Assessing the driving forces for greening business practices: Empirical evidence from the United Arab Emirates’ logistics service industry

The uprising economic, social and political pressures on achieving a good level of environmental governance have forced companies to adopt business practices that aim to mitigate CO2 emissions. Logistics industry is considered as one of the major areas that could make a considerable improvement in reducing the environmental impact of business activities. The aim of this study is to investigate the driving forces that influence the adoption of environmentally friendly logistics activities. Following a detailed literature review, a theoretical model, which encompassed several driving forces and logistics activities, has been developed. Survey-based quantitative data were collected from logistics service providers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and analysed using structural equation modelling methodology and multiple regression analysis. Through answering 110 questionnaires, respondents holding different managerial levels at logistics service organizations, provided data reflecting their perception of the forces that would influence the adoption of green logistics practices. The driving forces (legislations, customers, and organizational awareness) were found to influence the adoption of green logistics practices by the logistics service industry in the areas of warehousing, packaging and transportation

Integrating vehicle tracking and routing systems in retail distribution management

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess the benefits of integrating IT tracking and routing systems into last mile distribution operations. The paper also demonstrates the role of field experiments as a valid approach for improving the rigour of logistics research. Design/methodology/approach: The study employs a field experiment approach. Data collected before and after the experimental treatment from 16 participating vehicles, which used as inputs and outputs to calculate vehicles' efficiencies using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Findings: Through employing manipulation and random assignment to investigate causality in naturally occurring contexts, our results show statistical evidence for the role of vehicle tracking and routing systems in enhancing fleet efficiency. Furthermore, results show that field experiment is an appropriate method for capital budgeting of deploying IT systems in the distribution function. Practical implications: Distribution managers can use a field experiment setup to assess the potential impact of installing IT solutions prior to large-scale implementation or prior to purchasing. Originality/value: The study fills a gap in the literature through the application of a field experiment approach to establish causality relationships in distribution and logistics research. This study should encourage new research on the role of field experimentation in evaluating the benefits gained from, and the capital budgeting of, the modern disruptive technologies in supply chains