Logistics Organization Research Articles

The role of port and logistics activities in Brussels

Logistics activities are an essential part of the urban economy. In the Brussels-Capital Region, this sector is concentrated in the canal area, as a supplement to port activities carried out there. The neighbourhoods along the canal therefore serve as a space for the concentration and distribution of goods transport necessary for the urban area of Brussels. However, this space is experiencing strong land and political pressure, prompting reconversion and deindustrialisation, to the benefit of housing, commercial and office projects. This movement may have a negative impact on the organisation of logistics in Brussels. More broadly, it highlights the paradoxes and limits of the territorial development policy in Brussels.

Improvement of Warehouse Operations Management by Considering Competencies of Human Resources

Clients generally require logistics services package from organizations engaged in the provision of warehouse logistics services. Successful performance of employees in organizations depend on their ability to adapt to changing environment, where personal competence is an essential factor. The article examines peculiarities of human resources impacts and its employment as a tool to develop organizations providing warehouse logistics services and ensure the quality of such services. The conducted qualitative research enabled to identify problem aspects of human resources, i.e. warehouse employees and managers, and competencies in logistics organizations

Результаты противорецидивной терапии острого лимфобластного лейкоза у детей по пилотному протоколу ALL-REZ-MВ-2014

The relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children is still a difficult task. This is due both to the difficulties of achieving a second remission and to the problems of organizing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in those patients who need it. The standard approach is the use of second-line drugs in the regime of high-dosage chemotherapy blocks, but the response rate for this treatment in patients with early relapses remains low and the response time is short. Recently, new drugs with different mechanisms of action have appeared that can give an opportunity for a full remission. The organization of a multicentre study on anti-relapse therapy in the Russian Federation is an urgent task, the solution of which can help in studying new approaches to therapy and in the organization of BMT logistics. This article presents the results of a pilot multicentre study on the treatment of relapses of ALL in children in the Russian Federation. The effectiveness of standard therapy for a group with late relapses and the efficacy and toxicity of interventional blocks with the use of bortezomib, clofarabine, nelarabine are presented.

Perceived HRM practices and organisational citizenship behaviour: a case study of a supply chain management solutions provider

This paper assesses the impact of perceived HRM practices on organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) and whether leader membership exchange (LMX) mediates this relationship. The required research data were retrieved from four different departments within a logistics and supply chain management organisation. The results show that there is a significant relationship between the HRM practices as perceived by a subordinate and their level of organisational citizenship behaviour. The relationship that subordinates have with their frontline manager (LMX) acts as a significant mediator. In the final section, of this paper the findings are discussed and recommendations for future research and practical implications are given.

Perceived HRM practices and organisational citizenship behaviour: a case study of a supply chain management solutions provider

This paper assesses the impact of perceived HRM practices on organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) and whether leader membership exchange (LMX) mediates this relationship. The required research data were retrieved from four different departments within a logistics and supply chain management organisation. The results show that there is a significant relationship between the HRM practices as perceived by a subordinate and their level of organisational citizenship behaviour. The relationship that subordinates have with their frontline manager (LMX) acts as a significant mediator. In the final section, of this paper the findings are discussed and recommendations for future research and practical implications are given.

The Effects of Coordination Mechanism on Vendor Buyer System of a Supply Chain

In this study, a supply chain consists of vendor and buyer, where the vendor and buyer are two distinct independent logistic organizations have been investigated. Supply chain management has the difficulties for the disconnected and independent economic individuals. Further, rapid technological changes and high competitiveness make supply chain more complex. Various companies have realized the potential for achieving a competitive advantage through effectively coordinating different logistics members in the supply chain. In this research, it is assumed that vendor and buyer are coordinated by sharing their status. Further, it is assumed the coordination mechanisms that can align their objectives and coordinate their activities by sharing the information between vendor and buyer. This plays an important role in decision making in order to mitigate the current challenges and to increase the system performance and individual profitability of the supply chain. The coordinated mechanism among the members of supply chain has been proposed to achieve the optimal solution. This study formulates mixed integer linear fractional programming models that maximize the ratio of return on investment. Numerical example with the sensitivity of different parameters has been deployed to validate the models. Results show that by coordination, the individual profit over and above joint profit could be increased and consumers purchasing price could be decreased.

