Sustainable city logsitics of last mile delivery and returns on the e-commerce market. Various groups of stakeholders’ perspective.
Project manager: dr. hab. inż. Maja Zofia Kiba-Janiak, prof. WUEB
The problems related to congestion, pollution of the natural environment and the growing number of road accidents as a result of goods deliveries to the city, constitute an important and always current topic of city logistics. The development of e-commerce market and the increasing demands of customers in this area intensified these problems. Issues related to the last mile deliveries and returns are discussed in a various scientific articles, however usually in a narrow dimension. The existing research referring to the discussed issue are of a fragmentary nature, usually concern a particular city, and focus mainly on a limited group of stakeholders. Meanwhile, the minimization of the negative effects associated with the last mile delivery organization applies to a wide range of stakeholders (e-clients, e-trade services, transport companies (especially CEP), local governments, inhabitants), which has been highlighted in many EU projects. However, there is a lack of scientific research that may indicate the tools, which can lead to a change in preferences of city logistics stakeholders in the area of last mile delivery and returns on the e-commerce market, and the possibility of changing these preferences to more sustainable (including environmental, economic and social aspects).
The above presented topics identify the literature and scientific gap, and constitutes the main reasons to take a research including the perspective of the various stakeholders, and identifying instruments that may lead to a change in preferences in terms of the last mile delivery organization in province capital cities. Therefore, the scientific objective of the project is the conceptualization of a model of sustainable city logistics of last mile delivery and returns on the e-commerce market including the perspective of all groups of stakeholders. The model will include the methods and tools that motivate to change stakeholders’ preferences in terms of the last mile delivery and returns, to be organized in a sustainable manner (environmentally, socially and economically).
The cognitive objective is to analyze the preferences of various groups of stakeholders in terms of the last mile delivery and returns as well as to identify factors that may motivate them to make sustainable choices within last mile delivery and returns. While the methodical objective is to develop tool with the usage of the conjoint analysis to test the preferences of various groups of stakeholders and the possibility of their change in the last mile delivery and returns in order to organize them in a sustainable manner. The proposed research has a primary research nature, and its aim is to increase knowledge about sustainable urban logistics in the e-commerce market obtained as a result of compromise and change of preferences of various stakeholder groups. The research will also contribute to the development of methodological knowledge in the field of methods and tools enabling the analysis of factors that allow for changing the preferences of stakeholders in the last mile delivery and returns, so that they are organized in a sustainable way (ecologically, socially and economically).
The research will be conducted in accordance with the following work plan:conducting a research using CAWI method (standardized Computer-Assisted Web Interview) among customers shopping at online stores, standardized and structured interviews within local governments, the representatives of the most recognizable e-commerce services and the representatives of transport companies, as well as conducting an expert panel with foreign and Polish experts (the representatives of the scientific community from Sweden, Netherlands, Great Britain, Germany, Brazil and Poland) with the participation of selected stakeholders of the last mile city logistics. Conclusions, based on the presented work plan, will have a theoretical character, and will contribute to the development of management theory, as part of a research trend of sustainable city logistics.
The need and innovatory nature of the research is a result of several reasons. First of all, in both EU projects as well as foreign and Polish literature, there is not any considerations and research related to a comprehensive approach, covering the perspective of all groups of stakeholders, to the problem of last mile delivery and returns on the e-commerce market. Secondly, no research has been yet conducted in order to identify factors that motivate stakeholders at the e-commerce market, to change their preferences in terms of deliveries and returns of goods purchased via Internet for a more sustainable one (including environmental, economic and social aspects). Moreover, the developed tools within the framework of the research will be applied in Brazil, which will allow to compare the stakeholders’ preferences operating in a different socio-economic environment. Thus, the research tool might be used also by other researchers and local authorities. Last by not least, the proposed research has aninterdisciplinary nature and is a part of a modern research trends for sustainable development and city logistics.
Funding organization:
National Science Center
Konkurs:
OPUS
Project duration:
16/07/2019 – 15/06/2024
Funding amount:
437 303 PLN
Project status:
Project completed
