Logistics: The Emerging Frontiers of Transportation and Development in China

This paper makes a simple improvement to the DEA model, and analyzes the operating efficiency of China's airlines industry listed companies using the DEA model. We selected the main business costs, total assets and numbers of employees as input indicators, and selected earnings per share and main business income as output indicators. The results show that Air China and China Southern Airlines are DEA effective, having the best technical efficiency and the economies of scale unchanged. The way to improve efficiency is to strengthen the cost management under its current scale. China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Shanghai Airlines are not DEA effective, having weak technical efficiency and the economies of scale increased. The ways to improve efficiency are to increase the economies of scale and technological input.

With the accelerated process of urbanization and a rising degree of urban mobility, urban traffic problems arouse more social concern. There is a consensus on giving priority to the development of public transport which is an important move to implement scientific concepts and construct a resource-saving and environment-friendly society. It is also an important aspect to build a harmonious society. Based on an analysis of existing problems in city traffic, the paper puts forward urban traffic principles and basic contents of sustainable development, and analyzes and discusses the urban traffic costs. Last it puts forward a proposal on the sustainable development of urban traffic from a people-centered concept.

The development of the logistics industry has strongly driven the growth of the national economy. At the same time, the development of the national economy has given a great push to the logisitics industrial upgrade. In this paper, a regression model has been drawn up and combined with the data of industry and the national economy to set up a relativity model on the development and national economy level of the logistics industry. On the basis of this theoretical model, taking Chengdu city as a research object, some related data of this city from 1994 to 2003 have been collected to carry on the empirical analysis. Finally, some conclusions have been drawn: some relevance exists in the development of the logistics industry and the national economy and the logisitics industry development has made this high-speed growth of the national economy GDP a remarkable success.

"Golden trust" is a new financial investment product in China. This paper analyzes the traits and functions of this product, find that it is actually a logistic financial tool. From the case of golden trust, an innovative logistic financial model can be summed-up; we call it Warehouse Warrant Trust. In order to research this model in depth, the authors have analized some mathematic and economic models to explain the advantage of this logistic model; furthermore the manuscript also discussed Warehouse Warrant Trust Bank model. The conclusion is that Warehouse Warrant Trust is actually a movable property securitization product, and it is the most hopeful orientation for TPL financing's development.

In this article, the author puts forward a management model of supply chain CSR based on the communication and cooperation. By this model, a firm can lessen the need for formal monitoring and depend instead on the communication and cooperation. The mode is more likely to increase supplier compliance and improve relationships among firms within supply chains.

Based on the principles of economics, this article established new types of mathematical models among four key techno - economic indices of highway rapid passenger through transportation. According to the research and analysis on these parameters, there was some limitation in the existing transport organization method. In order to conquer that, the paper brought forward some new methods, such as the (Collecting and Distributing) (CD) Organization Method, Relay Organization Method, etc. What's more, further research was done to estimate their characteristics, such as feasibilities, operation processes, applicability fields, etc. These new types of models are investigated in order to fuse different organization methods, increase the vehicles' actual load rate, and improve the transporting productivity and the service level.

Based on HC emission sample data tested in engine idle condition, the statistical feature and statistical regularity of given type passenger car's HC emission were researched. The distribution function and distribution density function models were established respectively, which can subtly delineate the statistical regularity. In this research, the exact values of model parameters were given out also. The simulation modeling results replicate the real world test well. This research puts forward the concrete proposal to revise Chinese national standard of controlling vehicle emission, and points out that the I/M program should be strengthened in order to control vehicle emission pollution in normal use. This research should play an important part in calculating the HC emission data of passenger car accurately, evaluating the pollution caused by passenger car HC emission to atmospheric environment of cities and their suburbs accurately, and revising vehicle emission control laws and regulations.

Risk management is necessary on the basis that so many typical metro operation accidents and incidents have resulted in and from civil and foreign countries in recent years. The application of the risk management, proactive method and means in metro operation safety management is discussed. The idea is advanced that metro operation safety is managed on the basis of risk analysis; The Modified Risk Matrix, especially for the metro safety management, is built. On the base of risk analysis, control measures dealing with metro operation risks are presented.

In order to measure the technical efficiency of the Chinese urban transport industry, a panel of input-output data of 31 cities (capital cities and municipalities) from 1999 to 2004 was selected. Based on an economic production theory, the stochastic frontier analysis method was adopted to model the technical efficiency trends of the transport industry. Model test results indicate the technical efficiency of the Chinese urban transport is significant. Quantitative analysis shows that passenger capacity growth is mainly due to vehicles' input and technical efficiency enhancement while a lack of technical progress hinders productivity enhancement. Generally speaking, the technical efficiency of the Chinese urban public transport industry has great scope for improvement. Cities with technical efficiency at the frontier should focus on technical progress, while cities with low efficient technology should focus on efficiency to narrow the gap.

The international consolidation of the container port industry is relatively recent. A structural equations model is used to assess the impacts of global factors and consolidation on the container port industry, and tests whether the direction of change would result in an increasing or decreasing risk of commoditisation and footloose mobility. The structural model shows a significant covariance relationship between power and conflict. Regarding the regression coefficients, power and conflict both show direct positive effects on the level of consolidation in port services; but power only shows a minor direct effect, which suggests that consolidation strategies in ports have little to do with the level of power held by shipping lines over other channel members, including ports.

TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) is the only choice for China; a rapidly motorizing population of 1.3 billion. Transit, land development, and traffic organization are three core elements of TOD. Traffic organization is the link between transit and land development. Good traffic organization facilitates better accessibility for transit, cars, pedestrians and bicyclists, linking corridors and stations efficiently. This paper takes the City of Jinan's Beiyuan BRT corridor as the case to investigate pedestrian and vehicle traffic organization based on the above-mentioned TOD concepts. The results show that placing dedicated pedestrian corridors at each end of the 200m-long stations and separating vehicle corridors from the BRT corridor improves pedestrian accessibility and safety. The analysis model developed demonstrates that an about one minute per trip can be saved if dedicated pedestrian corridors are set at both ends of a station as compared with only one end. The research assumes the following: (1) traffic organization is consistent with BRT station design; (2) the adjacent stations are considered together, which means traffic organization is continuous along the corridor; and (3) the existing land development is protected by setting up parallel vehicle corridors.

Simulation can present some dynamic models of the real world. Thus, it is often used as a powerful decision-analyzing tool in various industries including logistics and supply chain systems. In this paper, based on the platform of Acme-Bolt Trucking game, different strategies are analyzed and compared when the transport route decision was faced. From the simulation results, we can see the impact of the risk upon the logistic process. Finally, the "cooperative" and "tit-for-tat" strategies are further discussed.

This article regards an industry chain as a dynamic strategic cooperative alliance which is comprised of several enterprises. Letter n is used to stand for the number of these enterprises. The distribution of profit among the participants is an inevitable question. We study the stability of industry chains from the viewpoint of suitable distribution of profit, because the suitable distribution of profit among the participants is the basis of stability of industry chains. First, we propose an n-person cooperative game model based on the characteristics of an industry chain. Then we try to seek the solution of this model with linear programming, thereby giving a method of distribution of the profits of the industry chain. In the end, we analyze the qualifications of industry chain stability presumptively.

This paper first points out that the retail terminal must participate in the implementation of reverse logistics for the realization of the circular economy. The reverse logistics networks of Retail Trade are divided into three types, i.e. the reverse logistics network with original path, the reverse logistics network with new path and the reverse logistics network with duplicate path. Based on the characteristics reverse network, this research optimized design model of reverse logistics network and set up a process to maximize the operation revenue at the retail terminal.

The establishment of modern agricultural logistics systems and the acceleration of modern agricultural logistics will not only bring benefits to the flourishing rural economy, improving rural conditions and promoting the quality of the farmers, but will also exert far-reaching influences on the accelerating agricultural modernization, enhancing the competitiveness of Chinese agricultural products in the international market, and resolving the Three Rural Issues. Based on Von Thunen's agricultural location theory, the paper is focused on the study of the modern agricultural logistics systems and sets up the modern agricultural logistics location mode. The modern agricultural logistics system should be established respectively in different areas at the county, prefecture and province levels, and be operated in the mode of "harmonization by government, market-orientation, support of platforms and enterprise operation".

This manuscript establishes a relational model of a corporation's input and output and proves the theory with case studies. The changing environment influences the corporation profoundly and Supply Chain Knowledge Flow is a large part of that changing environment. Corporations have to follow Supply Chain Logistics and Supply Chain Information Flow, which connect knowledge activity between different corporations. The knowledge output of the corporation is interrelated with two elements, which are the knowledge activity of the corporation itself and its partner.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a one-supplier-one-retailer supply chain that experiences a disruption in demand, production cost and logistics cost during the planning period. In this paper, we analyze the coordination when demand, production and logistics cost are disrupted simultaneously. We find that the logistics cost is very important for coordination price. The coordination price changes quickly under logistics cost disruption. We also introduce a price-sensitive coefficient for products on how to affect the supply chain profit after coordination. We find that this coefficient is the key for coordination validity. Using this paper's method, we may be realizing the maximum potential profit under all conditions.

Considering the characteristics of uncertain demand, short-life-cycle and long lead time for perishable commodities, the pricing and ordering problems of a decentralized two-echelon supply chain composed of a manufacturer and a retailer is studied. In this supply chain, the manufacturer acts as the leader of the Stackelberg game and makes decisions for benefits of the whole supply chain. A kind of combined contract of return policy and sales rebate that mix the advantages of return policy and sales rebate is suggested. By this combined contract, the manufacturer can promote the retailer to buy more products and encourage the retailer to try his best to sell the products, so it reduces the products returned by the retailer, offers both members more benefits, and optimizes the profit of the whole supply chain. Through this model, the rationality of this combined contract is proved. Numerical examples are given to compare the combined contract of return policy and sales rebate with the return policy. The results show that using the combined contract can more realize coordination and win-win of the supply chain by adjusting the parameters and have sufficient flexibility. In addition, advantages of combined contract of return policy and sales rebate in improving profits for both the whole supply chain and each member are discussed.

In the supply chain of agricultural product, the supplier's screening directly affect the circulating quality of products and the effective competitiveness of the market. This paper proposes four indicator systems for appraising the agricultural product vendors in direct distribution pattern. In light of the uncertain factors in the evaluation system, application of evidential reasoning (ER) approach to analysis and appraise. The ranking of scheme is finally generated on the basis of the magnitude of utilities by virtue of utility theory. The agricultural product supplier selection of supermarket is exemplified to demonstrate that the indicator systems and ER are effective in decision system.

Currently, COSCO and DOCKWISE are the two companies owning semi-submersible heavy lift ships as well as transport technologies. According to the characteristics of such ships and of the option game theory, this paper aims at the semi-submersible heavy lift ship investment analysis within the framework of extended net present value. In exploiting the theory of real option game analysis and calculating values of opportunities and flexibilities, it was hard to give precise estimates in previous investment analysis of such ships. This study also exploits the Black-Scholes formula, analyzes the operational benefits of semi-submersible heavy lift ship over the future years, decides the best investment opportunity, and applies real option game theory in connection with Matlab for equilibrium time point.

The article analyzes the relationship between land use of the cities in some areas and the traffic demand of each city in the region, while pointing out the problems of the traditional land use model in the regional traffic demand forecast. The problems include too much statistical work before the establishment of the model, the difficulty of the determination of the model's parameters because the models are non-linear, and as a result, the inaccurate relationship between the land use situations and the factors, such as population, economic development, GDP, etc, about the traffic demand in the territory. The large amount of inaccurate statistics skew the calculations. Because of the problems, one much briefer land use model, which consists of only two steps (that is, land use and traffic demand forecast) is established. The model connects land use situations of each city in the area investigated with the traffic demand of the cities in the territory compared with the traditional land use model being used in the regional traffic demand forecast, which takes three steps; that is: land use, the factors about trip generations, and traffic demand forecasts. So, the two-step model can forecast the regional traffic demand briefly and accurately.

China has met three-dimensional rural issues in rural economic construction during the process of establishing a socialist market economic system, which has become a serious bottleneck. There are many ways to solve three-dimensional rural issues, but the authors of this paper believe that design modern agricultural strategy is key to solving these problems. This paper sets up a two-dimensional model for agricultural logistic chains and makes a thorough analysis on the agricultural logistic situation as well as its causes both home and abroad by comparison. Agricultural producing chains are made up of preparation before producing, management during producing, processing after producing, commercial distribution and final consumption, on which basis we can analyze every link one by one guided by the thought that establishing logistic strategy to form an agricultural logistic strategy suitable for China's current situation. This strategy will promote agricultural economy construction and accelerate the resolve of three-dimensional rural issues.

The rapid development of our national economy has quickened the pace of urban motorization, bringing about great pressure for urban traffic. The continuous traffic jam has become one problem urgent for solution in urban cities. Traffic demand management, as one means to solve this problem, has become one important issue for urban traffic researchers in our nation, as well as an effective way for the realization of harmonious development of traffic system. The Game theory is one theory for the research of theoretic strategic behavior. Due to the existence of many behavior subjects with conflicting interests in the traffic demand management, the Game theory can be applied for their analysis of the reactions by different participants, providing some strategic decision basis for scientific application of traffic demand management. The present thesis focuses its research on the Game theory model between traffic demand management departments and traffic participants' traffic demand, finding out the respective optimized strategy and expense, under different conditions, analyzing the underlying problems of the model so as to provide some insurance measures for the application of traffic demand management.

From the view of the high-tech manufacturing enterprises listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets, the information system integration capability, logistics capability and partnership closeness are taken as the predisposing factors of supply chain management performance in this study to discuss how these factors influence the supply chain management performance and further verify whether the enterprise competitive advantages can be enhanced through improving the supply chain management performance. The demonstration results support that the information system integration capability can directly influence the logistics capability, the partnership closeness and the supply chain management performance and can indirectly influence the competitive advantages and financial performance through influencing the supply chain management performance.

Based on the features of port logistics, this paper utilizes a three-phase model to select the cooperative partners of port logistics. The primary selection phase sets the unalterable indexes to eliminate the unqualified candidates. The filter selection phase constructs the index system to evaluate the cooperative partners, and then calculates the interrelatedness degree and the priority degree by using the dependence function of the extension theory to select some better candidates into the optimal process. The optimal phase establishes an integer-programming model to solve the multi-objective optimization problem, with the consideration of the concept of joint-cost that includes transaction costs. It solves the integer-programming model with the Dijkstra method of minimum path arithmetic so as to enhance the effectiveness of the result. At last, it gives an example to utilize the three-phase partner selection model of the port logistics enterprises, which proves to be an effective method.

To facilitate the accessorial function of producer logistics to the development of manufacture, consumption and regional economy, and to ensure successful manufacturing on aspects of efficiency, benefit and quality, based on math-economics theories, taking the future demand of production and consumption as the foundation of making logistics policies and guidelines, a macroscopic model has been constructed to make logistics policies by integrating the utility function, production function, supply function, profit principle and compositive control. From the point of cybernetics, the research presents and explains that the relation between making logistics policies and the development of a logistics system is such an evolution that the positive and negative feedback control alternate on each logistics function while both of them exist synchronously in form of interlacement on the whole logistics system.

This paper will research the Olympic logistics distribution center and provide a center location model by the analysis of the process of the Olympic logistics distribution system and the comparison of that traditional Olympic distribution method and the modern Olympic logistics distribution system under electronic commerce on the basis of this logistics distribution center location model. The calculation of this model also implies that the director of the Olympic Games can work out the formula by Lingo software Excel software, and so on. It can draw a conclusion: whether the Olympic Games has been held successfully.

An integrated procedure for math modeling and power control strategy design for a fuel cell hybrid vehicle (FCHV) is presented in this paper. Dynamic math model of the powertrain is constructed first, which includes four modules: fuel cell engine, DC/DC inverter, motor-driver, and power battery. Based on the math model, a power control principle is designed, which uses full-states closed-loop feedback algorithm. To implement full-states feedback, a Luenberger state observer is designed to estimate open circuit voltage (OCV) of the battery, which makes the control principle insensitive to the battery SOC (state of charge) estimated error. Full-states feedback controller is then designed through analyzing step in responding to the powertrain and testing data. In the end, the results of simulation and field test are illustrated. The results show that the proposed power control strategy takes into account the performance and economic characteristics of FCHV powertrain components and achieves control object.

In this paper we will first use principal-component analysis to convert all operation factors of port logistic corporations into several synthetic factors, then use the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and the results of principal-component analysis (PCA) to evaluate the operation effect of port logistic corporations. The achievement of this research will help the management of port logistic corporations to find unreasonable taches during its operation and can reduce decision-making randomly and blindness.

The coordination of the supply chain has an impact on its entire profit and competitiveness directly, but there are many obstacles when achieving coordination in practice. To achieve coordination, this paper will propose joint decision and put forward two concepts—profit incentive and relation incentive—which impel different stages to take joint decision. Firstly, we will develop profit models of single supplier-buyer system in the supply chain, and then derive a quantity discount rate range, which guarantees that both the buyer and supplier will gain more profits than they would in a decentralized decision situation. Thus the reasonable quantity discount policy can provide the joint decision with profit incentive. Then, we will show that trust and cooperation in the supply chain can lower transaction cost, increase both parties' profits and create a win-win situation. Therefore, trust and cooperation provide joint decision with relation incentive. Finally, some implementation recommendations will be proposed when trying to achieve coordination with joint decision.

The relation between logistics systems and other socio-economic systems is close but complex; the randomness and uncertainties of their interaction shows a typical grey feature. In this paper, a grey relation entropy analysis method is proposed to discuss the major affecting factors of logistics development. Total freight traffic, the mapping variable of a logistics system, is taken as a reference series, and the mapping variables of other social-economic systems are taken as compared series. After calculating the values of grey relation entropy and entropy relation grade between reference series and compared series, the major affecting factors of logistics development are obtained which are based on the sequence of each compared mapping variable. The greater the relative degree between grey relation entropy and entropy relation of comparison series, the more relevance between the comparison and the reference. This method is objective and quantitative and can overcome shortcomings of subjective/qualitative analysis, and the result is quite reasonable and reliable. A practical example is given to demonstrate its application and availability.

