Dissertationen zum Thema „Business logistics – Study guides“

The business environment has changed tremendously in the last two decades. Corporations have been forced to realign their global strategies and in order to cut costs, they started to transfer activities which were previously performed in-house to the market (e.g. IT, manufacturing or logistics) focusing instead on their core competencies. Nowadays companies outsource several of their logistics activities to so-called third-party logistics (3PL) companies and thus from being centralized, vertically integrated and with single-sited manufacturing facilities, enterprises have their network of resources globally dispersed.

As a result corporate management has realized that the competitive vehicle is no longer the individual firm, with its own resources and competencies. Instead, in order to cope with shorter product life cycles and ever more demanding customers, both on industrial and consumer markets, individual firms need to strategically become part of ‘extended enterprises’; that is, networks of specialist providers of resources and competencies.

However, because the capabilities to manage the entire network do not exist in any one organization, a new business organization was needed to provide the strategic knowledge and competence that will enable the complete integration of the supply chain. This new sort of firm, with core competencies on logistics processes and supply chain IT integration, besides offering consulting services on implementation and development of logistics and supply chain solutions, manages through the use of logistics control towers “the best of breed” 3PL specialists, integrating the end-to-end supply chain so that superior customer value is delivered in the most cost effective way. But how does the use of a supply chain integrator help the supply chain as a whole to achieve competitive advantages that enhance end-customer service? This paper aims to answer the above question. I felt that in order to be able to do that the most appropriate research strategy would be a qualitative study. Hence, a multi-case study was performed on three Swedish companies which differentiate themselves from the more traditional third-party logistics providers. The study was conducted by performing a set of semi-structured interviews with these companies. In order to give the study some sort of structure, I used an interview guide which was divided into three different themes; a) Organizational Design, b) Enterprise Logistics Integration and c) Logistics and Competitive advantages.

Once the interviews were transcribed and summarized, the empirical findings were then analyzed in light of a theoretical framework chosen previously. These theories, which in general terms relate to organizational design, supply chain management and finance, were also divided in the same themes as above. Finally, conclusions were drawn by linking the results of the interviews with the theoretical framework. It became evident that the supply chain integrator can help the supply chain as a whole not only to reduce costs related to inventory holding but also to help its client to improve end-customer service.

 

 

 

 

The logistics industry is an imperative component of trade and a major contributor to economic growth in many countries. However, the logistics activities come along with severe negative environmental impact, particularly in freight transport which is considered the most important source of environmental hazards in a logistics system. Even though 3PLs have a key role in the logistics industry, only a limited number of studies have been conducted to analyze the greenness of their activities. Therefore, this study is done with the aim to examine the greenness of 3PLs in Hong Kong and to understand the key barriers that they face during green logistics implementation. This empirical research is conducted through case studies with eight 3PLs. An analytical framework which consists of eight green transport measures and nine influencing factors is developed to facilitate the research. The findings suggest that green logistics is evolving in the 3PL industry Hong Kong but it is still at a preliminary stage. It also shows that the number of green transport measures adopted by 3PLs in Hong Kong is lower as compared to the analyzed 3PLs’ headquarters in other countries. The study further reveals that 3PLs in Hong Kong tend to adopt those measures which directly bring cost benefits to the companies, such as, eco-driving, load factor optimization, route optimization and fleet management. Nevertheless, measures which require financial investment or trade-off of profit margin/operational efficiency, for example, fleet modernization and modal shift are not commonly adopted. Moreover, some of the green measures, such as, green fuel or vehicle are not adopted by the case companies simply because they are unavailable in Hong Kong. A number of practical barriers are derived from the case analyses. They are considered the main causes of slowing down green logistics development in the 3PL industry in Hong Kong. While different stakeholders play a role in overcoming the hurdles of the green logistics development, the Government is found to be the most influencing one as it can influence external as well as some of the internal barriers elicited by this study. Therefore, it should take a leading role in eliminating the barriers. At the same time, in order to comprehensively facilitate the progress of green logistics development, efforts and commitments from other stakeholders, i.e. 3PLs, industry associations and customers are required.
published_or_final_version
Transport Policy and Planning
Master
Master of Arts in Transport Policy and Planning

With the strong support from the government and investors, Chinese healthcare sector is developed rapidly. Also, the demand for healthcare logistics has also gradually increased. Currently, most Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturing are using traditional healthcare logistics, and due to the late start of Chinese healthcare logistics, there are many problems within the field. Therefore,there is a strong demand for professional 3PL providers involving Chinese healthcare sectors. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the status of Chinese healthcare sectors, to indicate the predictable contribution of Chinese 3PL providers after entering. And also, to analyze how different types of Chinese 3PL providers can better adapt themselves to healthcare logistics sectors. Additionally, different opportunities and challenges faced by the Chinese 3PL providers in the field of healthcare logistics has been analyzed.

Blockchain technology is an emerging technology that has attracted many enterprises’ interest in recent years. Enterprises are interested in improving business processes using blockchaintechnology. Blockchain technology creates an immutable record and eliminates intermediaries in the many transaction processes. Logistics services are one of the business processes that could benefit from blockchain technology. However, as an emerging technology, there is a lack of tools to analyse blockchain technology applications in enterprises. This research paper explores how can blockchain technology be utilised to improve enterprises’ business process, what will be the model of blockchain technology application, and how enterprise could utilise these models. There are three research methods elaborated in three parts of this report. The next paragraphs explain each part. The first part explores literature articles to research blockchain technology and logistics services quality parameters. It will identify the components of blockchain technology that create immutable records and eliminates intermediaries. Furthermore, it expounds on the scope and quality of logistics services today. Finally, it identifies the advantages of blockchain technology to improve the quality of logistics service. The second part of this report researches on the current use cases utilising blockchain technology that improve logistics services. A three-step prioritisation process is applied to define models of blockchain applications from the long list of use cases. The first step is to create a long list of use cases from the unstructured information on the worldwide web. In the second step, the findings from part one are utilised to cluster the long list of use cases into three models of blockchain use case in logistics services: trackability, traceability and direct transaction. Finally, the maturity of each cluster is analysed. Three readiness level are investigated: technological, consumer and regulation readiness. The combinations define the most matured to the least matured use case cluster. The last part of this report analyses the implementation of models uses cases in various scenarios for application in information technology enterprises. Research on a scenario analysis method and on the relevancy to the enterprises’ strategic decision-making process are explained. A simplified method is proposed to analyse the three models of blockchain technology from part two. The use case clusters are evaluated in various scenarios. The scenario analysis of the models of blockchain applications in logistics services will provide limited insight into how enterprises could implement the blockchain technology.
Blockchain-tekniken är en ny teknik som har fångat uppmärksamheten och intresset hos många företag de senaste åren. Företag är intresserade av att utveckla affärsprocesser med hjälp av blockchain-teknik. Blockchain-teknik skapar en oföränerlig post och eliminerar mellanhänder i de många transaktionsprocesserna. Logistik tjänster ä ren av de affärsprocesser som skulle kunna ha en fördel av blockchain-tekniken. Som en helt ny teknik är det och andra sidan brist på metoder att analysera blockchain-teknikens tillämpningar för företag. Denna uppsats efterforskar en metod för att analysera blockchain-tekniken i syfte att förbättra företags affärsprocesser. Tre forskningsmetoder är utvecklade i tre delar av denna rapport. Nästa paragraf beskriver de olika delarna. Blockchain-tekniken är en ny teknik som har fångat uppmärksamheten och intresset hos många företag de senaste åren. Företag är intresserade av att utveckla affärsprocesser med hjälp av blockchain-teknik. Blockchain-teknik skapar en oföränerlig post och eliminerar mellanhänder i de många transaktionsprocesserna. Logistik tjänster ä ren av de affärsprocesser som skulle kunna ha en fördel av blockchain-tekniken. Som en helt ny teknik är det och andra sidan brist på metoder att analysera blockchain-teknikens tillämpningar för företag. Denna uppsats efterforskar en metod för att analysera blockchain-tekniken i syfte att förbättra företags affärsprocesser. Tre forskningsmetoder är utvecklade i tre delar av denna rapport. Nästa paragraf beskriver de olika delarna.  Första delen kommer belysa litteraturartiklar för att efterforska kvalitetsparametrar i blockchaintekniken och logistiska tjänsters. Den identifierar komponenter av Blockchain-tekniken som oföränderliga poster och eliminerar mellanhänder. Fortsättningsvis, kommer den att belysa omfattningen och kvalitén av logistiktjänster idag. Slutligen kommer den att identifiera fördelar med blockchain-tekniken för förbättring av logistiktjänster. Den andra delen av denna uppsats belyser aktuella användningsfall av blockchain-tekniken vid förbättring av logistiktjänster. En tre-stegs prioritetsprocess appliseras för att identifiera tillämpningar av blockchain modeller från en lång lista av användningsfall. Första steget är att skapa en lång lista av användningsfall från all ostrukturerad information på internet. Andra steget är att hitta, från steg ett, användningsfall och dela upp dem i tre modeller av blockchain användningsfall i logistiktjänster: lokaliseringgrad, spårbarhet och direkt transaktion. Slutligen, mognaden av varje kluster är analyserat där tre olika mognadsgrader har undersökts: Teknologi, beställaren och regleringsberedskap. Kombinationen definerar klustren från den mest mogna till den minst mogna. Sista delen av rapporten analyserar genomförande-modeller av användningsfall i olika scenarier för tillämpning i företagstjänster för informationsteknologi. Efterforskning av metoder för scenarioanalyser och relevans för förtagens strategiska beslutfattningsprocess förklaras. En förenklad metod förslås för att analysera de tre modellerna av blockchain-teknologin från del två. Mognadsgraden av varje kluster av användningsfall utvärderas i olika scenarios. Scenario-analysen av modellerna för blockchain-applikationer inom logistiktjänster kommer att ge begränsad insikt i hur företag kan implementera blockchain-tekniken.

