Inductive research in last-mile delivery routing: Introducing the Re-Gifting heuristic

The last-mile problem presents a daunting challenge for many logistics service providers, especially some 7000 small, localized operations for whom the cost of complex software solutions is often prohibitive. As a result, last-mile dispatchers rely on simple heuristics to ensure adequate customer service at an acceptable cost. This research effort extends prior qualitative work by developing and testing a simple vehicle routing heuristic, based on behaviors observed in practice, that prioritizes customer service over cost against other simple vehicle routing heuristics across a variety of environments using simulation. The results support the inclusion of a customer service focus in vehicle routing and the addition of such heuristics to existing algorithm portfolios, specifically in urban areas with well-developed highway systems.     

Metaheuristics in Logistics and Supply Chain Management

The modeling of logistics systems is performed to seek the best possible system configuration to minimize costs or maximize operational performance, in order to meet or exceed customer expectations. Classically, analytic system analysis of this type has been performed using optimization, simulation, or heuristics. However, in the past two decades, a newer class of techniques, metaheuristics, has emerged as a capable method for quickly providing near‐optimal solutions for problems that exact optimization cannot solve. This article outlines recent advances in metaheuristics development, and considers the ability of these advanced techniques to resolve various logistics and supply chain problem types. Specifically, the article discusses the ant colony optimization, genetic algorithm, simulated annealing, and tabu search metaheuristics. The capabilities of these metaheuristic techniques to examine supply chain risk and disruptions, intermodal operations, customer service trade‐offs, backhaul strategies, and simultaneous facility location and vehicle route problems are proposed. The article concludes by describing how faculty can bring these techniques into the classroom to ensure their students enter the logistics and supply chain field with a current and relevant understanding of the state of the art in supply chain design techniques.     

一种动态交通导航的寻优模型研究与仿真

针对目前的车辆路径算法不能满足动态导航的要求,提出了一种用于动态交通导航的优中手优模型。该模型定义了出行时间、路径风险性和路径适宜度等三大指标,并以三大指标的目标函数作为适应度因子,通过遗传算法寻找最优路径。仿真实验表明,诙模型能够根据不同的指标提供多种最优出行方案,并动态计算最优路径,满足车辆动态导航的要求。     

物流配送管理中车辆路径问题研究

本文论述了物流配送管理中车辆路径问题,研究了车辆路径问题的定义、模型,提出了根据客户、车辆和配送中心三类限制条件来对车辆路径问题进行分类的方法。     

Do You See What I See? A Simulation Analysis of Order Bundling within a Transparent User Network in Geographic Space

The Physical Internet (PI) concept presents a radical change with the aim to revert the unsustainable practices that are used for transporting goods. It identifies dedicated freight flows and transforms them into transparent open logistics networks which can be accessed by other users, such as shippers and carriers. In this paper, we test the universal network openness in which the users can tap into the PI network and place orders that will be assigned to the nearest available transport service and consequently delivered to the order sender. The objective of our paper is to investigate the impact of inserting extra service points into existing dedicated freight flows of a service‐driven company. We simulate different transparency levels and routings to new pickup locations and evaluate the impact in terms of altered lead times, covered distances, and fill rates. The novel aspects presented herein are (1) deliveries based on decentralized location detection of the nearest order sender, (2) dynamically changing speed parameters of agents within specific geographic clusters based on their geo‐locations in order to account for congestion levels, (3) more realistic routing strategies that consider the urban layout, and (4) transparent querying of nearest agents in space and time that meet specific conditions such as current ongoing processes, available capacity, and position. Finally, we identify the impact from a general/holistic perspective that emerges once extra orders are assigned to the service‐driven company's fleet.     

BUILDING CARS TO CUSTOMER ORDER — WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR INBOUND LOGISTICS OPERATIONS?

The automotive industry is undergoing a strategic transition. Cost pressure from rising stock levels in the market and increasing incentives needed to sell these vehicles are forcing vehicle manufacturers to rethink their prevalent “stock‐push” approach, building vehicles against a forecast and selling from stock, in favor of a stock‐less “build‐to‐order” order fulfillment strategy. More responsive order fulfillment at the vehicle manufacturer level however will not only require flexible and responsive component supply, but will also have wide ramifications for the logistics operations. Based on three case studies of major inbound logistics operations, this exploratory study assesses their ability to support such a build‐to‐order approach, as well as the potential implications of such transition. The paper concludes with a set of general strategies for how these implications could be mitigated.     