It has been a great challenge for the modern urban transportation system to compromise between the rapid metropolitan development in China and the continuous deterioration in environmental conditions. As one of the fundamental industries, urban transportation has global and pre-leading impact on the national economic development. We need to develop an adequate strategy and policy for the transportation development, in order to accomplish a long-lasting and economical transportation system. We analyzed the urban transportation conditions in China, insufficient supply for the foundational transportation facilities, weakness in transportation management, and inadequate public transportation structures. We proposed new strategies for green development of transportation; strengthening the planning of transportation facilities and development policy, encouraging public transportation, arranging man-powered transportation appropriately, making optimal transportation policy, protecting management policy and regulations, and securing new transportation technologies and funds. The research and practice showed that the keys for the green development of urban transportation are the coordination between urban and transportation planning, the combination of governmental guidance and private marketing, and construction of a corporate transportation hub.

Cooperation in the supply chain between coal and electricity units has been increasing quickly since 2003, and a key issue is the cooperation mode selection. Based on the existing forms of cooperation, the selection of cooperation partner is analyzed in a dynamic multi-agent framework. Further, the optimal level of cooperation intensity is studied in a static game theory. The results show that the patterns of cooperation between enterprises take up the largest proportion among all the cooperation patterns, the electricity enterprises play a major role in selecting cooperation partners, and their preferences depend on their financial situations. Electricity enterprises choose an integration mode when sufficient cash is available, otherwise opt for joint ventures.

In order to forecast and analyze the development and various characteristics of container shipping market accurately, this paper applies economical cybernetics in container shipping market, establishes economic cybernetics forecast model for container shipping market, analyzes market structure, regulation and influencing factors of container shipping market from three basic aspects of need sub-system, supply sub-system and freight sub-system. On the basis of these, the model is used to forecast and simulate container shipping market, discuss system stability, feedback control and optimize decision. The predicted result and actual data fit well, so the model can reflect container shipping market more accurately. The application of economic cybernetics model can provide valid help when decision makers of liner shipping companies are carrying out decision-making for production and management such as container ship's capacity allocation and liner route planning.

As the global economic integration speeds up, economic relationship between countries has tied closely. Shipping industry plays an important role in that system. Shipping enterprises are the most powerful support of shipping industry. Under this situation, much effort should be put on the study of shipping enterprises' growth and the interaction with shipping market and shipping market cycle must be considered. Therefore, the paper first analyzes the influence on shipping enterprises of shipping market cycle qualitatively. Then, it takes on the maximum entropy spectral analysis creatively to calculate the shipping market period. It provides theoretical guidance to the shipping enterprises growing. And the shipping enterprises could grasp the rule of shipping market volatility, seize the development opportunities and promote their own growth eventually.

Analyzing the difference of the multi-form logistics alliance, this paper has found out the main characteristic of logistics alliance leading on manufacturing company. Combined the case of Shanghai GM, it has proposed several key problems that logistics alliance leading on manufacturing company needs solving in the course of setting up and managing.

This study aims at comparing research in supply chain management (SCM) between China and abroad from 2002 to 2006 by the three-dimensional standard: primary actor of analysis, level of analysis and research methods. The results show: 1) Manufacture and retailer are the most common companies studied in SCM both domestically and abroad; 2) The "supply chain" is by far the most common level of analysis in national and international research; 3) Quantitative methods, especially lab experiments, have dominated the SCM research carried out domestically Non- empirical studies predominate in China, while papers published abroad tend to be grounded on empirical evidence. We also predict future directions of research on the basis of our study.

As a service industry, Logistics enterprises are measured by the customer satisfaction as the key factors for enterprises' development. This article analyzes the factors that affect the pricing of logistics customer service first, designs the complete information static state game model and repetition game model on pricing of logistics customer service based on customer satisfaction. It also points out that the strategy is not only good for logistics enterprises to obtain more benefits, but also beneficial for improving of service quality. Last, this article provides some guideline to develop reasonable pricing strategies.

Nowadays Chinese logistics enterprises pay more attention to customer satisfaction management. However there is no mature measurement system to assess customer satisfaction and no objective appraisal of Chinese logistics enterprise. This study establishes a customer satisfaction measurement system of logistics enterprise from the perspective of customers. Questionnaire survey is used to collect data. Reliability analysis and validity analysis are taken using SPSS 11.0. Importance-Performance Matrix is used to analyze the customer satisfaction and relevant influential factors. The result shows that the customer satisfaction of Chinese logistics enterprise is comparatively low. It is effective to focus on the key factors to improve the logistics service level. Meanwhile, the low demand for integrated logistics service also has great negative effect on the service level of logistics enterprise. As a result, the nurturing of Chinese logistics market should not only pay attention to the improvement of service level on supplier side, but also should enhance the logistics management level of demand side to promote further development of logistics market.

The logistics financial management of the supply chain system (LFMSCS) is a complex system of management and control. Its management areas have transcended the enterprises' borders, established on the basis of a "virtual organization" made up of nodes in the logistics process. It has the characteristics of self-organizing, self-similarity, open and dynamic. By combining the system dynamics theory with the principle of LFMSCS, we build its system dynamics model. Studying it with the system dynamic theory better fits the complexity and dynamic characteristic of the supply chain. It provides the theoretical basis and operating strategies to enhance logistics financial management capacity and also set up a theoretical framework for the micro-study.

Firstly, the trend of the development of container ports is described in this thesis. Then, port competitiveness and its impact on the ship owners and consignors is introduced. Secondly, according to the behavior of the players in the container transportation game, the carrier's and shipper's optimization objectives are respectively set up. Then, simulating the decision process by carrier and shipper, we present a carrier-shipper game model for the optimization of the transportation networks. A genetic algorithm is applied to solve this large scale bi-level constraints combined optimization model.

This research covers major transport hub warehousing finance based on financial logistics of supply chain system, describes its complexity that is different from the characteristics of the general logistics. It makes full use of the qualitative and quantitative knowledge bases of commercial banks & major transport hub's warehousing financing system. This paper deals with the complex data and problems intelligently in the process of financing. According to the self-organization optimization of major transport hub's warehousing financing system, this paper discusses the problems that may arise in the process of major transport hub warehousing financing and solves financing programs. It analyzes and solves the quantity solutions of the supply chain system's major transport hub warehousing financing by system dynamics models, and supplies quantitative basis to supply chain system's financing.

Factoring financing business is analyzed. FMEA is introduced to identify the risk of logistics factoring business, and FTA is used to assess the risks of logistics factoring financing in two sides, which are qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis. Special effect of the supply chain efficiency and logistics factoring financing are taken into account synthetically, and finally, the concrete methods to control logistics factoring financing are found by the means of obviating, preventing, spreading, separating and shifting risks.

A public logistics network (PLN) is for fast, flexible, and low-cost means of parcel transport. This paper presents a design for a PLN covering the Pearl River Delta (PRD) area, Canton Province, China. The logistics road network is determined by using national expressways and provincial highways. This road network is then used for developing the PLN by selecting some of its nodes as the locations for regional logistics parks (RLPs) and distribution centers (DCs). The minimum average freight transport time is calculated to get an optimized logistics network. An analogy method is also used to make comparisons of PRD area with regions in developed countries. It is concluded the best average freight transport time in PRD is 6.11 hrs; and 4 RLPs are selected in the network. The best number of DCs for PRD is 10, which is much less than the number of DCs planned by the PRD local government.

To effectively understand the impetus function of the improvement of the regional logistics capability to promote regional economic growth, this paper put forward a constituent architecture of regional logistics capability and established quantitative method. First, a comprehensive analysis was carried out to the concept and constituent elements of regional logistics capability; on this basis, a precise definition of regional logistics capability was given. Then a brand-new three-layer quantitative index system was constructed, consisting of the key element of supporting capability of infrastructure, supportability of an information system, management operational capability, and supportive capability of the development environment. Finally, in view of the uncertainty and fuzziness of some quantitative indices, a fuzzy matter-element model was set up by combining the entropy value theory with fuzzy matter-element. The typical provinces of different economic regions of China were chosen as samples, the corresponding quantitative value was calculated, and the measuring, sorting and comparing of the logistics capability of the different regions was implemented. The case study indicates that the model can reflect the characteristics of the regional logistics capability perfectly, and the quantitative result is objective, reasonable and scientific.

With an ever-insufficient supply of resources and a deteriorating environmental pollution, the issue of efficiency is a key of both policy makers and transportation enterprises to assess how efficiently an economy transforms its labor, capital, and raw materials into goods and services. This paper examines the trends of technical efficiency in the transportation industries covering the period from 1998 to 2005 in China. The DEA method has been employed to calculate the technical efficiency scores of the transportation industries, and to identify the key determinants of their efficiency scores. Examination of the data adopts two stages: the first stage involves the measurement of technical efficiency effects, under the assumption that those inefficiency effects are identically distributed. The second stage employs a simple linear regression model to identify the determinants affecting the technical efficiency. We conclude that capital expenditures, company size, and human capital were all found to have positive effects on the efficiency of companies in the transportation industries, but ownership has little effect on the efficiency of these companies.

Based on the economic and Rail Freight Traffic data of Shanghai between 1990 and 2005, this paper aims to investigate the relationship between Rail Freight Traffic and economic growth, both the cointegration theory and Eviews software is applied. The main conclusions of this paper are as follows: The ranger causality test suggests that a single Granger causality relationship exits between the Rail Freight Traffic and GDP as well as the Rail Freight Traffic ton-kilometer and GDP; The Granger causality test indicates that the rail freight has been decreasing in recent years, and related departments should pay attention to this change; Some corresponding prospects and advice are given finally.

This paper aims to study Competition Equilibrium Analysis and Network Scale Game of Container Port. First, we analyze structure characteristic of container port, and study the internal relationship between scale economy and port competition, natural monopoly and increasing scale returns. Second, a series of non-cooperative static and dynamic game models of port scale competition are constructed based on game theory. Then, we discuss the solution of sub-game perfect Nash equilibrium of N-port, and put forward a new idea of port group of "one to one", which is aiming to the problem of complication of demand function and cost function, in the process of solving process of N-stage issues. At last, we obtained the conclusion that gains of port aren't proportion to its scale.

Procurement plays a crucial role in logistics project management, while bidding is an essential stage during this process. Based on the need of project procurement, bidding is a decisive work which calls for seeking, analysis and comparison to ensure the supplier and high quality of the logistics project. Those subjective factors in the bid evaluation process—the contractor's excessive promise in the negotiation stage and owner's subjective risks—have significant influence on the quality of logistics tendering and bidding. Thus it is quite worthwhile to bring the ideas founded on the artificial neural network of immunity (ANNI) into the project bidding stage. Established on the logistics project bidding evaluation nerve network system, this article puts forward the simulation model of the ANNI system and the method of process simulation through the analysis of the project procurement bidding evaluating process based on an immune algorithm. By identifying the target of synthetic immunity, it realizes active control over bid evaluation risks. Combined with a bidding case of a project, the issue also proves the feasibility of the method in logistics project management.

The problem of fixing a tolling year of the toll road is a hot topic after toll-by-weight. This text introduces the expression of tolling year at the present tolling system and its disadvantage when fixing a tolling year after toll-by-weight. This text puts forward the use of the Net Present Value to fix a tolling year of an expressway to make a more reasonable distribution of the community resources, and introduces the toll income and expenditure forecast under the model of toll-by-weight when confirming parameters. Finally this text shows the rationality and practicability through comparing the real tolling year of the Luo-Ling expressway with that calculated by the method.

Based on survey design and samples determined, this paper investigates more than 300 logistics enterprises in Sichuan, Shanghai, Guangdong and other places by means of mailing questionnaire and face-to face survey. The findings were processed by SPSS software. Through factor analysis, the main factors formed logistics alliance were found, that is trust identity, union recognition, organizational constraints, and institutional constraints. And this paper sets up the model of factors affecting logistics alliance formation.

Using principal component analysis, according to brief and feasible principle, a comprehensive index system of logistics development evaluation which has twenty indexes is established. This system has three core logistic systems including transportation flow, commercial and trade flow, information flow and some subsidiary systems of social and economic development. In the past thirty years, logistics development in China has achieved significant achievements. Especially after 1990s, logistic industry got rapid development. But the differences of logistic development among eastern China, central China and western China became more and more great. Analyzing the reason, it had direct correlation with the differences among the three regions in economic development. About the logistics spatial distribution, it shows "five circles and two belts" characteristic. Five circles are Bohai logistics circle, Yangtze Delta logistics circle, Logistics circle around Taiwan Strait, Pearl River Delta logistics circle, logistics circle around Beibu Gulf. Two belts were Yangtze River Basin logistics belt and Eurasia Land Bridge logistics belt.

By using the data from China Statistic Yearbook, China Economic Census Yearbook, input-output table of China, this paper analyzes the interrelation between the growth rate of production value of Chinese transportation and the primary, secondary and tertiary industry in national economy, the input-output relation among road transportation, railway transportation, water transportation and industry, commodity circulation, as well as the relation between Chinese transportation enterprise, industry and commodity circulation enterprise. The results show that strong interrelation lies between Chinese transportation and the development of industry and commerce, so the key of speeding up the development of Chinese transportation is to integrate resources, enlarge the scale, and realize the common development with industry and commerce.

The theory of sustainable development has received worldwide recognition. Toward applying the theory of sustainable development to road planning and design, firstly we study the definition and basic features of sustainable development of a road transportation system. Secondly, through connotation analysis, the relations between a road transportation system and an economy, society as well as the environment are indicated. Thirdly, we investigate two practical cases: the lane widths of urban roads and the urban bicycle transportation system. For the first case, the minimum lane width is obtained by theoretic calculation. After that, the relation between section capacity and lane width is achieved through site observation. We conclude that properly adjusting the lane width and increasing the number of lanes is beneficial to transportation efficiency. For the second case, we put forward four basic principles and two key tasks in bicycle transportation system planning and then propose two policy suggestions for developing bicycle transportation system.

Since the 1950s, besides reformation and extension of previous ports, our country has established many new deep water ports, and other deep-water harbours in 15 ports, which have made great changes in port outlook. However, while the operation and construction of ports bring economic development opportunities, they also cause serious environmental pollution to the port waters. First, based on the green ideal, the paper analyzes environmental pollution around ports caused by the ballast water of ships, the ship's "for the oil" operations, industrial sewage discharged from the port and surrounding industrial areas without full purification, and domestic sewage; then, it studies the problem with qualitative and quantitative analysis, and points out some corresponding processing measures. We hope this paper will provide necessary evidence for the construction and pollution-free operation of China's ports.

This paper studies the competition and cooperation problem between the port and shipping company in port supply chain. A game theory approach is used to study the problem about the optimal input of effort costs and pricing between the port and shipping company. The first is the traditional Stackelberg model where the port is the leader. Then, incorporating the trend of the improving status of shipping companies, we analyze a model where a shipping company is the leader. Finally, we discuss a cooperative promotion model. The conclusion is that the model can intensify the fellowship between port and shipping company, improving profit and creating a win-win situation between the participants in port supply chain.

Rough set theory is a new data processing method which is a powerful tool of an uncertain analysis system; classification rules or decision-making rules can be derived by knowledge reduction under the premise of maintaining the reliability of knowledge. In this paper, on the basis of analyzing the features and the necessity for social profit evaluation on the construction project of logistics center. The social profit evaluation index system is built according to a different way of pervasion. Based on the rough set theory, this paper creates the evaluation model of social profit of a construction project of a logistics center, and explains the process of simplifying the decision-making table by examples, and it conducts a quantitative process in the evaluation index. Thus the social profit evaluation and decision-making system of the whole construction project of the logistics center would be simplified.

Driven by great demand and enthusiasm on the construction of ports, some excessive construction of ports has led to the waste of precious resource. The importance of the research on regional port hierarchy layout is evident. The research employs the Fuzzy Clustering Algorithm to study Regional Port Hierarchy Layout, and eight coastal ports in Shandong province are used as examples. The results indicate that the fuzzy c means clustering based on the objective function is effective in regional port hierarchical layout, and can provide the theoretical support to the port layout.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is playing an important part in the urban transportation system. This study aims at specifying the applicability of BRT and rail transit, especially the light rail transit (LRT), as well as the competition relationship between them, to give suggestions on choice making between BRT and rail transit in big cities in China. Based on an all-round review of domestic and international research and practice of BRT and rail transit, the economic and technical characteristics as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each mode are acquired. Then through two passenger surveys, the competition relationship between BRT and LRT is discussed. Attention is paid to the station and stop influence characteristics in Beijing. It is concluded that despite the many similarities between the two modes, rail transit has a larger influence scope and is better for the future development of the surrounding regions, and BRT is more suitable for transport corridors with fully grown passenger flow.

Business logistics has become a very important part of many companies. In some cases, the costs of logistics account for more than 30% of the sales dollar. Therefore, a good plan for the organisation and the control of the supply chain and distribution structure is vital to minimise the amount of time and personnel required, which in turn, lowers the cost. Meanwhile, the company must maintain or even improve the quality of their product in order to keep their customers satisfied. A case study on Burberry Limited is used as an example in this report to demonstrate how a supply chain and a distribution structure operate in the company. First, the paper introduces the background knowledge from the perspectives of Burberry's history and its business structure; second, the structure of Burberry's supply chain is thoroughly described; after that, how Burberry operates its communication is discussed; next, Burberry's distribution system is presented, followed by a demonstration of Burberry's scheduling and routing. Finally, recommendations are given for how Burberry's could enhance its competitiveness.