Sustainability within wholesale is currently facing a significant challenge. Research has shown that sustainable solutions are most commonly achieved through win-win strategies. However, such strategies do not work when the push for sustainability is external, e.g. governmental. This study intends to review how stakeholders can be analysed to create shared value. Building on existing theories, it asks: How is the change towards sustainable transportation perceived by stakeholders and how does it affect the perceived value of the business? In this context, we define the studied stakeholders as customers and employees. Shared value is defined as an action that a business can take to add value for themselves and their customers, or for the society. Based on existing literature regarding sustainability and theories regarding stakeholders, a scenario-based online survey was distributed to customers of wholesale and employees (non-managerial) at Martin & Servera. Analysis of the responses demonstrate a significant disparity between what is expected, required and desired of the business from customers. The results indicate that the disparity between employees and customers complicate sustainable improvements. Therefore, sustainable improvements should be enhanced by reducing the disparity through e.g. communication between customers and employees. Further research is needed to distinguish if other stakeholders have a significant impact or not.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Western Sydney, 2003.
"A thesis presented to the University of Western Sydney in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy"--t.p. "March 2003" Bibliography: p. 347 - 381.

The purpose of this Bachelor Thesis is to study performance measurement within two lo-gistics companies and how they balance financial and non-financial performance measures.

The study takes a qualitative approach to find out how, and also why the two selected logis-tics companies handle performance measurement the way they do. Current discussions on the topic of performance measurement involve whether smaller companies can benefit from measuring non-financial aspects of its business and develop measurement systems such as the Balance Scorecard, or whether this is a waste of a small companies’ scarce resources and is something that can best be utilized by larger companies with more resources. Some au-thors argue concerning performance measurements that size influence the firm’s controlling systems, as larger firms tend to rely more on formal administrative control while small and medium sized companies could therefore be seen as having a more informal administrative control. According to the initial survey done in this study company size seemed to be re-lated to the extent which companies were involved in performance measurement.

The two logistics companies participating in the main study are Hemglass and Kronans Droghandel. KD work deliberately with performance measurements based on long-term thinking in connection to their strategy while Hemglass doesn't work with these issues to the same extent. In accordance to our findings in this study Kaplan & Norton (1996) state that the major expected benefits and reasons for using both financial and non-financial measures materialize when the relationships between the two are understood. These rela-tionships can be hard to establish, some links are more obvious than others, but if this can be managed the performance measurement efforts will be more fruitful.

Thesis (MTech (Business Information Systems))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018.
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have a good reputation for automation and strength in the integration of business processes (BPs), therefore more and more organisations are adopting ERP systems. The City of Cape Town (CCT), a metropolitan municipality, is one of the organisations that have adopted an ERP system. CCT provides a wide range of services to residents and citizens in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The ERP system at CCT manages the Supply Chain Management (SCM) processes, among others, to ensure good service delivery. ERP systems are able to provide statistical reports on stock-outs; however, the information provided is insufficient to link a specific stock-out to its causes within the SCM process at CCT. This makes it difficult to select the most appropriate solution to minimise the causes and number of stock-outs. The study aims to explore the possible reduction of the causes of stock-outs at CCT stores, therefore the study has adopted a qualitative research methodology with a case study research strategy. It uses subjectivism to understand the truth, with an inductive approach applied to five different interviewee groups, namely the ERP Support Department consultants, the Procurement Department, the Inventory and Stores Management Department, the Master Data Maintenance Department, and the reservation creators. A purposive sampling method is used because the study targets knowledge and experience on the subject from the interviewees in the investigation of the problem. The case is the SCM division at CCT, the unit of analysis is the CCT stores, and the unit of observation is the employees who work for the SCM division of CCT. All ethical procedures and policies of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) are adhered to. For the data collection, in depth semi-structured questions have been developed, and the data were analysed using thematic analysis. The leading causes of stock-outs were discovered by analysing the themes. The results revealed the themes, in descending order according to the causes of stock-outs, as follows: procedures, service delivery, suppliers, stock-outs, human resources, and systems. All the objectives were achieved, thereby answering the research questions.

An understanding of the behaviour and management of the supply chain is essential to gain and maintain viable, competitive commercial outcomes. In particular E-business technologies are revolutionising the fulfilment components of the supply chain by allowing online transactions, fast response, wide spread geographical customer bases and virtualisation of organisations through tight alliances. These new pressures, and the logistics and transport industry's responses to them, have lead to a new term for traditional fulfilment organisations: e-fulfilment providers. The aim of this thesis is to examine the initiation and growth of this phenomenon, with the primary objective of determining what drives fulfilment to this new form. In so doing it has concentrated on four specific topics; how is e-fulfilment best defined, what is transforming it, what are the causes of that transformation, and based on the characteristics of the phenomenon, what are the strategies for achieving sustainable competitive advantage in this new area? To address these topics the thesis quantitatively analyses publicly available data from an extensive five-year survey of UK businesses offering outsourced fulfilment solutions specifically to e-businesses, many of them online retailers. The initial data analysis is followed by a qualitative analysis of 6 Australian cases to triangulate conclusions derived from the initial stage and to further address the proposed research questions. The study produced the following findings and outcomes: • A definition of e-fulfilment based on the presence of 13 core potential capabilities and a model showing how these interact. Such a definition provides a basis for comparisons with other. supply chain-related research projects, and also provides a practical benefit to industries in identifying the characteristics of their competitors and customers: • Development of a new technique for quantitatively assessing relative transformation of fulfilment capabilities, with practical application as a benchmarking tool; • An explanation for transformation of fulfilment capabilities based on a metamorphosis from physical to knowledge-based capabilities. The high value of knowledge in the e-economy is a popular concept and has generally been applied to businesses as a whole. In this thesis, in addition to the whole business, the phenomenon is examined quantitatively from individual activities the business undertakes, and also for the industry as a whole; • A conclusion that transformation is substantially the result of tactical activities undertaken by e-fulfilment competitors as they respond to online retailers' desires to fast track their business maturity (and in tum their own competitiveness). While there is a widespread academic acceptance that business changes are the result of long term planning, this thesis shows how this industry works contrary to that view. For managers in e-fulfilment businesses, the study provides support and specific direction for a tactical approach to conducting business; • A model to explain how, at a company level, old capabilities are transformed or shed from e-fulfilment companies' portfolios, and new ones adopted and retained. Such a model explains why companies' portfolios of capabilities are us they are, and provides a paradigm that businesses can use to evolve their business’s capabilities; • A model to show how the e-fulfilment industry is evolving based on new and transformed capabilities. This model provides a specific mechanism which explains how changing capabilities in e-fulfilment businesses shapes the market and how the (reshaped) market feeds these changes back as new requirements. Such an interaction between provider and customer is tacitly accepted in much of the academic literature but the dynamics of specific cases are not so readily found. At a practical level, the model has potential for showing businesses how to position for future customer expectations. Future research opportunities suggested by this research include developing transformation measurement to include other supply chain capabilities, undertaking ongoing surveys to track the continuing evolution of e-fulfilment providers and industry, and further developing the models provided in this thesis. Concepts and sections of this study can also be used to develop practical tools for the e-fulfilment (and potentially other supply chain-based) industries. These include further development of transformation measurement into a practical benchmarking instrument, analysis of the relative effectiveness of the portfolio of business capabilities, and development of lead indicators of customer expectations and industry direction.

