Modeling and Analysis of Reverse Logistics

Many modeling techniques have been developed to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of forward logistics and supply chain management. As this article will illustrate, modeling techniques can be helpful in improving the management of reverse logistics as well. Companies and researchers are just beginning to appreciate the important differences between forward and reverse chains, and there is great opportunity to apply modeling methodologies to managing reverse logistics problems and issues. This article describes how modeling techniques can be utilized to improve reverse logistics processes and aid in solving real‐world reverse logistics problems. We focus on specific reverse logistics processes that firms, which sell products, are likely to address. In fact, the area of reverse logistics has broadened of late to include many activities that were not originally part of simply returning consumer products to a retailer. Herein, we present an overview of opportunities, where improved modeling efforts should be able to provide substantial benefits to supply chain professionals.     

CUSTOMER SERVICE IN THE INTERNET‐ENABLED LOGISTICS SUPPLY CHAIN: WEBSITE DESIGN ANTECEDENTS AND LOYALTY EFFECTS

This article extends the existing research on logistics customer service‐loyalty relationships to the online logistics supply chain environment by examining potential website determinants of logistics customer service quality. A structural equation analysis of 373 online shopping transactions suggests that perceived quality of all logistics customer service activities (perceived cycle time, in‐stock availability, and customer responsiveness) varies inversely with: (1) perceived ease of use, and (2) content vividness of the website; and positively with product information content. However, only retailer customer responsiveness assessment was found to have any significant influence on consumer intended loyalty behavior in Internet‐enabled supplies chains.     

基于客户旅程地图的第四方物流企业引领战略勾勒

首先界定第四方物流、引领战略和客户旅程地图等概念的内涵,进而针对第四方物流模式、物流企业发展战略及相关的工具模型予以理论溯源;在此基础上分析了中国社会经济(全供应链)、物流行业及企业的总体发展概况,并对中国第四方物流的发展进行扫描;然后从供应链(纵向)发展与管理效能、物流行业(横向)发展与服务效能、物流企业(自身)发展与运营效能三个维度设计了第四方物流企业引领发展的评价指标体系;据此揭示了当前中国第四方物流企业发展现存的主要问题;最后基于客户旅程地图,从"一纵"(供应链发展引领战略)、"一横"(物流业发展引领战略)、"一点"(自身运营发展战略)3个层面构建了中国第四方物流企业"三位一体"引领发展战略,同时提出了加强信息管理、提供品牌服务、提升运营能力等对策措施。     

基于供应链视角的物流客户服务绩效评价指标体系设计

随着制造和服务的全球化,企业更加关注各种因素对其所处供应链的影响。物流客户服务不仅会对其客户企业产生影响．而且会对客户企业所处供应链产生全方位的影响。因此,本文提出从供应链视角研究物流客户服务绩效评价问题,并用德尔菲法和模糊层次分析法构建了从供应链视角评价物流客户服务绩效的指标体系,得出了时间比成本和质量指标影响作用更大的结论。     

The impact of IT and customer orientation on building trust and commitment in the supply chain

The application of information technologies (IT) to logistics activities may have benefits beyond cost savings, as it can create bonds between the supply chain partners. The objective of this paper is to analyse the influence of customer orientation on the application of IT to the supply chain and of these on the development of channel relationships based on trust and commitment. A questionnaire-based personal survey was conducted among manufacturers. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesis contained in the theoretical model. The results indicate that customer orientation affects the application of IT to logistics, and IT has a positive impact on manufacturer and supplier commitment to the relationship.     

THE INTELLECTUAL FOUNDATION OF THE JOURNAL OF BUSINESS LOGISTICS AND ITS EVOLUTION BETWEEN 1978 AND 2007

Many logistics and supply chain management researchers have so far studied the nature of logistics and supply chain management research in terms of its domain and scope, its epistemological assumptions, and its evolution. However, the knowledge repository on which the scientific research community draws, that is, its intellectual foundation, has not yet been studied. Studying the intellectual foundation of research provides an unbiased and comprehensive picture of the development, dissemination, and utilization of its knowledge. In this article, we identify the most contributive works—in terms of citations received—that have been used in 497 articles published in the Journal of Business Logistics (JBL) between 1978 and 2007. By means of citation and co‐citation analysis, the intellectual structure of research in JBL is revealed and transformations therein are explored. Overall, the most frequently‐cited literature can be classified into six themes: physical distribution; inventory models; customer service; interorganizational relationships; competitive strategy; and empirical methodologies for socio‐scientific research. Furthermore, we determined a development in citation frequencies to these themes: literature related to physical distribution and inventory management declined over the three decades under study, whereas literature related to competitive strategy and empirical methods gained in importance. This development indicates a shift from an operational focus to a prioritization of managerial issues. Moreover, our results demonstrate a shift towards more relational and institutional research in logistics (management), which has been typically linked with the notion of supply chain management since the 1990's.     

