Relationship between Logistics Firm Size and Business Diversification: An Empirical Study of Chongqing, Area in China

This paper aims to explore the relationship between logistics firm size and business diversification, especially in micro- and small-sized enterprises, and assess the diversification process of Chongqing logistics enterprises using new data source. It is intended to contribute to theoretical research on diversification in the emerging logistics industry based on resource-based view (RBV) and factor production theory. We innovatively establish the logistics business classification system, then measure the degree and direction of diversification of logistics enterprises based on mean narrow-spectrum diversification-based product count methods. The empirically shows that there are a growing number of highly-diversified logistics enterprises in general, with an average annual increase of 14.23%. Especially after 2008, small and medium-sized enterprises developed towards related diversification while micro-sized enterprises came to the opposite conclusion. For them, creating unrelated diversified business is a crucial way to generate a competitive advantage. Unlike the conclusions derived from other industries, small-sized logistics enterprises are prone to try a new business, both related and unrelated, for better survival and performance. And changes in the firm size of medium and large-sized enterprises have little impact on the development of the business diversification.