World class logistics - south of the border: an analysis of Mexican maquiladora environmentally responsible practices

This research is an analysis of Mexican maquiladoras' (factories in a free trade zone) status toward achieving world class logistics. The hypotheses are predictors of these firms' adaptation toward environmentally-responsible logistics using the typology of positioning, integration, ability and measurement. Statistical testing uses a survey of Mexican maquiladora manufacturing firms from central Mexico and the Texas-Mexico border. The results of the updated literature and statistical testing suggest several conclusions. First, the findings demonstrate that environmentally-responsible logistics (ERL) is a key component of logistics performance in Mexico. The implication is that ERL is not restricted to select countries but is spreading across borders. Second, this research provides a reliable scale for use in Spanish-speaking countries enabling research in most of Latin America. Third, at least two components should be added to the framework construction, corporate social responsibility and reverse logistics.