City logistics turns into a foundation and supporting system of city economic development. The ability of city logistics becomes an importation section of city competition capability. In this paper, a dynamic evaluation of city logistics capability is discussed. An index system of city logistics is built which includes basis, support and promotion. A dynamic projection pursuit evaluation model is also developed. Furthermore projection pursuit technology truly makes the synthetic evaluation result more discrete. A panel data set of 12 cities of the Changjiang River delta is used in empirical studies. Demonstration results indicate that the city logistics capabilities of Shanghai, Nanjing, Ningbo and Hangzhou are much higher than other cities and they have stronger logistical capabilities.

Port handling machinery is indispensable for production of modern ports, and there are many problems in the port handling machinery configuration of domestic ports, so how to control its quantity and structure is the pivotal problem. This paper analyses economically the factors that can influence reasonable quantity of port handling machinery first. Then it founds a multi-objective programming model aiming at maximum capacity and minimum cost. And by an actual application of forklift truck, it draws a corresponding conclusion. At last, it makes a summary and points out inadequacy and further research task. The main contribution of this paper is to provide economic and technical support for the determination of reasonable quantity of port handling machinery.

Infrastructure constructions are hardware conditions for national and regional economic development. Due to the characteristics of long life cycle, high capital investment, complicated investment relations and flexible multi-stage decision, it is very difficult to evaluate the project of infrastructure construction. The reasonable and effective evaluation method is the key factor to affect the speed of investment recovery and infrastructure construction in the situation of resources and funds shortage. The multi-stage decision evaluation method is proposed based on the evaluation methods of net present value and real option, after transformation from the phase changes in the variables to the phase changes in the parameters by Itô random theorem. This method can satisfy the evaluation requirements of multi-stage decision project because the mutation factors of evaluated variables are considered, and the continuous assumption of valuation variables is removed.

"Bulk Cargo Containerization" means that bulk materials are put into standard containers directly without packing and transported by container ships, trucks or trains. This kind of transport mode can realize low-lot and door-to-door logistics service. It doesn't operate cargos directly so as to avoid pollution and leakage. This paper uses technological and economical analysis to compare different kinds of transport mode of a certain bulk chemical material, and makes clear that there is great technological feasibility and economic necessity to use tank container multi-mode transport instead of the current traditional transport mode. If this new kind of logistics operation mode is promoted, it can improve the degree of chemical-logistics' standardization. Besides, this model is safe, environmental protection, saving resource and reduces losses. It can also decrease the inventory level of chemical material or products on the supply chain.

This paper focuses on the study of port container trans-shipment. Several models are developed in the research to analyze the competition and development of container trans-shipment. The purpose of the study is to establish models that analyze competition between hub and spoke ports, especially the developing rivalry in Northeast Asia between Korean ports and the port terminal complexes in Shanghai in China, and to forecast the amount of T/S for Korean ports under the pressure of competition, mainly from Shanghai's port terminal complexes. In this paper several differential equations are analyzed and applied to establish competition and development models appropriate to the business ecology of hub and spoke ports in Northeast Asia mainly based around Korea. Some econometric models are also established by analyzing a considerable amount of data about container transportation on the three main shipping routes in the world. Incorporating the econometric models into the differential equations, the differential equations are solved. It is a creative study as it combines quantitative and strategic analyses for port competition and their development, by applying differential equations based on a business ecology framework and econometric modeling techniques after extensive analysis of the hub and spoke ports around Northeast Asia focusing on Korea. The research is supported by Shanghai leading Academic Discipline Project, project Number: T0602.

Customer service management has become one of the most important parts of enterprise management strategies. This paper proposed Quality Function Deployment (QFD) for the management of customer service, which can also be used to improve logistics service performances effectively. On the basis of the traditional HOQ (house of quality) model, the paper imported the distance variable to describe the differences between firm performances that are perceived by customers. A cost/marginal benefit analysis is introduced to perfect the model. Finally the methodology has been tested by means of a real case application.

Automotive logistics development is just underway in our country, and there has been no integrated evaluation system until now. In this paper, the principles for evaluating automotive logistics performance were discussed firstly, and then a TOPSIS-based model was put forward to evaluate the logistics performances by introducing a three-dimensional evaluation standard. Finally, the validity was approved by an example of six companies' within and between comparisons.

In order to study the developing strategies of urban public transport in Chengdu City, this manuscript analyzed the residential trip character, the actuality of urban public transport in Chengdu, based on the traffic investigation. Combining urban transport demand forecast and analysis of urban passenger transport structure, multiple developing strategies and measures of public transport are proposed. It is pointed out that urban public transport system should be harmoniously developed by building urban subway and bus rapid transit as main trunks, general bus as base, lateral bus as sustentation, and taxi as supplement. The various public transport modes should be coordinated to form the nultimodal and multilevel public transport system.

Aiming at the defects of logistics volume study at the present stage, the assumption conditions of logistics volume is proposed in this paper. According to different understandings, this paper explains their meanings and calculation methods separately. This paper compared them from principle, calculation difficulty, application scope, calculation cost etc by tabulation, and has drawn the corresponding conclusion.

"Global scope economies" is an important tool in measuring the internal efficiency of diversified railway logistics. This article applies the "multi-product theory" to analyze the sources of diversified railway logistics and estimate the quadratic cost function. The empirical findings show that global scope economies do not exist on mean output level. Global scope diseconomies are gradually reducing until the scale expands to 250%. When the scale continues to expand, the Global scope diseconomies will significantly increase.

Logistics in the container port is a very popular and important issue in the marine transportation system. In order to reduce marine transportation operation costs, it is very important for enterprises to invest in the international logistics centers in the container ports. The aim of this paper is to present a multiple criteria decision making method for selecting the logistics center location in the port. Finally, the multiple criteria decision making method proposed in this paper is tested by a case of Taiwanese logistics enterprise. Based on the multiple criteria decision making method, the decision maker of the enterprise can determine quickly the ranking order of all candidate logistics center locations and easily select the best one.

The international freight forwarder (IFF) has long been recognized as one of the key logistical intermediaries for facilitating cross-border trade. However, empirical research involving IFFs has been rather limited. Compared with the limited empirical research on IFF industry in either the United States or Europe, the rapid progress of the IFF industry in China often goes unheeded in international reviews. In an effort to address this literature void, statistical analysis and a semi-structured interview method are used to sketch the profiling of the logistics companies, especially IFF firms, in the Pearl River Delta region. The current economic, international trade and logistics status of PRD is briefly introduced. Then the profiling of the logistics industry in regard to the warehousing, transportation and forwarding services is thoroughly analyzed based on the statistical data collected. Challenges and opportunities of the industry are identified through semi-structured interview. The results of this preliminary analysis complements the research of the United States and in Europe.

Under the pressure of intensive competition in the market palce, most manufacturing enterprises exert themselves to design newer products continuously and have to depend on price reduction to award more market portions and total sales. Driven by the traditional thoughts of maximum enterprise profits, manufacturing enterprises always transmit the pressure of price reduction to their upstream cooperative suppliers directly. In addition, most manufacturing enterprises only measure the suppliers' performance results, but seldom examine or supervise the procurement process to help their suppliers. This paper develops a new type suppliers' performance measurement system, and defines indexes of self-abilities and coordinated abilities on the core-business organizations, through-business organizations and supporting-business organizations. The system not only assesses the practical performance effect but also directs and supervises the operational process of suppliers by evaluating their coordinated abilities.

The complex logistics network, as the highest integrated forming pattern of logistic units, has become an all-dimensional, criss-crossed and intermingled, collaborated organic pattern conforming to the government, manufacturing, circulation and logistic enterprises and various middle types of organization, and it also has become the inevitable developing trend of the modern logistic industry. Based on the current research on complex networks, this paper has established an infra-marginal analysis frame to analyze the forming motivation started with the gaming among the complex logistic network's nodes. Further, the evolving causation and tendency of that network also have been researched from the dynamic viewpoint. Lastly, the forming and evolving process of the complex logistic network have been simulated based on the Netlogo. The conclusion of the paper can be used by the decision maker to improve the function of logistic network infrastructure; its information system, serving and relevant resources collocating, etc.

According to the theory of goods active indexes, this paper puts forward a conceptual model of mobile warehousing and its operation mechanism by combining processes of storage and transport based on hypothesis that information system and other technologies supports and economy permits, especially there exists void transport facilities. It aims to respond to customers quickly and to decrease whole processing logistics cost in a certain extent in the future. It analyzes some conditions to the feasibility and potential mobile warehousing servers and facilities. Qualitative conclusion is that railroad transport enterprises will be capable to develop mobile warehousing to match new demands of customers based on their technologies and operation model.

It is an inevitable trend to develop a harmonious and efficient comprehensive transportation system. At present, the construction of China's comprehensive transportation system is at an early stage, and the study on the functional localization for the corridors of the comprehensive transportation network is relatively weak, which is difficult to effectively guide the existing corridor planning and construction. So it is necessary for us to study thoroughly. Taking a systematic approach combining operability and relevant theory about transportation planning, this paper applied planning theory onto the corridors of a comprehensive transportation network. Using case studies in travel demand forecast, it analyzes the functional bases of the corridors systematically with sub-region planning methods and proposes the structure form for the functional localization of the corridor. It is the authors' hope to develop certain references for building harmonious and efficient comprehensive transportation corridors.

As the pig rearing scale varies from only several to tens of thousands, there are two types of hog supply chain in mainland china, and those two supply chains' configurations are different. The mode A has the floating brokers help farmers rear only several pigs to connect with the packinghouse. The anther type B has no third parties between the piggery feeding tens of thousands pigs and the packinghouse. The notes' behaviors selection and the game process of the two supply chains are different, and the influences on pork security are also different. The game analyses indicate that in the mode A will be brought the adverse selection problem by the asymmetric information and trigger the pork security problem. And in the type B, the good piggery will transfer quality to customers by using advertising and investment in capital assets, and the adverse selection will be resolved effectively.

Evaluation of transportation demand management (TDM) is the key to identifying appropriate urban TDM schemes. This paper proposes a methodology for evaluating TDM schemes and lays emphasis on the transportation demand model. The authors construct evaluation indices from a transportation impact, pollution emission, and a socioeconomic impact; they present a grey multi-layer evaluation method of TDM schemes. It is certain that we explore the implementation and evaluation of TDM schemes for transportation management departments and transportation research institutes in China.

The logistics cost accounting is of far-reaching importance for establishing a scientific and rational logistics policy, improving the quality and efficiency of the national economy operation. The current logistics cost accounting has not taken the environmental cost into account, which can not quantitatively reflect the environmental loss resulting from the logistics activities. Based on the ideology of the sustainable development of modern logistics and the environmental value theory, this paper presents the concept of green logistics cost and constructs the accounting model of green logistics cost with the current macroscopic logistics cost accounting mode as the investigation subject.

A control model of logistics is presented based on cybernetics to improve the operation efficiency and order degree and to decrease the cost of enterprise logistics. The organizational stability and complexity of a logistics system are analyzed by using an engineering control theory and system engineering. The Equation of State for the control model of logistics was present and the expression of operation order is derived by the analysis of internal and external impact factors on an organization logistics system. From process specification, centralized control and independence of sub-systems, the operation efficiency was confirmed to be consistent with the order degree of a logistics system. Results showed that the method is valid for improving the performance of a logistics system by coordinating the orders of structure and operation using the control model of logistics.

The importance of remanufacturing used products into new ones has been widely recognized in the literature and in practice. In this paper, a model with two competing manufacturers is discussed. In the forward logistics, the manufacturers face the linear down-sloping demand functions. In the reverse logistics, each manufacturer will invest to collect its own returned items from the market. We found that only when remanufacturing is turned into a cost advantage will the manufacturer invest in collecting retuned items. Otherwise the driving forces behind remanufacturing have to be other factors, such as legislation. We discuss the rational behaviors of the manufacturers when there is government law in which the lowest return rate is regulated. If the manufacturers cannot reach this rate, they will be punished. Under three different conditions, by analyzing the equilibrium strategies of both manufacturers, the low limits of the unit penalty fee are obtained.

With the hypothesis of rational human beings, the model of a trilateral game is built in the paper to analyze the game among the supplier, the manufacturer and the local government, in the condition of green supply chain management. And by uncoiling the Nash Equilibrium of the model, the characters of the game can be understood. The practical meaning of each parameter and optimal strategy is given in the paper, which can help the government to constitute the policy of intendance and punishment, and ensure the smooth operation of the green supply chain further.

The social, economic and environmental pollution problems brought about by the used household appliances have attracted wide public attention. In order to facilitate the recycling of the used household appliances, it is vital to specify the responsibility of the manufacturer, distributor, government and consumers. This paper sets up mathematical models on the basis of Environmental Economics, and quantitative analyses the benefits and responsibility of all parties concerned on the basis of game theory. It also takes ecological benefits into consideration.

Following the reform of the coal industry and the intensive growth of competition among fossil power plants, it is of increasing importance for power plants to select coal suppliers. But at the purchase aspect, most fossil power plants put the price strategy at the first location. They do not consider the creditworthiness, the level of after-sale service, the financial solvency and the research level of the supplier seriously. This paper makes a study about the evaluation framework of the coal supplier, gives several suggestions for improving the coal supplier evaluation framework and finds that a subjective weight analytic hierarchy process combined with objective weight analytic hierarchy process has a valuable suitablity for use.

The importance of performance management in supply chain is widely recognized by many researchers and managers. But much of the attention has only focused on designing performance measures with less concern for the other stages of the entire supply chain performance management process. By establishing the relationships between the supply chain factors of strategy, process, organization and performance, this paper presents the concept of strategy-oriented supply chain performance management that covers the whole process of supply chain performance management. As the support means, the logic analysis method is discussed in detail and the analysis process is described as the 4R-loop, in which the logic analysis of the factors is carried on from the aspects of reasons, results, relationships and reengineering. Finally, a supply chain performance management system based on factor logic analysis is proposed to help the implementation of strategy-oriented supply chain performance management.

This paper develops new strategy to help Chinese enterprises to meet the challenges from exchange rate fluctuations. Making use of foreign exchange derivatives is shown to be useful for avoiding foreign exchange risk. Due to the operation of enterprises often involves many kinds of foreign currencies, this paper proposes a cross-hedging strategy using one kind of related futures to hedge for many kinds of spot. We choose the dynamic conditional correlation model. The evidence shows the correlation of spot and futures is so important in formulating hedging strategies that can result in divergent optimal hedge ratio, so we choose the dynamic conditional correlation model.

On the basis of analyzing the present situation and the main problems of the container railway-sea intermodal transportation in shanghai, this paper researches about the main factors which influent the container railway-sea intermodal transportation development in shanghai, then predicts the transportation volume of the container rail-sea intermodal transportation in shanghai. Finally, the paper gives some suggestions and puts forward strategies on the development of the container railway-sea intermodal transportation in shanghai.

The Chinese economy has been developing in a high speed during the last two decades. At the end of last century, the decision-making strata realized that the distribution system has already became the bottleneck to a highly efficient economy. It is obvious that highly effective physical distribution solutions are important, especially in the context of global economic integration and regional trend of economic integration. Based on the regional economic theory, this paper compared typical physical distribution campus plans from overseas to the situations in our country. Integrating the Shenyang physical distribution campus plan, the authors have elaborated under the integrated economy the physical distribution campus plan should follow the gradient principle. A set of practical and feasible assessment methods and the indicators are also proposed and tested in the empirical study.

This paper tries to analyze the issue of benefit coordination in a two-stage Supply chain (SC) which has a manufacture and a retailer. The manufacturer stays on the upstream of the SC, and only has some information advantage, which is his marginal cost and holding cost. This paper also takes the factors, which affect both sides' decisions such as the demands, the unit holding cost, the fixed cost, the unit purchase order cost and the clearance price, into consideration. The Stackelberg model is firstly built up and the optimal order quantity which can coordinate the benefit of both sides is then calculated. The author discusses how the manufacturer maximizes his profit under the framework of revenue-sharing contract and the established profit distributive function and gets the solution of the optimal strategies. In addition, the united strategies of the manufacturer and retailer are analyzed here, on the basis of which core conditions to reach the entire optimization of the SC are illustrated in this paper. Finally, the solution of the supply chain game model is gotten. Apart from that, the degree in which each factor affects the decision of both sides is probed into.

Collaborative forecasting is a process where supply chain members jointly develop a single forecast of end-product demand. This paper considers a decentralized two-stage supply chain with a retailer that faces random demand for her end product and a supplier that is the sole source for the end product. We study the important problem of how to assure credible forecast information sharing between the supplier and the retailer. The supplier is responsible for acquiring the necessary capacity before receiving an order from the retailer who possesses private forecast information for her end product. We present the reason why a wholesale price contract is inefficient for the supply chain. We address that a buyback contract can achieve forecasting collaboration, the supplier's appropriate capacity, and the profits expected of the two parties.

This paper, through research on about 100 SMEs in Chengdu, reveals why the SMEs have difficulties in using e-business. This paper proposes to establish a new kind of business form—Internet-driven Electronic Marketplace, a replacement of the old traditional one. This paper also discusses the Internet-driven Electronic Marketplace's function and effects in e-business and its improvement for marketing efficiency. Taking the theory the flow of market channel in consideration, this research analyzes two aspects, the first one is the Electronic Data Flow, and the other is the Product Flow. Through all the research, we can see what is the role of Internet-driven Electronic Marketplace and how to improve both the efficiency and relation level in supply chain; how the Internet-driven Electronic Marketplace to strengthen the connection among the SMEs; how to remit the bullwhip effect in supply chain; And how to reduce the expense spending on the logistics.

