米国システムインテグレーターの費用構造

要約

This paper theoretically and empirically analyzes the cost structure of the U.S. system-integrators using by estimating a translog total cost function. Our theoretical part shows that air-originating system-integrators are currently producing high-quality-high-price products at high cost through “vertical differentiation” against other 3PLs such as liner shipping companies or forwarders, but in the long run system-integrators will have to reduce their cost, holding their high-quality service unchanged.Using unbalanced panel data of 77 airlines for 10 years (n=476), our empirical part finds that only FedEx fulfills the position of “high-quality-high-price” system-integrators and other freight carriers such as UPS and DHL are on their way.We also reveal that all the US passenger and freight carriers have reduced their costs for recent 5 years, despite the cost-driving effects of Iraq War.This fact of “long-run-cost-reduction” is consistent with our theoretical analysis.

Key Words: system-integrators, translog cost function, vertical differentiation, supply chain management, common production