Truck-based freight transportation continues to play a vital role in the delivery of goods in the United States. Despite its size and importance, the truck transportation industry continues to struggle with fulfilling transportation requests in an efficient and sustainable manner. One potential solution to alleviate many of the current truck industry problems is for transportation service providers (TSPs) to collaborate by sharing volume, resources, and facilities. This research introduces the Transportation Service Provider Collaboration Problem (TSP-CP) to demonstrate the benefits of using optimal freight routing and consolidation decisions for collaborating TSPs. A mathematical model for the TSP-CP is introduced to describe the problem in detail. Additionally, two separate adaptive large neighborhood search (ALNS) heuristics are developed to provide solutions to industry representative problem instances. Finally, the benefits and insights achieved by enabling collaboration between TSPs using the TSP-CP are identified using industry representative data sets. The representative data sets were derived from actual freight data provided by a freight pooling company that manages collaboration among TSPs. Carriers were chosen from the industry data to evaluate collaborative partnerships and to gain insights on the effects of partnership characteristics on overall benefit as well as the benefits obtained by individual carriers. The computational results suggested collaboration among TSPs offers the potential for substantial reductions in the total distance required to deliver all loads, in the number miles that were traveled completely empty, and the number of containers required for delivery compared to individual performance. Additionally, collaboration increased delivery resource capacity utilization as measured by the percentage of weighted full miles. Detailed analysis of the results from the TSP-CP revealed new insights into the collaboration between full truckload and less-than truckload carriers that have not been quantified or highlighted in previous research. These insights included the effect that an individual carrier's type and size had on the amount of benefit received to each carrier. Finally, the results highlighted the importance of building collaborative partnerships that consider a carrier's geographic location. / Ph. D. / Truck-based freight transportation continues to play a vital role in the delivery of goods in the United States by carrying nearly 70% of all freight tonnage. Despite its size and importance, the truck industry continues to struggle with transporting freight in an efficient, timely, and sustainable manner. One potential solution to alleviate many of the current truck industry problems is for transportation service providers (TSP) to collaborate by sharing resources, facilities, and freight volume. This research introduces the Transportation Service Provider Collaboration Problem (TSP-CP) to demonstrate the benefits of using optimal freight routing and consolidation decisions for collaborating TSPs. The benefits and insights achieved by enabling collaboration between TSPs using the TSPCP are identified using industry representative data sets. The representative data sets were derived from actual freight data provided by a freight pooling company that manages collaboration among TSPs. The computational results suggested collaboration among TSPs offers the potential for substantial reductions in the total distance required to deliver all freight, in the number of miles that were traveled by containers completely empty, and in the number of containers required for delivery compared to individual performance. Additionally, collaboration increased delivery resource capacity utilization. Detailed analysis of the results from the TSP-CP also revealed new insights into TSP collaboration. These insights included the effect that an individual carrier’s type and size had on the amount of benefit received to each carrier. Finally, the results highlighted the importance of building collaborative partnerships that consider a TSP’s geographic location.