Accounting for external turbulence of logistics organizations via performance measurement systems

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the role of upper management in designing performance measurement systems (PMS) that account for external turbulence of the organization and to show how this PMS design for turbulence impacts organizational resilience and distribution service performance. Design/methodology/approach Hypotheses are developed by integrating management accounting and strategic management perspectives into supply chain management and subsequently tested based on data from 431 logistics organizations (i.e. both logistics companies and internal logistics departments of manufacturing and retailing companies). Findings Attention focusing usage type of the PMS by the upper management fosters incorporating the element of risk into the PMS of the company. Further, PMS design for turbulence enhances organizational resilience, and, indirectly, this also leads to improved distribution service performance. Originality/value This paper is the first to introduce the concept of PMS design for turbulence to the literature and to show that it is relevant for supply chain risk management by fostering the capabilities and the performance of logistics organizations. Further, it is shown that a seemingly detached issue such as the general PMS use focus of the upper management impacts supply chain risk management.

From F-16 to F-35: Optimizing the Training of Pilots in the Royal Norwegian Air Force

The Norwegian Armed Forces will soon make the largest investment in its history. It plans to spend $8 billion to replace the Royal Norwegian Air Force’s existing fleet of F-16 aircraft with 52 new F-35 aircraft. The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) has undertaken multiple analyses to support the Norwegian Defence Logistics Organisation (NDLO) with the transition planning. During the transition period, Norway must maintain adequate fighter capability. The rate at which it can train new pilots and convert F-16 pilots to fly the F-35 will influence the cost and length of the transition period and the Air Force’s operational-readiness status. Although finding the optimal training rate for pilots is a difficult planning problem, we achieved substantial success by using an integer linear program to generate optimal plans. By using this model, we were able to investigate multiple scenarios for pilot training. We determined the earliest year that the Air Force could reach a fully operational F-35 fighter capability, the optimal ratio of new to converted pilots, and the number of pilots that FFI should train each year during the transition phase. Our results enabled FFI to generate a training plan that resulted in large savings and operational advantages compared to the previous solution, which did not employ operations research techniques for planning.

The Challenge of Reforming European Communist Legacy ‘Logistics’

ABSTRACTThis article posits four key challenges to address the question as to why logistics reform in Communist-legacy defense institutions has been so slow. First, what is the conceptual foundation for logistics in these countries? Second, what is the general state of national logistics capabilities in these countries? Third, why has the reform of logistics in these post-Communist legacy defense institutions been so slow and superficial? Fourth, in an attempt to understand the problem better, what do legacy defense institutions need to do themselves in order to be able to adopt modern Western logistics concepts? Conversely, what do donor nations need to understand about these legacy logistics organizations the better to enable them to understand the immense gap that divides Communist from Western logistics concepts? In addressing these questions, the author will argue two points. First, logistics reform has been impeded to date by a lack of appreciation on the part of particularly Western officials that legacy logistics concepts could not be more antithetical to their Western counterparts. Second, reform of legacy logistics organizations will not follow from attention and resources directed at tactical-level formations and importing the expeditionary logistics concept. Rather, the causation of the continued inability to adopt Western logistics concepts can be found in national-level policy, financing, laws, and regulations that continue to enable the operation of legacy concepts.

Keys to successful balanced scorecard implementation and use based on published implementation attempts

In recent years many companies have evolved from being centrally located and managed to decentralized, multi-national companies consisting of many separate entities to be strategically managed. In response to this and other changes, such as the need for better measurement of performance, a strategic management tool was developed called the Balanced Scorecard (BSC). This research provides a tool to guide and evaluate BSC implementation. A meta-synthesis approach was used to examine qualitative BSC data available in the literature that suggested eleven keys to successful BSC implementation and use. These keys are then used to benchmark an implementation in a government logistics organization.

