Trade Logistics Research Articles

Exporting Silk from Byzantine Greece: Reconstructing the Trade Logistics of the Theban Silk Industry

ABSTRACT The silk industry that thrived in Thebes around the twelfth century exemplified Byzantium’s industrial accomplishments during the middle Byzantine period. However, how its silk products were exported still awaits systematic clarification. This topic becomes increasingly compelling as scholars begin to reveal the industry’s potential interactions with other regional economic sectors, especially pottery production in Euripos, in terms of trade logistics. This article aims to contribute a thorough investigation into the trade logistics of the Theban silk industry. It argues that Theban silk could have been distributed to its market destinations entirely overland or by integrating with maritime transport at nearby entrepôts. Initially, Corinth, with its two ports oriented towards trade hubs in the east and west, served as the paramount entrepôt. As Corinth’s maritime trade, especially its eastern port, declined in the later twelfth century, Euripos emerged to bridge the gap and assumed its former trade roles.

4차 산업혁명 시대의 블록체인 기반 전자선하증권 활용에 관한 실증연구

Purpose: This paper evaluates the factors influencing the adoption and use of blockchain’s electronic bill of lading (e-B/L) in the trade and logistics industry, assessing its practical acceptability and suggesting future research directions. Research design, data, and methodology: This paper developed a research model based on prior studies and technology acceptance models, and used survey data from Korean trade and logistics firms to identify factors influencing e-B/L adoption. Results: Availability and suitability of a blockchain e-B/L influences its perceived ease of use positively, while security and suitability influences perceived usefulness positively. Both perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness had a positive impact on the intention to use. Conclusions: This paper provides practitioners and researchers in the field of trade logistics with in-depth insights into the key factors influencing the adoption and utilization of a blockchain e-B/L, and provides a useful basis for future research and practical decisions.

Research on international trade logistics prediction based on back propagation neural network

The development of international trade depends to a large extent on the progress of international logistics. However, international logistics cannot exist independently of international trade. Without goods provided by international trade, international logistics loses its foundation. Therefore, in order to accurately assess the demand for international logistics, it is necessary to have a detailed understanding of the development of international trade and to predict its future trends accordingly. In this work, we utilize backpropagation neural networks to predict trends and needs in international trade logistics. Specifically, we build a multi-layer perceptron model, which selects a variety of input variables such as goods circulation, economic indicators, trade policies, and seasonal factors. By training this model, it is possible to effectively learn and capture the complex relationships that affect international trade logistics from historical data. In the experimental analysis, the model has been repeatedly trained and adjusted, and finally demonstrated high accuracy and reliability.

Pak-Saudi Relations & Maritime Cooperation

This paper explores the potential benefits of Pakistan’s relations with Saudi Arabia and consequent trade partnerships, investment prospects, technological advancements, and regional cooperation on the former’s economy. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 has spurred significant investments in its maritime and logistics sectors. The paper argues that Pakistan, with key ports like Karachi and Gwadar, stands to benefit from strengthened maritime collaboration with Saudi Arabia. Increased trade partnerships, particularly with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, can be a major outcome, supported by improvements in port efficiency and logistics infrastructure. Moreover, there are opportunities for Pakistan to diversify its export portfolio, attract foreign investment, and adopt advanced technologies in the maritime sector. It suggests that collaborative efforts in port development, digital trade, and sustainable practices can bolster Pakistan’s maritime capabilities. Engaging in regional cooperation on maritime security, trade logistics, and environmental sustainability can further enhance bilateral relations and economic growth. Lastly, the paper outlines actionable strategies for Pakistan to leverage these opportunities, positioning itself as a pivotal player in regional maritime trade and logistics.

