Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to generate a greater understanding of the interrelatedness of new business models in the truck market and developments in the road transport sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a three year research project in cooperation with a European heavy vehicle manufacturer, we present short case descriptions showing some of the main developments in the European trucking and transport markets. 

Findings

New business models emerge both in the heavy vehicle and transportation markets, in complex ways involving multiple actors.  The impetus for the models can come from several direction but the final impact must be negotiated and cannot be planned by a single actor.

Research limitations/implications

The research looks at a selection of cases and business models to demonstrate changes and the relations between the markets, and does not claim to be exhaustive in terms of the different business models in the European market. 

Practical implications

There is a distinct trend to greater specialization and the need for innovation to survive given the strong pressures in the commoditized transport market. Our findings show conflicting trends in terms of social implications, with improved ecological impact but the risk of worse conditions for driver. 

Original/value

The paper considers the development of new business models and implications on the market from the point of view of the firms actually using the business models.  This shows how different business models can co-exist and involve different types of rationalities.

Background: The enacted sensemaking of third-party logistics (TPL) providers during the pandemic crisis may present an opportunity to explore their strategic operations.

Objectives: The aim is to understand the TPL strategic implications related to a crisis and specifically how TPL providers make sense of and respond to crises. The two research questions are as follows: How has the COVID-19 pandemic crisis affected the business operations of TPL providers? What have TPL providers learnt from enacting the crisis, and how has this experience affected their strategic development?

Method: We conduct an abductive study using combined data from interviews and a targeted archive search. The data are focused on the Swedish context and on a period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results: Three distinct groups of TPL providers have different sense and action processes impacting their business operations. This research shows how an understanding of servitisation is relevant for TPL theory. Finally, we develop the strategic perspective of TPL providers by defining TPL providers as value-cocreating relationships that can help manage the complexities of logistics services.

Conclusion: This research shows that TPL providers play an important role in crises, as they contribute to solving customer problems. This role appears to be strengthened during crises, but it imposes great demands on TPL providers.

Contribution: Third-party logistics providers work with their customers during crises. The sensemaking view emphasises the importance of personnel, organisational commitment, capacity and expectations during crises. This is an interplay that requires adaptation to short-term changes in operational processes and adaptability in long-term operations.

Contemporary (third-party logistics providers) TPLs are in danger of being stuck in the middle, unable to perform customer adaptation as well as before and unable to achieve sufficient economies of scale. This conceptual paper aims to explore challenges facing the strategic development of TPLs within a context of increased digitalization, e-commerce and servitization. There are two apparent strategic paths. Under circumstances of strong price pressure, there is demand for standardized TPL services offering simplicity, minimalism and functionality based on digitalization, e-commerce and servitization. Alternatively, with market developments responsive to supply chain complexity, digitalization, e-commerce and servitization enable development towards innovation and change. We conclude that these developments do not invalidate existing frameworks for TPL strategies but contribute alternative strategies. We formulate three propositions for each strategic path. To avoid being stuck in the middle, TPLs are encouraged to either develop efficient services through servitized logistics chains and digital solutions or develop advanced solutions to integrate the consumer into the logistics network system through competencies to control increased levels of complexity.

The number of organizations involved in relief work in general and humanitarian logistics specifically is large and increasing, creating new complexity. Our purpose here is to contribute to the development of theoretical models on coordination in the field of humanitarian logistics.  The study is based on two case studies, one showing the initial stages of the development of the Cluster System in humanitarian relief, the other the post-election crisis in Kenya.  The original cases were restructured according to our theoretical framework and analysed accordingly using coordination dimensions as the core structure. We find that the start-up of operations is skewed by the need for a clear disaster declaration for the Cluster System.  Coordination in itself is seen as controversial, but many aspects that are normally called coordination are not.  Clarity of roles is often missing in the setting, but a certain flexibility is inherently necessary since roles have to adapt to the presence of other actors.  Locally accessible resources will govern the role of the organisations over the phases.  At the same time unclear or excessively wide roles mean much higher demands on coordination.

