check the responsive supply chain design (Sinha, 2015).

1.1. Relationship between Logistics Process Responsiveness & Competitive

Advantage
Logistics process responsiveness can help to reduce costs and increase the economic
wealth. Therefore, logistics process responsiveness has been professionalized. Logistics process
responsiveness importance has rose in this era of competition hence, the organizations are
working on innovative and up-to-date methods of logistic management (Berghaus, 2015). The
concept of logistics saw an advancement in 1950’s and after industrialization, globalization and
nationalization in recent decades, the logistic process responsiveness has become a very
important factor to gain competitive advantage. It helps a company to optimize the production
and improve the distribution processes. A study conducted by Alessandro Vitale (2014) focused
on the influence of logistics process responsiveness on competitive advantage and revealed that
there is sufficiently great influence of logistics process responsiveness on competitive advantage
and firm performance. Logistics process can be made responsive by accommodating the delivery
requests of the customers. Logistic process is considered to be responsive when a company is
able to deliver the goods when needed at the reasonable costs (Zelbst et al., 2008).

The logistics process responsiveness can be achieved with a strong and fast transportation
system. Transportation system joins the separate activities of logistics. Transportation is the key
element of logistic process and it acquires one-third costs of logistics. Hence, the transportation
can affect the logistic system responsiveness hugely. Transportation is required from production
to delivery to final consumers. Positive and significant influence of logistics process
responsiveness on competitive advantage and firm performance was revealed in a research
conducted by Erik Svanes (2010). The study further revealed that in order to get competitive

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edge in market the companies need to pay attention to the quality of their responsiveness of their
logistic process. If the transportation systems are not fully-developed, it can affect the logistic
process responsiveness and firm cannot get full benefits. Transport system can help the logistics
to improve via reduction in operational costs, promoting the service quality and providing better
efficiency in logistics (Klosster, 2009).