SWARM INTELLIGENCE: APPLICATION OF THE ANT COLONY OPTIMIZATION ALGORITHM TO LOGISTICS‐ORIENTED VEHICLE ROUTING PROBLEMS

This research evaluates a set of logistics‐oriented vehicle routing problems (VRP) taken from the logistics and supply chain literature under the widely used Clark‐Wright Savings algorithm and the newer metaheuristic method employing a type of swarm intelligence called Ant Colony Optimization (ACO). ACO simulates the decision‐making processes of colonies of ants as they forage for food and is related to other artificial intelligence techniques such as Tabu Search, Simulated Annealing and Genetic Algorithms. Experimentation shows that ACO is successful in finding solutions near the best‐known solutions for problems with up to 20 demand locations. In addition, testing for the affect of spatial patterns suggested by the logistics literature for facility locations appears to make a difference in the quality of the solutions for the two algorithms. Finally, ACO is shown to be superior to the savings algorithm found in software packages and as a result should be tested on even larger, more complex logistics‐oriented vehicle routing problems, representative of those encountered in larger industrial and retail settings.     

EXPLORING PROCESSES FOR CUSTOMER VALUE INSIGHTS,SUPPLY CHAIN LEARNING AND INNOVATION: AN INTERNATIONAL STUDY

This paper reports results from a study designed to assess the extent to which firms across industries and several countries lay the groundwork for and use customer value insight, supply chain learning, and innovation processes. The cross‐sectional study serves as an exploration of the theoretical relationships among these activities and their impact on perceptions of organizational performance. Through an international survey study drawing on samples from the U.S., Sweden and Denmark, the authors find support for the notions that supply chain learning and innovation processes are driven by processes aimed at studying changes in customer value and contribute to perceptions of superior organizational performance. These findings have significant implications for logistics and supply chain management.     

Expanding Horizons and Deepening Understanding via the Use of Secondary Data Sources

While primary data analysis has been popular in logistics and supply chain research, secondary data methods have been overlooked. These methods, however, have the potential to generate a variety of important opportunities to expand the horizons of logistics and supply chain research. In this article, we emphasize the use of secondary data analysis and how it can address contemporary challenges in logistics and supply chain research. Our review of the logistics and supply chain literature identifies six important methodologies that can be useful for secondary data generation and analysis. We discuss how these methods can help effectively address various logistics research questions.     

双循环集配汽车入厂物流模式设计

本文以汽车零部件入厂物流模式为研究对象,基于入厂物流、Milk-run、路径优化等相关理论,在Milk-run,JIT供应理论的基础上提出了涵盖集货和配送两部分的双循环集配汽车入厂物流模式,并且从供应链优化角度,为汽车制造商和零配件供应商提出了降低物流成本的双循环集配解决方案。本文提出的双循环集配模式可以为汽车制造企业适应"拉动"式市场,提高企业竞争等方面提供理论和现实依据。     

A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR SUPPLY CHAIN ORIENTED LOGISTICS

The Council of Logistics Management's (CLM) name change to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) has intensified discussions regarding the difference between supply chain management and logistics. This paper merges broadly accepted paradigms from strategic management and marketing to introduce a theoretically consistent framework that differentiates supply chain management from logistics while highlighting the complementary relationship. Supply chain management is portrayed as a firm or SBU level phenomena while logistics is expressed as a competency within supply chain management possessing both strategic and structural capabilities focused exclusively on managing the move/store activities used to fulfill customer orders. Research propositions regarding the interfaces and nature of logistics within a strategic supply chain orientation are drawn to guide thought and development in the discipline.     

RETAIL ON‐SHELF PERFORMANCE OF ADVERTISED ITEMS: AN ASSESSMENT OF SUPPLY CHAIN EFFECTIVENESS AT THE POINT OF PURCHASE

In the retail environment, one key prerequisite to satisfying customers is to have the product available, on the shelf, when and where the customer expects to find it. The study reported here evaluated the on‐shelf stock performance of three distinct types of retailers–mass merchandisers, category killers, and grocery retailers. Overall on‐shelf performance for advertised items was just 83.5% percent. Follow‐up interviews with store managers indicate that availability problems are often the result of merchandising or store operations issues and not necessarily logistics or warehousing problems. However, in today's supply chain world, the real measure of success is satisfaction all the way to the customer's trunk.     

Best–Worst Scaling Approach to Predict Customer Choice for 3PL Services

This study describes a simple, theoretically based methodology to analyze the nature of customer demand for third‐party logistics provider service components. The method overcomes limitations in prior studies and enables us to examine the relative importance of product and service attributes as they pertain to the choice of third‐party logistics providers. Two distinct types of customers populate our data: those professing operational attributes and those seeking relational attributes. The theoretical and practical implications are that improved supply chain models can be developed when separate demand structures are taken into account.     