In this paper we ask how an extended service model is developed over time in the relationship between buyer and seller in the trucking industry.  Extended service models following a service-dominant logic rather than a product-dominant logic are becoming increasingly important in many industries.  Here we report on the initial stages of a large study on the use and development of extended service models in the Swedish market for trucks.  We see considerable promise in studying the development of the concept over time in the interaction between customer and provider. 

Purpose: At the inception of the Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management (JHLSCM), logistics coordination was identified as important, both in practice and research, but few studies on the topic had been published. Ten years later, many, if not most, papers in the journal mention the topic. So the picture has changed, but to what extent? This paper discusses how coordination research has followed humanitarian logistics practice and vice versa.

Design/methodology/approach: The point of departure in the present article is the most salient topic from the study’s original papers (Jahre et al., 2009; Jahre and Jensen, 2010). The authors discuss how these topics have developed in research and practice. A recent literature review (Grange et al., 2020) enables us to pick relevant papers from JHLSCM and supplement them with more recent ones. The authors complement this approach with updated data on the cluster system, particularly the logistics cluster, to add insights from the empirical domain.

Findings: In practice, the cluster concept has developed from coordination within clusters in response to the inclusion of inter-cluster coordination in preparedness, and more recently a focus on localized preparedness. However, JHLSCM research does not appear to have kept pace, with a few notable exceptions. The majority of its papers still focus on response. To the extent that preparedness is covered, it is primarily done so at the global level.

Originality/value: The authors use a framework to discuss humanitarian logistics coordination research and identify important gaps. Based on developments in practice, the study’s key contribution is a revised model with suggestions for further research.

Purpose – In the field of humanitarianism, cluster thinking has been suggested as a solution to the lack of coordinated disaster response. Clusters for diverse functions, including sheltering, logistics and water and sanitation, can be viewed as an effort to achieve functional coordination. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a greater understanding of the potential of cluster concepts using supply chain coordination and inter‐cluster coordination. The focus is on the conceptual level rather than on specific means of coordination.

Design/methodology/approach – The cluster concept in humanitarian relief, along with some key empirical issues, is based on a case study. The concept is then compared to the literature on clusters and coordination in order to develop a theoretical framework with propositions on the tradeoffs between different types of coordination.

Findings – The results provide important reflections on one of the major trends in contemporary development of humanitarian logistics. This paper shows that there is a tradeoff between different types of coordination, with horizontal coordination inside cluster drawing attention away from important issues of the supply chain as well as the need to coordinate among the clusters.

Research limitations/implications – There is a need for more in‐depth case studies of experiences with clusters in various operations. Various perspectives should be taken into account, including the field, responding agencies, beneficiaries, donors, military and commercial service providers, both during and between disasters.

Practical implications – The paper presents the tradeoffs between different types of coordination, in which basic aims such as standardisation through functional coordination, must be balanced with cross‐functional and vertical coordination in order to more successfully serve the users' composite needs.

Originality/value – The focus on possible trade‐offs between different types of coordination is an important complement to the literature, which often assumes simultaneous high degrees of horizontal and vertical coordination.

Purpose: There is a need for theory development within the field of humanitarian logistics to understand logistics needs in different stages of a crisis and how to meet these. This paper aims to discuss three dimensions identified in logistics and organization theories and how they relate to three different cases of humanitarian logistics operations - the regional concept of the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies, the development and working of the United Nations Joint Logistics Centre and coordination challenges of military logistics in UN mandated peacekeeping operations. The purpose is to build a framework to be used in further studies.

Design/methodology/approach: A framework for the study of humanitarian logistics along three dimensions is developed, followed by a discussion of the chosen cases in relation to these dimensions. The framework will be used as basis for the case studies to be undertaken for the purpose of understanding and identification of new questions and needs for other or revised concepts from theory.

Findings: The paper shows the relevance of a wide literature to the issues pertinent to humanitarian logistics. There is considerable promise in extant literature on logistics, SCM and coordination, but this needs to be confronted with the particular issues seen in the humanitarian logistics setting to achieve further theory development.

Originality/value: The major contribution of the paper lies in its breadth of theoretical perspectives presented and combined in a preliminary theoretical framework. This is applied more specifically in the three case studies described in the paper.

Purpose of this paper

Third-party   logistics firms have been described in a number of ways through different   role schemes based on industrial development.    This article uses one such role scheme to expand on the concept of   position for analyzing third-party logistics.   

