Systemic Assessment of IoT Readiness and Economic Impact in Postal Services

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear Authors,

Please find the comments and suggestions for your manuscript in the attached file.

Best regards

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript addresses an important and timely topic: the role of IoT readiness in shaping the digital transformation of postal and courier services. The proposed IoTRIM model is a valuable methodological contribution that integrates technical, organizational, and strategic dimensions of readiness into an extended Cobb–Douglas production framework.

Suggestions to improve the manuscript:

1. Streamline the narrative: Reduce redundancy in the Introduction and Discussion, and focus on the unique contributions of this study compared to prior work.
2. Clarify limitations: Explicitly acknowledge the restricted geographic scope and limited statistical significance in several models.
3. Enhance practical applicability: Provide examples of how managers can implement IoTRIM in decision-making and investment planning.
4. Improve figures and tables: Use clearer and more synthetic visualizations (e.g., radar charts for IoTRIM pillars, comparative bar charts for scenarios).
5. Expand international context: Discuss how the IoTRIM framework could be adapted or validated in other countries and service sectors.
6. Future research directions: Strengthen this section by suggesting longitudinal studies, cross-country comparisons, and extensions to other logistics domains.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This paper set out to integrate IoT readiness into an extended Cobb-Douglas production function to evaluate its contribution to output variability in the postal and courier  sector. The reviewer has the following concerns.
1. Although the IoTRIM model is proposed and embedded into an extended Cobb–Douglas function, similar digital maturity/readiness assessment frameworks have already been widely adopted in manufacturing, logistics, and the ICT sector. The authors need to more clearly articulate the essential differences and incremental contributions of this model compared to existing maturity models.
2. The paper emphasizes the necessity of a "systemic assessment," but it does not delve deeply enough into the specific constraints and challenges faced by postal enterprises in IoT application.
3. The authors claim that existing models are "overly generic or insufficiently operationalized," but they fail to specify which models are being referred to, what their specific shortcomings are, and lack a comparative analysis.
4. The paper mentions the use of "cross-sectional and panel data," but the actual results are largely based on a single enterprise's time series data.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear Authors,

Please find the comments in the attached file.

Best regards

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

My concerns have been addressed.

Author Response

Thank you, once again for your review. Best regards.

Round 3

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear Authors,

Thank you for your response and efforts you made for clarifications. Still, in my opinion, the main methodological issues I previously raised are essential for the strength and credibility of your model and results.

I believe the manuscript requires that revision before it can be considered for publication.

Best regards