Veslav Kuranovič

The article assesses the complexity of logistics features and transport management in the context of the scientific literature and discusses the possibilities of ensuring effective transport management within the value chain. It aims to explain the implications of piloting empirical ANOVA using the guanxi (Chinese interpersonal relationships) principles in transport logistics supply chain and value chain issues in loads transportation in deciding to cooperate internationally, and to analyse and empirically substantiate the behaviour characteristics expressed while managing negotiations with business partners in the logistics market. Analytical, descriptive, quantitative and statistical research methods were applied. A quantitative research strategy was used in the case of China (n = 100) to clarify the behaviour characteristics expressed in negotiation management towards business partners in the logistics supply chain. The research revealed a holistic picture of how transport management improvements can positively affect the overall efficiency of the entire value chain. Besides, it used the assessments of the research participants to ascertain possible ways to ensure transport management in the value chain. The data analysis showed that it is relevant to change habitual behaviour towards business partners during negotiations to predict the possibilities of ensuring transport management in the value chain and secure a competitive advantage in the logistics market. The study found that the focus is on building and maintaining formal relationships with business partners and creating long-term, close relationships. Self-interest is the least desired characteristic in negotiation management. Based on statistical data analysis, the behaviour of respondents towards business partners during negotiations in the logistics market is similar, i.e. it does not differ statistically significantly by gender, age, work experience and education. The strategies applied in negotiation management are statistically significantly related to the positions held by the respondents. A correlation analysis found negative statistically significant relationships between the indicator of the subscale for creating long-term close relationships, the indicator of the subscale for strategies applied for negotiation management, and the indicator of the subscale for creating formal relationships during negotiations. The study results provided valuable insights into the operation and dynamics of the Chinese supply chain, especially emphasising the importance of logistics characteristics. It will have lasting value in the scientific discussion by providing guidelines for implementing transportation management in the value chain. Furthermore, the study’s results can be easily extrapolated to other contexts to optimally predict the possibilities of transportation management in the value chain by applying the practices in the logistics supply chain based on the Chinese case.

Due to the recent significant increase in the scale of both domestic and international cargo transportation, the transport sector is becoming an important factor in the country’s economic development. This implies the need to improve all links in the cargo transportation chain. A key role in it is played by logistics centers, which in their activities must meet both state (CO₂ emissions, reduction in road load, increase in transportation safety, etc.) and commercial (cargo transportation in the shortest time and at the lowest cost) requirements. The objective of the paper is freight transportation from China to European countries, reflecting issues of CO₂ emissions, reduction in road load, and increase in transportation safety. Transport operations from the manufacturer to the logistics center are especially important in this chain, since the efficiency of transportation largely depends on the decisions made by its employees. They select the appropriate types of transport (air, sea, rail, and road transport) and routes for a specific situation. In methodology, the analyzed problem can be presented as a dynamic multi-criteria decision model. It is assumed that the decision-maker—the manager responsible for planning transportation operations—is interested in achieving three basic goals: financial goal minimizing total delivery costs from factories to the logistics center, environmental goal minimizing the negative impact of supply chain operations on the environment, and high level of customer service goal minimizing delivery times from factories to the logistics center. The proposed methodology allows one to reduce the total carbon dioxide emission by 1.1 percent and the average duration of cargo transportation by 1.47 percent. On the other hand, the total cost of their delivery increases by 1.25 percent. By combining these, it is possible to create optimal transportation options, effectively use vehicles, reduce air pollution, and increase the quality of customer service. All this would significantly contribute to the country’s socio-economic development. It is proposed to solve this complex problem based on a dynamic multi-criteria model. In this paper, the problem of constructing a schedule of transport operations from factories to a logistics center is considered. The analyzed problem can be presented as a dynamic multi-criteria decision model. Linear programming and the AHP method were used to solve it.

Proper supply chain management helps to ensure business continuity considering the increased importance of globalization. Logistics processes play an important role in keeping the supply chain running smoothly, and warehouse management is one of the most important logistics activities. The movement of freight flows in the supply chain poses many challenges to the arrangement of sustainable processes at the international level. The stopping of these flows at warehouses and/or terminals temporarily and/or for longer periods of time is yet another challenge. In this respect, a number of analyses and studies have been conducted in the scientific literature to identify the most serious and frequent problems: lack of planning of work activities, partial accounting of the work performed, lack of timely accounting of the internal movement of goods within the warehouse, absence of a spare-parts management system, etc. On the other hand, warehousing processes have been analysed to identify certain efficiency gaps in freight flows within warehouses; thus, this article addresses this problem by applying guanxi principles. Using guanxi theory and practice to test various assumptions for efficient freight flow movement in warehouses, a study was conducted using quantitative and qualitative methods and expert judgment. Based on the results of the conducted empirical studies, guanxi philosophy can be concluded to have an impact on the efficient management of warehouse processes when goods are removed from a warehouse over 365 days with an annual daily loading flow rate of 103,490 t/m and a loading density of 280 kg/m³. This indicates that the application of guanxi principles is important, which reflects the intensity of the logistics processes of cargo flows and transport dynamics between guanxi and warehouse optimization.