The sustainable development of the European logistics industry: an analytic approach at micro and macroeconomic levels

A large re-structuring process is running in the European logistics market. The main driving forces come from the globalisation of the Economy, encouraged by the decrease of the unit transportation costs and by the contemporaneous upgrading of the labour level costs and the legal environmental costs. So, a good logistics system has become a must for the competition at both micro and macro-economic levels. Given the effectiveness of the single deliveries of goods, the main problem is to increase efficiency of the logistics services. From the micro-economic point of view, the problem consists in minimising the costs of the production processes of goods management services. In Europe, in particular, we are watching a large re-organisation of the logistics enterprises and of their territorial networks to achieve the best scale and scope economies of production. At the macroeconomic level, the problem is to estimate the rate of the logistics services on the GDP. In this paper we investigate the European logistics market transformations both from microeconomics and macroeconomics points of view. Thus, we will analyse the investments of the logistics sector as well as the logistics supply value as a component of GDP and its contribution to the International balance of commerce. Moreover, the infrastructures system quality (railways, roads, telecommunication, ports, airports, etc.) will be considered as a base asset for the reduction of the private costs of service production and as a territorial resource for the sustainable vehicles circulation.

The Impact of Port Transport-logistics Infrastructure and LPI for Economic Growth: on the Example of Landlocked Countries

For this study, carried out as an empirical study, 37 landlocked countries have been selected. And a broader economic impact on the national economy, on the quality of the port infrastructure and logistics efficiency has been considered as well as investments on creating a high quality port infrastructure and its contribution to the economy, often questioned by politicians, investors and general public. The Structural Equation Model (SEM) has been used for providing empirical data about a significant economic impact on the port infrastructure quality and logistics efficiency. However, some countries that do not have access to the sea are not, according to international agreements, inferior to other countries in terms of economic growth

Logistic service quality as a mediator between logistics capabilities and customer satisfaction

Purpose – A way that companies have found to respond to the challenges of customer satisfaction (CS) is the development logistics services quality. In this sense, the purpose of this paper is to estimate the quality of logistical service as a mediator factor in the relationship between logistics capabilities (LC) and CS. For this, an exploratory survey of the descriptive type was carried out with 117 companies in the Brazilian market of lubricant oil. The collected data, modeled in structural equations, have shown evidence that the quality of logistics services totally mediates the relation between the LC and the satisfaction of clients. Design/methodology/approach – In order to respond to the research problem and to meet the stated objective, a study was carried out in two phases. The first used an exploratory qualitative design, and involved recorded in-depth interviews with five clients and five managers of a lubricant oil producer located in the municipality of Umuarama and nearby areas in Paraná state, Brazil. The second used an exploratory survey of the descriptive type was carried out with 117 companies in the Brazilian market of lubricant oil. Findings – The collected data, modeled in structural equations, have shown evidence that the quality of logistics services totally mediates the relation between the LC and the satisfaction of clients. Research limitations/implications – It is suggested that new studies be conducted in order to increase the size of the sample, since the number of responses obtained (117 respondents), for the number of initial variables (34 measures). Practical implications – In the pursuit of CS, the managers of lubricant oil producers should make major investments in LC, to enable the company to be active in the search for logistics solutions, integration and provision of reliable information to its customers. Social implications – The studies should also be carried out in other market segments, in order to compare the results obtained in the lubricating oil segment of Brazil and corroborate knowledge about the influence of logistical capabilities on the relation between logistics service quality and CS. Originality/value – The logistics services quality perceived by the customers is derived from the service capacity of the producer’s employees and the quality of information provided to the customers