Design/methodology/approach

The paper   uses a case study of one third-party logistics firm involved in several   complex distribution systems within the car industry to act as a focus for   the concept of a position. 

Findings

The paper   shows the relevance of using a specific conception of roles to expand on the   position concept from the literature and discusses how this can be used to   analyze TPLs.

Research limitations/implications  

The   research is based on a single case where position was not the only aspect   studied and would benefit from other empirical data especially from smaller   and more specialized third-party logistics firms. 

Practical implications

The   opportunities for TPL firms are seen to depend on both how the distribution   system is structured as well as their own capacities and the roles they   already possess.

What is original/value of paper

Combining   different literatures that have studied different aspects of 3PLs gives a   better overall understanding of the development of this industry at a   conceptual level.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of the role of humanitarian cluster leads through applying lessons from the fourth-party logistics (4PL) literature.

Design/methodology/approach – The primary data for this paper are based on an extensive case study of coordination mechanisms in humanitarian logistics covering specifically the UNJLC (United Nations Joint Logistics Centre) and the Logistics Cluster. In total, 37 semi-structured interviews were conducted, together with site visits and review of official documentation.

Findings – The paper finds that the 4PL concept provides a partial match for the cluster leads with important lessons from the 4PL literature. In particular, lessons are related to selectivity of central participants for the cluster, and the need to develop relationship management skills.

 Research limitations/implications – The paper shows some clear areas where lessons from the 4PL literature are highly relevant to the logistics cluster lead. Some of these implications can also be applied to the other clusters, but further concepts should be developed for the cluster system as a whole.

Social implications – The analysis shows that cluster leads should think of themselves more as facilitators rather than channel captains.

Originality/value – The tasks for the humanitarian cluster leads have been outlined in some detail, but the ways to accomplish them and how they should operate in relation to other actors in the field has been less clear. By using the 4PL concept the paper demonstrates a number of lessons that are relevant to the logistics cluster lead in particular.

The variety in contemporary distribution systems is large and reflects complex customer demands and new technological and organizational possibilities. Changes in the distribution system lead to new challenges and constraints for intermediaries trying to establish consistent roles for themselves. The challenge for theory is how to describe these changed and complex roles.

This article is based on a case study of one intermediary (a third-party logistics provider) in the car distribution industry. The article presents a framework of six roles, four of which find parallels in functionalist discussions of roles, and two of which appear more closely tied to new developments in distribution. These are specifically tied to the way intermediaries have increased opportunities to act as resource providers and organizers in contemporary distribution.

The opportunities and constraints for intermediaries in the type of distribution context studied are analyzed using the IMP literature. This proves fruitful in particular through discussing the impact of actor bonds and resource ties. The resources the intermediary controls may be less important in defining its role than the fit with resources possessed by others and the resulting opportunities.

Third-party logistics providers (TPLs) and their connections with customers have been described in different ways in the literature.  In this article we consider three important aspects TPLs interactions with their customers.

First, TPLs can be usefully analyzed in terms of the different economies that they achieve, and how they can coordinate differing demands from their customers to achieve efficiency.  The second aspect of TPL interaction with customers is the relation between one TPL and a specific customer, with the TPL providing services of superior quality or low cost.  The third aspect of TPL interaction with customers is the relation between the customers themselves.  We know from previous studies that TPL firms have few customers and deep relationships in most cases (Andersson, 1997).  The consequences for the buyer of the TPL losing or gaining a big customer can then influence the economies of scale and scope extensively. 

The IMP literature has a great deal to say about interaction between industrial actors and we propose to connect this study to IMP writings on interaction and network effects rather than just the effects between a TPL and single customer.  The position of a service provider such as a TPL can usefully be studied by considering IMP dimensions of actors, activities and resources (Håkansson & Snehota, 1995).

We report on the initial interviews of a study to explore the relations between TPLs and their buyers, with particular focus on how coordination of services is handled.  Initial results show that the points from the interviews really touch upon two levels.  There is one level to do with the physical network and logistics operations, and another which deals with the actors and the way they interact.  We suggest that the Johansson & Matsson (1992) model of the network and production system can explain how these two levels interact and propose to employ it more extensively.

