Purpose

This paper aims to examine the relationship between the main decisions for designing distribution centers (DCs) and the contextual characteristics of the distribution networks.

Design/methodology/approach

Experts were surveyed and responses analyzed quantitatively through multivariate data techniques. This study considered four contextual characteristics that were deemed as influential for DC design: types of routes in the distribution network, quantity of DCs, distribution network levels and company size.

Findings

This paper evidenced which decisions are affected by each contextual characteristic encompassed in this study. This paper identified that the characteristic types of route in the distribution network must be carefully considered, as it had the greatest amount of associations with the decisions for designing a DC.

Originality/value

Despite its importance, most studies on design of DCs disregard the effect of the context in which DCs are inserted. This research provides arguments to support decision-making process of DCs design, increasing assertiveness of their planning. This work fulfills a literature gap by empirically examining the effect of contextual variables on the decisions related to DC design. Regarding practice, this paper addressed a fundamental issue for managers looking to design a DC, as it evidenced how contextual characteristics impact the decision-making.

中文翻译：

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配送中心设计与环境特征之间的关联

目的

本文旨在研究设计配送中心 (DC) 的主要决策与配送网络的背景特征之间的关系。

设计/方法/方法

通过多元数据技术对专家进行了调查和定量分析。本研究考虑了被认为对配送中心设计有影响的四个背景特征：配送网络中的路线类型、配送中心的数量、配送网络水平和公司规模。

发现

本文证明了哪些决策受到本研究中包含的每个上下文特征的影响。本文指出，必须仔细考虑配电网络中路线的特征类型，因为它与设计 DC 的决策有最大的关联。

原创性/价值

尽管它很重要，但大多数关于 DC 设计的研究都忽略了插入 DC 的环境的影响。这项研究为支持 DCs 设计的决策过程提供了论据，增加了他们规划的自信。这项工作通过实证检验上下文变量对与 DC 设计相关的决策的影响，填补了文献空白。关于实践，本文针对希望设计 DC 的经理解决了一个基本问题，因为它证明了背景特征如何影响决策制定。