Informatisation of transport process using GPS navigation system

Nowadays, internal business processes are one of the crucial factors of firms’ competitive advantage achievement, which is becoming increasingly important, not only on local but also on global markets. Firms’ performance improvement depends to a large extent on its flexibility, adjustability and especially ability to manage internal business processes. Hence, use of information technology is among the fundamental elements of business process change, which not only improve competitiveness but also assure long term development and growth of the firm. For all these reasons, the main purpose of this article is firstly to establish that use of information technology is feasible in all industries, explain what possible obstacles for successful informatisation are, and which are major advantages after its implementation. Secondly, within theoretical aspect we present broaden view of informatisation in logistics, whilst practical example illustrates successful informatisation of transport process with adoption of GPS (Global Positioning System) in a transport firm. Furthermore, in this article we are also introducing a case study of three transport firms describing process flow before and after implementation identifying enhanced information quality, service quality and communication as a foremost advantages and achievements after informatisatio

An analysis of explanatory factors of logistics performance of a country

The paper uses standard econometric techniques and the Logistics Performance Index calculated by The World Bank for evaluating the impact of several key macroeconomic variables on the quality of the logistics sector from 42 countries and regions. The regression results and the graphs have revealed that there is a strong relationship between the development of the services sector and the logistics performance of a country. Services are a major source of sustainable economic development, but they are very sensitive to the quality of the infrastructure and the functioning of institutions. Another finding is that many economies where a significant part of value added is generated in industrial activities tend to have high growth rates and lower logistics performance. Many of these countries are located in Central and Eastern Europe and their economic expansion was mainly supported by foreign direct investments in industrial sites and real estate developments. Since these businesses are cyclical there is a high risk of an economic downturn. These countries, particularly Romania, should rapidly improve their trade and transport facilitation framework, i.e., logistics performance. Such measures will allow the emergence of a robust service sector able to make the economic development sustainable by cushioning the cyclical shocks from the industrial side of economy.logistics performance, services, economic growth

E-logistics of agribusiness organisations

Logistics is one of the most important agribusiness functions due to the idiosyncrasy of food products and the structure of food supply chain. Companies in the food sector typically operate with poor production forecasting, inefficient inventory management, lack of coordination with supply partners. Further, markets are characterised by stern competition, increasing consumer demands and stringent regulation for food quality and safety. Large agribusiness corporations have already turned to e-logistics solutions as a means to sustain competitive advantage and meet consumer demands. There are four types of e-logistics applications: (a) Vertical alliances where supply partners forge long-term strategic alliances based on electronic sharing of critical logistics information such as sales forecasts and inventory volume. Vertical alliances often apply supply chain management (SCM) which is concerned with the relationship between a company and its suppliers and customers. The prime characteristic of SCM is interorganizational coordination: agribusiness companies working jointly with their customers and suppliers to integrate activities along the supply chain to effectively supply food products to customers. E-logistics solutions engender the systematic integration among supply partners by allowing more efficient and automatic information flow. (b) e-tailing, in which retailers give consumers the ability to order food such as groceries from home electronically i.e. using the Internet and the subsequent delivery of those ordered goods at home. (c) Efficient Foodservice Response (EFR), which is a strategy designed to enable foodservice industry to achieve profitable growth by looking at ways to save money for each level of the supply chain by eliminating inefficient practices. EFR provides solutions to common logistics problems, such as transactional inefficiency, inefficient plant scheduling, out-of-stocks, and expedited transportation. (d) Contracting, a means of coordinating procurement of food, beverages and their associated supplies. Many markets and supply chains in agriculture are buyer-driven where the buyers in the market tend to set prices and terms of trade. Those terms can include the use of electronic means of communication to support automatic replenishment of goods, management of supply and inventory. The results of the current applications of e-logistics in food sector are encouraging for Greek agribusiness. Companies need to become aware of and evaluate the value-added by those applications which are a sustainable competitive advantage, optimisation of supply chain flows, and meeting consumer demands and food safety regulations. E-business diffusion has shown that typically first-movers gain a significant competitive advantage and the rest companies either eventually adopt the new systems or see a significant decline in their trading partners and perish. E-logistics solutions typically require huge investments in hardware and software and skilled personnel, which is an overt barrier for most Greek companies. Large companies typically are first-movers but small and medium enterprises (SMEs) need institutional support in order to become aware that e-logistics systems can be fruitful for them as well

