Supply chain visibility has become a crucial factor for companies in times of globalization and customer satisfaction. Track-and-trace technologies are important tools in order to enhance supply chain visibility. This thesis was written in cooperation with a Swedish retailer and evaluates potential track-and-trace technologies in order to develop a solution to close their current track-and-trace gap in their outbound logistics. Currently the handover point between the retailer and the postal service provider is not clearly defined, so that shipments get lost during the transition. Therefore, a literature review about currently used track-and-trace technologies was carried out. Several technologies with a wide price and applicability range are currently used and have been analysed regarding their strength and weaknesses. A qualitative study in form of interviews was conducted within the Swedish market about how this gap could possibly be closed. Empirical findings show that the existing track-and-trace technologies do not provide a best practice solution. Especially in the field of outbound logistics, several factors and the individual process requirements of a company have to be considered in order to develop an efficient solution, so that the existing track-and-trace gap can be closed. Each company has its unique set of challenges, which have to be solved in order to successfully implement a long- lasting tracking solution. A high dependence from the postal service provider is additionally given since all process steps need to be aligned to guarantee reliability of the data afterwards. In the case of the Swedish retailer, an automatized scanning bow with a separated area for outbound parcels is expected to improve transparency of the handover and lower the total amount of lost shipments. The breakeven point would be reached within the next years, so that operational saving could soon be achieved. Due to the global outbreak of COVID-19, as well as significant problems of the retailer, the practical application could not be tested. It should therefore be part of further academic studies.

Yes / The National Health Service (UK) is wholly accountable and heavily scrutinised for its strategy, activity, performance and spending (Appleby, 2016; NHS Confederation, 2016; Parliament UK, 2010), and much research has been undertaken as to its effectiveness at managing its operations and its competency in doing so (Gov.Uk, 2016; National Audit Office, 1999)). The impact of not performing adequately combined with threats such as funding cuts (King’s Fund, 2016), government intervention and private sector competition; has led to uncertainty and disillusion with the sustainability of the service (Hunter, 2016). Based on current economic concerns, this paper chooses to focus on the area of Medical Equipment Loans Services where products are released to patients to aid therapeutic rehabilitation and physical mobility. The aim of this study is to examine the process of product retrieval in a multi-case study analysis and consider how value-added technologies can be used to improve retrieval success rates.

Purpose: In this study, areas of use of blockchain technology in transportation management will be discussed. The purpose is to contribute with theoretical research of advantages and disadvantages of blockchain technology in transportation management before an implementation at Rhenus Logistics.   Methodology: Through interviews and literature, ways of using blockchain in transportation management is researched. A case study is set up, to further analyze the research topic from the view of an individual third-party logistic company.  Findings: Results showed that for a third-party logistic provider to successfully use blockchain technology within transportation management, it is important to have the entire network onboard in the process. If so, functionalities such as track and trace, digital handling of paperwork and smart contracts could be used. The advantages of using blockchain technology for transportation management at Rhenus Logistics were found to be trust, transparency, traceability, efficiency, cost-saving opportunities and the use of smart contacts. Identified disadvantages for Rhenus Logistics was that blockchain is costly, stakeholders are hesitant to get involved, smart contracts are not considerate of blurry lines in real life practice and there is a challenge in finding an accurate blockchain design for their business model.

