Sustainability practices and indicators in food retail logistics:findings from an exploratory study

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview and an analysis of recent developments and changes in the implementation of sustainability practices by food retailers. It also aims to explore whether the sustainability measurement criteria and indicators identified in the literature can be applied in practice. A literature review identified the current trends, developments and the proposed sustainability objectives, criteria and indicators. Via case study research, we collected empirical data from four retailers. This involved both qualitative and quantitative data drawn from questionnaires and in-depth interviews with logistics directors from four retailers' distribution centres. The empirical data collected from the interviews indicate similarities in some of the characteristics of distribution centres, as well as differences. However, it was difficult to make cross-company comparisons due to the absence of benchmarks or assessments of the relative importance of each sustainability criterion and indicator. This research focused only on two sustainability objectives. Further research on other sustainability objectives is therefore required. Lessons learnt from the four case studies can be taken into consideration when developing future sustainability performance rating scales. The paper provides an in-depth analysis of sustainability in the food chain, with emphasis on food retailing. Its value lies in presenting an attempt to test in practice how a number of sustainability objectives, criteria and indicators are applied in logistics-related processes, identifying the gaps and reporting the potential difficulties.

Increasing competitiveness of third party logistics with RFID

Competition in the 3PL market continues to intensify as providers compete to win and retain clients. 3PL providers are required to reduce costs while offering tailored innovative logistical solutions in order to remain competitive. 3PL providers can reduce costs through the consolidation of assets and introduction of cross-docking activities. Innovative logistical services can be tailored to each client via the introduction of real-time data updates. This paper highlights that RFID enabled RTE can assist in improvements of both these areas through increased network visibility. A framework is presented where the 3PL provider focuses on asset reduction, asset utilisation, real-time data employment and RTE cycle time reduction in order to enhance competitiveness. © 2011 IEEE.

Impact of RFID in reverse logistics

This paper aims to discuss the recent literature on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and reverse logistics (RL). Particular attention is applied to the bullwhip effect and its increase as RL activities are integrated into the supply chain. RFID is investigated as a tool to assist with integrating reverse and forward logistics into a seamless supply chain and reduce the bullwhip effect. However, further research is required within this area and in particular the return on investment for RFID-enabled integrated systems.

Multi-criteria logistics distribution network design using SAS/OR

This paper explores the use of the optimization procedures in SAS/OR software with application to the contemporary logistics distribution network design using an integrated multiple criteria decision making approach. Unlike the traditional optimization techniques, the proposed approach, combining analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and goal programming (GP), considers both quantitative and qualitative factors. In the integrated approach, AHP is used to determine the relative importance weightings or priorities of alternative warehouses with respect to both deliverer oriented and customer oriented criteria. Then, a GP model incorporating the constraints of system, resource, and AHP priority is formulated to select the best set of warehouses without exceeding the limited available resources. To facilitate the use of integrated multiple criteria decision making approach by SAS users, an ORMCDM code was implemented in the SAS programming language. The SAS macro developed in this paper selects the chosen variables from a SAS data file and constructs sets of linear programming models based on the selected GP model. An example is given to illustrate how one could use the code to design the logistics distribution network.

The extent and impact of outsourcing:evidence from Germany

The authors use data from several sources, including plant-level data from the manufacturing sector in Germany, to expand the literature on outsourcing. They find that, in Germany, the extent of outsourcing among manufacturing industries is higher than among service industries and that the outsourcing intensity of these industries did not change much between 1995 and 2005. They also find a statistically significantly positive impact of industry-level outsourcing intensity on German plant-level labor productivity for both 2000 and 2005. The estimated economic impact of outsourcing on plant-level productivity is also fairly significant.

Technology flows, outsourcing and productivity:an analysis of UK trade and FDI

The literature on technology spillovers from trade and FDI is ambiguous in its findings. This may in part be because of the assumption in much of the work that trade and FDI flows are homogeneous in their determinants and thus in their effects. We develop a taxonomy of trade and FDI determinants based on R&D intensity and unit labour cost differentials, and test for the presence of spillovers from inward investment and imports on an extensive sample of UK manufacturing plants. We find that both trade and FDI have measurable spillover effects, but the sign and extent of these effects varies depending on the technological and factor cost differentials between the recipient and host economies. There is therefore an identifiable link between the determinants and effects of trade and FDI which the previous literature has not explored.

Country attractiveness for offshoring and offshore outsourcing:additional considerations

In this article, we review aspects relating to the attractiveness of India for information technology offshore – outsourcing. Our starting point is that, indeed, India will remain competitive in the short-medium term. However, more importantly, we move on to argue that country attractiveness is becoming a less important issue. We consider an alternative approach to analyze country attractive in which the client's strategic intent behind going offshore and the vendor's global dispersedness and its local knowledge define the attractiveness of the firm's offshoring strategy.

Technology flows, outsourcing and productivity:an analysis of UK trade and FDI

The literature on technology spillovers from trade and FDI is ambiguous in its findings. This may in part be because of the assumption in much of the work that trade and FDI flows are homogeneous in their determinants and thus in their effects. We develop a taxonomy of trade and FDI determinants based on R&D intensity and unit labour cost differentials, and test for the presence of spillovers from inward investment and imports on an extensive sample of UK manufacturing plants. We find that both trade and FDI have measurable spillover effects, but the sign and extent of these effects varies depending on the technological and factor cost differentials between the recipient and host economies. There is therefore an identifiable link between the determinants and effects of trade and FDI which the previous literature has not explored.

Outsourcing to a non-developed supplier market:the importance of operational aspects in outsourcing

This article investigates how firms manage outsourcing in situations of a non-developed supplier market. This study followed the initial outsourcing activities and strategies of two case companies in the wood product manufacturing industry. The findings show that greater focus needs to be placed on operational aspects associated with non-developed supplier markets, which contrasts with the traditional strategic view of outsourcing. For practitioners, this article suggests that it is important to emphasise that the learning curve for a supplier can be lengthy, and also that alternative outsourcing routes are available when outsourcing to a non-developed supplier market.