Considering the prominence of green supply chain management (GrSCM) research has developed expressively in this field. However, there is a dearth of studies from emerging economies comprised of modelling and empirical testing of hypotheses. Moreover, the literature is lacking the empirical evidence on the determinants of GrSCM practices by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) especially in the case of Pakistan. The literature has yet to determine what green practices are being adopted by SMEs in Pakistan, an elucidation why GrSCM practices are adhered, what construct is appropriate to evaluate adoption of GrSCM practices by SMEs in Pakistan, and whether mediation of internal factors exits between the relationship of GrSCM practices and external pressure. This dissertation uses Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to investigate GrSCM practices adoption, the appropriate construct for evaluating green practices, and examining three potentially important determinants in Pakistani SMEs. With the data collected in two stages from the SMEs sector of Pakistan, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed a three-dimension structure for measuring the GrSCM practices. Subsequently, the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out on two measurement models (i.e. first and second order) of GrSCM adoption based on EFA. The empirically outcomes advocates that both models for GrSCM adoption are valid and reliable, however the second order model has better fit indices. The SEM testing shows significant results for mediation of internal factors in the hypothesized relationship among the GrSCM practices and external pressures. For academicians and supply chain mangers these results yield several exciting theoretical and practical implications.

Background: Retailing industry has been growing all around the world tremendously. We will see a remarkable change and improvement in clothing and baby products retailing industries in Sweden. Previously, companies either try to sell through traditional brick and mortar physical stores or online. But since the last decade, to become successful company in new global world, companies realize the fact that they need to combine the strategy of selling through different channels. In plain words the integration of these channels is referred as an omni-channel. Combining the different selling strategies and offering through different mode of channels raises the need for enhanced performance management throughout the supply chain. Within supply chain, warehouse is a crucial element and due to shift in strategies it is the most affected section. An efficient warehouse design is become essential in order to get performance and cost-effective benefits. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the impacts of having omni channel strategy on warehouse management. How it affects the overall working of warehousing, and influence their planning, need for improvement, integration and optimization. Further, challenges that a central warehouse faces in accordance to meet new demands and needs, raised due to omni channel strategy e.g. buy anything from anywhere at any time, could be explored along with their possible solutions. Method: An exploratory study is conducted, with qualitative case study methodology. Primary data with semi-structured interviews were considered to be main data collection method. Conclusion: The author has founded challenges that central warehouse faces during its operational activities. Challenges that are identified in central warehouse operational activities with reference to omni channel logistics strategy are human errors, additional work, large and mix pallets, barcoding, ERP and WMS low level integrated systems, unsuitable warehouse design, incompatible picking gears, ineffective automated packing machine and shipping. But these problems can be solved by having optimal integrated ERP system, RFID technology, new improved information technology, improved warehouse layout design and using advanced picking gears.

Problem discussion: According to Coyle, Bardi, & Langley Jr., 2003, companies have always struggled in dealing properly with its outbound- to- customer logistics side, given the importance of such. In this case specifically, the investigation of the functions and processes employed by the Order Management department within Ericsson’s Chinese operations was the starting point for understanding what are the relevant problems existing; the reasons, probable impacts, possible opportunities for improvement as well as suggestions in doing so. Based on such premises, the authors have gone through these “challenges” to try to understand how in the case of Ericsson the company have or is dealing with such issues.

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to provide a general overview of the department’s existing processes, functions, detected problems and finally suggestions for improvements toward such problems.

Research Method: The Case Study approach was chosen by the authors given the characteristics of this study in pursuing the objectives stated, emphasized by the fact that the authors observed the current situation within an Ericsson’s department and the company’s perceptions. Coupled with this, the qualitative methods combined with a small portion of quantitative perspective have been used in order to provide the necessary research structure, followed by questionnaires and an interview as secondary data.

Conclusion: The conducted research was able to detect that within the department the two most relevant problems considering the employees’ and manager’s perspective is related consequently to the ERP system currently employed and inexperience by the department’s personnel in conducting their tasks. Further the authors point out suggestions for improving such issues.

Video summarizing a Ph.D. dissertation for a non-specialist audience.
Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute (UGPTI)
Transportation and Logistics
Transportation and Logistics
College of Business

 

 

 

 

 

Problem discussion:

 

Information Logistics has with the rising of the new technologies developed into a key is-sue for companies seeking competitive advantage. The birth and expansion of Internet has brought down the boundaries that kept business partners from sharing extensive informa-tion between each other (McClelland, 2003). The increase of information has yielded a bet-ter understanding of your business partners and one could perhaps think that it is only positive outcomes derived from the increased information sharing. However, research show upon an extensive need for structuring the information flows which relates to an or-ganization. Gartner group (2003) presented an investigation present ting that managers spend over 49 minutes every day in their mailbox for reading and sending e-mails and Del-phi Group (2002) presented figures saying that executives spend over two hours a day searching for the right information (cited in Sandkuhl, 2005). Expected outcomes for im-proving the information logistics are however not only related to time savings activities, business partners could also expect enhanced improvement regarding business processes and operational efficiency. The need for structuring the information flow is therefore an in-teresting subject to investigate and will also be the focus of this thesis. For specifying and narrowing the theoretical framework the authors have chosen to focus upon information sharing based on a web-based system. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to analyze how a company can utilize a web-based system to share information with their first tier suppliers.

Methodology: In order to fulfil the purpose a case study approach has been chosen whereas semi-structured telephone interviews have been complimented with face-to-face interviews for gathering material. The rationale for the chosen approach was because the information needed to fulfil the purpose was of the character to be found in a qualitative study by going in-depth into the field.

Conclusion:

The importance in utilizing a web-based system is for the buyer to facilitate user handiness and provide trustworthy information to suppliers. The shared information has to be cor-rect, easy accessible, and customized for suppliers. Information requested by the suppliers are, updated inventory levels, lead-time from Husqvarna to end customer, back orders, or-der fulfillment, on-time deliveries, complete orders, forecasts, and sell-through information.