Demand forecasting and order planning for humanitarian logistics: An empirical assessment

Humanitarian aid organizations are most known for their short-term emergency relief. While getting aid items to those in need can be challenging, long-term projects provide an opportunity for demand planning supported by forecasting methods. Based on standardized consumption data of the Operational Center Amsterdam of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF-OCA) regarding nineteen longer-term aid projects and over 2000 medical items consumed in 2013, we describe and analyze the forecasting and order planning process. We find that several internal and external factors influence forecast and order planning performance, be it indirectly through demand volatility and safety markup. Moreover, we identify opportunities for further improvement for MSF-OCA, and for humanitarian logistics organizations in general.

Is day-surgery laparoscopic cholecystectomy contraindicated in the elderly? Results from a retrospective study and literature review

Background and aimIdeally, day-surgery laparoscopic cholecystectomy (DLC) combines patient satisfaction with cost-effectiveness. However, DLC has not yet been widely applied in the elderly. Thus, to challenge the current perception of DLC as a contraindication, several parameters were investigated for the feasibility of DLC within the general and elderly population. A retrospective study was conducted to analyse age, along with other relevant patient characteristics, as factors leading to successful 24-h discharge. MethodsData were collected from 207 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) between 2010 and 2013. Of these patients, 154 were aged <75 years and 53 > 75 years, with a median age of 59.3 years. Comparisons of the length of post-surgical hospital stay were made. Further, the parameters influencing the surgeon's decision to discharge patients within a 24-h period were investigated: demographic data; patient characteristics such as age, sex and concomitant diseases; disease presentation; surgical experience; intraoperative complications; and post-operative course. The numbers of hospital readmissions and reoperations were established as parameters of failure. ResultsForty-five (21.7%) patients remained hospitalized up to 24 h. The majority of them had no co-morbidities, low American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grades, adenomas and uncomplicated gallstone disease. Eleven patients were aged >75 years. None of the patients died, whereas one patient was readmitted following DLC. ConsiderationsAge itself did not prove to be a contraindication for DLC. The patient's general health, disease presentation and the surgeon's attitude were the main factors favouring early discharge. Patient selection and patient-care facilities were crucial for successful outcomes. Some problems due to the logistical organization of the hospital and the surgical approach, which may impede DLC acceptance, are described herein.

Cutmark data and their implications for the planning depth of Late Pleistocene societies

Cutmarks provide empirical evidence for the exploitation of animal resources by past human groups. Their study may contribute substantially to our knowledge of economic behavior, including the procurement of prey and the analysis of butchery sequences. Butchering practices can be investigated using cutmark illustrations recorded on bone templates. In this paper, quantitative data on cutmarks were derived from published and unpublished cutmark drawings for 27 French assemblages dated between the late Middle Paleolithic and the final Upper Paleolithic. The analysis of cutmark data on meaty long bones (humerus, radio-ulna, femur, tibia) highlights strong variations in cutmark length and orientation in the sample that potentially reflect significant shifts in meat processing strategies during the Late Pleistocene. The present study shows that long longitudinal cutmarks are considerably more frequent during the Late Glacial Maximum than in the early Upper Paleolithic. Although the number of studies is small, actualistic data generated in controlled settings indicate that long longitudinal cutmarks are commonly produced during filleting, an activity closely associated with meat preservation, as is the case with drying and smoking. Because they provide information on possible changes in the capacity for anticipation, these results have potentially important implications for the logistical and economic organization of Paleolithic hominins.

