This study aims to review the literature on sharing economy logistics and crowd logistics to answer the three following questions: How is the literature on sharing economy…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to review the literature on sharing economy logistics and crowd logistics to answer the three following questions: How is the literature on sharing economy logistics structured? What are the main trends in sharing economy logistics and crowd logistics? What are the future research options?
Design/methodology/approach
Bibliometric analysis is used to evaluate 85 articles published over the past 12 years; it identifies the top academic journals, authors and research topics contributing to the field.
Findings
The sharing economy logistics and crowd logistics literature is structured around several disciplines and highlights that some are more scientifically advanced than others in their subject definitions, designs, modelling and innovative solutions. The main trends are organized around three clusters: Cluster 1 refers to the optimal allocation of costs, prices, distribution and supplier relationships; Cluster 2 corresponds to business related crowdsourcing and international industry practices; and Cluster 3 includes the impact of transport on last-mile delivery, crowd shipping and the environment.
Research limitations/implications
The study is based on data from peer-reviewed scientific journals and conferences. A broader overview could include other data sources such as books, book chapters, working papers, etc.
Originality/value
Future research directions are discussed in the context of the evolution from crowd logistics to crowd intelligence, and the complexities of crowd logistics such as understanding how the social crowd can be integrated into the logistics process. Our results are part of the crowd science and engineering concept and provide some answers about crowd cyber-system questions regarding crowd intelligence in logistic sector.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to present global airline alliances from a complementary and original angle to the existing works: “specific social networks”. “Social” as it is an…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present global airline alliances from a complementary and original angle to the existing works: “specific social networks”. “Social” as it is an inter‐organisational network through business relations between airline companies and “specific” as these are formal relations of contractual types (joint marketing, code sharing agreements, etc.).
Design/methodology/approach
It is an empirical study, about cooperation agreements between global regular airlines, over a time period of six years from Airline Business Review database. The graph theory is used to measure social network and graphics representation for illustrations.
Findings
The results show that there is a real process of social embeddedness correlated to the airline alliances members' experiences. Their structuring as networks varies in time following a life cycle and their specific morphologies affect their performance.
Practical implications
The paper proposes numerous measures to approach the structure of airline alliances and graphics representations to illustrate networks.
Originality/value
The paper draws a synthesis from the morphology and morphogenesis of airline alliances, proposing thereby some of their structural properties which have an impact on their competitiveness.
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Cécile Cezanne and Laurence Saglietto
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the specific valuable partnership between human capital-intensive firms (HCIFs) and fourth-party logistics (4PLs), and in particular, to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the specific valuable partnership between human capital-intensive firms (HCIFs) and fourth-party logistics (4PLs), and in particular, to explore the way boundaries of HCIFs are changing as a consequence of the growing importance of 4PLs.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper represents the viewpoints of the authors as far as the role of 4PLs in the changing boundaries of HCIFs is concerned. It is based on a literature review, especially on the analysis of the recent works on organizational boundaries developed by Garicano, Santos and their co-authors. It establishes the prerequisites on the actors of the phenomenon and provides a knowledge-based conceptual framework to understand their dynamic relationship.
Findings
The authors show that the relationship between a HCIF and a 4PL represents a balance of power between two partners based on the co-specialized human capital provided by each of them. From four main propositions, the authors explain that the HCIF extends its boundaries and create more value through the in-house and outside critical human capital it uses.
Originality/value
The specific partnership between HCIFs and 4PLs has been rarely mentioned in the economics and management literature. This interdisciplinary viewpoint essentially provides both academics and practitioners with a conceptual map of 4PLs and HCIFs research and also points out opportunities for future research.
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François Fulconis, Laurence Saglietto and Gilles Paché
The paper aims to put forward a transactional center approach to the four‐party logistics (4PL) development. For about ten years, the European logistics industry has indeed been…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to put forward a transactional center approach to the four‐party logistics (4PL) development. For about ten years, the European logistics industry has indeed been undergoing massive changes by which dematerialized logistics service providers, also called 4PL, have become more and more important. Special emphasis is placed on their role of intermediary between the supply chain members, on the basis of the implementation of inter‐organizational information systems (IOS).
Design/methodology/approach
The paper goes over the research literature on 4PL referring to the info‐mediation and intermediation processes. The accent is on the electronic brokerage application and on the main hindrances to 4PL development. Three propositions are put forward concerning a relevant research program.
Findings
The findings in this paper show that understanding 4PL's strategy dynamics requires going into the specific details of the role of transactional center. Thus, thanks to the effective management of IOS, some 4PL could become the hub firms of network organizations. To do that, they will have to acquire a thorough expertise on selecting network members and monitoring supply chain interfaces.
Originality/value
In this paper a preliminary framework provides elements of discussion to enable a better understanding of the transformation process of the logistics industry. The interest for managers and academics is to illustrate how 4PL are becoming the agents for strategic change, while an excessive importance is usually attached only to manufacturers and large retailers in the academic literature.