International Marketing Review 13,5 98 Logistics strategy: does it travel well? Steven R. Clinton and Roger J. Calantone Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA Logistics has emerged as a subject of considerable interest in the wake of American transport deregulation, European unification efforts, global supply chain management concepts, and growth in regional trading blocs. Traditionally viewed as a cost centre it is now fashionable to speak of logistics in a strategic context – an element of possible advantage in an increasingly competitive international trading environment. Embedded in this view of logistics is the idea of logistics strategy. To date, work in this area has been primarily conducted in the USA and Canada (Bowersox and Daugherty, 1987; Bowersox et al ., 1989; McGinnis and Kohn, 1990; 1993). In their 1987 article, Bowersox and Daugherty identified three primary logistics strategies – process, market and channel – based on a domestic US sample. This typology has recently been used in Michigan State University’s Global Logistics Study. An expansion of this study into six European countries (England, France, Germany, T he Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden) and three Pacific Basin countries (Australia, Korea, Japan) provides a unique opportunity to investigate the cross-cultural applicability of logistics measures. This paper investigates the appropriateness of the use of the Bowersox et al . logistics strategy typology in transnational research. It builds on previous research (Clinton and Closs, 1995) which indicates that within the US and Canadian samples there is empirical support for the typology. For the purposes of this investigation, the focus is on two subgroups: first, English-speaking countries (USA vs. England vs. Australia); and second, non-linguistically equivalent countries (US vs. Germany vs. Japan). Within these groups the concentration is on conceptual equivalence across national boundaries. Background Bowersox and Daugherty (1987), using a qualitative research design, investigated linkages between organization structure and logistics strategy. This study identified three distinct strategies: process, market, and information. Based on this initial work, Bowersox et al . (1989) continued investigating logistics strategy in the “leading edge” initiative. Information strategy was redesignated as “channel” strategy. The process/market/channel classification was published in Leading Edge Logistics: Competitive Positioning for the 1990s. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support given by the United Parcel Foundation and Council of Logistics Management. International Marketing Review, Vol. 13 No. 5, 1996, pp. 98-112. © MCB University Press, 0265-1335