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Purpose – Given the importance of logistics operations in business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce and growing interest in the related environmental effects, the purpose of this paper is to offer an up-to-date literature review on the topic of B2C e-commerce environmental sustainability, specifically from a logistics perspective.\ud Design/methodology/approach – The analysis focussed on a set of 56 papers published from 2001 to 2014 in 38 peer-reviewed international journals. The papers were analyzed and categorized according to the main features of the paper, the research method(s) adopted and the themes tackled.\ud Findings – There is a growing interest in sustainability issues. In the last 14 years, the focus has progressively shifted from the mere identification of the wide-ranging environmental effects of e-commerce to the need for a quantitative evaluation of their impact, although much remains to be done in this regard. Some industries, such as books and grocery, have largely been addressed, however, promising sectors in the e-commerce field, such as clothing and consumer electronics, have only been considered to a certain degree. Moreover, despite the emerging role of multichannel strategies, the environmental implications of the related logistics activities have not yet been studied in detail. \ud Originality/value – B2C e-commerce has grown in popularity, and its environmental implications are currently of key interest. This paper contributes to the understanding of the existing body of knowledge on this topic, presenting an up-to-date classification of articles and highlighting themes for\ud further research activities. From a managerial perspective, this paper helps supply chain managers develop a clear understanding of both the logistics areas with the most impact on environmental sustainability and the KPIs used to quantify the environmental implications of e-commerce logistics\ud operations comprehensively and effectively

Purpose-Companies are currently moving from multi-channel (MC) strategies to offer their customers an omni-channel (OC) experience. So far, OC research has been mainly tackled from a sales-based view, with numerous operational challenges to be fully investigated yet. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how companies set the logistics variables in their OC management strategy and the business logistics models currently most adopted. Design/methodology/approach-A two-step methodology was adopted. First, a systematic combining approach with scientific literature review and case studies allowed to derive a framework for classifying the key logistics variables and the related options. The framework was then used to conduct a qualitative survey targeting 92 Italian companies operating in food manufacturing, food retailing and non-food retailing. Collected data were analysed by means of cluster analysis. Findings-Implementing an OC management strategy requires to set eleven logistics variables belonging to four strategic areas: delivery service, distribution setting, fulfilment strategy, returns management. A broad empirical investigation showed the choices made by companies when setting the logistics variables to implement an OC management strategy. Lastly, four business logistics models, differing in terms of both business sector and OC maturity, were discussed. Originality/value-The proposed framework extends earlier studies by including additional significant logistics variables. The empirical analysis provides new insights on how to restructure the business logistics model in OC, suggesting channel integration and the coexistence of multiple configurations as main enablers of an OC proposition.

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In today's competitive scenario of increasingly faster deliveries and smaller order sizes, material handling providers are progressively developing new solutions. A recent solution consists in Autonomous Vehicle Storage and Retrieval System (AVS/RS). The present paper presents an analytical model to estimate the performances (i.e. transaction cycle time and waiting times) of AVS/RS for product tote movement. The model is based on an open queuing network approach. The model effectiveness in performance estimation is validated through simulation.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to categorise the research on environmental sustainability in logistics and transportation on the basis of the main themes and study methods and proposes directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach -The review is based on 72 papers published from 1994 to 2011 in international peer-reviewed journals. The academic papers were analysed and categorised according to both their defining characteristics (i.e. year of publication, journal title, regions addressed, and research methodology adopted) and the themes tackled. Five key themes were examined: sustainability initiatives, reasons for adoption, benefits achieved following adoption, critical issues and barriers to adoption, and the evaluation and measurement of environmental initiatives. Findings -While many studies have addressed the issue of environmental sustainability within the supply chain as a whole, papers focusing specifically on environmental sustainability within logistics and freight transportation are fewer and relatively more recent. Although researchers have started to examine the decision-making process involved in environmental sustainability adoption in recent years, many themes, such as sustainability evaluation and measurement, and the level of adoption of sustainability initiatives in the context of the third-party logistics (3PL) industry are under-represented in the literature. As far as the methodology is concerned, our review revealed that many articles are either conceptual papers or empirical studies (i.e. mostly based on surveys or case studies), while simulation and analytical modelling have rarely been addressed. Research limitations/implications -While efforts were made to be all-inclusive, some research efforts may have inadvertently been omitted. However, the authors believe that this review provides an accurate representation of the body of research on environmental sustainability in logistics and transportation published during the specified timeframe, and that the resulting assessments are reliable. Originality/value -The paper offers a guide to the previous research on this topic and identifies the most important issues that need to be addre...

Purpose -Companies in the freight transportation industry can currently make use of an increasing number of applications based on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to improve the performance of their processes. Although these applications have become more widely used in recent years, there is still little research focussing on the actual adoption rate. The present study aims to fill this gap and provide a broad empirical analysis of the use of ICT-based applications in the freight transportation industry in Italy. Design/methodology/approach -The analysis uses multiple-case studies. It is based on semi-structured interviews with the management of leading Italian companies involved in transportation processes. Findings -The study provides an insight into the current adoption of ICT applications among companies involved in freight transportation activities in Italy. The results point out the most used functions in each application area and the level of integration across these application areas.Research limitations/implications -The sample of companies examined in this study was selected by expert assessment, and is biased towards companies willing to provide data and share results. However, the findings provide some interesting results on how and where investments in ICT can be suitable for companies in the logistics and transportation industry. Originality/value -The paper fulfils an identified need for in-depth case studies focussing on the adoption level and the implementation process of ICT applications in transportation, and it is of interest to researchers and practitioners in the field of logistics and transportation management.

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