Efficient tracking for short‐term multi‐company networksMikko Kärkkäinen; Timo Ala‐Risku; Kary Främling
2004 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management
doi: 10.1108/09600030410552249
Tracking of shipments is an important element of customer service in the transportation industry; and essential for logistics services as merge‐in‐transit. However, contemporary tracking systems are designed for use within a single company, and are thus invariably inadequate for multi‐company environments. The single company focus has led to a reduced span of monitoring and a diluted accessibility of information due to proprietary tracking codes and information architectures centred on the tracking service provider. This paper presents a novel forwarder‐independent approach for solving the difficulties of tracking in multi‐company supply networks. The research argues that the proposed tracking approach is superior to contemporary approaches for material flow tracking in short‐term multi‐company distribution networks.
Combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies in logistics researchJohn Mangan; Chandra Lalwani; Bernard Gardner
2004 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management
doi: 10.1108/09600030410552258
The majority of logistics research is primarily populated by quantitative research viewed through a positivist lens. Increasingly, there are calls for logistics research to more frequently employ qualitative methodologies. The trend in management research generally is increasingly to use methods and approaches which provide a middle ground between the contrasting positivist and phenomenological paradigms and perspectives. Methodological triangulation, using quantitative and qualitative methodologies, increasingly provides multidimensional insights into many management research problems. This paper urges logistics researchers to think about the paradigm through which they view the world and to explore the use of alternative methodologies. If the ultimate aim is to gain knowledge about the world then one needs to do this in the most valid way possible. This paper describes the dominant research paradigms and perspectives and their generally concomitant research methodologies and describes some research (decision‐making concerning choice of ports/ferries) where methodological triangulation, using quantitative and qualitative methodologies, yielded greater insights than would have been the case if a single research methodology had been employed.
North American inland port development: international vs domestic shipper preferencesClyde Kenneth Walter; Richard F. Poist
2004 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management
doi: 10.1108/09600030410552267
Changes in US transportation policy and changing freight flows influenced by NAFTA have refocused the attention of interior states on their transportation infrastructure. Shippers in the landlocked Midwest of the USA have inquired into the feasibility of inland ports that better facilitate domestic and global commerce by providing shared facilities and services. As such, these inland ports represent one‐stop shopping for various transportation and logistics‐related services. The present study asked central Iowa shippers about their perceptions of and preferences for a proposed inland port. The respondents were categorized as either “international” (i.e. companies that export and/or import, and those planning to) or “domestic‐only” (firms with no international operations nor plans to export or import). The results will assist policy makers and investors to develop an implementation strategy for an inland port, and to identify potential customers for specific port features and services.