If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to clarify the relationship between employee loyalty and organizational performance. It starts with the idea that the employee loyalty creates value for the organization. This statement is widely endorsed in the literature although there is little consensus on the definition of loyalty. The paper proposes a refined synthesis of the literature on the link between employee loyalty and organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach -The paper addresses the question of whether there is a robust positive link between employee loyalty and organizational performance. The paper starts by reviewing the various, sometimes divergent, approaches to employee loyalty in the literature and then compare the different indicators of loyalty in relation to their relevance to different indicators of performance. Findings -The paper provides a critical overview of the different existing conceptions of employee loyalty. It points out ambiguity about both the theoretical contours of the concept, and practical means of making it a source of value for the organization. The paper shows that the link between employee loyalty and performance varies according to the type of indicators used.Research limitations/implications -The paper highlights a variety of indicators for employee loyalty to their firm and for organizational performance. But much research remains to be conducted, notably on the managerial levers that might consolidate or improve organizational performance. Originality/value -This paper fulfills an identified need to survey a fragmented theoretical field of analysis.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the specific valuable partnership between human capital-intensive firms (HCIFs) and fourth-party logistics (4PLs), and in particular, to explore the way boundaries of HCIFs are changing as a consequence of the growing importance of 4PLs. Design/methodology/approach – The paper represents the viewpoints of the authors as far as the role of 4PLs in the changing boundaries of HCIFs is concerned. It is based on a literature review, especially on the analysis of the recent works on organizational boundaries developed by Garicano, Santos and their co-authors. It establishes the prerequisites on the actors of the phenomenon and provides a knowledge-based conceptual framework to understand their dynamic relationship. Findings – The authors show that the relationship between a HCIF and a 4PL represents a balance of power between two partners based on the co-specialized human capital provided by each of them. From four main propositions, the authors explain that the HCIF extends its boundaries and create more value through the in-house and outside critical human capital it uses. Originality/value – The specific partnership between HCIFs and 4PLs has been rarely mentioned in the economics and management literature. This interdisciplinary viewpoint essentially provides both academics and practitioners with a conceptual map of 4PLs and HCIFs research and also points out opportunities for future research.