 

Purpose The purpose of the study is to identify transport related performance measure within construction logistics in order to evaluate construction logistics solution. The aim is also to verify identified transport performance measures by available empirical data from both cases i.e. Case 1 and Case 2. Methodology This study is exploratory case study with qualitative research method. The research approach of this study is both deductive as well as inductive. Data has been collected from literature review, semi structured interview, focus group discussion and empirical data. Research question (RQ) RQ1 aims at identifying transport related performance measures and then classifying them according to terminal, checkpoint and their respective construction sites? The answer to this question lies in Figure 17 and 18. RQ2 refers to what kind of data is needed to measure identified transport performance measures. The answer to this question lies in the analysis of RQ2. RQ3 is related to what empirical data is available at construction logistics end. The answer to this RQ3 is that mostly the” duration of activities” has been found within both cases empirical data which seems to be insufficient to calculate identified performance measures in RQ3. RQ4 the aim of RQ4 is to find the gap between needed and available data. And the answer to this RQ can be found in Table 35. Conclusion Theoretical and practical case discussion of Case 1and Case 2 has given an in -depth view regarding the phenomena of construction logistics solutions. This paper will help in creating awareness among developer and main contractors regarding the benefit of construction logistics solution.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate to what extent the environmental agenda should be taken into consideration during the project phase of logistics at Northvolt. The objective is to build an optimization model for route planning with a trade-off solution for three criteria; cost, emission and time. An abductive research approach is used. The empirical data was collected quantitatively in accordance with cross-industry standard process for data mining. The results obtained from the optimization model were based on an emission calculation framework and weights assigned to the three selected criteria by five decision makers. These results are compared to an as-is analysis of current and of historical transportations as well as to expected future transportations. These results provide insights and emphasize the importance of agility in decision making aiming at the reduction of emissions. The analysis shows that increased costs do not have a clear correlation with reduced emissions or transportation time. It also demonstrates that transporting goods on sea would increase the transportation time but decrease the emissions. The conclusions of the study are that costs can be reduced by 8%, emissions by 6% and transportation time by 14%, compared to their current operations. Short-term recommendations address the need of being agile in the route planning and analyse each shipment individually where the weights of the criteria should be alternated depending on the status of the project. This requires increased communication with the installation team on site and negotiation of contractual rates from additional ports in Sweden. Long-term recommendations emphasise the importance of developing and using emission key performance indicators to set targets in combination with a strategy in order to steer daily operations.

The fashion industry has been criticized due to environmental issues, such as the causation of increased scarcity of landfills, hazardous emissions, and exhaustion of non-renewable resources. At the same time, customers, and governments require organizations within the industry to be transparent, offer sustainable consumption, and take responsibility for textile waste. The proposed solution for this is called circular economy (CE), which aims to present a circular system where the value of materials, resources, and products is preserved in the economy for as long as possible. Reverse logistics, referring to managing product returns, end-of-life processing followed by recovery operations, has been stated to be the primary component of CE. Thus, there has been a research gap on how CE practice can be applied to reverse logistics within the fashion industry. To enrich the literature in the field, the purpose of this study is to describe and analyze how sampled Swedish founded fashion retailers state that they apply CE practice to reverse logistics. The methodology applied was a multiple case-study, using semi-structured interviews and official documents. Driving forces that were stated as reasons for applying CE practice to reverse logistics were categorized into three main categories: environmental, social, and economic forces. They were linked to the theory of institution. Signs of all types of isomorphism was shown in the research. This could explain why fashion retailers stated that they performed similarly causes of actions. The stated approaches were divided into four main categories: product-service system, clothing collection, direct redistribution, and reuse or recycling. These categories included the following practical activities: 1) product care and leasing service, 2) in-store clothing collection, 3) sales in outlet stores, sales in second-hand stores, and donating garments to charity and, 4) collaboration with a recycling organization, reuse, and producing and selling upcycled collections. Thus, before implementing the approaches the design and production stage had to be considered.

Master’s thesis in International Logistics and Supply Chain Management

Title:  Logistics Management in Retail Industry: a case study 7-Eleven in Thailand

Author:  Latika Supasansanee and Patthaveekarn Kasiphongphaisan

Tutor:     Susanne Hertz and Benedikte Borgström

Date:      June 1, 2009

Keywords: 7-Eleven Thailand, Logistics, Retail     Convenience, Distribution Center and Warehouse, IT-Apply in retail store, and Competitive advantage

Introduction: In today’s challenging competition in the consumer goods, the manufacturers strive for their products to reach final customers before they turn their heads to the rival’s ones. This research attempts to understand and investigate how 7-Eleven company manages its logistics activities, distribution and applying information technology to achieve competitive advantages.

Purpose: The purpose of thesis is, in retailing industry and retailing convenience store’s perspective, to identify and describe the way 7-Eleven manages and operates its retail convenience business focusing on several aspects; strategic fits, distribution and IT, which support 7-Eleven’s activities and how they contribute to competitive advantages for the firm.

Frame of reference: Based on various sources of literature concerning competitive advantage and strategic fits, distribution related to marketing and retail, distribution centers and warehousing, and information system apply in retail store.

 

Method: The study is considered as qualitative single-case study. Data is collected from the interviews with several parties involve with retail convenience industry in Thailand. Secondary data is retrieved from the information system, research and reports, publication sources as well as internet sources.  Lastly, data analysis is followed by the literature chapter.

 

Conclusion: By applying the synchronized strategies between supply chain members to adjust and modify the capabilities of firms, leads to supply chain benefits and competitive advantage for retail firm. The applications of IT and Distribution Centers enhance supply chain capabilities, reliability, and dependability which result in better service and market performance. They are also the keys that facilitate the operations of supply chain and retail store.

 

 

 

