Peter Klaus

The assessment of competitive intensity in logistics markets

The markets for freight transportation and other logistics services are undergoing rapid transformation: concentration of demand and supply in the hands of fewer, larger shippers and service providers, new business models of highly integrated intermodal, “fourth-party” and supply-chain wide logistics service offerings, and a dramatically increasing volatility in the general economic environment are among the reasons for the changes. As a consequence, the “strategic” task of assessing the opportunities and power of certain players in the markets, and the important political and judicial task of assessing and maintaining competition in those markets have become very difficult. Traditional ways of meeting the challenges involved with defining and “measuring” markets and competitive intensity do not seem to be sufficient any more. This paper reports on a study of the new challenges, which strategists, administrators, judges, and politicians face in their efforts to assess competitive situations in logistics markets. It develops suggestions for a consistent and practical process and structure of defining and measuring logistics markets and market positions.

Towards a science of logistics: cornerstones of a framework of understanding of logistics as an academic discipline

The mission of BVL, the nonprofit German Logistics Association, is to act as an integrative platform to promote the awareness for the importance of logistics in industry, science, and the public arena. It aims to represent the entire spectrum of logistical issues, to develop methods and processes to contribute to the solution of these issues, and to promote and continuously optimise the application of relevant solutions. BVL’s Scientific Advisory Board is supporting BVL’s mission by promoting the dialogue between logistics practice and the academic community. Its members come from many different academic backgrounds. While there is no longer any disagreement about the enormous practical relevance of logistics and its steadily growing impact upon day-to-day economic activities, the members of BVL’s Scientific Advisory Board are aware that there still is no widely shared understanding of the identity of logistics as a scientific and academic discipline. Against this backdrop, and following a strategic discussion which the Scientific Advisory Board initiated some time ago, the idea of developing a framework of understanding for logistics as an academic discipline emerged. For this purpose, a working group was set up comprising the authors of this paper. It reflects the broad spectrum of disciplinary backgrounds and perspectives on the essence of science represented on the Advisory Board. Five key points, as outlined below, were agreed upon as the cornerstones of an understanding of logistics as an academic discipline. They were arrived at as the result of an extremely exciting sequence of discussions which took place in the group’s workshop sessions. The cornerstones are designed to serve as a point of reference for continuing indepth, discussions about the ‘‘science of logistics’’ within BVL, and—hopefully—with academics and logistics practitioners all over the world. A further aim is to contribute to a better understanding of the depth and relevance of the science of logistics among those ‘‘outside’’ the discipline. The paper starts out with a statement summarising the nature of logistics as a science. This statement is followed by five cornerstone points elaborating the essential characteristics of the discipline. The authors are members of a working group of the Scientific Advisory Board of German Logistics Association (BVL).

Decision Support for Designing Cooperative Distribution Networks

German manufacturers of consumer goods, which supply for an annual retail sales volume of more than DM 700 billion, are in a difficult position today: they are suffering from severe profit pressures due to stagnating consumer demand, a massive concentration among their customers in the retail sector, changing service and price demands in the context of the “ECR” revolution, the challenge of the “europeanization” of markets, and uncertain effects of “electronic shopping” on demand and the viability of established distribution channels.

Märkte und Marktentwicklungen der weltweiten Logistikdienstleistungswirtschaft

47,8 Tonnen Fracht mussen derzeit jahrlich fur jeden der 82,4 Mio. Einwohner Deutschlands auf Strasen, Schienen, Luft- und Binnenschifffahrtswegen bewegt werden. In absoluten Zahlen sind das fast vier Mrd. Tonnen und 2,6 Mrd. einzelne Transportauftrage — vom kleinen Packchen bis zur Massengutfracht1. An jedem durchschnittlichen Arbeitstag entsprache dies ca. 800 000 voll ausgelasteten Lastzugfahrten uber eine mittlere Strecke von ca. 157 km, wenn es nur diesen einzigen Guterverkehrstrager gabe2.

Preparing logistics for the age of volatility

Worldwide logistics activities have been growing again in 2010: The 22nd ‘‘Annual State of Logistics Report’’ for the United States, issued by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and Penske Logistics in June of this year, says that US national logistics expenditures were

„Es gibt nichts Praktischeres als eine gute Theorie!“: Historie der Wissenschaft von Change Management

1.21 trillion, up about 10.4% from the recession year 2009. This figure, however, is still about

Why read academic journals any more

180 bill below the 2007 level—the peak year so far, since reporting started. In October, the Nuernberg Fraunhofer SCS institute, German ‘‘Bundesvereinigung Logistik (BVL)’’ and DVV Media will publish their annual report on the logistics markets of Europe: The figure for Germany’s national logistics spending will be at about €210 bill. (i.e., about

Logistics research trends 2012: a mid-year snapshot

250 bill at an assumed ‘‘real’’ exchange rate of

Business logistics and logistics engineering: the rocky road to a unified science of logistics

1,20/€). This is 5% above the recession year level of 2009. The corresponding figures for the ‘‘EU 29’’ (i.e., the consolidated logistics expenditures of the 27 current members of the European Community, plus Norway and Switzerland) will be €995 bill., about

Looking out for the next generation of research questions in logistics

1.19 trillion, respectively. Until just two, three months ago, most observers shared the expectation that 2011 will be the second year of a strong recovery from the 2008/2009 recession in most countries and logistics markets. Logistics activity and spending levels for the full year 2011 would reach or even exceed pre-recession volumes. But now, at the end of the third quarter of 2011, anxieties regarding the European ‘‘debt’’ crisis, US concerns of a ‘‘second dip’’ in jobs and business activity, and continuing unrest in the Middle East, seem to turn expectations about the growth of logistics sharply downward, again. When the McKinsey consulting company extended a ‘‘welcome to a volatile world’’ on the title of a recent study, this may have been more than a catchy reference to the ups and downs of the 2008 to 2010 period, which the logistics industries experienced—like many other sectors of the economy. The figures and expectations quoted above may mean that logistics should prepare for a long period of volatility with respect to the quantitative and qualitative demands the industry and the field will have to meet. They suggest the possibility of an end to unlimited growth prospects for logistics, at least as we understood it in the past. To continue to be relevant to the decision makers and business actors, the community of logistics researchers may have to add the management of ‘‘volatility’’ to their set of high-priority issues—beyond supply chain collaboration and security, and beyond sustainability, which dominated the agendas during the past decade. One obvious response may be to review and reconsider academic contributions to issues of disruptive change, of flexibility and ‘‘meta-stability’’, which were made during past periods of heightened environmental turbulence and uncertainty: What might be the consequence of considering ‘‘organizational tents instead of organizational palaces’’ to the architects of big, global logistics organizations? ... of ‘‘loose coupled’’ instead of tightly, end-to-end integrated supply chains? ... of ‘‘systems adaptability’’ as a substitute to forecasting the unknowable? We think that logistics research can be enriched in many academically demanding and practically relevant ways, if we accept the challenge of an upcoming age of volatility. As editors of this journal, we invite authors P. Klaus (&) University of Erlangen-Nurnberg, Nuremberg, Germany e-mail: Peter.Klaus@wiso.uni-erlangen.de