In 2007, the Ministry of Communications of our country reconstituted the "Plan on State Highway Transportation Hubs" and put forward that "State highways are not only an important component of a highway transportation system but also an important node mechanically joining various transportation types, highway traffic, and urban public traffic, including highways, waterways, railways and airports; the key hub of passenger transportation shall realize `zero-distance transference' to promote the construction of an important platform for the development of integrated transportation." Therefore, the information management system of integrated passenger transportation shall be stressed to have the hubs of passenger transportation well arranged. On the basis of integrated theories and the technical frame of the traffic system, this thesis makes an analysis on the actuality of the information management system of the passenger transportation hubs and key business requirements, and puts forward the content and structure of the information management system of the integrated state highway passenger transportation.

The principle and foundation of airport site selection is analyzed. On the basis of several examples of airport site selection, an index system is established. Relying on expert knowledge systems, the weight and the attribute value of the elements in the index system are given in the form of interval numbers rather than a single fuzzy value, for it is more consistent with the subjective intention. Using the single-objective optimization model and the interval numbers theory, a solution to airport site selection problems belonging to the uncertain multi-attribute decision making problems is given, and an example is given to show that the solution is feasible and effective.

Freight Price Index on Highways (FPIH), which is a basic instrument to supervise highway freight market, can reflect the price trend and reveal the discrepancy between supply and demand in the freight market. The structure and method of FPIH are discussed intensively in this paper. Based on the discussion, a complete set of a three-layer mathematical model about FPIH is put forward and then verified successfully through real data.

For modern logistics enterprises and traditional enterprises, their ultimate goal in financial management is to enable enterprises to achieve the maximum value. The result of the assessment is important to modern logistics enterprises and the evaluation process also includes a lot of useful information, which will help us understand the value of modern logistic enterprise's determinants. This paper analyzes the DCF method but has limitations in evaluating a logistics enterprise. The paper through the real options pricing models assesses the value of the logistics business, which can help us to better understand the modern logistics enterprises so as to enhance their value and means.

Based on the notes receivable financing idea, this article advances a new logistics financing model: NRF-LC financing model, designs the structure and the key process of this model, and then analyzes the roles of the stakeholders. In order to be understood further, the article compares it with loan financing model, establishes a game model based on logistics enterprise financing, studies the strategies in the process of investment and financing, and concludes the feasible region of this model by comparing the expected net revenues of different stakeholders in the two models. On the above conclusions, the paper analyzes the financing process of a logistics enterprise in Shanghai and determines the optimal financing strategy. This paper is an attempt of business innovation in Logistics Financing and provides a sensible solution for the integrative operation of logistics and financing service, which can improve the stakeholders' profit effectively.

Transit transport facilitation is one of the main issues in the negotiation of WTO trade facilitation. This article analyzes the particularity of demands on transit transport and the factors that influence the demand, and then analyzes main factors influencing demands on transit transport in China's foreign trade and the tendency of their changes. Through the analysis, it finds that transit inconvenience incurred by systematic elements as well as relatively high transit costs and transit risks are uppermost factors currently influencing the increase of demands on transit transport.

Along with the change in the operating environment, logistics enterprises continuously create various management excellence models. The integration, systemization, and matching feature of these management excellence models determine its huge superiority. Internal and external environment pressure on logistics enterprises motive more and more logistics enterprises implementing management excellence models. This paper develops a dynamic model and discusses motivation mechanism of the implementation of management excellence model by logistics enterprises and approaches for reinforcing the motivation of logistics enterprises to implement management excellence model.

There are many optimization problems in the container multimodal transportation system. For this paper some research was conducted on an optimum combination of transportation modes. First, there is some description and deformation on a multimodal transportation system, developed a virtual network to represent it. Then, an optimization model is established; the model took the multimodal transportation network's system optimal performance index (PI) as a goal. Here PI is defined as the linear weighted sum of transport cost and transport time, different cargoes can be entrusted with different weight coefficients, and employed genetic algorithms as a solving algorithm. Finally a practical example is given: the example's result shows that the method discussed in this paper can effectively solve the optimum combination problems of transportation modes in the container multimodal transportation system. This research establishes a theoretical basis for related exploration about container multimodal transportation.

With social progress and economic development, many towns in China have reached a considerable level of urban and rural integration, but the public Transport service cannot meet the increasing public daily travel needs, which are based on the former urban and rural short-distance passenger transit. On the basis of analyzing the Urban and Rural Public Transport (URPT) characteristics, the paper constructs an evaluation index system of URPT by way of the Analytic Hierarchy Process; fuzzy processing to the appraisal information which adopts the evaluation method of fuzzy comprehensive evaluation, and establishes the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model for URPT with the objective of improving the network. Experiments on real data show that this model works better than some other well known methods.

The relative risk scale of supply chain fourth party logistics are extended nowadays, and lots of uncertain factors affect the evaluation process. In order to solve these problems, an analytical network process (ANP) was used to estimate the risk possibility. A risk factors index system of fourth party logistics was built first. The ANP considered all kinds of risk factors as well as influence among them. The feedback relation between each two factors was described and calculated. Finally all of the risk factors were sorted synthetically. The example shows that ANP is a suitable method.

This paper applies Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to study the performance assessment of seventeen China listed logistics companies from 2003 to 2006. It proves that their aggregate efficiency is low, and that the differences among them are significant. From the group perspective, the aggregate efficiency of the transportation group and the port group are almost the same, where as the number of transportation companies with DEA efficiency is more than that of the number of port organizations. From a purely technical efficiency perspective, it is relatively stable with the average value is 0.9165. From a scale efficiency perspective, it is worse with the average value of 0.8859. It concludes that poor scale performance is the dominant reason for poor performance of the China logistics companies.

Targeting the principal-agent relationship between logistics outsourcing enterprises and suppliers of third-party logistics, a principal-agent model is established. The risk cost of the third-party logistics suppliers and the incentive cost of the logistics outsourcing enterprises is analyzed; a designing ideal of protection from risks is put forward.

This paper analyzes the effects of ITS and EC on modern logistics development, and then defines definitively a regional intelligent logistics system. After that, according the difference between the participants of the development of modern logistics in China, this paper puts forwards the tasks and functions of each participant through five different levels, i.e, macro-decision level, regional decision level, regional management level, logistics infrastructure level and logistics enterprises level. Finally, on the above analysis it presents a modern regional intelligent logistics architecture which is suitable for the practice of Chinese modern logistics development. At the same time this paper also provides architecture strategies of regional intelligent logistics system in order to provide some guidance for the healthy and sustainable development of Chinese logistics.

As the result of technological revolution in the realm of transportation, a high speed maglev train has distinctive characters: high speed, safety, energy saving and environment protection. Making it the pivotal basis can cause a reformation in technology and management of a logistics belt line and turn it into the key link of the logistics profits. The automatization, transport network, communication and intelligence of the logistics industry will be propelled ultimately by the application of the advanced communication technology, automatic control technology and computer technology implemented by the high speed maglev train with support from both government and society. The substantive profit is supposed to take the form of benefits in time, space, economic, social and sustainable development.

Logistic development strategy is an important and decisive factor for logistic development, especially in medium or small cities. Currently, logistic strategy formulation mainly depends on experience and the intuition of specialists, with subjectivity and risk. Therefore, this paper introduces TOWS analysis to the analysis procedure of logistic strategy formulation. First, identify the logistic development environment. Second, design an evaluation matrix and strategic quadrangle to ascertain strategy type with the using of statistical and AHP methods. Then, the corresponding logistic development strategies will have been established from the TOWS matrix. And last, taking the city of Suqian as an example, get a corresponding conclusion with the greatest possible advantages and available opportunities for the future.

Through analysis of regional differences in transport infrastructure development in China and through panel data research, this paper will reveal the relationship between transport infrastructure development level and regional economic growth in China, and discuss the effect of transport infrastructure construction on the growth of the central area of China. The main findings include: (1) Transport infrastructure and economic growth in China show spatial cluster in that they largely cluster in developed eastern coastal regions, forming a gradient gradually diminishing from east to west. (2) The estimated output elasticity of transport infrastructure in China is 0.0563–0.2058, between the values calculated by early researchers based on time series data and panel data. (3) Transport infrastructure in the central area makes the largest contribution to economic growth compared to the east and west areas as a result of the central areas special location connecting the east and the west. Transport infrastructure construction has great importance in the growth of the central area.

This study is to review telecommunication technology and standards for Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) communication networks. The needs, requirements and associated standards to deploy the ITS communication networks are reviewed and identified. In addition, current developments for ITS communication networks and future trends for ITS communications are discussed. (Note: There is a duplication of this paper on pages 2252-2257 of the print edition.)

With an insufficiency of petrol in Sichuan, the purpose of this paper is to calculate the dispersion between petrol requirement and supply capacity and to try to solve this problem by increasing the petrol supply. The conclusion of this paper is that, in the short term, transportation methods must be optimized and input piping extensions created to solve a common requirement. In the long term, petrol strategy storage needs to be built up and substitution resources created to meet basic requirement.

With the rapid progress of China's economy, the logistics distribution industry is booming. In the meanwhile, groups of buildings relevant to logistics distribution have emerged as a newly developing architectural type. In this essay, we will analyze the architecture design concept of a project — Logistic Distribution Center's conceptual design of the Chengdu Tobacco Industry, including the project background, conceptual design details (master plan, plan, visual appearance) and conclusion, in order to get some ideas about architecture design of the logistics distribution center.

Transport industry is a pillar industry in the national economy, and the demand for transportation is a crucial component in decision-making. By using Multivariate Time Series Variance Component Model, we can analyze various influential factors that affect Chinese passenger traffic demand and judge the influential degree of various factors on passenger traffic demand according to the statistics. Then, it can be concluded that Chinese current passenger traffic demand is to serve the economic growth and national economic construction and accumulation.

This paper empirically examines the impact of information sharing on trust and cooperation intentions in a supply chain. Two specific dimensions of trust are proposed — credibility and benevolence. To access the influence of the proposed two dimensions of information sharing — perceived information sharing degree and perceived information sharing quality — in the supply chain, the outcome factor is examined — cooperation intentions. The proposed model is tested on data from 318 organizations in the supply chain. The results show that information sharing has a positive effective on trust and cooperation intentions while trust has a positive effective on cooperation intentions in the supply chain, stressing the ability of information sharing to build a trustworthy trading environment.

Competition and cooperation has become a realistic problem which port logistics corporations have to face, and they are important to port logistics corporations' pricing. Using game theory, this paper builds a mathematical model of port logistics corporations' pricing, analyzes the function of competition and cooperation to port logistics corporations' pricing.

In order to maximize profits, the enterprises of the supply chain can choose two kinds of basic strategy i.e. competition and cooperation. The two kinds of strategy generally lie in the factors that affect the maximal profits of the chain. Based on the maximal profits of enterprises, we will-establish a mathematical model and discuss the changes of the influential factors (especially sales price of the supplier) to help the supplier and the purchaser choose an optimal strategy.

The conventional logistics engineering industry is now entering a new age of enterprise informationization by leaps and bounds with the erection of PIEP—an Open Partner Information Exchange Protocol—to realize the synergy of information resources among different enterprises. But such rigidity makes it very difficult to exchange information data in a timely fashion, accurately and integrally among enterprises coordinated in developing projects. Therefore, it is becoming the core and crucial problem for PIEP to fully satisfy enterprises' demands on data exchange. By integrating data information and establishing the model of dataflow stability, an up-to-date method is blazed to choose and determine one of the most applicable partners for information interchange. The PIEP model is divided into two parts. One is aimed at the type of information processing among enterprise partners. The other is concentrated on the mathematical method of integrating information data. Finally, a case is given to explain the function of such a model.

The Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Zone in the Yangtze River upstream area has become a hot spot since the Western Development Strategy of China was implemented. An important corridor between Chengdu and Chongqing has emerged and shaped the spatial structure of the region. This paper reports the evolution and development of the Chengdu-Chongqing logistics corridor. The elements and characteristics of the logistics corridors are analyzed. It is concluded that the highway acts as the most important transport mode and that the three expressway axes play different roles in the logistics corridor.

Cargo transportation is the main form of logistics management. Because goods are subject to many kinds of force frequently during transportation, it is very important to determine the mechanical state of the goods, which is directly related to the packaging forms of the goods and its choice packaging conditions. The state will also affect the determination of cargo consolidation programmers as well as the freight operation safety in the process of transportation. In this paper we will discuss the forces of cargo and its mechanical states in detail. We will apply the theory of discrete dynamical system to set up a dynamical model which can simulate the process of the mechanical state of cargo. The numerical simulation method is called UDEC. A new analytical method is provided so as to determine the packaging conditions, choice of goods, and assess the operation safety of goods.

Supply Chain Finance (hereinafter referred as SCF), as an advanced form of logistics finance, is the currency circulation and credit activities targeting the supply chain. Serving as an important part of SCF, Supply Chain Financing serves to enable currency collection and circulation of the supply chain by applying various financial instruments, while treating enterprises involved in the supply chain as a whole. In practice, different types of financing resolutions can be designed in line with transaction relations within the supply chain, thus leading to several financing models. Since risk management is targeted for the supply chain rather than a single enterprise, supply chain financing is capable of enhancing financial efficiency and strengthening the competitiveness of the supply chain.

Based on the analysis of the research and development of the rail logistics centers, both home and abroad, this paper will study the characteristics of economy and cargo space distribution, and designed space levels of the modern rail logistics centers. Finally this paper will use the method of Fuzzy Intervals Analytic Hierarchy Process (FIAHP) to calculate and design the scheme of rail logistics centers space carriers and prove their feasibility.

In recycle logistics, the users' demands are often fuzzy and the returns are random, thus it is very difficult for the enterprise to make the stock choice. Therefore, how to choose a suitable stock, and an ordering strategy is worth studying. In order to study the recycle logistics inventory problem with fuzzy demand, this paper will apply the batch method for returns recovery. Not considering the lead-time, and supposing that the product return is permitted and has a Poisson distribution, this paper establishes an optimal reverse logistics inventory strategy model and introduces the hybrid intelligent algorithm to solve the single-period recycle logistics inventory model with fuzzy demand. We hope to find the estimate of total cost in fuzzy circumstances and to derive the corresponding optimal order quantity. Finally, a numerical example is provided to verify the efficiency of the designed algorithm.

Considering a supply chain with the risk-neutral supplier and the risk-averse retailer, the revenue sharing contract is studied. Firstly, the risk-averse behavioral preference of the retailer over random profit is represented in a Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR) framework. Then we obtain the supply chain's optimal solution and study the property of contract parameter. It is analyzed that the degree of risk aversion is influential to the contract parameter. Finally, an illustrative example is given to demonstrate that the revenue sharing contract may not coordinate the operation of the supply chain when the retailer is risk averse.

In an uncertain environment, the capability for supply chain to cope with change should be enhanced due to the incessantly exploited potential in the process of accommodating uncertainties. In this paper, the best response efficiency, the most efficient response interval and capability coupled with supply chain are defined based on the capability. The author has proved that they are dynamic concepts that are updated continuously as the environment changes. It is expatiated that the capability pair reflects the capability of supply chain to cope with uncertainties more completely than single response efficiency does. A delivery lead-time model based on inventory optimization is founded, the model is applied to prove that the best response efficiency and the capability pair increases and the most efficient response interval expands as total inventory of supply chain increases. The minimal total inventory created to raise the response efficiency by α% is determined.

The location of distribution facilities and the routing of the vehicles from these facilities are interdependent in many distribution systems. The Multi-objective location-routing problem (MLRP) is combined with the facility location and the vehicle routing decision and satisfies the different objectives. Due to the problem's complexity, simultaneous solution methods are limited, existing in different objectives with conflicts in functions satisfied. The three methods have been emphatically developed for MLRP. Multi-objective genetic algorithm (MGA) is introduced to solve MLRP based on Pareto. MGA architecture makes it possible to search the solution space efficiently, which provides a path for searching the solution with a two-objective LRP.

In the reverse supply chain, there are profit and probability differences between the core and other ordinary enterprises implementing the reverse logistics. Based on the above observation, this paper puts forward the game theory model for implementing reverse supply chain and makes an analysis of Nash equilibrium on pure strategies and on mixed strategies separately.

Depending on the total cost of a logistics system, this paper will set up the mathematical model of a combined location routing and inventory problem when the customer demand is stochastic. It designs a two-phase heuristic algorithm. The first phase gains the initial solution by the first-route later-location. The second phase improves the solution by swap moves. The variables of inventory are gained by iterative method to minimize the cost of ordering goods, lack and transportation. At last, we compare the solution of this model with the solution that is obtained when the location routing problem and inventory controlling problem are solved separately. It indicates that the combined location routing and inventory problem largely reduces the logistics cost. Thus it indicates that it's important to determine the inventory control strategy when optimizing the logistics system., The designed algorithm is practicable and effective in solving this problem.

The Location Routing Problem is the integrated decision of the Location Allocation Problem and the Vehicle Routing Problem. This paper will describe the location routing problem, set up the mathematical model of the problem, and test the model by Lingo 10.0. In view of this model's NP - hard attribute, the paper designs two-stage tabu search algorithms to solve this problem: i.e. in the first phase, solve the location allocation to fix on the facility and customer allocation; in the second phase, solve the vehicle routing problem by tabu search algorithms; at last, by a large number of iterative from location to routing phases, the optimal solution of the location routing problem can be obtained. The computed result shows the validity of the designed algorithm by comparing it with related literature.

With the rapid development of e-business, more and more attention is being paid to reverse logistics, which is brought on by product returns. The main topic of this article is how to choose a reverse logistics service pattern, when repairing and remanufacturing returned goods. We shall propose three kinds of closed-loop supply chain models and analyze the profit of the B2C firm among these models. We will find that the choice of a reverse logistics service pattern is determined by the technology of the product.

To gain maximum expected utility by considering a manufacturer's non-qualified commodity, tire retailer's ordering policy model is constructed with loss-averse preference by using a prospect theory, while optimal condition and property of the model is discussed. After analyzing the uncertainty of the quality, the effect of loss aversion, and the retail price of commodity, a series of significant characters and principles are drawn.