Thesis (MBA) -- Stellenbosch University, 2006.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The main objective with this study was to analyse and evaluate the strategies employed by South African Breweries in the implementation of ERP systems with specific reference to the Strategic Enterprise Management (SEM) model. The study would have further identified the key success factors of implementing ERP systems and state the reasons for ERP system implementation failure. The combination of intense global compeution and powerful new information technologies has led to a rush toward ERP systems and intensified efforts to re-engineer organisational processes. Although most ERP systems are justified on the basis that they integrate disparate organisational systems or standardise organisational processes on best practice, most businesses find that the costs and risks are significantly more than benefits during the early stages following implementation of an ERP system. Some businesses have however been able to transform their supply chain processes as result of ERP implementation. Businesses must overcome daunting challenges fn order to generate value from ERP systems. ERP systems typically consist of modules, each with functionality relating to organisational functions, such as production, finance, human resources and logistics. Development and sales of ERP systems rapidly increased between 1992 and 1999 when most large corporations, which could typically make use of these systems, installed these systems. The market has recently slowed down and ERP software developers now face strong competition and are challenged to find new ways to differentiate products from those of competitors. New information systems have been developed to complement and even replace ERP systems such as Advanced Planning Systems (APS) and Supply Chain Management systems (SCM). The successful implementation of ERP systems are largely dependant on the way that a company approaches, considers and implements ERP systems. It is important to note that ERP systems implementations are not just another IT project or project implementation, but has a human element attached to the implementation process that is centric to the success of the implementation process. The study concluded that the top contributor for a successful ERP implementation is getting the employees and all persons in the process involved, on board and motivated by the process of implementation. Other important factors are a strong commitment from upper management as an implementation involves significant alterations to existing business practices, issues related to reengineering the business processes and integrating the other business applications to the ERP backbone. Upper and middle management plays a key role in managing the change that ERP brings into an organisation. It must be noted that once implemented, an ERP system is difficult and expensive to undo. In addition organisations may have to implement custom applications in addition to the ERP software as no single ERP solution can satisfy all the business needs. It is apparent that most ERP implementation successes are attributable to excellent planning, employee involvement and effective communication. Thus it is imlXlrtant for an organisation to have the above as top priorities in ERP implementation. Successful ERP implementation will be greatly enhanced if the employees are properly involved in the process and are given the necessary recognition and respect they deserve. Without dedicated employees to implement and apply the system, the organisation will be wasting its resources and capital on a system that will never be fully utilised. Although an ERP implementation effort can be completed by consultants, problems will arise if the proper employees are not available to sUPlXlrt the project. The trained employees who grow with the system and make the system expand and evolve with the company, will be true assets of the company and more than worth the investment.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doelwit van die studie was om die strategie toegepas deur Suid Afrikaanse Brouery tydens implementering van Ondememing Hulpbron Beplanning (OHS) stelsels te analiseer en evalueer met 'n spesiale fokus op die Strategiese Ondememing Bestuur (SOB) model. Die studie identifiseer ook die sleutel sukses faktore vir die implementering van aHS stelsels en bespreek die redes vir onsuksesvolle aHB stelsel impJementering. Die kombinasie van intense globale kompetisie en kragtige nuwe inligtingstelsels het aanleiding gegee tot 'n toename in aHB stelsels en het gelei tot hemude fokus op proses herstrukturering. Nieteenstaande die feit dat meeste aHB stelsels geregverdig kan word op grand van hulle integrasie van losstaande organisasie stelsels of standaardisasie van organisasie prosesse en beste praktyke, vind die meeste besighede dat die koste en risiko tydens die eerste fases na implementering betekenisvol meer is as die voordele. Sommige besighede was egter in staat om hulle verskaffingsketting prosesse te transformeer deur die implementering van aHB stelsels. Besighede moet egter oorweldigende uitdagings oorkom om waarde te genereer met aHB stelsels. aHB stelsels betaan tipies un verskeie modules, met elkeen funksionaliteite wat betrekking het op die besigheids funksies soos produksie, finansies, menslike hupbronne en logistiek. Die ontwikketing en verkope van aHB stelsels het drasUes toegeneem sedert 1992 tot 1999 toe meeste groot besighede wat kon gebruik maak van die stelsels, dit implementeer het. Die mark het onlangs afgeneem en aHB sagteware ontwikkelaars word nou gekonfronteer met strawwe kompetisie en moet nuwe maniere vind om hulle prod uk te onderskei van die kompetisie. Nuwe inligting stelsels is ontwikkel wat bestaande aHB stelsels komplimenteer en selts vervang soos byvoorbeeld Gevorderde Beplanning Stelsels (GBS) en Verskaffingketting Bestuur stelsels (VKB). Die suksesvolle implementering van aHB stelsels is grootHks afhanklik van die wyse waarop 'n besigheid OHB stelsels benader, oorweeg en implementeer. Dit is belangrik om in gedagte te hou dat OHB stelsel impfementering nie net nog 'n IT projek of projek implememtering is nie, maar dat daar 'n menslike element in die implementering proses betrokke is wat 'n kernfaktor in die sukses van die implementering is. Die studie het tot die slotsom gekom dat die hoof bydraende faktor tot suksesvolle implementering van OHB stelsels is om wer1<.nemers en aile relevante persone Ie betrek en te motiveer met die implementerings proses. Ander belangrike faktore sluit in onderneming van senior bestuur aangesien implementering bekenisvolle veranderinge aan bestaande praktyke behels asook die herontwerp van besigheids prosesse en integrasie van ander besigheids toepassings. Middel en senior bestuur het 'n integrale rol in die bestuur van verandering wat OHB stelsels in die firma teweeg bring. Dit is belangrik om kennis te neem dat OHB stelsels na implementering moeilik en teen hoe koste ongedaan gemaak kan word. Besighede mag selfs nodig he om addisionele toepassings te implementeer aangesien geen OHB sagteware stelsels aan aile besigheidsbehoeftes kan voldoen nie. Dit is duidelik dat die meeste OHB implementering suksesse toegeskryf kan word aan uitstekende beplanning, werknemer betrokkenheid en effektiewe kommunikasie. Dit is dus noodsaaklik vir die firma om begenoemde as die hoogste prioiriteite vir die implementering van OHB stelsels na te volg. Suksesvolle OHB stelsel implementering word grootliks bevorder indien die werknemers deeglik betrokke is in die proses, asook die nodige erkenning en respek ontvang. S~nder toegewyde werknemers om die stelsel Ie implementeer en toe te pas sal die organisasie hulpbronne en kapitaal vermors op 'n stelsel wat nooil ten volle benut sal word nie. AJhoewel OHB implementering gekomplimenteer kan word deur konsultante sal daar probleme ontstaan indien die toepaslike werknemers nie beskikbaar is om die projek te ondersteun nie. Die opgeleide werknemer wat saam met die stelsel groei en wat die stelsel help uitbrei en ontwikkel saam met die organisasie is 'n ware aanwins vir die firma en meer as die belegging werd

In recent years supply chain management has undergone significant and rapid changes, these changes are driven by several factors including the business environment, globalization, internet-based systems technological advances and increased demands to deliver better operational performance. These changes have included the increased use of internet-based systems and new technological tools, and one widely discussed technology is Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). We are writing on commission for a Swedish fashion retailer that is currently using barcodes but RFID implementation has been discussed for several years but never been prioritized. Previous literature has mainly focused on RFID as a technology and listed conceptual benefits such as increased sales and profit, labour cost savings, inventory control etc. We recognized a research gap in what makes the RFID implementation compatible with the company implementing the technology. This research gap is addressed by further investigating how a fashion retail supply chain can implement RFID and what aspects that need to be considered. Since the benefits of RFID cannot be generalized, we find it necessary to study the implementation compatibility of a specific organization, in this case a fashion retailer. The main purpose of this degree project was to gain a deeper understanding of how RFID implementation can be compatible with a fashion retail supply chain. Compatibility can be difficult to conceptualize, hence, to fulfill our purpose we mapped out compatibility aspects that we later analyzed with our empirical findings. We identified six compatibility aspects, which we summarized as following; technology, resources, capabilities, attitude, expectations and value. We performed a qualitative study to fulfill the main purpose, since we wanted to understand the internal perspectives of RFID technology in a fashion supply chain. Our aim with the qualitative study was to understand the strategic feasibility of RFID applications within our commissioned company and how they perceived its impacts. We conducted seven semistructured interviews with employers from different departments at the company we are studying and one RFID expert. When comparing the findings from the qualitative data collection with the aspects of compatibility together with the literature used in this study, we were able to conclude that RFID is reasonably compatible in the supply chain of a fashion retailer. Though we found that the compatibility is very dependent on what the goal is with the implementation. If there is no clear goal, it is hard to measure whether the implementation of RFID is compatible or not since the company does not know in what direction they are going and due to the unknown goal does not have a clear picture of what they are going to measure.

Purpose: In this study, areas of use of blockchain technology in transportation management will be discussed. The purpose is to contribute with theoretical research of advantages and disadvantages of blockchain technology in transportation management before an implementation at Rhenus Logistics.   Methodology: Through interviews and literature, ways of using blockchain in transportation management is researched. A case study is set up, to further analyze the research topic from the view of an individual third-party logistic company.  Findings: Results showed that for a third-party logistic provider to successfully use blockchain technology within transportation management, it is important to have the entire network onboard in the process. If so, functionalities such as track and trace, digital handling of paperwork and smart contracts could be used. The advantages of using blockchain technology for transportation management at Rhenus Logistics were found to be trust, transparency, traceability, efficiency, cost-saving opportunities and the use of smart contacts. Identified disadvantages for Rhenus Logistics was that blockchain is costly, stakeholders are hesitant to get involved, smart contracts are not considerate of blurry lines in real life practice and there is a challenge in finding an accurate blockchain design for their business model.

Thesis (M.S.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science, Department of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering, 2008.
Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (MBA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.
The value-add of a functional department in the corporate environment is continuously being challenged. Functions regularly find themselves in a state of restructuring in order to reduce cost structures which speaks volumes about an organisation’s view of its functions. What is however extremely important to take into account, is that functions can in fact add a great deal of value to the business, but before a function can be recognised as a value-adding partner, it needs to transform itself from a traditional transaction-driven service to a strategic value-adding function which contributes to the business on a strategic level. If this does not happen, the function risks becoming redundant, as most transactional activities today are or at least can be executed in an automated manner. Such a transformation is, however, no easy task, and requires a considerable amount of time to be achieved. It further requires substantial investments, enduring commitment from senior management and specific skills to enable a function to operate at a strategic level. Commitment, investments and new skills on the other hand, do not automatically acquire a seat at the boardroom table for such a function and a place must be earned through accurate proof of the functions value-add in the organisation – the difficult task being expressing that value-add in terms of financial numbers. A function that was confronted with the same predicament was the procurement function of Sasol around 1999, during a time when the commodity prices were under severe pressure and the organisation was looking into alternative ways of improving its cost structure. At this point a decision, to shift the focus of the procurement department from a traditional transactional environment to a value-adding business partner, laid the foundation to re-engineer the function into becoming a value-adding strategic function. A decision was taken to implement strategic sourcing in Sasol as the basis for procurement. This decision required substantial investment and the help of consulting firm McKinsey and Company. The Sasol Board were very confident in its decision, and requested continuous feedback on the actual value that was released through implementation of this new process. This required of the procurement function to develop a model by which the value-add of the process could be measured in real terms. The purpose of this study is to investigate the transformation of the procurement function in Sasol from a traditional transactional function to a strategic value-adding business partner by specifically focusing on the function’s ability to prove its value-add to the organisation, and in so doing, gain respect for being a true strategic value-adding function.