Submitted by Jorge Silva (jorgelmsilva@ufrrj.br) on 2017-08-17T19:08:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2015 - Waldenir Jose das Chagas de Oliveira.pdf: 1418599 bytes, checksum: 36c462f2863aa65bfdf908a2bf0bf8c8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-17T19:08:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2015 - Waldenir Jose das Chagas de Oliveira.pdf: 1418599 bytes, checksum: 36c462f2863aa65bfdf908a2bf0bf8c8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-04-30 / The purpose of this study is to analyze the logistic and collaborative actions with three associative supermarket networks located in the State of Rio de Janeiro. This research assumes that the business logistic and collaborative actions (vertical and horizontal) have important roles to obtain competitive advantages in an area that is getting more and more unstable, where the only ones to survive are the companies that are able to aggregate value to the client by offering quicker and more efficient answers. The field research is characterized by a multiple case study of qualitative approach, that happens in three associative supermarket network constituted of small and medial business owners. For the database research were elaborated three semi structured and distinctive scripts that allowed the implementation of sixteen interviews. The subjects of the research were the associates or buyers, managers and presidents, members of the three networks. It was concluded that the three networks studied in this research were able to develop throughout their years in business, feelings of trust and reciprocity capable of strengthening the relational coherency between associates. Although, it is important to highlight that the said networks still have a long way to improve until they can really become the "Business Network", nomenclature for which they were designated in this paper. The results found in this research indicate that the three networks need to amplify the scope of their collaborative actions in a way to transcend the stage of joint negotiation and reach a level of cooperation that allows to also be working together. Furthermore, it is necessary that the capacity to provide better gains and offer complementary resources could be extrapolate to something beyond buying or marketing shares, pervading the development of instate a strategy with associates and suppliers, that can contemplate: the improvement of merchandise transportation, managing the stock, managing by categories, defining a mix of products suitable for sale, integrated usage of technology tools of logistic support, amongst others. / O presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar as pr?ticas log?sticas e as a??es colaborativas observadas na atua??o de tr?s redes associativistas de supermercados localizadas no Estado do Rio de Janeiro. As implica??es dessa pesquisa pressup?em que a log?stica empresarial e a??es as colaborativas (verticais e horizontais) t?m pap?is importantes para obten??o de vantagens competitivas, em mercados cada vez mais vol?teis, onde sobrevivem de fato, as empresas que conseguem agregar valor ao cliente oferecendo respostas mais r?pidas e eficientes. A pesquisa de campo caracteriza-se por um estudo de caso m?ltiplo, de abordagem qualitativa, que se d? em tr?s redes associativistas de supermercados formadas por pequenos e m?dios empres?rios. Para coleta de dados foram elaborados tr?s roteiros semiestruturados distintos, que permitiram a realiza??o de dezesseis entrevistas. Os sujeitos da pesquisa s?o os associados ou compradores, gestores e presidentes, integrantes das tr?s redes. Conclui-se que as redes estudadas nessa pesquisa conseguiram desenvolver ao longo dos seus anos de atua??o sentimentos de confian?a e reciprocidade capazes de tornar mais forte a coes?o relacional entre os associados. Entretanto, ? importante ressaltar que as referidas redes ainda t?m um longo caminho evolutivo a percorrer at? que possam realmente fazer jus ? nomenclatura de ?Centrais de Neg?cios?, pela qual foram designadas nesse trabalho. Os resultados encontrados nessa pesquisa indicam que as tr?s redes precisam amplificar o escopo de suas a??es colaborativas, de maneira a transcender a fase de negociar em conjunto e alcan?ar um est?gio de coopera??o que permita tamb?m operar em conjunto. Desta forma, ? necess?rio que a capacidade de proporcionar os ganhos em escala e oferecer recursos complementares seja extrapolada para ir al?m da compra e das a??es marketing, perpassando o desenvolvimento de estrat?gias integradas com associados e fornecedores que contemplem: a melhoria do transporte de mercadorias, gerenciamento de estoque, gerenciamento por categoria, defini??o de um mix de produtos adequado ? venda, uso integrado de ferramentas tecnologias de apoio log?stico, entre outras.

In 2014 the Swedish government concluded from an investigation that Swedish insights into the EU were lacking. Therefore, in 2016 the EU-handshake was an initiative from the government to strengthen the relationship between the local level and the EU. The EU handshake was non-mandatory and where municipalities joined. In 2018 the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) analysed the results of the municipalities and regions with the EU-handshake and concluded that 90 percent of the work was done in collaboration with actors from vertical-and horizontal levels. The study from SALAR did not however discuss how different actors from different levels made it possible for the municipalities to carry out their EU-handshake, and there is also no discussion on why the results of the EU-handshake differs. This study is going to concern itself with these knowledge gaps and investigate using a multilevel-governance theory as well as interviews with six municipalities´ from the south of Sweden. This study also provides new insights into municipalities role in EU-related work. The conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that: the relationship to EU has been strengthened through the execution of the municipalities´ EU-handshake with actors from the regional and local level.