In logistics outsourcing, the selection of an appropriate third-party logistics(3PL) provider is a crucial process. This thesis proposes a simple fuzzy decision method which can be understood easily and offers enterprises a flexible and customized tool for decision-making. It can deal and analyze subjective and fuzzy information in order to determine the best 3PL provider for a company.

Logistics system is a huge system that contains many logistics units. How to achieve the optimization of system function becomes an important subject. To solve this problem, we can rely on Intelligent Logistics Systems (ILS) and the emerging intelligence methods. By making use of two branches of intelligence mathematics-Set pair Analysis (SpA) and the Extension Theory melting organically with the logistics system, this article first establishes a set of indices of the regional logistics system and makes weight analysis, then defines logistics system index in fuzzy state. Finally, by using Connection-number in SpA and Matter-element transformations in Extension Theory, puts forward Set pair and Extension based Logistics System Controller: SpELCer and discusses its application in the regional logistics system.

This paper proposes a stochastic user equilibrium bi-level programming model in a multimodal network that considers a traveler's combined choice of mode and route in mixed traffic networks with multiple user classes. The upper model makes the modal split follow a multinomial logit formulation, and the lower one shows that a travelers' route choice follows a stochastic user equilibrium manner. Travelers are classified according to their different preferences toward the factors of the transport model choice, which contain the travel time, cost, reliability of travel time and service quality. A heuristic solution algorithm is given. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the proposed methodology. The results show that the travelers' different preferences, travel time, and time reliability may have significant impact on travelers' behavior and network performance.

The location of distribution centers has impacts on the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency logistics. In this paper, a mixed integer programming model is proposed that captures many special aspects of emergency logistics but which have not received adequate attention in the literature. The aspects considered include dynamic planning horizon, multi-commodity, multi-echelon and conflict decision objectives. The minimization of total cost, total time traveled and unsatisfied demand over the time horizon are set as the objective functions. The location and amounts of distribution centers and the flows between collection points, distribution centers and demand points per period are determined in the model. Finally, a hypothetic example of planning for emergency logistics is presented to prove the efficacy of the proposed model.

This paper studies the competitive model of two supply chains and SC coordination under SC competition. First, we separate demand using the consumer choice theory and obtain the demand distribution function of each product from the given demand distribution function of two products. Second, we prove that the manufacturer can't coordinate both the retailer's quantity and pricing decisions under SC competition with a wholesale price contract, a buy-barck contract, a quantity-flexibility contractor a sales-rebate contract, except a revenue sharing contract. Finally, an example is put forward to analyze the performance of two supply chains under three scenarios: both supply chains, only one or neither being coordinated. It shows that SC coordination is a dominant strategy for both supply chains, but as in the prisoner's dilemma, both supply chains are worse off under the coordinated scenario relative to the uncoordinated scenario because of fiercer competition. The consumers are the only guaranteed beneficiaries of SC coordination.

We study the ordering process between one supplier and one retailer based on the Stackelberg game when the retailer's payment is uncertainly made on delivery. First, we give the optima] order quantity and the optimal price, and find the supplier can effectively avoid a credit risk from the retailer by proper pricing. Second, we analyze the effect of the retailer's default on each firm and the total system, and find the optimal profits of the retailer and the supplier and the overall supply chain aren't relative to the default probability of the retailer. Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the result of the model.

With regard to shipping enterprise (SE)'s default behavior in supply chain transactions, an index system for credibility evaluation was designed in view of SE's operating and financial characteristics. Compared with past researches, the new index system could comprehensively reflect SE's credibility level by combining some influencing factors from society, shipping industry and supply chain. Meanwhile, a reliable and valid evaluation model based on DAGF method, which incorporates the Delphi method, Improved Analytical Hierarchy Process and multi-level Grey-Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Method was established. The model showed advantages not only in avoiding the influences caused by the inconsistency of human's judgments also in reducing the inaccuracies caused by some subjective and uncertain factors on the evaluation. An example is also provided for illustrative purpose.

The "two suppliers" strategy comes into being in supply chain by segregated option contract. This strategy is helpful to keep the supply chain away from the supply chain disruption risks. The main supplier undertakes the fixed orders from the dealer in lower price, and he is risk-averse or risk-neutral. The second supplier signs the option contract with the dealer and undertakes the emergent orders in higher price, he is risk-preferring. Under appropriate pricing policy, products salvage way and punishment in combined contracts, the supply chain coordination can be achieved. This paper approves that under the segregated option contract, the profits of the supply chain and the members in Centralized and decentralized supply chains are better than those in the newsvendor model.

The incentive contract is an important factor for a logistics service supply chain, which will affect its whole performance. In the paper, aiming at the problem of asymmetric information among the members, we first construct the principal-agents model for multiple suppliers when the integrator gives an incentive by the testability of logistics service. Then, we have done a comparative analysis between the two different contracts and address the factors and method affecting the contract. Finally, we put forward some advice so as to allot in reason the output of a logistics service supply chain and realize its holistic optimization.

Most of the previous research on the Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) Model values the results of implementation from the view of dominant enterprises (buyers), yet whether VMI could be implemented successfully in practice, to a considerable extent, depends on the enthusiasm of the co-partners in implementing the VMI model. This article will discover some potential risks in implementing the whole VMI model, i.e. the increase of the short-term cost will reduce the supplier's participating enthusiasm. In addition, this article optimizes the traditional VMI model through considering the effect of an information processing cost in the implementation of the VMI model. Thus, the article proposes to introduce third party information management (TPIM) as the middle working platform in implementing the VMI model, in order to reduce logistics cost in the supply chain in the short-term, thereby increasing the short-term profits of the suppliers.

To study the collaboration mechanism, a new hybrid contract is proposed which is the combination of profit sharing and a buy-back contract. Supply chain collaboration analysis was conducted for two-stage supply chains between a supplier and a multi-retailer. Theory analysis showed the condition when the hybrid contract was valid. Further, we were able to get the formula to calculate the only optimal coefficient of profit allocation k_i in the hybrid contract. The numerical example illustrated that collaboration between suppliers and retailers could be achieved and total profits of the supply chain channel could be maximized only in k_i.

The index is a relative value used to measure one variable to another given example; a statistical index can be employed to investigate many social and economic problems. This paper will define the logistics index of the textile and garment industry by the ratio of the logistics cost of the textile and garment industry to the industry's total output value. This ratio will be used to judge the logistics velocity and logistics quality of the textile and garment industry in order to reflect its economic effect and efficiency. This article analyzes the logistics cost structure of the textile and garment industry from such angles as the competition factor, product factor, circumstance factor and management factor. Interpretative structural modeling (ISM) is applied to make composing factors of the logistics cost gradation, orderliness and system. The composing factors of logistics cost include the order period, cost inventory, personnel quality, geographic position, management cost, transportation cost, turnover rate of funds, logistics information degree, product character and value, industry development, social environment, product damaged rate, logistics facility and so on. The model calculation result indicates that the most direct influence factors on the industry logistics index are transportation cost, product character and value, personnel quality and the logistics information degree.

A supply chain design problem involving a single supplier, multiple retailers, and some stochastic demand associated with each retailer was analyzed in the paper. A non-linear mixed integer model is presented to incorporate inventory control decisions into a typical facility location. A simulated annealing algorithm is developed for the model. Numerical application denotes the optimization method operated rapidly and the result is rational, so it provides scientific guidance for the supply chain design problem.

This paper studies the interplay between the manufacturers and government concerning the collection of used products from the household. On the assumption that the government regulates that the consumers must pay a certain deposit at the time of purchase which is refunded upon the return of the used products, this paper presents a continuous stochastic model and discusses the changing rule of the sale, collection scale and the profit with the variety of deposits. We discuss the best position and the return value when the manufacturer and collection dealer get the maximum profit.

Considering stochastic consumer demand, the paper studies coordinated supply-production-distribution plan problem in multi-tier supply chain network from suppliers to end consumers. A two-stage stochastic programming model with recourse problem is constructed according to the assumption and analysis of the problem, whose aim to wholly optimize supply production distribution process. The responding strategy is also brought forward for the stochastic model by hybrid optimization and simulation. Finally, a demonstration analysis is given to validate effectiveness of the model by using simulated data. The distribution characteristic of cost is analyzed about supply-production-distribution plan under stochastic and deterministic mean demand. The computational result shows that the coordinated supply production distribution plan under stochastic demand can remarkably reduce the total supply chain cost as well as efficiently control the quantity of supply production distribution and decrease the inventory so as to depress the market risk for customers demand fluctuation.

Effective emergency material dispatch is very important when emergency events happen. Two popular indices to value its efficiency are delay time and emergency cost. It's essential to respond to emergency events in time because the value of rescued objects would decrease rapidly as time goes on. So, the most important thing is to reach the accident scene with emergency material, while the cost takes is of secondary importance. From this point, this paper constructs a goal programming model for a single-resource emergency material dispatch problem. The objective of the first level is to minimize the delay time, and the second level is to minimize the emergency cost. Solving this model is reduced to minimal cost flow problem.

Container terminals, serving as the hubs between container ships and other transportations crunodes, are of extreme importance in streamlining the ever increasing global trade. Many different factors affect the service efficiency in container terminals, which inspire great interest in both industrial and academic researches. This paper focuses on vehicle dispatching problem which decides, for each internal vehicle in the port, where to go to find a new loading or unloading task in the whole container terminals after finishing the previous one. A multi-factor online dispatching method, which takes both empty traveling and location balance into consideration, is proposed to fit the current condition of the physical and information infrastructure in most of the ports in mainland China. Such a method is established by using evolution searching function and discrete event simulation combined.

In this paper, we develop a new framework for the modeling, analysis, and computation of solutions to multicriteria supply chain network equilibrium problems with the decision-makers consisting, respectively, of manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. Their objective functions are expressed by vector-valued functions and vector equilibrium theory is introduced to solve these vector optimal problems. We introduce the Gerstewitz's function to reduce a vector equilibrium problem in multicriteria supply chain network to a scalar variational inequality, and consequently well-know techniques for solving variational inequality can be applied. This research extends the recent results surrounding the modeling of supply chain networks with vector equilibrium methods.

Very few papers have discussed a logistics plan from the vision of logistics capability and flexible decision, thus the `logistics plan' cannot adapt to future changes in the environment and then lose its scientific essence. For this reason, this paper sets up a notional model on the flexible planning of regional logistics capability with the theory of flexible decision. The model can give advice to the government to plan regional logistics capability. Additionally, it supplies a new way for us to further our research on logistics capability.

Supplier selection is one of the most important things in supply chain management. The process of choosing a suitable supplier will effect enterprise's production and quality directly. However, the process is complicated and takes a long time to get the final weights of suppliers. This article builds up an evaluation criteria system to evaluate suppliers, then, puts forward a new model (support vector machine, SVM) of supplier selection based on analysis the problem of supplier management. It calculates the weight and sort of each supplier to select appropriate suppliers. At last, a numerical simulation is used to explain selection of kernel function and sample training; the result reveals that this new method is practical and realistic.

The container multimodal transportation is an advanced organization manner, by which the coordinate organization and management among all kinds of transportation modes and among all participants of the whole network is an objective requirement. Coordinate planning is the basis of coordinate management. The graded structure of multimodal transportation planning is analyzed first. Then, the conceptual model of graded optimization is put forward. Besides, mathematical models are proposed for the hardcore of the conceptual model, container regular liner shipping and inland transshipment planning subproblems. By. means of the analysis of the structural characteristics of the problem solution, two corresponding genetic algorithms are designed for the two subproblems. Simulation tests show the efficiency of the proposed models and algorithms.

In a general way, a large mount of clients of railway baggage and parcel are distributed by special vehicles. Base on improving delivery level and decreasing logistics cost of railway baggage and parcel, a large mount of clients and generic ones are taken into account synthetically to study delivery schemes. The problem studied belongs to the vehicle routing problem of simultaneous and split delivery and pickup (VRPSSDP). Combining the characteristics of the problem, a mathematical model is set up on certain preconditions and assumptions. In an algorithm based on simultaneous delivery and pickup during delivery of railway baggage and parcels, an initial solution was obtained by a nearest neighbor heuristic. The author optimizes the initial solution by tabu search, and then reoptimizes by intra node relocation operator to get optimal solution. By a practical simulation example of three clients of a large mount baggage and parcel and 21 generic ones, the feasibility and validity of the model and algorithm are verified.

Whether the logistics project investors prefer to take part in the certain region development and achieve the better expected profit, the risk of logistics project will be a key factor, which can determine directly the success or failure of investment projects. Since the regional social system is different from the national system in such aspects as system input, system output and inside relationships, it is significant to rightly reduce the risk of logistics project from the uncertain regional environment for the optimization of logistics project investment and regional whole development. In this article, the regional risk integrated management framework of logistics investment projects based on multi-agent modeling technology, which emphasizes the synthesis of management goal, management methodology, management organization, management information and management culture is established. Considering the bounded rationality of project investors, Behavioral Finance Theory is introduced for the expected value model on the regional risk integrated management based on Multi-agent.

With the development of the economy and globalization, Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) is widely used in various industries as an advanced coordination mechanism. In a typical VMI system, the supplier takes full responsibility for managing inventory at the retailer's warehouse and benefits from the flexible replenishment and delivery because of the sharing of information and the integration of transportation. Although VMI is of great popularity in various industries, the systematic analysis of VMI's economic determinants is scarce. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature of the supply chain with VMI and determinants of VMI in the Supply Chain Management based on the Transaction Cost Theory (TCT). The method of comparison is adopted to examine the fundamental difference between a traditional supply chain and a supply chain using VMI. We conclude that increased frequency exchange, asset specificity and uncertainty of environment will increase the usage of the VMI program. This research would deepen the understanding of VMI and benefit both practitioners and researchers.

Based on the systems analysis of the Supply Chain in the Manufacturing Process of Aviation Weapon Equipment, this paper will demonstrate the building of a feedback structure model of the Supply Chain using the Rate-Variable Fundamental In-tree Modeling of System Dynamics (SD). With the use of the algorithmic method of System Feedback Archetypes' Spanning Set, we put forward and calculate the System Feedback Archetypes and the corresponding management policy through analysis of the main system Feedback Archetypes. This achieves the purpose of analyzing the Supply Chain effectively using the method of system science.

The integrated optimization on the distribution transportation and inventory control is an important area in supply chain management. Based on the random demand two-level distribution direct shipping strategy, a multi-period shipping decision and inventory control integrated optimization model with time windows is proposed. The two-level distribution optimizing inventory level and shipping frequency can be found by modern optimization. Finally, an example is given to illustrate the efficiency of the model and method.

This is a study of aircraft scheduling problems based on the idea of CDM. Taking the interests of ATC, airlines, and airports into consideration, we propose a priority scheduling model that integrally schedules arrivals and departures using airlines' preferences. The model minimizes the total flights' weighted delay costs to find best landing times for the arrivals or take-off times for the departures and their expected runways. We also design a genetic algorithm to solve the proposed problem. Finally, with actual schedule data from an airport with 3 runways, the model has been verified to work well. The experiment shows a 77% time delay savings compared with the current FCFS schedule, and equity among airlines is achieved. The designed genetic algorithm is able to solve the instance with 15 flights in a few seconds.

On the basis of an analysis of the decision-making behaviors of manufacturer, retailer and customer, this paper presents a three-level equilibrium network model for supply chains. Then, the variational inequality model equivalent to the equilibrium conditions supply chain network is established by the relationship between variational inequality and a mathematical programming model. Third, the characteristics of the solution to the model are discussed and a heuristics algorithm is developed. This provides a useful tool for further analysis and evaluation of the performance of the supply chain network.

This study is concerned with the life cycle of style items. These items include fashionable clothes, shoes, books, etc. and point out that the growth stage is the most important part of the cycle. In this paper, we have developed an instantaneous replenishment inventory model for a style item growth stage; the rate of demand and unit purchase cost is assumed to follow the exponential distribution, and also the method to evaluate the optimal order times and service level is given. The model is numerically illustrated.

This paper reveals the existence of demand information distortion in port supply chains. First, based on the features of port products and the research work of a supply chain bullwhip by professor H.L.Lee, this paper studies the demand information distortion in a port supply chain involving tramp shipping and liner shipping separately. Then, by analyzing data of the Dalian port throughput of 2015 with a combined forecast model, we found the supply capacity of the Dalian port in the future will be much larger than the demand of loading/unloading. Finally some counter measures are given for ports to eliminate the information distortion of a port supply chain.

As the updating rate of electronic products is significantly high, marketing returns have become an essential process in a supply chain. Through sufficient investigation, we take the processes and features of electronic products into account and suggest for electronic products a returned logistics outsourcing process. Meanwhile, we research and employ a channel rebate and penalty strategy. Under the premise of uncertainty in demand with the relevance of level of effort, we model the return policy to solve the problem which only a return policy cannot coordinate the supply chain. Furthermore, we discuss how to determine the inventory decision and level of effort. Finally, several examples of the models are analyzed for comparison, and we conclude that the return policy under a channel rebate and penalty strategy is feasible and effective. This paper is expected to be of certain instructional and referenced value to domestic electronic commodities.

This paper proposes a retailer's cost function model with a fixed length of the credit time, in which the time of the retailer settling his accounts and the inventory cycle time are the joint decision variables. With respect to the different cases, we formulate three types of models, from which theorems and properties are derived. A numerical example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model.

The level of intersection congestion is connected with the queue within one signal cycle. Considering the residual queue within the last signal cycle, the maximum extent of the queue within one signal cycle is identified in three conditions (under-saturated, critical-saturated, over-saturated). The level of intersection congestion has been modeled to relate to the ratio of the actual queue to the queue in critical-saturated state. Analyzing the key influential parameters (such as traffic flow, density, residual queue of last cycle, and so on), the developing tendency of intersection congestion is explained by the means of simulation.