Background:   The demand of textiles and clothing is constantly increasing; as a result the post-consumer textile waste increase as well. This point is bringing the focus on creating the value from waste by recycling. Sweden, municipalities are responsible for handling the textile waste that is currently categorized as the household waste. The post-consumer textile when disposed is mixed with the other household waste, which eliminates the commercial value of the material Purpose:          The purpose of this study is to explore the current system in Nässjö municipality to manage post-consumer textiles and identify the possibilities for value creation through reverse logistics processes.  Method:          To fulfil the research purpose a qualitative study employing single case is used. Study caters multi-perspectives from different actors i.e. municipality, logistics service providers and consumers. Purposive sampling is used to select the respondents from each actor seeing their position in the companies and knowledge on the subject. Primary data is gathered by conducting 11 semi-structured interviews and field visit to the waste collection site. Secondary data is obtained using web sources and also from different project reports from government and other agencies. The empirical data is categorized and then analysed by thematic analysis with the developed theoretical framework of systems’ theory. Findings:         Legislation to collect textiles as the separate entity and put it in the reverse logistics system is on the way. Today, input in the system is very low due to the unawareness of consumers about the available options. Municipality is processing the waste as a normal household waste and it is incinerated to produce energy for the residents.  LSP are coordinating with municipality and tend to increase their resources for effective participation in the new system. Municipality requires strategic changes to meet the coming legislative requirements. Conclusion:     A sub-system could be developed for post-consumer textile in Nassjo municipality. Input in the system has to be determined by consumers education and convenience. Municipality has to define their roles for manage sub-system effectively. The study has provided the rich description of potential possibilities in this context.

Two of the most important internal functions within a company, which have gained increased importance, are purchasing and logistics. Purchasing and logistics both contribute to the competitiveness of an organisation by conducting different value adding activities separately. There is also a huge potential for increased benefits if a high degree of integration exists between the two functions. Although there is evidence that purchasing and logistics have been working closely together historically, the operational focus of logistics and the commercial focus of purchasing have created a tension between the two functions. It has been shown that some

purchasing managers mostly have been committed to reducing the price. The logistics function has as a cause of this sometimes been forced to deal with late deliveries and inferior quality from

suppliers. To manage the interface activities between the functions is crucial in order to able to achieve integration. Purchasing and logistics functions are of major importance within wholesaling companies because they are considered as core internal functions. This study has been conducted at the wholesaling companies The Body Shop, Hälsokostcentralen (HKC), Mekonomen, Elgiganten and ICA.

Research questions:

§ What activities exist within the purchasing and logistics function at the specific wholesaling companies and which of these activities are integrated?

§ What are the factors that influence the integration between the purchasing and logistics functions and how do these factors hinder or enable the integration?

Purpose: Initially this thesis aims to identify what activities that exist and which of them that are integrated between the purchasing and logistics functions within the wholesaling companies The

Body Shop, HKC, Mekonomen, Elgiganten and ICA. Furthermore the purpose is to identify what factors that influence the integration between the purchasing and logistics function in these

companies and also explain how these factors hinder and enable the integration.

Landfill and mixed wastes are more expensive to dispose of than sorted wastes, and also decrease the possibilities for recycling of wastes. This thesis aimed towards determining what the potential benefits could be with leasing a sorting site and whether or not Destroy RC AB should introduce a sorting site to their business from a primarily economic perspective. The materials included in landfill and mixed wastes were determined and were prioritized differently depending on the economic and environmental benefit from sorting and recycling each material. If a sorting site was introduced to Destroy’s network of processes, unsorted waste types would be sent to the sorting site from demolition sites instead of to landfill and recycling sites. Scenarios with different variations of amounts of wastes at the sorting site, compositions of wastes, truck types used for transports, and sorting speeds were studied and used for total cost analyses

Packaging plays a crucial role in logistics as it has a significant effect on the efficiency of transportation. The shape and dimensions of packaging material has considerable impact on transport performance, whereas an optimal packaging system for products enables for improved utilization of the total volume on a load carrier. As a result of improved freight performance, transportation costs can be reduced. Improved vehicle utilization for shipments also has a positive impact on environmental aspects, as increased vehicle fill rate can lead to less required transports which ultimately lowers the overall carbon emissions caused by transports. Therefore, an optimization of the packaging model can lead to substantial benefits, both economically and environmentally. The purpose of this study was to create a cost estimation model for the company Machine Corporation that would illustrate what effects a new packaging strategy would have on transportation costs, fill rate and environmental aspects. To achieve this purpose, relevant data have been collected from the company together with suitable metrics found in the literature. The collected data was thereafter used to create a cost estimation model that served as a tool to determine the total costs and the potential savings. The outcome results of the model showed that Machine Corp. would have made a yearly saving of 2 341 353 SEK. The implementation of a new packaging strategy was estimated to increase the volume-based fill rate for truck loads by approximately 54% which enabled for a reduction of transportation costs by 32%. Furthermore, the results showed a positive impact on environmental aspects as the total amount of road freight shipments needed per year was estimated to reduce by 32% as well and the total tonnes-km per year would decrease by 31%.

The relocation of logistic companies’ from the inner centres to the logistic platforms significantly affects both the supply chain management and the urban sustainability development. Recently the concept of city logistics and intermodality has received a significant attention from both academics and decision makers. City logistics play a pivotal role to ensure the liveability of urban areas but, in parallel, urban freight transport also has a significant effect on the quality of life in the urban settings. Optimization of urban freight transportation have an important input in the context of sustainability and liveability of cities and urban areas reducing traffic congestion, decreasing road accidents, alleviating CO2 emissions and noise impacts. The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the relocation of a case logistics company from the city centre to a suburban area. To do this, a wide range of literature reviews pertaining the influence of peripheral logistics platform on the city sustainability were investigated. It seems that there are not well-defined models which can make a comprehensive and quantitative assessment in the context of sustainability for the relocation of business premises. Further investigation was done by conducting a case study on DHL, field observation of traffic flow. Based on all the collected information from the relevant sources, a mixed methods research was applied including a qualitative approach and a quantitative approach. A systematic approach was therefore developed in the context of sustainable development which can be used as an assessment tool for the major factors that enlighten the decision makers to consider the relocation of the logistics companies. A systematic approach was developed by this thesis which facilitates the assessment of key factors that impact the relocation decision in the context of all the three sustainable aspects: economic, social and environmental development. These impacts represent traffic congestion, time and distance of transportation, emission, cost optimization and transport mobility.

The purpose of the presented research is to identify these of the areas that significantly matter for the strong positive correlation between the Employee Enagement and the Service Quality in a particular business case concerning business process improvement of an order management team in a multinational company. The significant areas are identified through a correlation analysis of the answers to an online survey. The results are used for further Measurement, Analysis, Improvement and Control of the key areas identified. The main findings are aimed to serve as a scientifically validated plan of action for the group in charge for the business process improvement in the order management team which is studied. Particularly, recommendations are provided how to increase the First Time Right performance metrics of the order management team through focus on the Define part of the DMAIC model in the Six Sigma methodology for business process improvement. Main findins: there is evidence for strong significant positive correlation between the employee engagement and the service quality factors in the answers of the respondents to the online survey questions; the team members' perception of the leadership style is positively correlated with their perception of the service quality.

Background: Today also smaller companies (SME) are implementing enterprise resource planning systems. One difference is that the SME have smaller resources regarding people and finance which can cause some problems if they are not aware of this. The company we have studied have undergone an organizational change and simultaneously implemented an ERP. Two parts of the implementation of the ERP worked just as intended and the third and last part experienced some major difficulties.