Third-party logistics providers can create economies of scale and scope through activity coordination and specialization.  The size and type of customers and not least the way the TPL works with these is highly important in allowing the TPL to create scale and scope.  The issue of TPL relations with other customers is not however part of purchasing criteria as presented in the literature, presenting a significant and for the firms dangerous gap which needs to be closed.  We review the literature and report on the initial steps of a study to address this gap.

Purpose of this paper

The number of organisations involved in   relief work in general and humanitarian logistics specifically is large and   increasing, creating new complexity. In this paper we analyse different types   of coordination in two case studies.    This has implications along many dimensions, including the roles of   participants, long and short term development and coordination.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on two case studies,   one showing the initial stages of the development of the cluster system in   humanitarian relief, the other the post-election crisis in Kenya.  The original cases were restructured   according to our theoretical framework and analysed accordingly.  In total the cases are based on 39   semi-structured interviews.

Findings

We find that the start-up of operations   is skewed by the need for a clear disaster declaration for the cluster   system.  The different roles of the   organisations and differing formal requirements create significant problems   before and after cluster activation and de-activation.  Individual organisations take on many roles   in the cluster system and beyond it, both in terms of vertical and horizontal   coordination. 

Research limitations/implications

The two cases have slightly different   foci with the Kenya case relating to a specific emergency whereas the cluster   system describes the system itself based on development in several   emergencies.

Practical implications

It may be necessary to treat different   groupings of organisations differently, ideally restricting access based on   the role of the organisation and the stage of the disaster.  Participating organisations are of widely   different types and the same way of coordinating all of these may not be   appropriate.

What is original/value of paper

There is a strong need for more academic   empirical research in the field.    Combining these two case studies for comparison allows us to learn new   lessons about how different approaches to coordination have worked in practice.

The number of organisations involved in relief work in general and humanitarian logistics specifically is large and increasing, creating new complexity. In this paper we analyse different types of coordination and roles in two case studies of the humanitarian cluster system based on its initial development and the Kenyan Post-election crisis. The different and unclear roles of the organisations create significant problems before and after cluster activation and deactivation. Individual organisations take on many roles in the cluster system and beyond it in terms of coordination. The clarity of the roles affects the need for and ease of coordination. We suggest a simple basic categorisation of roles as a starting point for developing this concept in the field of humanitarian logistics and connect this to coordination.

The large and persistent trend of firms sourcing from China is in itself well-established with many success stories. However, managing the sourcing is a complex issue confounded both by cultural differences and the length of the supply chain. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the sourcing approaches of Swedish companies in China and the resultant outcomes. This study is based on a set of cases of Swedish manufacturing and retailer firms. The firms represent different industries and sizes of the company but all have substantial experience sourcing from China. The paper finds that the firms have developed good monitoring systems for their sourcing work and are generally satisfied with the outcomes, but also have persistent communication issues. Two archetypes of firms successfully sourcing from China emerge from the research. The study shows the importance of investing long-term in sourcing operations, especially with regard to developing market understanding and supplier relationships. This must however be matched by appropriate supplier monitoring systems. The research addresses a gap where sourcing configurations and their outcomes beyond general assessments of whether they are successful or not are little explored in the literature.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the needs of the supply-chain (SC) network when coping with permanent and temporary demands, this paper analyzes the Swedish emergency preparedness SC network. This network comprises planning procedures and resources, as well as numerous organizations and other participants in civil society that take part in the system to cope with threats and ongoing crises. Planning constitutes a critical infrastructure because the system must develop the ability to shift SC functions from permanent to temporary networks in ongoing crises and war.

Design/methodology/approach – A research study is performed based on data gathered by three qualitative methods concerning the SC network of emergency preparedness planning.

Findings – This study demonstrates the relevance of a wide empirical field challenging several theoretical perspectives of the SC network in preparedness planning and the shift to ongoing crises. Further research targeting key capabilities is needed to further improve understanding of the challenges for developed countries in managing potential threats and crises.