This thesis argues that from June 1940 when German soldiers occupied Lorient, France until May 8, 1945 when the Lorient "Pocket" surrendered, although the women of this port city faced drastic changes, they took control of their everyday lives. They did what it took to feed and clothe their families, working, standing in lines, buying on the black market, bartering, demonstrating, and recycling. They developed relationships with German soldiers which ran the gamut. Due to aerial raids in the context of the Battle of the Atlantic, they sought shelter, buried their dead, took care of their wounded, looked for new lodging, and helped each other. They even tried to have some fun. After evacuation in early 1943, scattered to the four winds, in the American held "Lorient Sector," they served as advocates for others and made inquiries to the American 66th Infantry Division Counter-Intelligence Service. At the Liberation women were easy targets for blame, and some from Lorient were punished, notably for "horizontal collaboration" with Germans. When the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Liberation of Lorient was celebrated in 1995, the story of the women of Lorient was essentially left out. / Master of Arts

This study explores the overlapping of platform technology and cooperative processes in logistics and how this can be of interest to make the industry more environmentally sustainable. It examines the literature regarding platform technology, horizontal collaboration, and environmental sustainability in logistics. Data was collected through interviews with experts in the logistics industry, representatives from logistics companies and a software solutions provider, to obtain a nuanced image from the industry. A framework was created to provide answers to how digital platforms can better be utilized for cooperation in logistics to improve environmental sustainability. In order to fulfill this, incentives and challenges for small- and medium-sized enterprises to cooperate through platform technology were identified. The incentives that were found were classified into driving and pushing. The driving incentives refer to evident benefits for small- and medium-sized enterprises of joining cooperative logistics platforms, while pushing incentives are based on external factors and current issues that potentially could be solved through a cooperative platform. The identified challenges to cooperating through digital platforms are related to cooperative processes, technology and digitalization, and environmental sustainability. These were analyzed from a systems perspective to understand how these affect the problem on several levels in the industry of logistics. Together, the incentives and challenges form the final framework and illustrate how platforms for cooperation can be realized in the logistics industry. / Denna studie undersöker överlappningen av digitala plattformar och samarbetsprocesser inom  logistik och hur detta kan vara av intresse för att göra industrin mer miljömässigt hållbar. Studien utforskar forskningslitteraturen om digitala plattformar, horisontellt samarbete och miljömässig hållbarhet inom logistik. Data samlades in genom intervjuer utförda med experter inom logistikindustrin och representanter från en mjukvarulösningsleverantör och från små- och medelstora företag inom logistik, för att få en nyanserad bild från branschen. Ett ramverk skapades för att ge svar på hur digitala plattformar kan användas bättre för samarbete inom logistik för att förbättra miljömässig hållbarhet. För att uppfylla detta så identifierades incitament och utmaningar för små- och medelstora företag för samarbete genom plattformsteknik. De incitament som hittades klassificerades som drivande och pressande. De drivande incitamenten syftar till de uppenbara fördelar för små- och medelstora företag att ansluta sig till kooperativa logistikplattformar, medan de drivande incitamenten baseras på externa faktorer och problem som potentiellt kan lösas genom en samarbetsplattform. Utmaningarna för att samarbeta via digitala plattformar identifierades relaterat till samarbetsprocesser, teknik och digitalisering, samt miljömässig hållbarhet. Dessa utmaningar identifierades sedan ur ett systemperspektiv för att förstå hur de påverkar problemet på flera nivåer inom logistikbranschen. Tillsammans utgör incitamenten och utmaningarna det slutgiltiga ramverket och illustrerar hur plattformar för samarbete kan förverkligas mer inom logistikindustrin.