Based on the analyses of effecting factors on the sustainable development of ports, an evaluating indices system therefore is constructed through consultation in this paper. The weight of the indices is computed according to the assignment weight by experts and AHP is adopted to evaluate the ports' sustainable development. The ports in Zhejiang Province are evaluated at the end as an example.

As fruit and vegetable products gradually gain popularity, the related logistics activities which guarantee product quality and reduce cost have been taken into account by retailers. Based on biological characteristic analysis of fruit and vegetable products, the paper presents a logistics procurement pattern evaluation and selection appraisal index system, and then makes use of the methodological combination of AHP and Entropy coefficient method to investigate the logistics procurement pattern for fruit and vegetable products.

A supply chain model is built in which inventory incentive and promotion incentive co-exist, to maximize the supply chain profit. Market demand is affected by random factors and the retailer's promotional effort. The retailer chooses order quantity or purchased options quantity ex ante, and determines the promotional effort ex post based on his observation of market demand. The asymmetric information will result in the "double moral hazard", which consists of the hidden action and the hidden information. In this context, an option contract alone will create another "contract-induced" moral hazard which will dull the promotional incentives. In order to remedy the problem, this paper combines the option contract with cost-sharing, and also points out the way to confirm the contract parameters. In the end, simulation is used to verify the above results.

In this paper we propose an approach for selecting the supplier based on AHP and DEA. With the AHP methodology, the weight of any qualitative (input and output) is determined, and the alternative supplier can be evaluated by multiple qualitative and quantitative criteria. The DEA model is used to solve multi-objective model to identify the best alternative, and also identify the mechanism. The utilization of the proposed approach is demonstrated with an illustrative example.

Logistics service capability has received growing attention in logistics outsourcing and related study areas. How to identify and measure logistics service capability is a major strategic issue. This paper will analyze vehicle logistics service provider-client relationships, build vehicle logistics service providers sensitivity with a customer nonlinear identification model. This study constructs the service capability measure criteria framework including a relation coordination capability, logistics operation capability, information capability, customer service cost, customer service quality and innovation capability. A measure model is based on fuzzy matter elements and presented to evaluate the vehicle logistics service capability. The numerical experiments demonstrate the efficiency of this model. Finally, the policies and future research suggestions are provided to identify and manage customer oriented logistics capability.

Using DEA and numerical examples to set up an evaluation model, this article will study SCEs' knowledge behaviors, and prove that SCEs' knowledge behaviors have already become an internal driving force with a competitive advantage. They can effectively improve knowledge management, as well as promote innovation, enhance the operational efficiency, and strengthen the supply chain links.

The "Bullwhip Effect" in the supply chain severely affects its promptness in response and efficiency in operation. This paper, on the basis of analysis of the rooting factors of the Bullwhip Effect, will undertake a profound discourse with an attempt to solve, remove or alleviate its negative influence.

In the last few years, many researchers have studied the vehicle routing problem (VRP) in logistic studies, however, the majority of those analyses have gone on within the frame of a static restriction condition. Now there appears some literature studying the dynamic problem of the VRP, but only limited to the stochastic process. Despite the fact that the stochastic process is closed to the dynamic fact, in fact, to a great extent, the decision-making of uncertainly process is based on the fuzzy judgment. Thus, the paper uses the fuzzy theory to investigate the VRP with uncertain demand, and establish judgment principles which decide whether the vehicle continues to serve the next node or not after completing the first m nodes. Finally, an example is presented.

There is a series of games between enterprises and customers during the process of greenization of reverse logistics. Given customer participation, four classical green reverse logistics network structures are presented and a multi-objective linear program model is established. The process of green reverse logistics consists of collection, transportation, and treatment and burying. Because levels of customer participation and cost and benefit are different, the multi-objective function is divided into enterprise objectives and customer objectives, and then they are measured by several sub-factors, such as economic cost, environmental cost and total number of disposal waste, etc. Finally a case study is introduced in order to prove and expound the established model.

Based on designing simulation model for twice-ordering strategy in supply chain, this paper illustrates the following conclusion by a specific case: Compared with once-ordering strategy, twice-ordering one can promote the decision-maker's expected income as well as lowering either the ordered quantity or the overstock at the end of the season even if the precision of demand forecast remains unimproved. On the contrary, if demand forecast can be more precise, this strategy can bring greater increase of income, and at the same time, decrease of ordered quantity and overstock.

In emergency logistics system, the earliest emergency response start time and the minimal number of selected relief distribution center are the key criteria for emergency relief operations, and multiple feasible solutions may exist. Based on the analysis of relief operation objectives, relief resource requirement characters and emergency response cost elements, a multi-objective optimal decision model is established for resource allocation in emergency logistics with emergency response cost constraint. The model considers emergency response cost as a modification to the assessment of the multiple feasible solutions. Then, a corresponding algorithm is provided to solve the optimal decision model. Finally, three simulation examples are calculated with confirmed results that this model can effectively address the multiple feasible solutions problem.

Based on the study of slot assignment algorithm in GDP-E, which is based on CDM theory, this paper proposes the fair concept to airlines, improves the RBS and Compression algorithm. Contrast to RBS algorithm, this paper raises quadratic integer programming model (QIPM. This paper raises dynamic fair assignment model (DFAM). The new algorithms keep the properties of the old ones, which are high-speed and easily explained. And the new algorithms are fair for each of all airlines, take everyone's benefit into count, so they are more easily accepted by airlines and improve airliners' operation efficiency. The simulation results to the improved algorithms show that they can make airlines partake delay fairly, enhance execute efficiency of GDP. The use of the new algorithms will promote the improvement GDP and the further amalgamation of CDM theory and GDP,and mitigate the actualities of heavy flights delay.

The remanufacturing logistics network has played an import role in the remanufacturing logistics system. Due to the uncertainty of the recoverable quantities of used products and demanded quantities of remanufacturing products, the remanufacturing logistics network optimization becomes a difficult problem of the remanufacturing logistics system. Based on the DCP (Dependent Chance Programming), this paper will propose an optimal model of multi-commodity, single-period, capacity restricted remanufacturing logistics network, which is used to optimize the layout of various facilities and the allocation of the corresponding goods flows within the network. Finally, the validity of the model to the remanufacturing logistics network optimization is demonstrated by a numerical example.

This paper will discuss the content and importance of inverse logistics on automobile parts, analyzing the hampering factors of automobile parts reverse logistics with practices and ISM method, and aim to put forward a control mode for automobile parts inverse logistics.

The main aim of this paper is to study the hazardous material transportation routes selection problem under an uncertain environment, which is critical for reducing risk and promoting safety. A fuzzy TOPSIS was applied to evaluate various routes and fuzzy triangular numbers were used to describe the fuzzy and linguistic factors. Lastly, a practical example is given to illustrate the feasibility of this methodology. From the results of this example, it is suggested that this methodology will effectively solve the route selection problem under a fuzzy environment.

Supply chain coordination management was researched based on the synergetic theory. Supply chain surplus was presented as the order parameter of the supply chain system, which drives the whole supply chain system's evolvement and development. The reaction of supply chain surplus with specialization, normalization, knowledge management and the effect on the supply chain system's evolvement and development will be analyzed profoundly.

An inventory system is not only a vertical development system accompanying the supply chain; inventory at all levels in the supply chain also develop horizontally and operate with a time sequence. The reverse logistics inventory system is mote complex. The returns are especially problematic for seasonal products; because of the diversity more is demanded in the treatment method, so the enterprise needs to make corresponding strategies of handling and order according to individual conditions. This paper puts forward three kinds of solutions according to the processing strategy of reverse logistics, with the classical newsboy problem. For these three different kinds of processing strategies, the model of the newsboy is established according to the objective function of profit maximization and their respective optimal order policy is obtained.

This paper proposes basic concepts of comprehensive traffic and transportation system, which is a nonstop involving process. With the development of the society and improvement of science and technology, the industry of traffic and transportation is coming to the direction of using innovation technology in infrastructure design and transportation management. It is difficult to setup comprehensive and integrated multimodal transportation systems without a unified organization. In this paper, a new model is setup to assign the ratios of the sub-systems in the comprehensive traffic and transportation system, which lets the optimal coordination of the comprehensive systems.

This paper researched the cooperating game in logistics outsourcing under asymmetric information. It set up the cooperative game model in condition of TPL buyer can not observe the TPL logistics operation cost and management cost, and apply maximum principle and principal-agent theory to obtain both the players' cooperative strategies. Finally, assuming the agent is risk-neutral, the authors analyzed the risk cost, incentive cost and total agency cost of TPL buyers.

The efficiency of cargo clearance is a key issue which restricted international logistics development. Furthermore, the effects factors about the efficiency of cargo clearance are complicated and make optimization of cargo clearance efficiency difficult. This paper systematically analyzes the progress of cargo clearance; the key is to analyze the effects factors of cargo clearance efficiency and the present situation of various factors. It determines the core performance measures of the system, establishes models for analysis of the system performance measures and optimization of the system, and finally certifies the accuracy and applicability of the model by using computer simulation technology.

The Shiplock Service Level is a comprehensive index to evaluate the shortcut, comfort, convenience and safety et al of ships waiting to pass the shiplocks. Based on the characters of the shiplock operation, an index system which can reflect the condition of the shiplock operation is proposed. Then the comprehensive evaluation model is built in two core steps: The first step is to use Main Factor Analysis to screen out the important indexes to evaluate the Shiplock Service Level based on the basic information of shiplocks located on the North Jiangsu Canal of China; and the second step is to use AHP to propose the Comprehensive Evaluation Model of Shiplock Service Level based on the important evaluation indexes mentioned above. According to the characters of the shiplock operation, the determination way of the indexes' weights and the nondimensional way for the indexes are presented. Finally, the comprehensive evaluation model is used to evaluate the service level of typical shiplocks on the North Jiangsu Canal of China.

This paper emphasizs the methods of reverse supply chain system performance measurement. Although entropy qualifies as the index to evaluate the operation order and environmental effect of the reverse supply chain, it can not exactly reflect the rate of effective negative entropy. Consequently, by using the emergy analysis, the system performance and cost are discussed. The case study with two cement reverse supply chain systems illustrates the approach of entropy modeling and emergy analysis.

On the basis of examining the internal structure of the supply chain, a general structure is extracted. The paper describes the reliability of two structural models. According to the relevant theory of the Markov process, the supply chain system reliability can be evaluated with a mathematical model. Then we give some indicators of the supply chain system reliability which are the steady availability, the average time before the first failure, the average cycle, and so on. In this paper, we also give an example to verify the feasibility of the model. The study provides a theoretical basis for the construction and optimization of the supply chain.

This paper designed an optimal VMI strategic cooperative contract based on Spence's model under incomplete information. For choosing an effective VMI cooperative partnership, the dominant retailer needs to consider three factors including advanced EDI systems, the employee's comprehension and participation degree, and the credit degree. The retailer judges the credit degree among the various potential suppliers, through observing the supplier's initial investing level s on an EDI system and employee training. Then it designs a series of optimal VMI cooperative contracts, which connect different cooperative degrees with corresponding interest sharing proportions r. So suppliers would choose some or other VMI contracts based on its own maximum profit, and take the appropriate initial investing level s about the EDI systems and the staff's skill training.

Considering the interrelated factors of reverse logistics, the target system of reverse logistics has been established, based on the capability of monitoring information, environmental protection, level of transportation etc. Since these factors belong to different arrangements, an analytic hierarchy process is used to ensure the important degree of the factors. Because the factors are not self-existent, the Gray Correlation Analysis is used to illustrate the associated degree of the actual target vector and the best one. Based on the target system and the analytic method, Empirical Research is applied. The related degree of the factors in reverse logistics is illustrated in a simulated enterprise. Academic gist for decision-making is provided.

With the development of computers and technical correspondence, ship navigation is gradually digitizing. A mathematical model applied in the dynamic environment is presented, which is based on the artificial potential field (APT)method. The intelligence system of ship automation collision-avoidance, for multi-vessel coordination using behavior based on multi-objective decision, has been established. The information of the target ships in this system, which has been obtained from AIS system is employed in an analytic function. And it has been successfully used for mobile ship collision-avoidance path planning in the unknown complex environment. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method performs path planning very well and has good practicality.

To effectively support supply chain partnerships and ensure better collaboration of supply chains, the selection of a supply chain partner enterprise is very important in the SC field. A hybrid intelligent system is applied to select the partner enterprise, combining Rough Set approach and Support Vector Machines (SVM). We can get a reduced information table with no information loss by the rough set approach. Then this reduced information is used to develop classification rules and train SVM. The effectiveness of our methodology was verified by experiments comparing BP neural networks with our approach.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in both domestic and global markets. SMEs often have tight budgets and are vulnerable to risk. It is usually assumed in research about supply chain contracts that supply chain members have sufficient capital and can thus determine their inventory policies to maximize expected profits. However, when facing varying demands, SMEs may not survive the period with an unexpected decrease of demand if ordering as a well-established company. They should have a different objective, i.e. to maximize the probability of their long-term survival. This research studies a two-echelon supply chain with a retailer struggling for survival and a well-established supplier offering a returns policy or a linear rebate. The ordering behaviour of the retailer with an objective to maximize his survival probability and its impact on the supplier's profitability are addressed. We further compare returns policies and linear rebates with wholesale-price-only contracts. It is found that a returns policy does not change the retailer's ordering behaviour and that a linear rebate contract can help to increase the retailer's survival probability. In the short-term view, offering a linear rebate to the retailer as an objective to maximize the survival probability, results in the decrease of the supplier's expected profit. Whereas, in the long-term view, suppliers may offer linear rebates to the retailer, hoping to make a greater profit in future.

While analyzing the relative research of the coordination mechanism in a supply chain (SC), the coordination mechanism in an SC should be adopted to the mixed mode. The key link for using the mixed mode is how to establish the mechanism of benefit distribution (BD). The quantitative models, which describe the repeated coordination in an enterprise of the SC, are put forward. These models are divided into two kinds. One indicates the infinitely repeated model; the other expresses the finitely repeated model. In the infinitely repeated model the benefit value in a long-term cooperation must be bigger than a 0.5 fold benefit which is obtained from opportunism actions. An infinitely repeated model of four measures for increasing the cost of withdrawing from the SC is proposed. In this paper, the mechanism of establishing a process for cooperative relations is analyzed thoroughly at first, and then, by utilizing the game theory and information economics, the theory model is found. At the same time, the model of the BD rate is proposed for both sides of cooperator.

The author will investigate the operational efficiency of urban rail transit (URT) lines in Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other cities. The change of load intensity with time and its background information are also detailed in this paper. The comparative analysis will show that the operational efficiency of the planning guide rail lines in Shanghai, Guangzhou and other cities in China is far lower than those in Tokyo, Seoul and Hong Kong. Discussion will follow on the major factors impacting the operational efficiency of the URT, including the scale of the network, land use planning and its implementation process, feeder bus planning, pricing and fares, and headway. The paper will conclude that the most important factors are land use planning and its implementation process, as well as feeder bus planning along the transit lines.

This paper presents a heuristic Dynamic Response Particle Swarm Optimization (DRPSO) for the Optimal Inventory Control Policy (OICP) in a supply chain system. OICP can be formulated as a dynamic nonlinear optimization problem. The improved algorithm involves accurately detecting the changes in all of the search space and reliably updating obsolete particle memories, which have been shown to be effective in locating the changing best order quantity and recorder point. To simulate the uncertain supply chain environment, two types of goal movements with various uncertain demands and lead-time are investigated with promising results.

To analyze the effects of activity-based costing (ABC) on a traditional operation model in an inventory system, a new inventory model based on ABC is developed in this paper. In the new model, based on the ABC perspectives, we will analyze the cost drivers other than the conventional ones specified in the inventory system, and then revise the inventory cost functions by discussing the allocation of the replenishment cost, inventory holding cost and shortage cost according to these cost drivers. Numerical examples are also given to illustrate the new model by comparing it with the traditional model. The results show that the new model can control the inventory costs very well, while using the traditional model can lead to erroneous decisions.

Through the study of individual choice of suppliers by enterprises, a generalized nested logic model (GNLM) is constructed in this paper based on maximum utility theory to find the main factors affecting enterprises' choice of suppliers in the hope of providing some relevant references to the improvement of suppliers' services and the enlargement of their market share.

This paper will introduce a new mathematical model for analyzing the economic benefits of incorporating 4PL, which is a contractor (i.e. agent) for the reverse supply chain coordination and construction, based on the division of community and outsourcing development. According to the characteristics of the reverse supply chain in the different duration of the collaborative relationship and the dynamic characteristics of the reverse supply chain, we will apply the fractal theory to establish a fractal system of 4PL, coordinating the reverse supply chain for 4PL coordinating with different types of reverse supply chains. Finally, a case study will illustrate our conclusions.

We demonstrate the problem of how to make the emergency response decision of the supply chain when facing disruptions from the perspective of system coordination. For a two-stage supply chain consisting of one supplier and one retailer who faces stochastic effort-dependent market demand, the quantity-discount contract can help coordinate the supply chain, but this coordination may be broken off by an emergency event, which may make demand disruptions; i.e., it makes the demand distribution different from the assumption needed to achieve the original supply chain's coordination. This paper gives an optimal strategy for a supply chain with effort dependent demand for the disruption, proposes adjusted quantity discount contracts which can coordinate the supply chain under the disruptions, and provides some managerial insights. A numerical example is given to illustrate the theoretical results.

In government procurement activities, asymmetric information, incomplete contracts and opportunism, led to the dysfunction of the principal-agent. Through the reference of the principal-agent theory, this paper uses the model of the principal-agent to analyze the government procurement activity, and proposes some countermeasures to improve the principal-agent in government procurement.

