ESTIMATION OF GLOBAL LOGISTICS EXPENDITURES USING NEURAL NETWORKS

A comparative study of market potential for logistics outsourcing in Estonia and Finland

Purpose

This research analyzes the development of logistics outsourcing market in two countries, Estonia and Finland, with different paths as members of the single European market. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the two markets have become more similar or whether their logistics costs and logistics markets have developed differently over time.

Design/methodology/approach

The development of the logistics market is addressed through two survey-based variables. Logistics costs are used to measure the size of the logistics market, whereas logistics outsourcing is analyzed to measure the development phase as well as the market potential for logistics service provision.

Findings

Estonian logistics outsourcing market was found to be underdeveloped and small compared to the Finnish market. At the same time, the logistics costs of Finnish companies are high and rising, whereas the costs of Estonian firms are declining.

Research limitations/implications

The results imply that the level of outsourcing might explain the visibility of logistics costs, which should be taken into account when making estimates on logistics costs both at the firm as well as on country level.

Social implications

Logistics sector is an important source of national competitiveness and employment. This research identifies subareas for the two countries on how to develop competitiveness through the logistics market.

Originality/value

This research provides a unique method to estimate the size of logistics outsourcing market in these two countries. It also represents as one of the rare works to provide multiyear comparison between countries in logistics costs.

Estimating the national logistics outsourcing market size: a multi-method approach and an application to the Italian context

Purpose

Today logistics is an ever-growing multi-billion-dollar business, and logistics operations have been increasingly outsourced to specialised players. The intended aim of this paper is to offer a multi-method approach for estimating the size of the national logistics outsourcing market by building upon financial-reporting data of logistics service providers (LSPs).

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed approach is structured into four steps, clustered around two main stages: framework setting and data collection, and processing. A combination of methods is offered, including a review of academic literature and secondary sources, focus groups, interviews and data extractions from national databases.

Findings

The proposed approach is meant to be replicable in different countries, thus allowing for comparison amongst markets. With reference to a specific country and year, the following outputs are provided: market size in terms of the number of players and generated turnover – total and split by LSPs type – and market concentration measures. A practical application of the proposed approach to a specific context, i.e. Italy is finally offered.

Originality/value

The study focusses on the logistics outsourcing market and considers financial-reporting data from LSPs, avoiding the need for introducing assumptions about the value of logistics operations for shippers. The proposed approach can contribute to strengthening the accuracy of LSPs' market analyses, and supporting the development of national policies by local governments. The adoption of multiple methods brings rigour and reliability to the study. Finally, high flexibility is ensured, as the method may be adaptable over time to cope with future changes in the logistics landscape.

An unstructured big data approach for country logistics performance assessment in global supply chains

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the potential for the development of a country logistics performance assessment approach based upon textual big data analytics.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs design science principles. Data were collected using the Global Perspectives text corpus that describes the logistics systems of 20 countries from 2006–2014. The extracted texts were processed and analysed using text analytic techniques, and domain experts were employed for training and developing the approach.

Findings

The developed approach is able to generate results in the form of logistics performance assessments. It contributes towards the development of more informed weights of the different country logistics performance categories. That said, a larger text corpus and iterative classifier training is required to produce a more robust approach for benchmarking and ranking.

Practical implications

When successfully developed and implemented, the developed approach can be used by managers and government bodies, such as the World Bank and its stakeholders, to complement the Logistics Performance Index (LPI).

Originality/value

A new and unconventional approach for logistics system performance assessment is explored. A new potential for textual big data analytic applications in supply chain management is demonstrated. A contribution to performance management in operations and supply chain management is made by demonstrating how domain-specific text corpora can be transformed into an important source of performance information.

Estimating the size of the national logistics market

Purpose

The size of the logistics market is typically estimated from the national accounting and market data. However, this data does not take certain in-house logistics services into account and most likely underestimates the true size of the market. The purpose of this paper is to develop a method for estimating the potential size of the logistics market in terms of overall logistics expenditure and to also account for in-house services.

Design/methodology/approach

The research approach involves combining longitudinal industry- and firm-level turnover data, incorporating survey data from Finland on logistics outsourcing and costs, and calculating yearly logistics expenditure and the market demand for logistics services. Descriptive statistics, weighted arithmetic means and analyses of variance are employed in the estimations.

Findings

The research suggests and demonstrates a rigorous method for estimating the size of the logistics market, including both market-based demand and in-house services.

Research limitations/implications

The empirical data used to illustrate the result are limited to a single country. The methodology should be further validated with data from other countries. The quality of the survey data could be improved by targeting multiple informants from a single firm.

Social implications

One outcome of the research is that policymakers will be better able to estimate the size of the logistics market on a national level. For service providers, the results provide additional information on the market potential of logistics services.

Originality/value

The novelty of the research lies in combining multiple data sources and expanding the estimation of the logistics market to include services provided in-house.

Mediating and moderating influencers of firm performance

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to conduct an exploratory study that will assist supply chain firms in the development of partner satisfaction, flexibility, and supply chain performance. The authors examine how the interaction of information exchange, partner interaction, knowledge sharing and flexibility as mediated through partner satisfaction effectuates firm performance. The goal of this research is to answer the supply chain managers’ need to better understand where to invest their time and effort to get improved firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The model was tested with panel data from 105 experienced, US-based supply chain managers. Structural equation modeling using partial least squares approach was utilized to conduct the analysis.

Findings

The results provide crucial evidence that simple information exchange among supply chain partners does not result in improvements in firm performance or partner satisfaction, but, when mediated through the flexibility construct, it does. Further, the use of integration tools has a moderating effect on the relationship between flexibility and firm performance. The results suggest that working closely with supply chain partners helps ensure improved relationship satisfaction, and can reduce issues that can impact firm performance.

Research limitations/implications

The empirical research presented requires additional validation though larger sample data from supply chain managers.

Practical implications

This study stresses on the importance of managers using information exchange, partner interaction, and knowledge sharing as a means of improving their firm’s indirect influence on firm performance through flexibility and integration tools.

Originality/value

This is one of the few studies in the supply chain literature that integrates flexibility as a mediator variable. Additionally, this study introduces the new construct of integration tools to the supply chain literature.

Collaboration and the ‘3DayCar’: A Study of Automotive ICT Adoption

The 3DayCar programme reveals the principle source of delay during the order fulfilment process in the automotive industry as information processing not manufacturing. This suggests that information and communication technologies (ICT) are crucial in re-shaping industry structure towards customer responsiveness and building to order. This paper reports on the findings of a longitudinal study during a critical period for the industry where firms adopting web-enabled ICT seek to increase inter-organizational collaboration and gain competitive advantage over other supply chains. In all, 75 interviews across 28 firms examine the adoption of business-to-business (B2B) e-procurement and supply systems by vehicle manufacturers (VMs) and suppliers. Forms of organization are represented as a map of industry structure showing supply relationships and firm affiliation to B2B applications. VMs have tended to adopt a short-term price-driven approach using e-hubs and webEDI (electronic data interchange) in their attempts to control cost. Suppliers are concerned over an apparent disregard for firm autonomy, particularly those who have launched ICT projects of their own. Recommendations for the future are considered in light of what such large-scale efforts imply for design, deployment, and uses of ICT in industry settings.