Logistics Performance and the Internationalization of Firms in Morocco: A Literature Review

Abstract

Emerging economies face growing pressures to enhance their international competitiveness, in a context in which logistics performance has established itself as a strategic determinant of global trade flows. Morocco, which aspires to become a regional logistics hub, is a paradigmatic case of this challenge. This paper aims to elucidate the precise theoretical mechanisms through which logistics performance influences the internationalization intensity of Moroccan firms, conceptualized along three constitutive dimensions: depth, geographic scope, and speed of the internationalization process. Drawing on a systematic literature review, the paper bridges the leading internationalization paradigms: the Uppsala model, Dunning's eclectic OLI paradigm, the Resource-Based View, and dynamic capabilities theory, with the empirical literature on the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index (LPI), thereby identifying a theoretical gap specific to emerging economies. Logistics is positioned as a dynamic capability, acting as a strategic mediating variable between the firm's internal resources and its international commitment. Three theoretical propositions are formulated, linking respectively overall logistics quality to internationalization depth, infrastructure quality to geographic scope, and logistics agility to internationalization speed. The paper proposes an original integrative conceptual framework that addresses an identified theoretical gap in the emerging markets literature and formulates operational managerial and institutional implications for Moroccan policymakers.