The large body of research investigating the discrepancy between consumers' progressive environmental attitudes in polls, and their actual purchase behavior, has provided inconsistent results. This paper complements existing research using an 'interception' of consumers at the shopping aisle, thus using more objective behavioral data. Our analysis indicates a neglectable impact...
International seaborne transport of crude oil takes place mainly on tankers, with annual seaborne crude flows totaling an estimated 12 billion barrels. To take into account the carbon footprint on crude oil from its international distribution segment, we utilize a micro-level dataset of more than 28,000 individual shipment samples to...
This paper critically reviews and identifies gaps in the methodologies used to analyze the environmental impacts of mineral and metal global supply chains. Of specific focus are assessments of the extraction and production of minerals and metals needed for a low-carbon energy future. Current trends and projections suggest that the...
Dynamic macroeconomic conditions and non-binding truckload freight contracts enable both shippers and carriers to behave opportunistically. We present an empirical analysis of carrier reciprocity in the US truckload transportation sector to demonstrate whether consistent performance and fair pricing by shippers when markets are in their favor result in maintained primary...
The fast and dynamic evolution of e-retailing is driving structural changes in the way companies are reaching the urban consumer. Companies are offering faster delivery services, deploying collection-and-delivery points and multi-echelon distribution networks with a range of facility types, diversifying last-mile transportation modes with new types of vehicles and contracting...
In this inaugural edition, the MIT CTL and CSCMP teamed up to explore how sustainability practices are being implemented in global supply chains and what that means for companies and professionals in the State of Supply Chain Sustainability 2020.
The innovative omni-channel supply chain models that have reshaped many parts of the retail industry continue to evolve in response to market changes. One of these changes is the increasing demand for grocery products ordered online, a trend reinforced by the COVID-19 pandemic that imposed restrictions on the use of...
Urban last-mile distribution in emerging economies suffers from unique levels of operational complexity, largely due to the prevailing dominance of the highly fragmented traditional retail channel. To support companies in strategically designing efficient urban distribution networks in such uncertain market environments, we propose a large-scale stochastic mixed integer linear programming...
Information sharing is one of the established approaches to improve demand forecasting and reduce the bullwhip effect, but it is infeasible to do so effectively in a long supply chain. Using the polystyrene industry as a case study, this thesis explores the usage of modern natural language processing (NLP) techniques...
With the rising adoption of e-commerce and online shopping, many retailers are facing the challenge of transitioning across channels to offer a seamless customer experience. One way of addressing this challenge consists of leveraging omnichannel retailing. Our sponsor company, a large US grocery retailer, is striving toward providing an omnichannel...
Driver dwell time is an important challenge the U.S trucking industry faces. High, unplanned dwell times are costly to all stakeholders in the industry as they result in detention costs, declining performance and decreased driver capacity. With the increasing demand for these services, it is important to maximize the driving...
Supply chain sustainability has increased in importance for companies of all sizes, public and private, across a wide range of industries. While there has been increased excitement in tandem with proclamations of lofty goals around the topic of supply chain sustainability, it has proven challenging to operationalize sustainability when many...
Consumer preferences are driving changes within the retail space. E-Commerce is growing rapidly and there are increased pressures on companies to be environmentally friendly, yet still cost-competitive. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance for retailers to adjust their distribution network to accommodate these new customer preferences. Four key steps...
The pharmaceutical industry is subject to many unique constraints, due in part to both product characteristics and regulatory guidelines. Nevertheless, pharmaceutical companies are expected to be able to serve customers that rely on their products, even as demand can be unpredictable and erratic. Pharmaceutical companies have choices in how they...
Malnutrition is a global issue that affects millions of people across the world. Malnutrition is not just the lack of food, but also consists of the overabundance of unhealthy food due to a lack of healthy food. This instance of malnutrition is particularly troublesome for cities in the United States...
Companies spend significant resources on digital transformation projects that do not always meet expectations. This thesis contends that these projects fail or fall short because organizations do not consider the three fundamental flows of a supply chain; materiel, information, and payment. To address the issue, this thesis develops a lens...
Building deep, strategic supplier relationships has come to the forefront of companies’ goals in recent years. There are many different strategic sourcing methodologies available to procurement professionals. However, there is a gap in identifying the reasons and motivations as to why companies develop their suppliers, and how suppliers are developed...
Global supply chains are becoming increasingly complex systems that drive significant investments in inventory throughout the network. Our sponsor for this project uses a multi-echelon inventory optimization (MEIO) model to manage safety stock inventory across its network. The MEIO model helps them optimize inventory based on upstream and downstream supply...
The coffee industry generates annual revenues of approximately US$250 billion, with more than 60 million people depending on it globally. However, coffee farmers in producing countries are operating at a loss due to selling at low prices to intermediaries who control the downstream channels. Recent studies highlighted the need to...
Over the past five years, immunization coverage in Sub-Saharan Africa has stagnated at 72%. Immunization supply chains are expensive and complicated, and creating a model that helps optimize these supply chains is of great importance not only for people’s health but also for the efficient use of limited budget in...
The world is facing a grave plastic waste problem. It is not new that we hear about oceanic death and morbid landfills. Only 8% of all the plastic produced is recycled in the US. This grotesque situation has been worsened by the Chinese ban of plastic waste imports from the...
The US truckload transportation industry goes through phases of over and under supply of capacity, causing a dramatic impact on freight rates and transportation budgets. External factors like macroeconomic conditions, unexpected market forces, and changing regulatory policies tend to influence the velocity of these phases. We present an analysis of...
The second machine age is reshaping the way we work, do business, and collaborate. Today collaboration is switching from just among humans to between humans and machines. Mundane and repetitive tasks will be done by machines automatically, while humans can develop insights and make wise decisions supported by data streaming...
Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) in recent years has developed from a novel concept to practical applications throughout the global economy. AI increasingly performs cognitive tasks and has evolved into the role of a human’s teammate. However, algorithms are not designed to facilitate a teaming process. Many firms do not adequately investigate...
Humanitarian organizations play a crucial role in providing aid to the victims of disasters – whether natural or man-made. One of the leading organizations is the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which saves lives and alleviates the suffering of those affected by armed conflicts. The relief action to...