Lean and green in the transport and logistics sector – a case study of simultaneous deployment

The transport and logistics sector is of vital importance for the stimulation of trade and hence the economic development of nations. However, over the last few years, this sector has taken central stage in the green agenda due to the negative environmental effects derived from its operations. Several disciplines including operations research and sub-areas of supply chain management such as green supply chains, green logistics and reverse logistics have tried to address this problem. However, despite the work undertaken through these disciplines, theoretical or empirical research into the sequential or simultaneous deployment of the lean and green paradigms, particularly, in the road transport and logistics sector is limited. This paper presents a case study where both paradigms have been combined to improve the transport operations of a world leader logistics organisation in the metropolitan area of Monterrey, Mexico. To do this, a systematic methodology and a novel tool called Sustainable Transportation Value Stream Map (STVSM) were proposed. The results obtained from the case study indicate that the concurrent deployment of the green and lean paradigms through such methodology and the STVSM tool is an effective approach to improve both operational efficiency and environmental performance of road transport operations. The paper can be used as a guiding reference for transport and logistics organisations to undertake improvement projects similar to the one presented in this paper. Additionally, this research also intends to stimulate scholarly research into the application of lean and green paradigms in the transport and logistics sector to expand the limited research pursued in this area.

How Expensive Is Expensive Enough? Opportunities for Cost Reductions in Offshore Wind Energy Logistics

This paper reveals that logistics may conservatively amount to 18% of the levelized cost of energy for offshore wind farms. This is the key finding from an extensive case study carried out within the organization of the world’s leading offshore wind farm developer and operator. The case study aimed to, and produced, a number of possible opportunities for offshore wind cost reductions through logistics innovation; however, within the case study company, no company-wide logistics organization existed to focus horizontally on reducing logistics costs in general. Logistics was not well defined within the case study company, and a logistics strategy did not exist. With full life-cycle costs of offshore wind farms still high enough to present a political challenge within the European Union in terms of legislation to ensure offshore wind diffusion beyond 2020, our research presents logistics as a next frontier for offshore wind constituencies. This important area of the supply chain is ripe to academically and professionally cultivate and harvest in terms of offshore wind energy cost reductions. Our paper suggests that a focused organizational approach for logistics both horizontally and vertically within the company organizations could be the way forward, coupled with a long-term legislative environment to enable the necessary investments in logistics assets and transport equipment.

ORGANIZATIONAL ASPECTS OF PROJECT FINANCING AS THE MECHANISM OF REALIZATION OF INVESTMENT PROJECTS

The purpose of the study As the goal of this work defined a comprehensive study of the essence of project financing and finding opportunities for its implementation in the Russian context. The stated goal logically led to the formulation and solution of the following tasks: 1. the review and update of the conceptual project financing; 2. performing risk analysis and project financing; 3. search of approaches to minimize the risks for the method of project financing. Research methods General scientific methods of cognition (synthesis, induction, deduction, classification, system and factor analysis constituted the methodological basis of research. The results of the study In the framework of the conducted research the following results are obtained: 1. The essence and clarify the definitions used in project financing, determined by its place in modern investment processes. 2. The basic differences of project financing from long-term investment lending, which consists in the fact that the project financing mechanism provides an opportunity to implement more reliable and effective assessment of the creditworthiness of the borrowers, to analyze investment projects in terms of their viability, feasibility, financial security, risk, and minimize project risks. 3. The developed model of project financing of investment projects. 4. A classification of risks that are typical for project financing. 5. 4 proposed strategies for a method of project financing in order to minimise risks. Conclusion The method of project financing, which is worldwide considered as a major political and economic tools in Russia has not yet received due development. This led to the fact that the Russian participants of the investment activities are forced to use a less efficient mechanism for long-term investment or lending tools and analogies learned from foreign law. Since the traditional Russian approaches and under existing law because of their lack of competitiveness in project Finance transactions are not used, requires further adapt the mechanism of project financing in the Russian conditions. Scientific novelty Scientific novelty of research consists in statement, a theoretical substantiation and resolution of complex issues involved: • systematization of the existing approaches to understanding the project financing; • clarifying the conceptual framework of project financing. Refined interpretation allows us to consider project Finance as a system, including related parties of the investment process (banks; insurance companies; initiators of investment projects; logistics organisations; service providers, etc.). This system is formed in order to implement investment projects in which the sources of debt repayment and returning cash to become produced by the project cash flows; • with the development of a 3-step model of project financing of investment projects; • with the creation of the modern classification of risks of project financing, under which the allocation of legal risks, risks of lack of access to land, design risks, construction risks, economic risks, price risks, leasing risks; • approaches that minimize risks during implementation of investment projects with use of project financing mechanisms. The essence of these approaches is to introduce into the working scheme of project financing of the special tools (internal control procedures, transfer of risk to professional agents split cash flows, risk differentiation between the main contractors).