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to examine the situation in which a small company undertake two major changes almost simultaneously, one of which is the implementation of an ERP. This matter when an SME is implementing an ERP is not well researched since it is only in the more recent years that this type of organization feel the need for it and therefore have ventured into this. The aim of this thesis is to add to the theoretical field of small organizations introducing enterprise information systems.

Method: This is a qualitative study conducted in the form of a case study. The main data sources have been semi structured interviews, combined with observations and a document study. The data have been analyzed inductively.

Conclusion: The implementation of this ERP has gone bad in one area due to several cooperating mistakes. SME’s have some circumstances that does not apply to the larger organizations. In a SME every person carries greater importance in the success or failure of the implementation. Preparation is equally important in an SME as in larger organizations.

Suggestions for further research: The field of ERP in SME's have not been very thoroughly studied since it is a comparatively new field. Further research in this matter would be of some value.

BackgroundUtilizing the Software as a Service (SaaS) business model is a distinct trend for marketing softwarevia the Internet. It allows software suppliers to expand their market globally and to extend theiroffering to customers by simplifying their software procurements and ownerships. The trend has beenongoing for some time concerning horizontal software niches and now intensifies for vertical niches.Logistics is such an examples of a vertical software niche. ObjectivesThis thesis aims to investigate the utilized marketing strategies for companies using a Software as aService business model within the logistics niche. The purpose of this thesis is to deepen theknowledge about how to market a vertical Software as a Service solution within the logistics domain. MethodologyAn explorative research method in the form of a multiple case study is used. Three companies aresampled using a theoretical sampling approach. SaaS ideally requires less people contact and themarketing materials are integrated in the published SaaS on the respective companies’ web pages.Data publicly available on the Internet is collected and used to investigate the utilized marketingstrategies. FindingsThe identified marketing strategies are categorized according to an eight-element model utilized inearlier studies. The eight elements are product, price, place, promotion, people, process, productivity& quality, and physical environment. The categorization does help to guide during data collections anddata analysis. The last element physical environment is confirmed to be not relevant since the requiredphysical material are chosen and decided by customers themselves. ConclusionsThe marketing strategies within this niche is at large consistent with earlier findings. One of the newlyfindings is that the sample companies choose one of SaaS strong points that is most suitable to theiroffering solution and emphasize it in their marketing strategies. Here are easiness, scalability andflexibility. Some main deviations however exist. The sample companies do not provide easilyavailable trial accounts. They instead offer manned online demonstrations. The market is also notfound to be as global as the business model enables. The reason of being that is the fact that theproducts/services are too dependent on the integrations to local-market software solutions. Recommendations for future researchA similar study with a larger sample may strengthen the findings. Performing interviews in addition toonline data collection may extend more information about post customer contact marketing strategiesas well as reasons behind the selected strategies.

Background: Increasing awareness for the environmental impact, governments and higher authorities has in the past years issued regulations for waste creation and management, creating a need for new practices and policies on how used material is handled. Reversed logistics could simply be described as the process of ensuring value creation spanning over the entire life cycle. The importance to understand and clarify what differences and limitations the adaptation of reverse logistics in the construction industry present, depending on organisation size.  Purpose and research questions: The purpose with this research is to compare how SMEs and large organisations in the construction industry adapt reverse logistics practices. In order to fulfil the purpose two research questions are designed. The first question process what the major differences are between SMEs and large organisations regarding the willingness to adapt reverse logistics. The second question process what the major differences are between SMEs and large organisations regarding the ability to adapt reverse logistics. Method: This research used a qualitative approach. A literature review was conducted to construct a theoretical framework. Ten interviews are conducted with SMEs and large organisation within the construction industry as well an intermediary from a demolition organisation. The interviews are conducted in a semi-structural manner. The interviews are coded in order to define themes and construct a framework. Conclusion: The willingness to adapt reverse logistics depend on the responsibilities the companies have. The larger organisations are willing in order to fulfil larger environmental goals and regulations in the industry whereas SMEs want to ease daily operations and do good to the adjacent community. The ability to adapt reverse logistics are affected by the resources and regulations. SMEs have difficulties in adapting reverse logistics fully because of limited resources relating to handling and storing the to-be-reused material. The larger organisations have the resources but a longer implementation route and with larger projects need the clients demand to adapt reverse logistics on project scale.

Background: With the emergence of new digital technologies, the ongoing digital transformation is argued to heavily impact core societal pillars such as logistics and transportation. This has generated unique challenges and introduced an increasing need for organizations to take steps towards innovating their business models. Thus, a popular theoretical lens for keeping up with disruptive changes through business model innovation (BMI) is via the dynamic capability framework – consisting of sensing, seizing as well as transforming microfoundations. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis was to explore digital transformation through the framework of dynamic capabilities within the logistics and transportation industry. The study aimed at investigating the nature of building dynamic capabilities for business model innovation towards the ongoing digital transformation. Methodology: To explore how organizations build dynamic capabilities for business model innovation towards digital transformation, this study was carried out using semi-structured interviews. The interviews consisted of 11 participants in various senior management positions at 6 case companies whom are all global actors in the logistics and transportation industry. Additionally, documentary secondary data was included to provide additional information about the case companies. Findings: Our study revealed that business model innovation for digital transformation consisted of processes within 3 domains – new digital products & services, new markets & segments, as well as key partnerships. Additionally, the findings of our study acknowledged that logistics and transportation enterprises build dynamic capabilities via a total of 13 activities. These included: digital scanning and information management; digital learning; internal communication; digital asset investment; agile working; external partnerships; organizational restructuring; dynamic mindset; change management; and power redistribution. Finally, our study found that the main challenges for building dynamic capabilities towards BMI involved: size, agile working, data management and the changing of old mindsets.

Humanitarian logistics is an emerging phenomenon which have been increasingly recognized due to the increase of disasters, where little is still known about the role of companies operating in the private sector for this phenomenon. Furthermore, it is assumed that both natural and man-made disasters will increase in both the occurrence and the effect in the future, which enforces the need for practices and theories to deal with them more effectively. There were 1438 epidemic outbreaks between 2010-2018 according to the World Health Organization. During the COVID-19 pandemic shortages in the medical sector were evident, which had disastrous effects. During these difficult times companies from the private sector implemented drastic production changes to supply the disinfectant, hand sanitizers, and protective personal equipment that was missing. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how Swedish firms have implemented/ enabled drastic production change in case of humanitarian logistics during COVID-19, for the previously mentioned product types. Sweden was chosen as the empirical setting, as many contributions could be seen amongst the Swedish private companies, where the data collection was done with eight respondents in eight different companies being in multiple industries. By using a qualitative grounded theory approach, the findings suggest that the drastic production change for the private companies in terms of humanitarian logistics is influenced by five different factors. Firstly, its dependent on developing a social motive, with and without economic benefits. Secondly, was coordinating between external and internal stakeholders. Thirdly, was coordinating amongst existing and acquired resources and capabilities. Fourthly, was coordinating product change to legal requirements. Finally, was coordinating and reacting to disruptions through alternative production. This study contributes to humanitarian logistics in several theoretical ways. Initially, it brings new insights specific for private firms in their implementation and enablement for drastic production change. Furthermore, it also extends the knowledge for the private sector and their involvement in humanitarian logistics. Additionally, it also extends the knowledge specific to products for companies within the private sector related to disaster relief in humanitarian operations. Subsequently, the study also contributes with findings from Sweden, which is an empirical setting that has not been researched within the area previously. Moreover, the study also has practical recommendations which might be useful for future crisis scenarios. Where it was evident that the involvement of private firms in humanitarian logistics was driven both by social and economic motives. Additionally, private firms should also be aware of their existing resources and capabilities which could enable an alternative production when society needs it the most. Lastly, firms should not be intimidated by regulation and production requirements, as there have been a common force among stakeholders to solve such issues.