DOCTORAL RESEARCH IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT AND/OR LOGISTICS‐RELATED AREAS: 1999–2004

A total of 410 entries from Dissertation Abstracts have been identified and annotated in this fourth compendium of supply chain management (SCM) and logistics‐related dissertations. Findings relating to this latest study period (1999–2004) are presented and comparisons made to previous compendiums covering 1970–1986, 1987–1991, and 1992–1998. A larger number of colleges and universities are granting degrees in SCM and logistics‐related areas and some “new players” have entered the marketplace, resulting in an upward growth trend in the absolute number of dissertations being published since the early‐1990's. Some traditionally strong institutions have maintained their position in terms of the number of SCM and logistics‐related dissertations published, while others have reduced their outputs. Areas of SCM, decision support systems, inventory management and miscellaneous transportation (models, networks, policy issues, routing & scheduling) topics are the most popular dissertation areas, while traditional transportation, warehousing and storage, DRP, JIT, Kanban, and MRP topics are being researched to a much lesser degree. Engineering logistics, human resources, location analysis, order processing and information systems, packaging, and TQM remain areas with low research interest at the doctoral level.     

第四方共享物流解决方案综合评价分析方法——基于香农熵与变精度粗糙集

传统共享物流服务模式主要关注供应链局部环节物流设施设备的共用共享,所得出的往往是相对于供应链端到端视角的局部最优解。从全局优化角度寻找能够满足终端客户时效、经济、质量目标要求的共享物流解决方案,对实现供应链服务各参与方利益最大化具有重要价值。为避免先验知识与主观因素影响,确保共享物流解决方案选择的客观性,有效指导货主、收货人和物流服务提供商实现多赢,可从第四方物流视角出发,构建共享物流端到端多因素评价指标体系,进而基于变精度粗糙集、香农熵和遗传算法进行端到端共享物流解决方案综合评价分析。案例研究结果显示,在一级指标中,仓储运输资源整合共享能力、服务可靠性及一致性、国际化及智慧化水平的相对重要性程度更高;在二级指标中,跨主体物流系统集成能力、为客户提供增值服务的能力、可使用的仓储资源等相对重要性程度更高。为制定适合企业需要的共享物流解决方案,相关货主企业可利用上述综合评价模型和算法编制大数据分析软件,并结合不同物流服务提供商的时间序列数据和截面数据,对各潜在物流服务提供商综合能力进行评价,对有效决策规则进行筛选和挖掘。     

THE ROLE OF LOGISTICS IN MARKET ORIENTATION

In today's increasingly competitive environment, survival depends on two key aspects of being market‐oriented ‐ understanding the external environment and executing decisions based on that understanding. Logistics personnel are uniquely positioned to play a key role in creating and maintaining a market‐oriented organization as they are progressively gaining more responsibilities in integrating cross‐functional processes and implementing supply chain strategies. This paper explores how logisticians participate in market orientation behaviors and how a market‐oriented logistics function impacts logistics and business performance. Based on a qualitative field research study involving in‐depth interviews with seventeen logistics personnel that draws and builds upon the logistics, market orientation, knowledge management, organizational behavior, information processing, and strategic management literatures, a theoretical model of logistics market orientation and its effect on logistics and business performance is developed and propositions are presented. Findings highlight logistics' central role in generating, disseminating, reaching a shared interpretation of, and responding to market intelligence.     

烟草企业物流配送网络设计研究

近年来,我国烟草企业物流网络规模发展很快,但其快速发展的背后存在许多问题,如物流线路设计不合理,作业流程冗余,作业模式难以适应电子商务和供应链管理的需要,现代化、信息化水平严重滞后等。烟草企业建立现代物流配送网络已经迫在眉睫。文章通过对烟草企业物流配送网络特点及运作模式进行分析,提出了层次化的网络优化体系及方法论,对二级配送中心选址和线路设计等实际问题进行抽象并模型化,找到了应用启发式算法求解的方法。该模型还可推广到烟草行业以外性质相似的行业,对企业配送中心和物流中心的设施选址与配送路线设计具有一定的指导意义和较高的实用价值。     

运输车辆调度优化的研究和实现

通过对车辆调度问题进行数学分析,提出了简单实用的车辆调度算法,为实现计算机半智能执行调度任务,设计了车辆的分配及优化方案。对物流配送企业实现计算机配送调度,降低成本和提高物流经营管理水平具有一定的参考价值。     

LOGISTICS SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: AN INTEGRATIVE FRAMEWORK

Research on the external issues that affect logistics management such as the environment, diversity, safety, philanthropy, and human rights has consisted, to date, of separate examination of these matters. This work‐to‐date has approached these topics as if each was a stand‐alone problem with differing drivers, constructs, and resolutions. However, if the research from the general corporate social responsibility literature as well as data from in‐depth interviews with logistics managers are examined, we find that these seemingly isolated topics have similar characteristics that logisticians can manage by using a much broader, organization‐wide approach to social responsibility. A framework of logistics social responsibility (LSR) is introduced with the goals of helping managers resolve social responsibility issues and providing a guide for future research efforts.     