Disaster management in case of CBRNe events: an innovative methodology to improve the safety knowledge of advisors and first responders

ABSTRACTNowadays, Chemical-Biological-Radiological-Nuclear-explosive (CBRNe) risks are one of the world's main safety concerns. The radiological disasters of Fukushima and Chernobyl, the chemical events of Seveso or the release of Sarin in the Tokyo Subway, the biological emergencies such as the H1N1 flu or the recent Ebola outbreak, and recent news about the availability of non-conventional weapons acquired by fundamentalist organisations represent evidence of potential future threats. CBRNe risks are a real and global threat. The University of Rome, Tor Vergata, in collaboration with the most important Italian and international bodies working in the field of CBRNe safety and security, and supported by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, organises International Masters Courses on the Protection against CBRNe events. Within this framework, a Table-Top Exercise was planned, in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defence. The scenario, the logistic organisation, on-going adjustments during the exercise and the outcomes are presented here and analysed.

Cluster Analysis and Spatial Modeling for Urban Freight. Identifying Homogeneous Urban Zones Based on Urban Form and Logistics Characteristics

Confronted with the issues of the ‘last mile’, delivery providers have to adapt their logistics organization in cities for more economic and environmental efficiency and in order to meet consumer requirements. A better and systematic use of the providers’ knowledge of the local conditions and of their expertise of cities’ specificities and delivery conditions is one way to reorganize logistics more efficiently and deal with urban logistics challenges. This article develops a preview of a decision-making tool using spatial modeling and clustering which help organize delivery regarding city's characteristics. The framework could help distribution providers achieve relevant and complete territorial diagnosis, prior to the settlement of efficient logistics organizations that suit cities’ characteristics.

Zero Emission City Logistics: Current Practices in Freight Electromobility and Feasibility in the Near Future

This paper examines the feasibility of using electric powered vehicles in urban freight transport from a carrier's perspective, including their attitudes towards electric freight vehicles (EFVs) and all relevant elements affecting this business case, such as: technological features, existing restricting and promoting policies, financial and non-financial incentives, type of operations, urban settings and logistics organization. We look at the business cases for different truck sizes, varying from small vans to large trucks, in relation to the logistics requirements. This contribution combines the relevant urban freight transport solution directions: technology (both for the vehicle and the supporting IT), logistics and policy. The attitudes of the different EFVs user groups are also taken into account. Only if all these elements support each other, a feasible case can be possible at this moment. We look at the current business case and make conclusions on where it is necessary to act in the near future in order to increase an uptake of electric freight vehicles. For this analysis we use the data collected from current demonstrations that are actually running in the European FP7 project FREVUE, which includes over 100 electric-powered vehicles in the cities of Amsterdam, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Milan, Oslo, Rotterdam, and Stockholm. This data includes operational, attitudinal and financial data for the before situation in which conventional vehicles were used and for the first year(s) where electric vehicles were operated.

On the research of linear programming solving methods for non-hierarchical spare parts supply chain planning

Abstract: The relevance of planning non-hierarchical supply chains has increased due to growing collaboration among industrial and logistic organizations once this planning approach aims to optimize the supply chain while preserving each actor's individuality. Linear programming is the predominant modelling approach to deal with non-hierarchical supply chains according to the state-of-the-art literature. Metaheuristics and exact methods are the classical solving methods for linear programming problems, with different characteristics in terms of solution quality and capability of handling complex problems in feasible computation time. In this context, this paper evaluates methods to solve linear programming problems considering their capability of dealing with most common decision model types associated with spare parts supply chains applying collaborative planning concepts. The gathered references substantiate the conclusion that, for normal sized problems, the simplex method continues to be the most attractive method. For bigger problems, interior point methods can be a better alternative. And for problems that surpass interior point method capacity, metaheuristics are recommended.