Worldwide, the need for effective humanitarian aid is growing, and continuous aid such as commodity distribution plays a major role in ensuring sustained wellbeing. In literature, information and communication technology (ICT) has been recognized and suggested to enhance the performance and achieve higher social impact of humanitarian supply chains. Nevertheless, so far there has been little research on implementation practices and difficulties that can arise in the specific context. In pursuit of seizing the full benefits of ICT in humanitarian setting, there is an interest to further study ICT adoption among humanitarian practitioners, above all those in the most decentralized parts of the chain, which are more likely to be overlooked. This thesis aims to investigate what challenges arise when implementing an ICT trackability solution in local units of humanitarian supply chains. In this context, the concept of trackability was introduced to refer to monitoring of the downstream flow of a commodity until its intended beneficiary. Based on a thorough literature review at the intersection of Humanitarian Logistics, Supply Chain Visibility and ICT Adoption research, a substantiated theoretical context was built. Further, a case study on Colombian childcare centers, which serve as local service units of a national Food Aid Program aimed at early childhood, allowed for deep-going insights on the work of educators and the dynamics of such local humanitarian entities. Analysis of the empirical findings demonstrated the presence of numerous, both facilitating and inhibiting, ICT adoption antecedents. Five main challenges were identified: high workload, lack of technological skills, staff’s impact-oriented motivation in contrast to the tool’s broader efficiency goal, trackabilitiy’s monitoring nature as a threat to staff’s aspired autonomy, and deficient infrastructure. The study shows that these challenges can be interpreted as misalignments between the nature of attributes intrinsic to the humanitarian organization and that of the technological tool itself which is often shaped by commercial principles. The identified frictions could either be associated to a difference in operational reality or to diverging strategic goals, which mirror the overall discrepancies between commercial and humanitarian supply chains described in literature. The conclusion was drawn that the elucidated divide or incompatibility asks for bridging efforts in order to overcome implementation difficulties and seize the promising advantages of ICT in humanitarian setting. According to the findings, this should be done by enabling local practitioners rather than monitoring these. / Globalt ökar behovet av effektivt humanitärt bistånd, och kontinuerligt stöd såsom råvarudistribution spelar en viktig roll för att säkerställa ett fortsatt välbefinnande. I litteraturen har informations- och kommunikationsteknik (IKT) erkänts och föreslagits förbättra prestationen och höja den sociala påverkan hos humanitära försörjningskedjor. Å andra sidan, finns det hittills ringa forskning på praktisk implementering och utmaningar som kan uppstå i det givna sammanhanget. I strävan att ta vara på samtliga fördelar som IKT kan ha i humanitärt sammanhang finns det intresse att ytterligare studera införande och användning av IKT bland humanitära praktiker, främst i de mest decentraliserade delarna av kedjan, då dessa är mer sannolika att förbises. Examensarbetet syftar till att undersöka vilka utmaningar som uppstår vid implementering av en IKT lösning för spårbarhet i lokala enheter av humanitära försörjningskedjor. Baserat på en grundlig litteraturöversikt vid skärningspunkten för forskning kring humanitär logistik, försörjningskedjor och IKTs införande och användning skapades ett teoretiskt ramverk. Vidare har en fallstudie av colombianska daghem, som utgör de lokala serviceenheter av ett nationellt program för livsmedelsbistånd riktad till tidig barndom, bidragit till djupgående insikter i praktikernas arbete och dynamiken i sådana lokala humanitära enheter. Analysen av det empiriska materialet påvisade många, både underlättande och inhiberande, faktorer för IKT införande och användning. Fem huvudsakliga utmaningar identifierades: hög arbetsbelastning, brist på tekniska färdigheter, personalens motivation baserad i direkt social påverkan i kontrast till IKT lösningens bredare effektivitetsmål, kopplingen mellan spårbarhet och övervakning som ett hot för autonomi, samt bristande infrastruktur. Studien visar att dessa kan tolkas som motsättningar mellan attribut hos den humanitära organisationen och attribut för det tekniska verktyget som oftast är format utifrån kommersiella principer. De identifierade friktionerna kan antingen vara kopplade till en skillnad i operativ verklighet eller i divergerande strategiska mål, vilket speglar de övergripande skillnaderna mellan kommersiella och humanitära försörjningskedjor som beskrivs i litteraturen. Slutsatsen drogs att den uppenbara klyftan eller oförenligheten manar till överbryggande ansträngningar för att övervinna de implementeringssvårigheter som uppstår och för att ta vara på IKT’s lovade fördelar i humanitär miljö. Enligt resultaten bör detta göras med fokus på att stödja lokala utövare istället för att övervaka dessa.