The system of EMU in high-speed railway is one system that requires high continuous operation and is composed of several subsystems (spare part). When a subsystem (spare part) goes wrong, it needs to be maintained. Compared to other systems, the difference is that when EMU is under repair, the spare parts (subsystem) of EMU are generally replaced as a whole in just time and maintained later (or repurchase). While the inventory quantity of the spare parts needs determining, two questions must be considered. First, under the application reliability given, make sure the total inventory cost of the spare parts is the lowest. Second when the total funds of the spare parts provided is certain, the spare parts in stock state should make EMU's application reliability to some higher extent. The paper combines the system reliability theory with the modem optimization method altogether, the result has certain reference value to the storage of the spare parts in similar EMU's system by researching this problem.

In order to gain maximum expected profit, the retailer's optimal ordering policy for two-way complete substitute commodities with an unreliable lead time will be researched. First, the two ordering models are established when the commodities come from a supplier, whose lead time is reliable or unreliable. The third ordering model for complete substitute commodities from two suppliers is given when one supplier lead time is reliable and the other one is unreliable. Finally, we will analyze each model and obtain three theorems: The optimal ordering quantity of the third ordering model is existent and unique. The retailer's ordering policy from two suppliers is better than the policy from the supplier whose lead time is unreliable. The optimal ordering policy when ordering the commodities from the two suppliers together can get more expected profit than ordering the commodities from the supplier whose lead time is reliable under some conditions.

There is much randomness in the evaluation of logistics enterprises due to the unclear evaluation indexes and relevant methods. To improve objectivity of evaluation, a DEA model was used to evaluate storage companies. The factors that affect evaluation are investigated. The model was solved with software Matlab. Through efficiency and scale benefit analysis, logistics enterprises can be well diagnosed. It proved efficient in applications.

In the Chinese automobile market, which is full of intense competition, AMFs (automobile manufacturing firms) and their SDNs (supply-demand networks) are under the double-pressure of improving customer satisfaction and cutting costs. The appearance of 3PL and 4PL provides new cost improvement tools and a profit increasing point for the automobile industry. Nevertheless, the enterprises' relationship which embodies competition is greater than any cooperation. The competition is overwhelming, not only between competitors, but among other member enterprises in the same supply chain. On the basis of systematic investigation of several AMFs and their supply chains, this paper will analyze the restrictive factors of logistics integration for the Chinese automobile industry. Meanwhile, it advances an interim integrated plan for adapting the current developing situation using the collaborative operational methods such as informational integration, resources integration, direct delivery, cross-transport postponed production, etc. This plan is an effective guarantee for the normal operation of the procurement system of the complete automobile assembly and the fittings for after-sales services. Moreover, it will provide abundant support of the logistics system to realize standardization, individualization, modularization and a platform for automobile products and their components and parts.

This paper applies the basic idea of game theory to study consumer's safety preferences in the down-stream of supply chain give pulling to supply chain's up-stream firms fulfilling safety responsibilities. The results show that the key to optimize both supply chain's up-stream firms and down-stream consumers is up-stream g firms' fulfilling of safety responsibility and signal the useful information to the consumers, and influence consumer's preferences by making the products differentiate on safety responsibilities.

In China, there are some problems in the agricultural supply chain, such as the loose coordination between farmers and retailers, and unreasonable risk-sharing schemes. To overcome these problems, the revenue sharing contract is introduced to the agricultural supply chain under the market environment and the revenue sharing contract environment. The outcome shows that both framers and retailers can be well coordinated and gain more interest under the revenue sharing contract environment.

In this paper, the optimal volume decision is studied for perishable products under the condition of uncertain demand and variable production cost. Generally, the cost of a unit product is closely related to the product's volume. While making a decision, manufacturers should take both demand uncertainty and variable cost factors into account. For this purpose, an optimal volume decision model is established. Moreover, a detailed case is given and illustrated to confirm our study.

By taking supply amounts between every adjacent node and the satisfaction of customer's expectation as decision variables, a 0–1 mixed integer dynamic optimization model with the goal of maximizing the gross profit is established while considering transportation cost, storehouse lease cost, production cost and sale price of different periods. The result shows that by maximizing the gross profits as optimization objectives, not only can the supply chain obtain more satisfactory profit, but also the membership grade for customer demands can reach a higher value.

In the ship navigation safety chain, the seaman's factor is very important for a ship's maneuvering safety. A structure of seaman-ship integrated model (SSIM) was established, and related data being used was proposed. The important function of the method was briefly discussed. The application of SSIM to the predication of a ship's maneuvering was conducted to obtain an excellent ships maneuvering quality, and the seaman-ship optimal control model was found by simulation study. The simulation results show that the obtained optimal seaman-ship control characteristic can fully take the advantages of ships maneuvering technical performance. The proposed SSIM plays an extremely vital role in ship navigation security.

This text discusses research on the whole process of supply chain system logistics, from the general construction inside of the supply chain abstract to outside the supply chain logistics network diagram, and also summarizes the characteristics of the network diagram. Owing to the complexity of the logistics network of supply chains, the paper sets up the optimized models of the conveyance system of that network.

Regional logistics has become the vital emphasis of a harmonious regional economy development. On the basis of the logistics scale and freight structure, which includes freight traffic and freight ton-KM of the four transportation modes (railways, highways, waterways and civil aviation), the Grey Relational Model has been established by dint of the Grey theory. The differences between the Grey relational results of Shanghai, Shenzhen and Chongqing, which have a similar background, are discussed. The changes in freight structure in Chongqing are analyzed, and the main freight impact factors on Chongqing logistics are discussed. Thus the weaknesses of logistics development in Chongqing are clear. At the end of this paper, some suggestions for improving Chongqing logistics will be put forward.

Two fuzzy models for inventory control in hybrid manufacturing/remanufacturing systems were developed on the basis of the assumption that the demand rate and the return rate are characterized by triangular fuzzy numbers. The signed distance method is employed to derive the estimate of total cost per unit time. In addition, simple modifications of calculated lot sizes were proposed to make the number of lot sizes a positive integer. Finally, the validity of the model is demonstrated by an illustrative example.

There are two different modes in the upstream of pork supply chain: one is through the brokers to transact, and another direct transaction. We compared the total transaction costs of the two different structures from two perspectives. The one is Williamson transactions, a three-dimensional perspective, another account the transaction cost by using model. The result of the comparison shows that with the expansion of the scale of farming, the structure of the upstream of pork supply chain will be changed from the patterns with brokers to the direct transaction mode.

To facilitate effective and efficient emergency logistics planning in natural disasters, a mixed integer dynamic programming model is developed for the single-commodity multi-mode transportation of emergency relief commodities. According to the model, the optimal transportation solution is determined by combining decomposed algorithm with branch and bound method. Finally, a numerical example is presented to prove the efficacy of the proposed model.

It is very important to provide innovative and customer-driven logistics service products to maximize customer satisfaction in the current highly competitive and dynamic marketplaces. In this paper, in order to determine the optimization solution, we will discuss using the AHP method and the improved TOPSIS method to rank competing logistics service products in terms of their overall performance. The result of this study demonstrates the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed evaluation procedure by giving a case study of logistics service products.

By suggesting that recycling process can be put into the delivery cost to offset part of the forward and backward delivery cost, a new way of calculating and saving distributing/reclaim cost is proposed to bring more profit to manufacturers by recycling logistics. The improved model considers distributing cost from three aspects: arrangement of vehicle, restraint of delivery capacity of vehicle, and time restraint. The reclaim cost is proposed on the base of rejecting timely target. Because of reclaim products have certain values, a total optimized cost model is proposed with distributing and reverse process. This model explains how to arrange the route for vehicles and the quantity of the recycling product at each point of customer to make the profit maximum in the journey.

The paper analyzed the network node layout status of China's agricultural products logistics and agricultural supply chain, and developed countries' supply chains. It was found that China's current agricultural supply chain network node layout was one of the bottlenecks restricting the rapid development of China's rural economy. This paper introduced the concepts and characteristics of a green agricultural product closed supply chain (GAPCPC). At the point of view of GAPCPC core business, and the physical and chemical characteristics of agricultural products (AP), as well as the main body of logistics supply chains in the logistics process from the priority given to the point of view of logistics, the basic types of closed supply chains are classified. Focused on three models of the shortest time, the least loss in process and the lowest logistics cost, compared three modes above. Finally, for the supply chain mode of AP with the least loss in the logistics process, the reasons of a loss of AP caused by logistics process are analyzed, and a logistics network node layout model was built.

Based on a brief overview of the inverse optimization problems of the general linear programming (LP), this paper considers a special form of the transportation problems: freight adjustment budget limitations. The authors have popularized one kind of the inverse transportation problems, which provides some quantitative analysis for management innovation activities during the transportation programming practice. This manuscript discusses its algorithms and concludes that as a special form of the inverse optimal value problem of the general LP, it can be solved by transferring into a linear or bilinear programming problem. In the end, an empirical example was presented to verifying the model's validity.

In order to reasonably select the proper suppliers for enterprises in China, this paper presents a supplier comprehensive evaluating index system through analysis of all kinds of factors. The method of data envelopment analysis, which has characteristics such as multi-input, multi-output and poly-objectives of the evaluated objects, is applied into the selection of suppliers and the model based on it is established. Through using this method, suppliers to be chosen are falling into two kinds: technical efficiency and technical inefficiency, which make an objective for enterprises to select. With analysis of a case study, the result shows the validity of the model in selecting suppliers.

This paper develops an inventory model under the conditions of permissible delay in payments by considering the retailer's storage capacity limited and allowable shortages. In this model, it is assumed that the retailer's unit selling price and the purchasing price per unit are not equal. Some expressions for an inventory system's total cost are derived under various circumstances. Finally, an easy-to-use algorithm is proposed to find the optimal cycle time under minimizing total relevant cost per unit. Time and numerical examples are given to illustrate the proposed model.

China's agricultural wholesale markets are characterized by a large number of traders, high risks and poor business services. Regular buyer-seller relationships help traders cope with these market imperfections. About half of the traders surveyed have regular suppliers or clients, and regression results show that those relationships have strong positive effects on trader performance. Profits for traders dealing with regular suppliers are 46 percent higher, and traders with regular clients are 52 percent more profitable than their counterparts. Education, experience and technical efficiency also have significant positive effects on traders' profitability. However, contrary to our expectations, trader association membership has no relationship with traders' profits. Besides, there is no evidence that regular buyer-seller relationship will negatively affect trader's input use. On the contrary, suppliers/client relationships have positive effects on trader's permanent labor input.

The order picking optimization of multiple carousels system is one important problem in modern distribution center in which there exists different types due to different picking operations strategy and system configuration. This paper analyzes it and presents the mathematical model. According to the character that the optimal picking order of the materials in the single carouse will come forth of the optimal sequence of the whole assignment, a new improved nearest neighbor algorithm is constructed. Then, a sequence random verified heuristics (SRVH) is designed on base of it. Finally, simulation tests are developed on the two heuristics. Experimental results verify that the optimum solutions are quickly and steadily achieved and show its better performance.

With the decrease of global resources and the deterioration of environmental problems, the Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) has become the optimal choice of Chinese manufacturers. In this paper, after exploring the rise of the GSCM, the differences between the green supply chain and the traditional one will be comparatively analyzed. Then the evaluation indexes of supplier selection in the mode of GSCM will be constructed. Finally, with the influences of both objective and subjective weight considered, the Multi-Target Illegible Optimized Selection method will be employed to comprehensively evaluate the suppliers.

This paper presents a method for forecasting regional logistics demand based on support vector machine. The characteristics of this model are concluded as follows: First, using support vector regression with linear kernel function to analyze influences of the input influential factors to the regional logistics demand and determine the key influential factors. Second, constructing a fusion kernel based on wavelet analysis to replace the Gauss kernel. This study applies the proposed method to predict the regional logistics demand of Shanghai during the period 1978 to 2005. Experiments show that this method has very good prediction accuracy.

The one-off characteristic of construction projects can bring on a high risk in a construction supply chain, and project quality risks can transmit along supply chains due to the techniques of continuity and benefit correlation between enterprises of a construction supply chain. In this paper, project quality risks fall into two categories: controllable risks and systemic risks. Then a two-stage risk transmission model is proposed to describe the transmission mechanism of controllable quality risks in construction projects. Finally, this study will also present alternative solutions for risk source and process control for controlling the transmission of controllable quality risks in a cooperative supply chain. The findings from the study provide useful references to the risk management of construction project.

A vast scale of filler in subgrade of Chong Ming connection engineering but the soil resource is lacking in the region, therefore, the Yangtze River estuary fine sand is adopted as filler of highway subgrade. The physical, mechanical and chemical characteristics of fine sand have been analyzed by laboratory tests and its highway performance has been comprehensively evaluated. The inspection methods and standards of soil compaction during the embankment construction to controlling the construction quality are determined based on internal tests. The researching results indicate that the sand is in good performance, and it is feasible for adopting cutting ring as inspection methods of project site.

Inventory optimization is essential for improving supply chain performance, and enhancing business competitiveness. In the case of uncertain supply and demand, this paper will make use of the supply chain management theory, establishing an optimized inventory model for coal-based power enterprises and coal-fired suppliers. In this model we will optimize safety factors locally to minimize the inventory costs of the power enterprises and coal supplier's respectively, and optimize the factors globally to minimize the total inventory cost of the supply chain. By comparing results between global optimization and local optimization, this paper will present the realization mechanism of global optimization for supply chain inventory based on cost sharing. It enables both suppliers and demanders to benefit, and enhances the competence of the supply chain.

Logistics finance is an innovative value-added service. It is the product of logistics and the financial industry which has developed to a certain stage. Warehouse receipt hypothecating operation is a service innovation offered by TPL(Third Party Logistics). This paper studies the problem of warehouse receipt hypothecating with several collaterals under unified authority. The solution of that is different from the single collateral warehouse receipt hypothecating because of correlation of collateral price fluctuations. Copula function can describe that dependence structure, and then the paper constructs the default loss probability distribution function and the total cost function of TPL. Loan-to-value ratio is an important index of risk management. According to the total cost function, the fittest loan-to-value ratio can be determined. The TPL will adjust it to control its own cost and risk.

Coordination of inter-organizational business process in supply chain is not completely automated, modeling of the process needs to have dynamic process definition and ability to change. In this article, coordination point (CP) is introduced and modeled to deliver interaction and parallel operation through defining the covenant so as to ensure correct implementation of all process coordination. Application of CP model enables seamless coordination of business process among enterprises.

The pull supply chain operating mode is a typical stochastic demand and stochastic resource-constrained dynamic problem. Based on the early research achievements, it is emphatically pointed out and analyzed that the constraint relationship of the dynamic idle production capacity is the main constraint relation in the pull supply chain operating optimization process. The method to solve this problem will be analyzed and an improved dynamic operating mathematics model will be set up. Finally, the validity and feasibility of the model will be tested by a case.

Making the decision to dispatch emergency vehicles under uncertain conditions is unavoidable in an emergency response system. Based on vehicle routing problems with stochastic travel time, we will present a dispatch model of emergency vehicles with a multi-depot. We will use chance constrained programming to deal with travel time parameters, under the mild assumptions on the distribution of the stochastic parameters. A genetic algorithm will be proposed to solve this model and experimental calculation will be conducted to verify the solution approach.

In the Mass Customization (MC) supply chain, demands are not only product price-sensitive but also time-sensitive, especially logistics time. This paper will focus on the decision mode of the supply chain, which consists of a manufacturer, end customers, and third-party logistics providers (TPLs). The decision processes are analyzed and the optimal solutions are found in both decentralized and centralized decision-making modes by applying the opinion suggested by Stackberg. Furthermore, a numerical analysis was proposed with an application. It will be proven that a higher profit of the MC supply chain can be gained in the centralized decision-making mode.

Emergency Logistics is a special case of general logistics activities. Its main content is to study the organization of traffic. One of the main challenges is to reduce the time and cost occurring from the locations of supply to demand during transporting emergency relief commodities. Responding to the need, in this paper, the authors propose a solution named MBEM to evaluate a set of transportation schemes, and choose the best one considering the condition of multi - rescue points, Multi- mayday points, varieties of rescue materials with time constraints and cost constraints. An example application is used to illustrate this proposed approach.

In the transport infrastructure, the investments are very large projects with long life cycles, which make them both risk investments and decision problems built on imprecise and uncertain assumptions. Usually, the transport infrastructure investments are divided into two or more steps to invest. Therefore the question that a management group must answer for a deferrable investment opportunity is: if we can postpone it up to T time periods, what is the project valuation? In this paper we will adopt a fuzzy real option model to solve the problem.

It is important to set up an evaluation index system of the urban logistics service which develops an appraisal of urban logistics rationally. Based on the urban logistics, the evaluation index system of the urban logistics service is set up, and the expert score system to confirm weight coefficient is used in this paper. Finally, the fuzzy appraisal model is set to confirm the service level of the urban logistics, and an example is made for application.

In order to improve the sorting technique of tobacco, a practical automatic sorting system based on Profibus-DP has been designed. This paper will describe the design of the hardware structure and the software. The sorting flow technique of the tobacco based on the system is shown. Compared with the traditional tobacco sorting equipment, the size of the tobacco warehouse's new sorting equipment is equal to the size of the tobacco box opening. Sorters can store one tobacco box, which comprises 50 tobacco cartons, into the reservoir twice. Sorters can be released from the labor-intensive work. The system can finish 5 to 6 order forms per minute, about 10,000 order forms per hour, and the error rate is 0.01%.