Conditions of the Development of Logistic Centers in Poland in the Context of European States Experiences

The article is, for the most part, the aftermath of his own examinations carried out in years 2007-2010 and concerning logistic centers development conditioning.Artykuł jest w znacznej mierze pokłosiem badań własnych autora przeprowadzonych w latach: 2007-2010 dotyczących uwarunkowań rozwoju centrów logistycznych

International trade and logistics : an empirical panel investigation of the dynamic linkages between the logistics and trade and their contribution to economic growth

An earlier version of this study has been presented in ICABE 2019 www.icabe.grPurpose: The ultimate objective of this paper is to investigate the causal relationships between countries’ logistics performance, international trade and economic growth. Design/Methodology/Approach: We analyze the dynamic linkages among the Logistics Performance Index (LPI), trade openness as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as well as the GDP growth based on a sample of 39 countries worldwide over the period 2007-2018. More particularly, we assess the significance and the direction of the detected causal effects among the three variables both in the long and the short run, using panel econometrics methodologies, namely, panel unit root tests, pooled mean group (PMG) models, and the Toda-Yamamoto approach to Granger-causality analysis. Findings: The findings support that both international trade and logistics performance constitute driving forces of economic growth. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the effects of the logistics‘ sector on international trade are not direct but only through economic growth. Practical Implications: The direction of causality is deemed quite important due to its strategic policy implications. A causal relationship running from the logistics and transport sector to trade investments in logistics and transport would cater for economic growth through increased trade. Policy makers should then adopt various policies aiming to promote or facilitate exports. Originality/Value: Causal effects and more specifically the direction of causality between the transport infrastructure and economic growth have not been sufficiently studied in existing literature. Furthermore, only few studies provide some general evidence of a positive correlation between better logistics and increased trade. In our paper, we aim to further investigate the dynamic relationships between international trade and the logistics and transport sector.peer-reviewe

IT in construction: aligning IT and business strategies

The extent to which information technology (IT) infrastructures and strategies are aligned with business processes and strategies varies widely along firms. The objective of this paper is to explain the success or failure of IT in construction firms by focusing on the alignment (or lack of it) between business strategy, IT strategy, organizational infrastructure, and IT infrastructure. It is hypothesized that the ‘fit’ among these elements, the domains of the Strategic Alignment Model, is positively related to the Business Value of IT in Construction. The IT Business Value is evaluated in terms of efficiency, effectiveness and business performance. By applying the Strategic Alignment Model to the Dutch construction industry, it is shown that the inadequate alignment between these domains is a major reason for the modest added business value from IT investments in this industry. The first lack of alignment is the technology shortfall: hence IT contributes in an inadequate way to strategic processes of construction firms. The second lack of alignment is the strategy-shortfall: hence the firm strategy impedes the implementation of IT that could generate a high business value

Overcoming Barriers in Supply Chain Analytics—Investigating Measures in LSCM Organizations

While supply chain analytics shows promise regarding value, benefits, and increase in performance for logistics and supply chain management (LSCM) organizations, those organizations are often either reluctant to invest or unable to achieve the returns they aspire to. This article systematically explores the barriers LSCM organizations experience in employing supply chain analytics that contribute to such reluctance and unachieved returns and measures to overcome these barriers. This article therefore aims to systemize the barriers and measures and allocate measures to barriers in order to provide organizations with directions on how to cope with their individual barriers. By using Grounded Theory through 12 in-depth interviews and Q-Methodology to synthesize the intended results, this article derives core categories for the barriers and measures, and their impacts and relationships are mapped based on empirical evidence from various actors along the supply chain. Resultingly, the article presents the core categories of barriers and measures, including their effect on different phases of the analytics solutions life cycle, the explanation of these effects, and accompanying examples. Finally, to address the intended aim of providing directions to organizations, the article provides recommendations for overcoming the identified barriers in organizations