Creating Relevant Value Through Demand and Supply Integration

Firms that pursue cost leadership strategies tend to focus on operational efficiency but sometimes fail to fully hear the “voice of the customer.” Alternatively, firms pursuing differentiation strategies tend to focus on the customer, but sometimes to the detriment of operational excellence. To help address such imbalances, an emerging stream of supply chain research has introduced the concept of demand and supply integration (DSI). DSI involves coordinating the activities and processes reflective of a firm’s customer focus, with the operational, supply‐side activities that make demand fulfillment possible. This article contributes to this research stream by providing researchable propositions intended to foster support of a new dominant logic in supply chain management thought, describing how firms can best achieve “relevant” customer value by coordinating supply‐ and demand‐focused activities within and across their functional units.     

虚拟物流中心与企业信息优化管理

虚拟物流中心促进了传统物流企业的机制转换,其必须结合企业内部的信息优化管理,才能发挥优势。为此,必须拓展传统的ERP系统,使之成为与虚拟物流中心实现供应链集成的拓展ERP系统,以实现企业内部运作信息化与外部运作信息化的有效结合,实现一体化的供应链流程。     

供应链伙伴关系对客户整合的影响——基于物流能力视角的实证研究

建立紧密的伙伴关系通常被认为是提升供应链整合的重要手段,但由于多数研究者忽略了伙伴关系的文化差异和企业间物流能力的差异,因而造成研究结论与实际情况不符。为了弥补这一不足,文章基于来自218家供应链上下游企业的调查数据,采用结构方程模型(SEM)的方法,分析伙伴关系、物流能力和客户整合之间的关系。研究结果显示：伙伴关系对物流能力和客户整合均存在着显著的正向影响,且透过物流能力,伙伴关系对客户整合的间接影响高于其直接影响。此外研究结果还显示,不同行业企业的伙伴关系和物流能力对客户整合的作用大不相同。文章不仅为研究伙伴关系对客户整合的影响路径和作用机理提供了一个新的视角,而且还为我国不同行业企业如何利用伙伴关系和物流能力来提升客户整合提供了决策的依据。     

基于复杂方法的食品冷链物流技术植入研究

如何有效地把各种食品冷链物流技术恰当运用到各类食品物流体系中,使食品物流体系形成统一化管理模式,成为当前食品管理中亟待解决的问题。文章以流程分析为核心,采用价值—过程—技术系统集成设计方法定位冷链价值,构建价值、过程、技术各级层次结构模型,加强技术、流程与价值的对应,同时生成冷链价值系统模型、冷链流程系统模型和冷链物流技术系统模型。并采用模糊0-1规划分析法进行验证,最终确定物流技术植入方案。整个食品冷链物流技术植入过程结合实证研究对象,整体采用多种方法集成设计的思想,使冷链物流技术植入过程更加具有科学性和实用价值。     

供应链背景下物流系统优化问题分析

本研究对物流管理和供应链管理之间的关系作一定的探讨,重点研究在供应链背景下物流管理目标的变化,以及由于这些目标的变化而在物流优化中所带来的新问题.     

A Compendium of Multi‐Item Scales Utilized in Logistics Research (2001–10): Progress Achieved Since Publication of the 1973–2000 Compendium

Forty years have passed since the first multi‐item measurement scales were employed through survey research to better understand important logistics concepts. Through the years, four leading logistics journals have published research containing a total of 1,670 scales within 283 articles. A 42% increase in utilization has occurred during the most recent decade. The research fully discloses the conceptualization, composition, and properties of the multi‐item survey scales utilized in the study of logistics and supply chain management theory and practice. By documenting each scale published from 2001 to 2010, the authors make comparisons with results from the 1973–2000 study. Primary findings indicate an increase in the percentage of research utilizing multi‐item scales, and an increase in the application of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) has assisted in producing more highly acceptable psychometric properties of the scales. This implies that researchers are utilizing more highly developed scales and following strict scale‐development procedures for building more robust scales to measure concepts important for advancing our knowledge of logistics and supply chain management. The top four conceptual categories for the scales have remained the same since 1973 and account for greater than half of the scales published. Eight additions to the categories since 2001 pertain greatly to controlling our supply chains for customer, brand, and overall security benefits. The compendium of scales provides a central document to reference as researchers seek to employ highly developed survey measures.     

大数据背景下小微物流企业公共信息平台的设计构想

大数据时代给小微物流企业既带来了机遇也带来了挑战。网络化经营是小微物流企业基本的运作模式,因此组建物流服务供应链是今后小微物流企业的发展趋势。从物流服务供应链的组建角度,提出了小微物流企业面临的多源信息融合和大数据驱动的决策优化问题。为政府提供构建公共信息平台整合企业供需信息的对策。在政府公共信息平台基础上给出了物流服务供应链的运作模型。