Marketing/Logistics Integration and Firm Performance

Functional areas within a firm must effectively interact and work together to plan, coordinate, and implement strategic initiatives. Interfunctional integration is believed to be directly related to a firm's competitiveness and profitability. The current research was undertaken to gain a greater understanding of the association between interdepartmental integration and performance. Results of a recent survey examining the marketing/logistics interface are reported. Analysis provided support for positive associations between the frequency of collaborative integration between marketing and logistics departments and logistics managers' perceptions of the effectiveness of the relationship between departments, as well as, departmental performance relative to competitors.