Assessing the effects of logistics performance on export and competitiveness using SEM methodology: evidence from firm-level data

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to determine the importance of trade logistics in export intensification and competitiveness on the level of individual companies. Within the framework of logistics performance, the influences of customs efficiency and physical trade infrastructure quality were tested on export while the contribution to improving competitiveness was analyzed through logistics services and the Logistics 4.0 component. In addition, the influence of competitiveness on companies’ exports was examined.Design/methodology/approachThe research was conducted based on a survey intended for the management of export-oriented companies which was distributed through the system of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia. A total of 298 responses were collected and provided the basis for the application of structural equation modeling (SEM) approach.FindingsThe physical trade infrastructure was found to be a significant factor in stimulating exports, while the quality of logistics services has a statistically significant impact on the level of competitiveness. The results also indicate that improving the competitiveness of companies gives positive results in stimulating their exports.Originality/valueStudies that analyze the impact of trade logistics using primary data from surveys are rare. In this paper, for the first time, the SEM methodology was applied in the assessment of logistics performance effects on export and competitiveness of individual companies. Also, the impact of the logistics 4.0 concept on selected companies’ performance was empirically tested for the first time.

Evaluating the impact of Trans-Asian railway on logistics mode selection between Thailand and China: An AHP-TOPSIS approach

The newly opened Trans-Asian Railway offers opportunities for trade logistics between China and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). This study selected six factors including cost, time, transport volume, reliability, safety, and environmental friendliness to investigate the impact on logistics for trade between China and ASEAN. It explores the most ideal solution for the Sino-Thai logistics route by using the AHP-TOPSIS approach and ranks the current five Sino-Thai logistics routes. The results indicate that the Sea-land transport (0.787) is still the best option, the Kunming-Bangkok Roadway (0.452) came in second, followed by the newly opened Trans-Asian Railway (0.431); The Nanning-Bangkok Roadway (0.373) ranks second to last, and the river-land transport service (0.249) is the last resort. In this sense, the newly opened Trans-Asian Railway would influence the current pattern of Sino-Thai logistics to some extent. The results will offer insight into the managerial decisions for the Sino-Thai trade.

Examining the Contribution of Logistics and Supply Chain in Boosting Oman’s Trade Network

Economic integration, which in today’s global trade is the fundamental component of linking economic ties between countries, is another important factor in the acceleration of economic growth. The provision of trade logistics services is essential to a nation’s economic success in international trade activities. It is essential for enterprises engaged in active international trade to achieve competitive advantages. The international trade and localised commercial activity, to a large extent, is dependent on the logistics and supply chain infrastructure and operational capacity. However, the area received little attention from the perspective of applied economics. The in-depth empirical studies on the impacts of logistics on trade efficiency are few and limited. The study aims to investigate the role of logistics and supply chains in international and national trade in a developing country. It uses secondary data for the analysis. The model and software used in the study are the gravity model and GTAP10a. The time horizon used spans 2014–2030. The results show that in order to enhance trading and commercial activities, a developing country should develop logistics and supply chain infrastructure, train people, and design a flexible logistics policy.

LOGISTICS OF EXPORT DELIVERY IN THE CONTEXT OF CROSS-BORDER TRADE

The article is devoted to one of the aspects of the formation of new export logistics, capable of responding to the challenges of a turbulent global economy. The authors analyze modern logistics problems of export supplies. Particular attention is paid to exports as an integral part of cross-border trade. The authors dwell not only on the general problems of logistics of export activities, but also identify the specifics of the logistics of cross-border trade, choosing as the object of study the countries of Greater Altai, which includes the border territories of the Russian Federation, Mongolia, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the People's Republic of China.
 The study analyzed the dynamics and structure of exports of the Russian Federation and the Altai Territory, and showed the features of new logistics in a turbulent economy. Given the high share of logistics costs in the overall cost structure of the production and sale of exported products, cross-border trade has advantages when it is carried out with lower logistics costs due to shorter transport routes and transportation times. The advantages of cross-border export include the absence of transit through the territories of third countries, which significantly reduces risks and simplifies information and customs logistics. Stable supply chains in cross-border trade in the Altai Territory, which have emerged as a result of many years of cooperation with the countries of Greater Altai, also help reduce risks and logistics costs.