防恶意干扰的VANET双群联合定位算法

传统的无线定位方法直接应用于车辆自组织网络(VANET)时，会被窃听方利用定位信息，从而导致严重的安全隐患。为此，提出基于Bancroft方法的双群组合定位算法,用于保障车辆自组织网络中车辆定位的安全性和准确性。算法利用两个群组的智能车辆节点分别进行定位，利用两组解分别反求伪距值，如果所获得的伪距值与经过节点钟差修正后的原始伪距值基本一致，则认为这一组解为最终的定位结果，从而保证了定位的正确性。同时，双群定位的信息分散性保证了系统整体的安全性。理论分析及算法仿真表明,双群联合定位算法可使窃听方的误码率稳定在较高水平。     

QUALITY,OPERATIONAL LOGISTICS STRATEGY,AND REPURCHASE INTENTIONS: A PROFILE DEVIATION ANALYSIS

Emerging thoughts on quality suggest that three principal sources of customer‐based value creation exist for firms operating in the online marketplace. These include a focus on delivering (1) service quality, (2) product quality, and (3) eBusiness quality. Drawing on strategic choice theory coupled with configuration theory, we conducted a profile deviation analysis among customers of online grocery firms using the “ideal” quality profile for four operational logistics strategies as the benchmark (semi extended strategy, fully extended strategy, de‐coupled strategy, and centralized extended strategy). The findings suggest that service, product, and eBusiness quality‐based fit with operational logistics strategy type are associated with customers' behavioral (repurchase) intentions. This lends support to the notion that capitalizing on the appropriately weighted quality‐focus represents a strategic vehicle to create superior outcomes in online businesses. The makeup of these ideal quality profiles that represent the strongest repurchase intentions of customers is also provided.     

The Rise of Crowd Logistics: A New Way to Co‐Create Logistics Value

Patterned on crowdsourcing and crowdfunding, a new crowd practice has emerged in recent years: crowd logistics. In this paper, we propose a first conceptualization of this growing phenomenon. Crowd logistics is a novel way of providing logistics services that taps into the dormant logistics resources and capabilities of individuals, using mobile applications and web‐based platforms. Although crowd logistics has been widely discussed in the business world, it has not yet been the subject of any academic publication. Following an exploratory case study approach, we review the websites of 57 crowd logistics initiatives around the world and highlight the main distinctive characteristics of crowd logistics, as compared to traditional business logistics. We introduce a segmented analysis in which crowd logistics solutions are classified according to four types of service offered. Finally, we introduce six theoretical propositions on the future development of crowd logistics. At a theoretical level, our findings contribute to enriching the service‐dominant logic perspective in the logistics field by conceptualizing the crowd as a co‐creator of logistics value. At a managerial level, our findings contribute to identifying which types of crowd logistics services are more likely to threaten or disrupt traditional business.     

Global strategy gone astray: Maersk's big box boats and the world shipping industry

A.P. Moller‐Maersk Group (A.P. Moller‐Mærsk AS in Danish), commonly known as Maersk, is the world's largest global shipping conglomerate from Denmark and carries a rich history and corporate heritage in the industry. The company operates large container ships which are mostly known as “big box boats” in the industry. By using interdisciplinary literature and the shipping industry's operational routes and corporate developments, this case‐based research analyzes and discusses Maersk's internationalization and its global strategies. Although Maersk aggressively sought internationalization and company‐specific expansion, its global strategy and international expansion areas have encountered problems because of the slowdown of the global economy, de‐globalization, and the U.S.–China trade tussle. The case‐based research analyzes and discusses these issues within the areas of international business and the company's global strategies and industry‐specific competition. Analysts and industry observers believe that Maersk will continue to be a major shipping and logistics firm and will thrive in global markets. At the same time, the company will be impacted by the changing competition, regulatory forces, and new technologies in logistics and global shipping. This case study also provides future developments and growth prospects of Maersk and the shipping industry.     