Originality/value – Actors taking part in the preparedness system have found it challenging to coordinate. Due, in part, to the lack of a common threat profile, key capabilities remain outside preparedness planning, e.g., military, commercial and voluntary actors as well as unclear and inconsistent regulations. Thus, building the SC network demonstrates the need to target the military, the voluntary and commercial sectors and their ability to develop the networks in preparedness planning. In a reformed system, all actors must strengthen civil defense in an all-hazard approach, which in planning encompasses the entire threat scale, demonstrating key functions and the ability to shift to temporary networks responding to ongoing crises, including war.

Voluntary networks are actors in civil society and central to the emergency preparedness efficiency of developed countries’. This study focuses on the voluntary defense networks in Sweden, a unique set of networks that contribute to the efficiency of emergency preparedness. Through interviews with experts in Swedish civil and military fields and their associated voluntary defense networks, as well as secondary data, we examined the coordination of these voluntary defense networks in practice. Although voluntary network coordination is highly associated with efficiency, in practice, most voluntary networks are not well coordinated. This study confirms that civil and military practitioners in developed countries, struggling with the coordination of voluntary networks are not isolated in their struggle; inattentive practices are indeed the norm. This article also establishes a course that civil and military practitioners can follow to improve emergency response efficiency.

Supply chains can play a major role in reducing countries’ safety and security threats; the role of network responsiveness offers insights into management exchanges responding to the preparedness of developed countries like Sweden. Illustrating the managing of overall supply chain capabilities among network responsiveness stems from the supply chain responsiveness concept. Several challenges to responsiveness prevent actors’ networks from fully benefitting from coordination. A management approach is employed to explore the impact of network responsiveness on the supply chain as an overarching strategy for safety and security. The study suggests three different approaches which differ in their impact on the network’s responsiveness: (i) an overall strategic planning approach, (ii) one integrated system approach for the overall response, and (iii) a coordination approach for managing the overall supply chain responsiveness strategy.

This study sheds light on the Hydrogen technology in transportation for reaching the sustainability goals of societies, illustrated by the case of Mexico. In terms of the affected supply chains the study explores how the packaging and distribution of a fuel-saving tool that allows the adoption of hydrogen as complementary energy for maritime transportation to improve economic and environmental performance in Mexico. This exploratory study performs interviews, observations, simulations, and tests involving producers, suppliers, and users at 26 ports in Mexico. The study shows that environmental and economic performance are related to key processes in Supply Chain Management (SCM) in which packaging and distribution are critical for achieving logistics and transportation sustainability goals. Reusable packaging and the distribution of a fuel-saving tool can help decrease costs -, of transport, and downstream/upstream processes in SCM while at the same time increasing the environmental performance.

The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding and explore the challenges and conflicts in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) through empirical examples from the heavy vehicle industry in Sweden and China. An exploratory study of the case company’s supply chains in two countries is conducted for this paper. The major components of the empirical data are interviews with the company´s representatives and its downstream supply chain members in Sweden and China, as well as workshops with the logistics industry’s representatives in China. The findings show that the firms perceive the challenges on the regulatory and organisational levels. The conflicts can be found between several stakeholder groups, the main focus seems to be on environmental and economic aspects. Life-cycle solution for the vehicles’ utilisation is valuable but there are challenges to employing it, especially in the Chinese context. The results show that intensified international collaboration on environment and traffic safety can help tackle challenges and ease the conflicts in sustainable supply chain management.

The pandemic has forced teaching as well as as the Software Development industry, to be performed remotely. The educational institutions are therefore facing the situation of training and steering the students in, not only complex work, but also in remote-based work and it processes. Specific challenges here relate to project work with larger groups of developers, with testing, and integration of technical components for complete solutions, but the psychosocial factors come into play as well. This paper considers the situation that has arisen as a consequence of the pandemic and regards how project-based courses should be adapted to ‘The New Normal’. In focus is a course in Software Engineering, where a large-scaled project shall be developed remotely. Representatives from IT-companies act at the course remote, and at specific occurrences. The course is observed by the teachers to see its outcome, as well as different aspects on attitudes towards future remote work. Interviews and surveys regarding attitudes of students, as well as involved company representatives are presented, where the focus is on process, productivity, work environment, interest in remote work, as well as social aspects. The main findings, based on the surveys, motivates hybrid solutions for university courses, to meet the corresponding companies’ way of future working style.