The Influence of Block-Chain Technology in Chinese Smart Logistics

Block-chain technology is an advanced database mechanism that allows information to be shared transparently within an enterprise network. The scale of Chinese logistics market is developing rapidly, whether it is e-commerce express delivery, cold chain transportation, international trade logistics and other fields, it is developing rapidly. Through an overview of block-chain and smart logistics, this paper discusses the feasibility and advantages of using block-chain in smart logistics. Including block-chain technology and the decentralization of smart logistics transaction subjects, efficient transaction mechanism, and transaction process security to discuss the important role of block-chain in smart logistics. At the same time, it analyzes the practical application of block-chain in SF Express, and analyzes the integration and development of block-chain and smart logistics. And at the end, it puts forward suggestions and prospects for the development of block-chain in smart logistics in the future.

The Economic and Political Role of the BRICS Member Countries on the World Stage and in Cooperation with Russia

The rapid growth of the economy in developing countries forces the world community to pay special attention to the countries that are members of the BRICS Union and occupy the place of the new actor of the global world. The turbulence of the modern geopolitical situation has presented the main world forces with civilizational problems that threaten the national security of countries, a fair world order, humanitarian and socio-economic values, stability of financial markets and trade logistics routes, as well as the effectiveness of cross-border transactions using various platforms, including cryptocurrencies and blockchain. The mutual interest of the Union countries in deepening and expanding relations in many areas of cooperation is disclosed in the article, both through the prism of modern world events and through the indicators of the foreign economic activity of Russian entrepreneurship. Consideration of the functioning of this union is relevant not only from the point of view of the formation of features of the new multipolar The author's use in the work of a structural and functional analysis of the interaction of the BRICS member countries with each other and the influence of the union on the international agenda makes it possible to attempt to predict the future development of cooperation between countries and the possible expansion of the union and its influence on the global economic and political situation. The additional purpose of this article is to disclose and assess the problems arising between the BRICS member countries and propose options for their solutions.

Why forest economy can become a driving force of the development of BRICS cooperaion

The changing global geopolitical and economic landscape generates growing interest in new strategic alliances among the world’s fastest growing economies. This is certainly true for the BRICS countries, whose importance for the contemporary world cannot be overestimated. As soon as the group begins to turn into a more institutionalized organization, the question of establishing closer and more numerous economic and social ties will arise. The paper analyzes the trends in the development of the forest economy in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa over the past two decades. It assesses each country’s share in the global timber harvesting and its position on the international market for forest products. Accounting for slightly less than 1/3 of the global annual harvest, the BRICS countries have boosted production and export of their forest products in the XXI century. According to our calculations, only India and China’s production and export of sawn timber and wood panels increased tenfold. The paper examines conditions for turning the forest economy into one of the drivers of cooperation between the BRICS countries and the existing financial, political and environmental constraints. Such cooperation will be possible if there is sufficient demand for forestry products in BRICS; it will require measures to radically improve the logistics of trade between the countries, given their great mutual remoteness. The important role of the BRICS countries in the global forest economy can become an important factor in the further development of cooperation within the group, especially after the expansion expected in 2024.

Оптимизация логистических маршрутов в целях сохранения безопасности поставки товаров в Российскую Федерацию в контуре параллельного импорта

In the context of economic uncertainty, it is difficult to control the business processes of organizations depend-ent on the import component in order to minimize risks in many (if not all) industries. Nowadays, the activities of organizations have become affected by negative factors, which include the implementation of sanctions policy by unfriendly countries, violation of foreign trade logistics routes, refusal of counterparties-importers to fulfill contractual obligations, withdrawal of foreign companies from the Russian market, and many others. Such phenomena as parallel imports, indirect and gray imports, new logistics chains and creative economic solu-tions have become a response to the challenges of the external environment. The aim of the article is to con-sider not only opportunities, but also limitations associated with the use of parallel import resources. In search of optimal solutions, an analysis of logistics routes for the supply of goods to the Russian Federation as part of parallel imports was carried out using the DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis – data convolution analysis) meth-od to confirm the effectiveness of individual directions. Delivery times, customs clearance costs, and the cost of transit through the EAEU were selected as input parameters, and rating, service, and supply volumes were se-lected as weekends.

