Relationship between knowledge management and effectiveness of reverse logistics

Purpose - The paper explores the relationship between three constructs: customer orientation of reverse logistics, knowledge management and effectiveness of reverse logistics. Reverse logistics is generally seen as an instrument for sustainable development due to its ambition to minimize the extent of waste "generated" in supply chains. The role of knowledge management is investigated in this field. Design/methodology/approach - The explorative research is based on primary data that were collected through personal interviews with representatives of 162 companies operating on the Czech market. The majority of presented findings are based on subjective statements of informants due to the fact that many questions asked for the data that companies don't measure, collect and reprocess. Majority of the questions were constructed as scales; the data were reprocessed by means of uni-, bi-, and multivariate statistical analysis. Originality/value - The originality of the paper stems from the fact that it tests the relationship among maturity of knowledge management, customer orientation and effectiveness of reverse logistic by means of a structural model. The more elaborated knowledge management is found to be related to the effectiveness of reverse logistics and its customer orientation. The paper also shows that knowledge management is linked with other motives related to reverse logistics. Practical implications - The empirical study suggests that effort in application of knowledge management might bring also benefits for companies in the field of reverse logistics. Traditionally, it is accepted that knowledge is important in the inspection and sorting activities of reverse logistics, when the material flow (including waste) is analysed and then dispatched for economically efficient reprocessing. The data shows that the importance of knowledge management in the field of reverse logistics might be crucial for tactical and strategic decisions too.