Background: Today’s organizations operate in a competitive and dynamic business environment in which the attainment of economic, social and environmental sustainability targets has become crucial for firms. Supply chain collaboration is considered as a strategic issue for the fulfillment of these targets. Thus, studies on supply chain collaboration for sustainability have increased, especially for manufacturing firms. However, there is a lack of research of the perspective of logistics service providers in this context, requesting scientific investigations. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore vertical supply chain collaboration between logistics service providers and their partners with regards to improving economic, environmental and social sustainability at logistics service providers. Method: Within this multiple case study and a deductive research approach, qualitative data from three logistics service providers is gathered by conducting interviews and analyzed. Firstly, each individual case is investigated by using an explanation building, and thereafter compared and generalized by means of a cross-case analysis. Findings and Conclusion: Considering the improvement of sustainability at logistics service providers, the research reveals that economic, environmental and social sustainability can be improved by vertical supply chain collaboration jointly conducted by logistics service providers and their key suppliers as well as key customers. However, strong interdependencies between the three sustainability dimensions are noticeable as they overlap in-between. Besides, the findings indicate that the executed vertical supply chain collaboration practices mostly have the potential to improve economic sustainability at logistics service providers. Environmental and social sustainability are less improved or sometimes even negatively affected.

Since the ending of the Cold War, the defence sector, particularly the areas of military logistics and defence acquisition, has been undergoing a comprehensive transformation. There are several factors that explain this transformation: changes in defence and security policies for nations and organisations; reductions in defence expenditure; participation in Peace Support Operations; Lessons Learned from these operations, especially in the area of logistics; revolutionary development in the area of Information and Communication Technology; emergence of novel Commercial Best Practises in the areas of business and business logistics; and changes in the legislation regarding the conduct of public procurement in Europe. In military logistics, the relatively easily described static supply and support chains of the Cold War Era, designed for military units that stood in preparedness, Just-in-Case, of full-scale military conflicts in Europe, are now being substituted for flexible, dynamic operational supply and support chains, designed for military units that are deployed on Peace Support Operations around the globe. Hence, new types of missions have to be provided for. As a consequence, new military concepts have to be considered; new technology is being implemented; and new Commercial Best Practises are being evaluated, adapted and adopted; in order to enhance performance and ensure Value-for-Money. In defence acquisition, the single Business Model of the Cold War Era, i.e. procurement of equipment, is being replaced by a spectrum of emerging Business Models, ranging from the traditional procurement of equipment, via acquisition of equipment and support, to acquisition of availability and capability, i.e. acquisition of performance. Consequently, new Commercial Best Practises are being evaluated, adapted and adopted; Commercial and Military-Off-The-Shelf products and services are being utilised; and Public Private Participation, Cooperation, and Partnerships are being investigated and initiated; in order to enhance performance and ensure Value-for-Money, while simultaneously mitigating operational risk in the supply and support chains. This licentiate thesis reports on a research project that was commissioned by FMV, the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, and conducted in order to "study, analyse, and evaluate Business Models regarding how they can handle the new supply concept that a new logistical interface brings about, with a particular emphasis on the risk taking that is part of the business concept". This research purpose was used to formulate three Research Questions: • Research Question 1: How can a generic Business Model for a non-profit, governmental, Defence Procurement Agency be described? • Research Question 2: Which strengths and weaknesses do different Business Models have in the context of defence acquisition? • Research Question 3: Which risks are associated with different Business Models in the context of defence acquisition? Using constructs from: Business Model theory, Public Private Participation theory, defence acquisition theory and practise, and military logistics theory and practise; a generic Public Private Business Model for defence acquisition was developed. The generic model consists of numerous variables, which enables an array of possible configurations. The model was used in a multiple case study to describe and analyse four defence acquisition projects in the UK. The multiple case study demonstrated that the generic Public Private Business Model is useful in order to describe defence acquisition projects. The model has also demonstrated that it is useful in order to analyse acquisition projects, including performance and risk. The Public Private Business Model has demonstrated its usefulness by discovering internal and external misalignments. The internal misalignments are Business Model configurations where the different building blocks are working against each other. The research has revealed examples where the mitigation of operational risk in the supply and support chains creates new risks in other building blocks. An external misalignment occurs when a Business Model configuration works against the deal for which it was designed, or the strategy that it is intended to realise. The research has revealed examples where there is a risk that the Business Model configuration is detrimental to the overarching strategy, e.g. transferring risk to the private sector or incentivising industry to enhance performance. Hence, the Public Private Business Model ought to be useful to identify and eradicate negative patterns and to identify and reinforce positive patterns. The research has revealed three potential generic problems for Performance Based Contracts: a "definition problem" (i.e. what to measure); a "measurement problem" (i.e. when, where and how to measure); and a "comparison problem" (i.e. with what to compare). The research results demonstrate that it must be made explicit which dimensions of performance; e.g. speed, quality, cost, flexibility and dependability; that should be measured, and why others should be omitted. The research suggests that performance must be explicitly specified for any Performance Based Contract in order to avoid any unnecessary problems with interpretations. Furthermore, the research indicates that performance metrics must be explicitly described. In addition, the results emphasise the importance of having an established baseline, against which to compare the measurements of Key Performance Indicators.

Mestrado Bolonha em Gestão de Recursos Humanos
This study aims to advance the discussion on Human Resources Management’s value for sustainable development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A case study within a multinational company in the logistics and supply chain market segment was conducted, using as technique the collection of documentary data (documents provided by the company and reports) and semi-structured interviews with participants divided into three groups: Sustainability, HR and Employees that were not involved with either of the previous. Considering the Ability-Motivation-Opportunities (AMO) theory, this study’s results suggest that the HRM of organizations can further drive the sustainability agenda by fostering employee engagement through the incorporation of sustainability into the area's core practices. From this empirical exploration and relying on current sustainability developments, we contribute to the literature by outlining relevant HRM practices aiming to advance HRM’s engagement with sustainability-driven agendas.
Este estudo teve como objetivo avançar na discussão sobre a contribuição da Gestão de Recursos Humanos (GRH) para o desenvolvimento sustentável e o alcance dos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável das Nações Unidas. Foi realizado um estudo de caso em uma empresa multinacional do segmento de mercado de logística e supply chain, utilizando técnicas de coleta de dados documentais (documentos fornecidos pela empresa e relatórios) e entrevistas semiestruturadas, com participantes divididos em três diferentes grupos: Sustentabilidade, Recursos Humanos e Funcionários que não estão envolvidos com nenhum dos grupos anteriores. Considerando a teoria AMO (Habilidade-Motivação- Oportunidades), os resultados deste estudo sugerem que a GRH das organizações pode impulsionar ainda mais a agenda de sustentabilidade, promovendo um maior engagement dos funcionários por meio da incorporação da sustentabilidade nas principais práticas da área. A partir desta exploração empírica e contando com os desenvolvimentos de sustentabilidade atuais, este estudo contribui para a literatura apontando as práticas de GRH mais relevantes para o contexto empresarial, com o objetivo de promover o envolvimento da GRH em agendas orientadas para a sustentabilidade.
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The fast development of the Chinese economy has brought tremendous impact on the growth of logistics industry in the country. China has become the hottest market for both Chinese and foreign third-party logistics companies (3PL providers), and more and more foreign and domestic 3PL providers are being involved in the Chinese logistics industry. To understand the current situation Chinese third-party logistics companies are facing and the competitive strategies they are pursuing, an exploratory investigation was conducted in the study. A multiple case-study approach was adopted as the main strategy and guidance for the study. Under the principle of multiple case studies, multiple instruments (questionnaire, telephone interviews and archive searching) were used in the data collection among three selected case study companies. Also, within-case analysis and cross-case analysis were chosen as the overall framework of data analysis, and content analysis was selected as the main method for qualitative data analysis. Through investigating a variety of aspects of the three case study 3PL companies, the study has identified that all the case study companies have established country-wide logistics networks, have provided customers a range of logistics services, and have adopted different information technology systems in their operations. All the case study companies have achieved constant increase in their sales in recent years. Generally, the competition in the Chinese 3PL industry is fierce, and sometimes chaotic, unfair, and even illegal. Foreign 3PL providers have been considered as major competitor by Chinese 3PL providers. All the case study companies have developed and pursued a number of competitive strategies to gain competitive advantages in both cost and service. The main competitive strategies addressed include distribution network developing strategy, information technological strategy, and long-term partnership strategy.