A Systematic Literature Review of Factors to Improve Tanzania's Cross-Border E-Commerce Performance: Lessons from China

The study aimed at identifying factors which Tanzania can consider to improve its Cross-border e-commerce performance by reflecting on China’s experience. A systematic literature review methodology was applied, whereby 30 papers that have focused on analyzing influential factors of China’s Cross-border e-commerce from 2010 to 2023 were assessed. The results revealed that: Trade logistics and infrastructures, Government policies and support, Use of big data, Inter-Industry collaboration, Gross Domestic Product, Product diversification and low commodity prices are the factors which support China’s growth of Cross-border e-commerce.

Who carries the great trade? Logistics links between China and the world

ABSTRACT China accounted for 14.4% of the global exports of goods, ranking first in 2022, followed by the United States at 8.3%. As the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development commented, China has become a global trade titan, and its meteoric rise as perhaps one of the best stories of economic development has been both admired and questioned. This article discusses the reasons behind China becoming a global trade titan from the perspective of transport logistics by applying statistical analysis and case studies. The results show that the meteoric rise of China’s trade is inseparable from China’s development in transport logistics, especially investments in maritime transport construction and China Railway Express, which hugely promote the interconnectivity of transport infrastructure and reduce transportation duration and waiting time, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the imbalance of types of imports and exports in trade and the differences in infrastructure standards pose some problems. The research manages to give policy implications based on the existing problems of the current trade logistics system through case studies on Sino-US, Sino-EU and Sino-ASEAN trade relations and transport facilitation issues.

Trade Impediments in Indonesia

This study investigates the effect of various types of trade impediments on Indonesia's trade flows. We categorize tariff measures, non-tariff measures (NTMs), and the lack of trade facilitation measures into at-the-border and behind-the-border barriers. A gravity model is applied to a panel dataset covering 177 of Indonesia's trade partners from 2007 to 2016. This study shows that Indonesia's trade protection remains high, particularly due to the increasing use of NTMs. Furthermore, the lack of trade facilitation also contributes to increasing trade costs, particularly those associated with trade logistics and administration. We also demonstrate why feasible generalized least square is preferable to ordinary least squares and pseudo-Poisson maximum likelihood when estimating a gravity model using panel data that are auto-correlated and contain a large number of zero observations.

An artificial-intelligence-enabled sustainable supply chain model for B2C E-commerce business in the international trade

This work aims to improve the efficiency of logistics distribution in the international trade environment by optimizing the distribution path of the e-commerce supply chain model (SCM). First, this work analyzes the international trade and e-commerce backgrounds and unveils the existing problems in the sustainable supply chain model (SCM). Then, an experiment is designed to study sustainable SCM under the Business to Consumer (B2C) E-commerce business model and compare it to the Consumer to Consumer (C2C) business model. This research has important reference value for improving resource efficiency in the logistics field. The optimal experimental results of the model show that given an order quantity of 2000, the vehicle competition ratio (VCR) is only 1.1 when the vehicle capacity (VC) is 12. In contrast, when the VC is 72, the VCR is 1.45. Therefore, the greater that the load of a single vehicle in the logistics management system is, the higher the logistics distribution efficiency of the supply chain. The research content has practical application value for improving the efficiency of logistics distribution under the current e-commerce environment and promoting the digital and electronic development of international trade logistics.

