Theoretical foundations and evolution of the concept of logistics innovation

Abstract

In general, the concept of innovation is quite complex and multifaceted, many studies have been conducted on this topic, but, despite this, the definition of innovation in the generally accepted science does not exist. ( Timur, Kogabayev,and Antanas, maziliauskas, 2017) Innovation thus appears as something relative to the organization that adopts this "new idea", so, something innovative for one organization, is not necessarily for another (Leroy; Robert and Giuliani 2013). Innovation being associated with the processes of production and use of a product, the content of this concept in the international literature is based on different principles and each group of definitions has its specific characteristics (Kotsemir et al, 2013, p: 4). For many, many years, those in charge of logistics operations have used implicit innovation for their approaches by knowing more or less a part of their customers' desires for logistics services and added value. Now, many of these innovations are well studied and documented, facilitating the replication of best practices, which gradually makes logistics innovation a more pragmatic topic. However, this concept remains too little studied by the scientific community. This theoretical contribution aims to provide an extensive state of the art of the existing literature and to formulate new theoretical concepts on logistics innovation. The objective of this paper is to develop a theoretical justification based on the shortcomings or paradoxes of the existing literature.

Keywords: innovation, logistics, supply Chain, logistics innovation, resources, competitive advantage.

JEL Classification: O10

Type of the article: Theoretical article