The objective of this paper is considering a single product inventory control in a Distribution Supply Chain (DSC). Imprecise linguistic expressions that are modeled by discrete fuzzy sets are used to describe the customer demands. Inventories are supplied by applying periodic review guidelines with optimal order up-to-quantities. Fuzzy customer demands refer to fuzziness in inventory positions at the end of review intervals and in incurred relevant costs per unit time interval. The determination of the minimum of defuzzified total cost of the DSC can be solved by applying decomposition. An iterative collaboration mechanism is proposed for changing the review periods and ordering up-to-quantities for each retailer and the warehouse in such a way that all parties within the DSC are satisfied with respect to total incurred costs. Collaboration is performed by introducing fuzzy constraints and fuzzy tolerances and warehouse costs in regional optimization subproblems.

GA is applied to optimize the partners of the SCN. Furthermore, based on core competence, with a lean principle to integrate the SCN business process according to the fractal theory, the organic coupling of the FSCN is achieved. After the integration, the FSCN is formed similarly to the fractal structure of a biological macro molecule. Thus, the SAW model is applied to calculate the fractal dimension of the FSCN. Finally, an example is given to verify the model's effectiveness.

In light of the status of the green agricultural production and circulation in China, this paper presents the construction of a closed supply chain as an effective way for green agricultural development in China. Through the research on the concept, characteristics, driving-forces and adaptable conditions of a closed supply chain, it presents the basic framework of green agricultural products in a closed supply chain mode, and analyzes the key issues on the establishment of a closed green farm-products supply chain in China. According to the research results, it suggests that a closed supply chain is a supply chain model based on quality and safety control, advanced information technology and modern logistics technology. The vertical integrated control method is adopted in this model, and closed marketing-channels are established to achieve simultaneous tracking, effective control and management of all processes in the supply chain. In this mode, an information platform for quality control of green farm-products is the core of the supply chain. Closed marketing-channels are composed of the production bases, logistics centers, processing plants and sales terminals of green agriculture. Under such circumstances, standardized operation, unified certification and vendor management are implemented to realize real-time tracking, effective control and whole management from production to consumption. Sequentially, efficiency, safety, and environmental-friendliness will be achieved.

Vendor managed inventory (VMI) is considered as a new inventory management model in supply chains. Based on the two-echelon supply chain model of a single supplier and single retailer, the optimal order quantity and optimal profit in supply chain are analyzed under three contracts: non-cooperative model, centralized control model, VMI model. Then the retailer's compensation policy for the supplier is discussed under the condition that the supplier's cost is symmetrical information in a VMI contract. On the other hand, how the retailer constructs a cost discrimination model to distribute profit was proposed in the situation when the supplier's cost is asymmetric information. Last, the numeric case is introduced to demonstrate the discussion above about the profit varieties between the supplier and retailer.

In this paper, the optimal design of incentive mechanism for a reverse supply chain which is composed of one manufacturer and one retailer is proposed under asymmetric information by employing principal-agent theory. Through the introduction of an external observing variable—the total amount of waste products that the manufacturer recycled from "another" retailer, an optimal model is established and the impact of the new variable on the incentive mechanism is discussed. Finally, a numerical example is given to show the application and effectiveness of the model. The conclusion is of great help and practical significance for the design of reverse supply chains.

In the 21^st century, enterprises have changed from past competitive factors of cost, quality, and so on into time factors. But most traditional enterprises still are concerned about cost, quality and other factors as the preferred factors when choosing suppliers, which is no longer suited to today's fierce market competition. Based on the supply chain time-based factor supplier's competitive strategy research, the cosmos orbit model was established, and the competition for the STBF provides a model and theoretical basis.

One of the core questions of emergency relief systems is how to solve the location-allocation problem (LRP) for an emergency rescue center and select the optimal emergency transportation routing. The paper establishes a LRP mathematic model with the characteristic of natural disaster, and uses a two-phase heuristic algorithm to solve the model. LRP divides into two sub-problems—the Location-Allocation Problem (LAP) and Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP). This paper first uses minimization envelope method to solve the LAP, then calculates K shorter paths by the application of logware software and nearest neighbor method. In this condition, considering the indexes of time, security, economic cost and environment cost of emergency transportation routing, the paper establishes a shortest-path Analytic network process(ANP) weighted relationship chart and uses ANP to determine the weight of these four indexes. Based on the analysis and calculation of an example, the results indicate that the above models and methods are effective and rational.

This paper analyzed characters of a single-period product in the case of stochastic demand comprehensively. Then it put forward an order and pricing decision-making model of asingle-period product, including the two-level supply chain of the manufacturer and the retailer. According to the mode adopted to deal with inventory remaining in the selling term end, the manufacturer and retailer can choose returned or unreturned order mode, which can not only realize maximum expected income, but also avoid operation risk. Finally it gave an example to prove scientific and validity of the model established.

Due to the eruption of significant food safety incidents such as mad cow disease, foot-and-mouth disease and bird-flu, the safety issues of agriculture products have intensified during recent years. In order to improve the the capability of food safety control and eliminate the green trade barriers in the international market, it is imperative to establish a monitoring system in the supply chain of agricultural logistics. In view of the Sichuan situation, a set of numbering systems covering feeding, slaughtering, cutting, processing, transportation and marketing was established under the standard of the European Article Number International-Uniform Code Council (EAN.UCC) System. A tracking and tracing system (TTS) in the supply chain of agricultural logistics was also developed based upon the numbering system. The results showed that the numbering system is suitable for identifying different stages of the supply chain and that the monitoring system is efficient for performing tracking and tracing.

Supply chains are exposed to different kinds of disruption risks that increase along with increasing globalization and development of lean manufacturing. This paper constructs a 4-echelon supply chain and investigates the impact of supply disruption on supply chain performance using Monte Carlo simulation. The measurement of the effect of disruption risk is the average inventory of each echelon. And the paper chooses three typical types of disruption risk during the simulation process. The mathematical example shows the inventory of supply I fluctuates severely. This paper also gives some reliable strategies to reduce the reverse impact caused by disruption risk based on the mathematical result.

Inventory control in hybrid manufacturing/remanufacturing systems (HMRS) with stochastic demand and return will be investigated in this paper. An integrated PUSH and PULL inventory policy is proposed for combining the advantages of the PUSH and PULL inventory policies. A dynamic model for inventory control in HMRS will be developed to seek the minimal total system cost per unit time under this policy. Finally, the validity of the model will be demonstrated by an illustrative example.

VPS (Virtual Probe Systems) or the use of GPS/GSM/GPRS/CDMA or wireless systems to collect and deliver real-time vehicular/roadway information for ITS applications has emerged into a practical Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technology in last few years. The VPS application is envisioned that can be used to supplement the originally heavily infrastructure-based ITS system deployment. This paper describes the VPS technology, very similar to the emerging technological approach favored by the USDOT through the Vehicle-Infrastructure Initiative (VII) concept, among vehicle, roadside, and traffic/transit management centers.

The study is to evaluate safety performances of different exit ramps used in Florida. Crash data were collected at 423 freeway segments throughout the State of Florida. For the freeway diverge areas, exit ramp types were defined based on the number of lanes used by vehicular traffic to exit freeways. Four exit ramp types were considered here including single-lane exit ramps (Type 1), sing-lane exit ramps without a taper (Type 2), two-lane exit ramps with an optional lane (Type 3), and two-lane exit ramps without an optional lane (Type 4). Cross-sectional comparisons were conducted to compare crash frequency and crash rate between different exit ramp groups. The result shows that Type 1 exit ramp has the best safety performance in terms of the lowest crash frequency and crash rate.

As world container continues to grow, the issue of infrastructure improvement and expansion becomes an urgent one. The Port of New York/New Jersey has more than 80% of their cargo distributed locally. The tremendous truck trips generated at marine container terminals (MCTs) have a direct bearing on the local highways and arterial roads. This research analyzes the casual relationship between vessel container traffic pattern, terminal gate transactions and truck trip generation patterns. The results will help planners bettering the understanding of the complexity of truck activities at MCTs and take these factors into consideration when planning land access improvement.

We study mass customization in single product supply chain with distinct push-pull strategy in its components. The objective is to satisfy customer service (lead time) and economic consideration (inventory level). The scope of this methodology is how to decide push pull strategy properly according to make-to-order (MTO) or assembly to order (ATO). This paper demonstrates that project management approach can be used to decide whether certain components are categorized into MTO or ATO. In order to optimize this approach, postponement strategy is used to ensure that make to order is the most suitable decision. Otherwise, some inventories should be arranged and its will be changed to assembly to order. In the last part of this paper, an example has been examined and the result shows lower lead time than MTO and better profit than pure ATO. The key finding is project management can help decision maker to find hybrid push pull path that will minimize inventory cost while maintain customer service level.

Many processes are involved in managing the supply chain to expedite the flow of information and materials. The Supply Chain Council developed a Supply Chain Operations Reference Model (SCOR) as a cross-industry reference model for supply chain management, which identifies five major supply chain processes: plan, source, make, deliver, and return. One of the subprocesses in the source process is identifying suppliers. In modern management, a company tries to establish a long-term relationship with its supplier to ensure its stable source and therefore evaluating supplier has become even more critical than ever in gaining strategic advantage in supply chain management. In this paper, we going to propose a supplier evaluation model based on grey relational analysis which has been extensively applied in various fields including decision making.

In order to overcome the limitations of safety evaluation methods based on traffic accident and traffic conflict, the concept of safety level of service for intersections is presented. Considering the ability of obtaining data for different countries, especially for developing countries, the models of safety level of service will be developed from the factors influencing safety level of service. Based on the qualitative analysis of influencing factors, the Principal Component Analysis is applied to condense sub-factors. The analyzed result is several sub-factors of partial factors are removed, but most original information is kept. For the convenience of subsequent model development for safety level of service, the factors are categorized major influencing factors, minor influencing factors and traffic characteristics.

Based on continuous and comprehensive surveys in Mainland China from 1998 to 2007, this paper explores the characteristics and trends of the 3PL Market in Mainland China from the perspectives of both demand and supply. This research identifies classifications of the 3PL buyers and the differences of the logistics service requirements of the buyers from the various industries, and presents characteristics of China's 3PL providers from the three perspectives, and suggests the trends of supply/demand for logistics services. It might guide both buyers and providers to make better decisions to achieve their strategic objectives.

This paper compares three light rail (LRT) and bus rapid (BRT) transit systems in Beijing: The Batong Line, the City Rail (Line 13), and the Southern Axis BRT with regard to service capacity, construction cost, and land use impacts. While LRT on average has a higher design capacity than BRT, system operations and corridor land use context determine the differences between them in achievable capacities and ridership. The Southern Axis BRT line offers nearly the same design capacity as the Batong line. In 2006, however, the BRT line carried almost twice as much total passenger volume as that by the Batong line. The BRT line costs less than one fourth of LRT to build. Nevertheless, the LRT outperforms BRT in terms of its impacts on land use.

A survey was conducted on students' travel mode to school for 14 elementary schools and middle schools in Hillsborough County, Florida. The standard survey forms and inputting tools designed by the National Center for Safe Routes to School (SRTS Clearinghouse) were used for both students and parents' survey. As the first SRTS survey with the standard survey forms in Florida, the detailed survey process and lessons learned were summarized for future reference. The chi-square test was used to identify the factors associated with number of students that walk or bike to school, including demographic characteristics and subjective opinions from parents associated with children's choice on travel mode to school. The chi-square test results revealed that all those factors are significantly associated with students' travel mode to school. The barriers that affect parents' decisions on whether allowing students to walk or bike to school were ranked. Of all the barriers distance was ranked No. 1. Such other important barriers including speed and the amount of traffic along route, violence or crime, safety of intersections and crossings were also discussed.

The scientific and engineering aspect of signal timing and coordination is reflected by sophisticated optimization algorithms, computer software, and roadway infrastructure to support servicing traffic flows. On the other hand, implementing a coordinated signal timing plan in the field often involves fine tuning of a plan in order to achieve the best performance. Such a field implementation and fine tune task provides a stage for the traffic engineers to demonstrate their intellectual and artistic skills of manipulating signal timing using the advanced traffic signal controller features. Therefore, traffic engineers often describe signal timing as a form of engineering art. This paper addresses such an artistic aspect of signal timing by illustrating various signal timing tricks applied on different cases. Specifically, the cases to be discussed include: left-turn phasing sequence, pedestrian handling, dealing with long arterials, and strategies for controlling closely-spaced signals. Applying the tricks and tips illustrated in this paper can provide quick fixes to some common operational problems without the need of significant capital investment. Finally, the paper also touches some basic issues related to traffic flow and roadway characteristics in China, and how the signal timing principles may be adapted to China's urban arterials.

Tag collision arbitration for passive RFID tags is a significant issue for fast tag identification. In this paper, two kinds of anti-collision methods, deterministic and probabilistic, are presented. The performance of these two anti-collision methods is analyzed.

There are several security tools that were always used to protect the security of information system, such as firewall, anti-virus, intrusion detection system and so on. For each kind of tool, it has its specialties to defend the information system. But their performance is still poor when these tools were put together without cooperation. For this reason, a kind of integrated security method was provided in this paper. This integrated method is used to solve the problem that each kind of security tool defends the network independently. This new method can organize these security tools to defend the network together and maximum the network security. This method is useful to enhance the network security.

Based on the connotation of a logistics network system, the logistics service network including nodes and edges is constructed in terms of the service characteristics of logistics activities. Given the definition of the degree of a match, it analyzes the association between the provider and consumer of logistics service, and provides a mathematical analysis method to depict the service property of a logistics network.

Considering the special characteristics of pedestrian flow and its behavior, modeling of pedestrian behavior is complex. Existing approaches have their limits when applied in different scales and environment scenarios. In the text, the concept of the agent in artificial intelligence is introduced and applied to modeling of pedestrian behavior. First, the adaptability of the agent in modeling pedestrian behavior is recommended. Then, according to the analysis of adaptability of different approaches under different simulation scales and environments, an integrated framework models embeds different approaches are presented.

It is important to enhance the stability of the supply chain by improving the cooperative reliability between manufacturing enterprises and suppliers. Aimed at the risk of suppliers' failure, the main purpose of this paper is to study the supplier selection based on the reliability measure. The reliability index system of supplier selection was founded, and a methodology was presented based on the ANP and the optimization method. The interactive influence and restriction among the indices for the supplier reliability measure was analyzed by the ANP method. Moreover, many fuzzy and uncertain factors were evaluated by using the optimization method and 0–1 integer programming was presented to determine the sound supplier combination.

This paper presents a cell-based approach to evaluate service intensity around urban transit stops. A weighted distance accessibility measure is designed to reflect the phenomenon of distance decay from transit stops. The service coverage and intensity of all transit stops can be derived with this accessibility measure. The process is carried out on the basis of raster data analysis in GIS. By combining spatially disaggregated socio-economic data, the service quality can be evaluated in terms of transit travel demand in each raster cell. Such evaluation will benefit transit demand forecasting and improve transit stop optimization.

The cage will be properly positioned by comparing the number of scaling program with the number from the calculation for the pulse in position detection device that has been designed and manufactured. We select AT89C52 as the CPU of position-controller and use new style interface chip BC7281A to realize input and display of the layer number and take use of ISD1420 voice device to realize attention voice. The software of control system is made with C51. At the same time, we designed several anti-interference methods in the hardware and software. After debugging, this position-controller works very well.

On April 14, 2007, China launched the Compass M-1 satellite, This satellite represented the first of a new global navigation satellite system (GNSS) that was planned to have a total of 35 satellites which gives a bright future to modern logistics and transportation management. In this paper, the author first introduces how the Beidou Navigation and Positioning System works then takes a real time remote monitoring logistics and transportation system as an example to illustrate the establishment of the communication system between the moving vehicles and the monitoring center More over, the author discusses the key technologies used in the system. Lastly, he gives the prediction of the prospective applications of the Beidou Navigation and Positioning Satellites in logistics and transportation.

It is appropriate to study the logistics operations of container terminals using the simulation method. However, most of the literature that has incorporated the simulation approach was focused mainly on the analysis of input and simulation results, and only gave general discussions on the design of a model structure. With more focus on model structure than input and output analysis, this paper provides useful alternatives for practitioners to design simulation models for container terminals. Necessary adaptation and extensions would enable this model to be applied to a broader range of logistics systems of container terminals.

The level of product fragility is obtained through experiments and the cushioning design is based on max acceleration-static strain or cushioning coefficient-max stress curves in the traditional design system of packages for transport that has many pitfalls due to economy and complexity. In this paper the secondary development technique (SDT) of ANSYS products is employed to calculate the product fragility and the compressive strength of paper boxes and to check the vibration-proof property of packages. The cushioning design is based on the energy absorption diagram method (EADM). A feasible model of the design system of packages for transport (DSPT) is framed. This model integrates many modules of fragility calculation, cushioning design, paper box design and tray design. The main frameworks, algorithm principles and design of system database are presented in detail.

Advanced traveler information systems (ATISs) have been proposed as possible solutions for reducing increasing metropolitan expressway congestion. A novel type of ATIS is presented; it is designed for network control of expressways and consists of three new kinds of variable message signs (VMSs) and one kind of traditional textual VMS. Three new kinds of VMSs are network-level guidance signs, road section signs, and entrance condition signs. Network-level guidance signs provide traffic information in a graphical form, i.e. display a real-time color-coded level-of-service (LOS) map. Information provided by road section signs includes two parts: a LOS map and text information. Entrance condition signs provide text information about on-ramp conditions. Traditional VMS provide text information on traffic conditions. General description of the ATIS is first presented. Then the graphical traffic information provision method for VMSs is addressed, followed by the route travel time prediction methodology and its applications. ATIS evaluation results are presented finally.

A driving cycle of an automobile was investigated on different roads in Ningbo city using advanced techniques of a GPS, gathering a large amount of data of instantaneous speed under realistic road conditions. On the basis of these investigation data, the driving cycles of an automobile on different roads were analyzed, and developed to be appreciated to measure vehicle emission, which include the driving cycle for general roads, highway, and comprehensive urban road, respectively. These are the basis of intelligent control of automobile pollution sources in time.