scholarly journals Urban Freight Last Mile Logistics—Challenges and Opportunities to Improve Sustainability: A Literature Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 8769
Author(s):  
Techane Bosona

Last mile logistics (LML) is the least efficient and complex part of supply chain. The main objective of this study was to identify major challenges of urban freight LML and opportunities for intervention. For this, 42 peer-reviewed full papers published after 2010 and three additional references were used. The findings indicated that urban freight flow has a trend of steady growth. The main driving forces behind this steady growth are population growth, urbanization, densification, globalization, online and omni-channel (OC) retailing, and urban economic development. Using typology analysis, three main potential freight LML configurations were mapped and discussed. Freight LML configurations that involve light cargo vehicles and cargo bike-based delivery schemes could be more attractive freight LML models if the delivery failure is minimized. The LML challenges were categorized as technological, infrastructural, LML system and management, and logistic cost related challenges, and discussed broadly. Similarly, the potential opportunities were discussed from environmental, economic, and social sustainability aspects. Finally, this report has pinpointed future potential research agendas related to LML. The study could be a knowledge base useful for academicians and practitioners, logistics and technical service providers, policy makers, and customers.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Btissam Moncef ◽  
Marlène Monnet Dupuy

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore sustainability paradoxes in sharing economy initiatives by focusing on logistics management in last-mile logistics.Design/methodology/approachIn this exploratory study, a total of 10 case studies were conducted in three categories of companies: anti-waste platforms, food delivery platforms and bicycle delivery companies. Twenty-seven face-to-face interviews with founders and/or managers and contractors (couriers, logistics service providers or volunteers) were the primary source of data collection. The heterogeneity of the sample enabled the authors to build an understanding of sustainability paradoxes in the logistics of sharing economy initiatives.FindingsThe findings indicate how logistics management impacts the sustainability of sharing economy initiatives in last-mile delivery. The authors identify seven paradoxical tensions (five of them social) generated by the contradictions between the organizations' promised environmental and social values and the impacts of their operations.Research limitations/implicationsThis exploratory research is based on a qualitative study of 10 cases and 27 interviews from heterogeneous samples; further empirical research is needed to ensure generalization.Practical implicationsThe paper increases the understanding of environmental and social paradoxical tensions and awareness of logistics challenges.Social implicationsThe paper helps identify ways to reconcile promised values and impacts generated by sharing economy initiatives while managing last-mile delivery.Originality/valueThe results enrich the literature about the paradoxes in sharing economy initiatives by providing illustrations in last-mile logistics and exposing the underlying challenges for sharing economy logistics actors.


Economics ◽  
2015 ◽  
pp. 703-727
Author(s):  
Georgousopoulos Christos ◽  
Ziouvelou Xenia ◽  
Ramfos Antonis ◽  
Kokkinakos Panagiotis ◽  
Anshu Jain ◽  
...  

Globalization, increasing automation, and the growth of the Internet are setting up a services-driven world at a scale and pace never before witnessed in history whose novelty is the proactive engagement of service recipients in the process of service delivery. Such change-driving forces will inevitably drive Government enterprises to reconsider the way that they deliver public services. As it has been realized in the industry, the transition of Government enterprises to the services-driven world will call for fundamental transformation in the provision of public services in the future, and a complete new way for Governments to work and interact with their citizens. Towards this direction, the authors propose an open innovation model through a process of democratic engagement between service providers and service recipients, where citizenship is reinstated at the heart of public service delivery. A service engineering methodology to support the proposed citizen-driven participatory design of public sector services is also provided.


Telos ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 668-691
Author(s):  
Anel Flores-Novelo ◽  
Ana Laura Bojórquez Carrillo ◽  
Gabriela Carla Cuadrado Barreto

Women in Latin America present unique challenges and opportunities due to the family responsibilities they assume because of their gender role. The article focuses on examining the driving forces for Latin American entrepreneurship as empowerment and family support, and the restraining forces as their exclusion from males spheres, labor discrimination, lack of support, and families responsibilities from an intersectionality approach. The study includes the implications of how the entrepreneurial phenomenon develops in the context of women in Latin American. Studies of this type in this context being scarce. Likewise, an analysis of entrepreneurial femininity is carried out to identify the most appropriate Latin context. Equally, an analysis model is proposed that integrates these driving and restrictive forces. The methodology is qualitative, cross-sectional, integrates the case study, semi-structured in-depth interviews, and discourse interpretation. The conclusion presents the women barriers face in startup businesses and how their family responsibilities limit them, being the key support for their development, especially in Latin American when they face a macho atmosphere and a social representation associated with femininity (seems to be contrary to entrepreneurial spirit), the main role of women in the home, without economic support, with financial responsibility for taking care of their families, is shown as a cause for businesses not to grow.


2003 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 83-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
K V Kamath ◽  
S S Kohli ◽  
P S Shenoy ◽  
Ranjana Kumar ◽  
R M Nayak ◽  
...  