Disaster‐Relief Logistics With Limited Fuel Supply

Disaster‐relief logistics consists of providing adequate emergency supplies rapidly to the affected people so as to minimize human suffering and death. This study empirically examines the impact that the shortage of fuel, a commonly encountered problem in many disaster situations, can have on the effectiveness of disaster‐relief logistics operations. We focus on investigating the following two issues: (1) whether the shortage of fuel is more damaging in attaining logistical goals than the equivalent‐sized shortage in emergency supplies themselves, and (2) what types of vehicles should be used when the fuel supply is limited. Results suggest that the shortage of fuel may be more damaging than the shortage of emergency supplies, and that smaller trucks may be preferred to larger trucks when the shortage of fuel becomes severe.     

Logistics Innovation and Social Sustainability: How to Prevent an Artificial Divide in Human–Computer Interaction

Human–computer interaction (HCI) is a cornerstone for the success of technical innovation in the logistics and supply chain sector. As a major part of social sustainability, this interaction is changing as artificial intelligence applications (Internet of Things, autonomous transport, Physical Internet) are implemented, leading to larger machine autonomy, and hence the transition from a primary executive to a supervisory role of human operators. A fundamental question concerns the level of control transferred to machines, such as autonomous vehicles and automatic materials handling devices. Problems include a lack of human trust toward automatic decision making or an inclination to override the system in case automated decisions are misperceived. This paper outlines a theoretical framework, describing different levels of acceptance and trust as a key HCI element of technology innovation, and points to the possible danger of an artificial divide at both the individual and firm level. Based upon the findings of four benchmark cases, a classification of the roles of human employees in adopting innovations is developed. Measures at operational, tactical, and strategic level are discussed to improve HCI, more in particular the capacity of individuals and firms to apply state‐of‐the‐art techniques and to prevent an artificial divide, thereby increasing social sustainability.     

No Vehicle Means No Aid—A Paradigm Change for the Humanitarian Logistics Business Model

The growing interest in humanitarian logistics is witnessed by an increasing focus of researchers and practitioners on that topic. Transportation in particular is emphasized as key to disaster relief. Despite its relevance, it suffers from a number of drawbacks, creating inefficiencies and limited effectiveness of aid. This article describes a paradigm change for fleet management in humanitarian organizations based on access‐based consumption. It further evaluates a case study among small‐scale producers in rural India, showing their acceptance for sharing vehicles. The newly created business opportunities will increase income and contribute to poverty alleviation. Taking part in the proposed vehicle‐sharing system can release them from ownership responsibilities and increase vehicle utilization, as well as improve vehicle availability, increasing the speed of aid from the perspective of humanitarian organizations. This article highlights the applicability of business models relying on the idea of access‐based consumption to not‐yet‐considered research fields, especially the transfer to rural areas of developing countries. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

物流服务质量理论研究进展(1989-2020)--基于系统文献回顾法的研究述评

近年来,国内外物流产业发展迅速,有关物流服务质量的研究日益增多,但缺乏全面而系统地描述物流服务质量的比较普适的模型,物流服务质量应由哪些维度构成、研究中应如何在众多物流服务质量评价模型和评价方法中进行取舍成为困扰物流学术界的难题。为着力解决这些问题,弥补理论研究缺口,通过在国内外主要文献数据库中检索1989—2020年间关于物流服务质量的学术论文,并根据研究问题筛选确定67篇中文论文和73篇英文论文进行文献分析。借助系统文献回顾方法进行分析发现,最基础的物流服务质量评价维度主要包括时间性、可靠性、移情性、流程和误差;现有研究使用的物流服务质量评价模型及评价方法主要是SERVQUAL模型、LSQ模型、Kano模型和统计分析方法;对于物流服务质量的研究,国内外在研究内容、研究方法、研究主体等方面存在较大差异,国内研究尽管发展迅速,但与国际水平相比差距依然明显。鉴于此,为进一步提升未来物流服务质量理论研究水平,应注重从物流企业角度开展研究并提供令顾客满意的方案以改进服务质量,加强对冷链物流、众包物流、铁路物流等“小众”行业物流服务的研究以拓展物流服务质量的研究领域,注重结合不同情境对SERVQUAL模型、LSQ模型等基础物流服务质量模型加以改进,重视物流服务质量研究方法创新,通过对混合模型及多种实证方法的运用,提升研究结果的科学性和客观性。