Study on Coupling and Coordination of E-Commerce & Logistics and Urbanization Under County Agriculture and Rural Digitalization ——Take Sichuan & Shaanxi Revolutionary Base Area (Sichuan) as an Example

As an important part of the Rural Revitalization Strategy, e-commerce & logistics under the digitalization of county agriculture and rural areas is conducive to consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation and continuously narrowing the development gap between urban and rural areas, and is conducive to the revitalization and development of old revolutionary areas and the realization of new urbanization. Based on the coupled development theory and coordination theory, establish reasonable evaluation indicators, and use the coupled development model to explore the coupling relationship between county urbanization, logistics economy and rural e-commerce in the Sichuan & Shaanxi revolutionary base area (Sichuan) as a sample, and analyze and study the relationship between the three and their development laws. In the implementation plan of Sichuan Province for implementing the revitalization and development plan of the old revolutionary base areas in Sichuan & Shaanxi, it is proposed to build a number of logistics parks, logistics centers, distribution centers and third-party logistics information platforms based on regional central cities for trade logistics, accelerate the construction of trade centers and professional markets, create trade towns, and incorporate the rural market circulation system into the urbanization plan; For e-commerce, we should strengthen the construction of logistics distribution and other support systems, and actively develop county e-commerce.

Dynamic Information Grid Optimization of Trade Logistics Industry Sharing Based on Remote Sensing Image Analysis of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao

Using the nighttime light image of "Luojia No. 1", the urban built-up area of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is extracted by the simple threshold method and the urban night light index method adjusted by vegetation. It can weaken the oversaturation phenomenon of the "Luojia No. 1" image and reduce Mistaken extraction due to the "overflow" of the image. Calculate and compare the landscape index of urban built-up areas in the Greater Bay Area. Then use the gravity model to measure the highway logistics gravity in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, determine the road freight volume between cities, and use the logistics network The road logistics network in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao is optimized with the goal of minimizing the total cost, and the robustness of the optimization results under different carbon policies is further tested. The economic and social development of mainland China has had an important impact on the evolution of logistics layout in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In regional logistics planning, attention should be paid to the impact of industrial agglomeration such as spatial correlation, and attention should be paid to the impact of the environment and economic cycles on the optimization of regional logistics layout and the deep integration of industries. influences.

Bank‐intermediated trade finance and the intensive margin of African trade

AbstractThis paper presents evidence on the importance of bank‐intermediated trade finance for the intensive margin of African trade, using unique data from 43 African countries. It shows that African trade is underserved by banks. Banks intermediate about 40% of the region's trade – a far lower share than the global average of 80%. It finds that bank‐intermediated finance has a positive and significant effect on the intensive margin of African trade, even after accounting for the impact of domestic credit to the private sector. Estimates from standardised coefficients show that the impact of access to trade finance on trade volume for Africa is large and exceeds that of exchange rate volatility and trade logistics. These results suggest that policies aimed at promoting the region's trade should make access to bank‐intermediated finance a priority.

The Rising Trends of Smart E-Commerce Logistics

Smart Logistics (SL) offers a competitive advantage for e-commerce by utilizing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) such as IoT, AI, Blockchain, Cloud computing, 5G, etc. This technology automates, optimizes, and enables real-time tracking and monitoring of shipments, predicts, and prevents delays, and optimizes delivery routes and schedules. It also provides greater visibility and control, allowing e-commerce businesses to react quickly and efficiently to changes in demand or supply. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of digitalization on trade logistics in e-commerce, emphasizing the significance of smart logistics for the e-commerce industry. We reviewed 288 articles published in the last decade in the Scopus database to assess the maturity of research in this area. For researchers, this study provides a better understanding of smart e-commerce logistics and identifies research gaps in the literature. For e-commerce professionals, it can help them adopt the latest technological trends in their logistics. Through a systematic literature review and network analysis approach, the study has contributed by identifying 5 clusters related to ICT application fields in e-commerce and 5 clusters related to important ICT enablers in smart logistics. We also identified several research gaps and areas for future study, including the underutilization of computer vision technology and the need for further research on product quality inspection and accessibility for people with disabilities. Additionally, we suggest exploring the power of deep learning to solve Vehicle Routing Problems (VRP) and optimizing sensing data volume for minimizing costs associated with data storage and transfer. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in smart logistics for e-commerce and serves as a guide for future research in this field.