A distinguished panel of managing directors and chief executive officers of some of the well-known banks in the country responded to the theme on the challenges and opportunities faced by the Indian banking sector in the liberalized environment. The contributors addressed the following issues: Financial reforms with specific reference to Indian banking industry focusing on implications to the existing players, new entrants, multinationals, and consumer behaviour. New and emerging opportunities: consumer and commercial banking. Competition: players, intensity, market size, profitability, and growth. Responses to challenges with reference to restructuring, automation, product delivery, and process reengineering. Issues related to governance, regulation, and audit. Product engineering, product design, and product delivery. Consumer expectations, feedback, cross-selling, customer relationship management(CRM), market segmentation, marketing, branding, and new products introduction. HR related issues: VR5, compensation, education and training, empowerment, and career plan. Future scenario: Broad trends in the next five years and the expected position. E-banking and its importance. Salient features of the responses included: The Indian banking sector is at an exciting point in its evolution. The opportu- nities to enter new business and new markets and to deliver higher levels of customer service are immense. As the Indian banks position themselves as financial service providers, banking business is getting redefined. Technology is unsettling the earlier business processes and customer behaviour is undergoing change. These have enhanced the forces of competition. Competitive advantage can be achieved through harnessing the potentialavailable in the employees by creating a positive work culture and enlisting the support of all the employees to the organizational goals. Indian banks have adopted better operational strategies and upgraded their skills. They have withstood the initial challenges and have become more adaptive to the changing environment. In the complex and fast changing environment, the only sustainable competitive advantage for banks is to give the customer an optimum blend of technology and traditional service. Four trends are fundamentally altering the banking industry: consolidation, globalization of operations, development of new technologies, and universali- zation of banking.


Author(s):  
V. Sridhar ◽  
Piyush Jain

This case highlights the challenges faced by organizations in developing countries in getting reliable, high-speed Internet access to support their mission critical web enabled information systems. The case prescribes various measures to optimally use the constrained bandwidth available from service providers. The challenges in defining and monitoring appropriate service level agreements with the service providers are discussed.


Author(s):  
Lizette Solis-Cortes ◽  
Falu Rami

This chapter focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's disproportionate impact on immigrants' careers and employment opportunities, and the dire need to address inequitable career development opportunities. COVID-19 has also highlighted the anti-immigrant sentiment and structural barriers that impact immigrant career experiences and outcomes. A second interrelated obstacle to immigrant career development paths are recent executive orders signed by Donald Trump in the United States against immigrants and refugees as well as global anti-immigrant and refugee policies such as Brexit and the Citizenship Amendment Act. Immigrant workers require advocacy, protection, and avenues to receive continued support during and post-pandemic. Resources for immigrant employers and employees including international resources, avenues for advocacy, and recommendations to service providers are discussed.


Dementia ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 147130122097305
Author(s):  
Tamara Sussman ◽  
Rebecca Pimienta ◽  
April Hayward

This study reports findings from a series of focus groups with persons with dementia and family caregivers intended to explore: (1) perceptions of and experiences with advance care planning (ACP); (2) concerns related to future care including, but not limited to, end-of-life care; and (3) practices that may support positive engagement with ACP. A total of 18 participants including 10 persons with dementia and eight family caregivers participated in five focus groups held in two urban cities in Canada. All focus group deliberations were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed in five stages using a semantic thematic approach. All participants expressed some form of engagement in ACP, but understandings were limited and divergence was expressed regarding the timing of more expansive conversations about future care. Although some persons with dementia were ready to engage in future care discussions, most preferred focusing on the present and suggested their families did not require direction. This placed families in the complex dilemma of protecting their loved ones while compromising their own needs for dialogue. Although individually focused models of ACP engagement hold promise for those persons with dementia ready to engage in future planning, our findings suggest that early engagement of families in the reflective process may go a long way in supporting ACP activation. Our findings further suggest that persons with dementia who do not have close family/friends may require extensive ACP encouragement and support from service providers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 67 ◽  
pp. 491-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renata Albergaria de Mello Bandeira ◽  
George Vasconcelos Goes ◽  
Daniel Neves Schmitz Gonçalves ◽  
Márcio de Almeida D'Agosto ◽  
Cíntia Machado de Oliveira

Author(s):  
Polina Butrina ◽  
Gabriela Del Carmen Girón-Valderrama ◽  
José Luis Machado-León ◽  
Anne Goodchild ◽  
Pramod C. Ayyalasomayajula

Pickup and delivery operations are an essential part of urban goods movements. However, rapid urban growth, increasing demand, and higher customer expectations have amplified the challenges of urban freight movement. In recent years, the industry has emphasized improving last-mile operations with the intent of focusing on what has been described as the last leg of the supply chain. In this paper, it is suggested that solving urban freight challenges requires an even more granular scale than the last mile, that is, the last 800 ft. The necessary operations in the last 800 ft require integration of diverse stakeholders, public and private infrastructure, and a diverse set of infrastructure users with multiple, varied objectives. That complexity has led to a gap in the needs of delivery operations and the characteristics of receiving facilities (i.e., unloading and loading facilities and pickup–drop-off locations). This paper focuses on accessibility for pickup and dropoff operations, taking a closer look at urban goods movement in the last 800 ft from the final customer. The paper presents and analyzes previously documented approaches and measures used to study the challenges at the proposed scale. Finally, it proposes a more holistic approach to address accessibility for urban pickup–delivery operations at the microscale to help develop more comprehensive urban freight transportation planning.


2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eftihia Nathanail ◽  
Michael Gogas ◽  
Giannis Adamos

Abstract This paper introduces a multi-stakeholder multi-criteria evaluation framework, which can be used for the assessment of the last mile distribution performance of urban freight terminals. To this end, a comparative analysis is conducted addressing two Greek urban intermodal freight terminals located at the port of Thessaloniki (ThPA) and Kuehne+Nagel (K+N)’s premises. The assessment of the terminals’ performance relies on a tailored multi-criteria Key Performance Indicator (KPI)-based evaluation framework, whereas the selection and significance of the incorporated criteria and KPIs is predetermined by the relevant responsible stakeholders, who imposed their viewpoint through an analytic hierarchy process. Results showed that ThPA was ranked first according to its performance pertaining to the role of an intermodal interchange; still, K+N’s performance index was only 8.5% lower than ThPA’s, while in specific KPIs it seems that it performs in a better way.


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