Logistics and supply chain management

Columns in Logistics Manager magazine - volume 2

Article

Logistics Manager 2022-2023

 A second volume of monthly columns written for Logistics Manager magazine on a variety of  topical  issues between July 2022 and March 2023. The subjects discussed include highway electrification, the relaxation of limits on truck weights and dimensions, the susceptibility of logistics systems to hot weather, the possible logistical impact of Scottish independence, carbon pricing ... ...

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A Year of Columns in Logistics Manager Magazine

Article

Logistics Manager 2021-2022

 This is a compendium of the first 12 monthly columns that I have written for Logistics Manager magazine on a broad range of topical logistical trends, issues and idea. Logistics Manager is the main UK business magazine specialising in logistics, with a hard copy circulation of over 10,000 each month and a major online presence.  ...

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The Influence of Logistics Management on Freight Transport Research: a Short History of a Paradigm Shift

Article

McKinnon, A.C. in Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, vol.55 no.2, pp 104-123. (2021)

  The study of freight transport has been subject to a long-term paradigm shift since the 1970s as the movement of freight has increasingly been researched as an integral part of logistics systems and supply chains. It has also benefitted from the development of logistics and supply chain management as a business activity and academic discipline.  ...

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Research in Freight Transport and Logistics

Chapter

McKinnon, A.C. in A Research Agenda for Transport Policy eds. John Stanley and David A Hensher (Edward Elgar, 2019)

This book chapter identifies topics that are likely to be major growth areas for future research in freight transport and logistics.  After decades of relative neglect by the academic transport community, the movement of freight is now attracting much more attention from researchers.  ...

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Practical relevance of theory-driven supply chain management research: Evidence from China

Article

Liu, X and McKinnon, A.C. in International Journal of Logistics Management, 30 (1), 76-95 (2019)

 This paper examines the extent to which theory-driven supply chain management (SCM) research is of practical relevance to businesses. It does this on the basis of empirical research in China. This research was divided into two parts.  The first involved a review of fifty-seven theory-driven SCM studies relating to China published in ten leading journals between 2006 and 2015. ...

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Starry-eyed II: the logistics journal ranking debate revisited

Article

McKinnon, A. C. in International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 47 (6), 431-446.

In a previous paper published in 2013 I questioned the principle and practice of journal ranking and discussed its effects on logistics research. In the next four years several important developments occurred prompting me to revisit the subject. In this ‘sequel’, I review new literature on the journal ranking debate. ...

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Theory Development in China-based Supply Chain Management Research: a Literature Review

Article

Liu, X and McKinnon, A.C. in International Journal of Logistics Management, 27 (2), 972-1001 (2016)

As the largest transitional economy in the world, China presents interesting opportunities for theory construction and testing in the field of business management. Supply chain management (SCM) is still a relatively new discipline in China and so still draws heavily on theories developed in other parts of the world, particularly the US and Europe. ...

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Innovation in Global Logistics

Chapter

McKinnon, A.C. and Bilski,B. in Breakthrough from Innovation to Impact. edited by H. van den Breemen et al, Owls Foundation, Lunteren. (2014)

This book chapter is a contribution to a study of global innovation undertaken by the Dutch Owls Foundation.   It reviews the development of innovation in logistics from its origins in military history to recent advances in commercial logistics. It considers both technological innovations, such as containerisation and 3D printing and ... ...

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Technology Adoption in Small and Medium-sized Logistics Providers

Article

Evangelista, P., McKinnon, A.C. and Sweeney, E. Industrial Management and Data Systems. vol 113, no.7 pp. 967-989 (2013)

Smaller logistics service providers (LSPs) have often been accused of being slow to adopt innovations in information and communication technology (ICT), despite the fact that they bring a host of efficiency and service benefits. This research examined the adoption of ICT innovations across a sample of 153 small and medium-sized logistics providers in Italy. ...

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Scottish logistics report

Report

McKinnon, A.C. and Piecyk, M.I. Report for the Freight Transport Association / Scottish Supply Chain Council (2012)

This report, commissioned by the Freight Transport Association and Scottish Supply Chain Council, provides an overview of the state of logistics in Scotland in 2012. It assesses the contribution that logistics makes to the Scottish economy, examines freight trends by all the main transport modes and patterns of warehousing development, ... ...

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Supply chain excellence in the European chemical industry

Report

McKinnon, A.C. Report prepared for the European Petrochemical Association (EPCA) and European Council for the Chemical Industry (CEFIC), Brussels (2004)

This report summarises the results of a series of ‘think tank’ discussions on the future of the European chemical supply chain with senior executives.  The initiative was prompted by growing concern about competitive threats to the European chemical industry.  The intensification of competition in the global chemical market was forcing ... ...

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Integrated logistics strategies

Chapter

McKinnon, A.C. in ‘Handbook of Logistics and Supply Chain Management’. Ed. Brewer, A. Hensher, D. and Button, K., Elsevier, London (2001)

This book chapter reviews the integration of the logistics function since the 1960s onwards, showing how it widened the scope of logistics from the distribution of finished products to the flow of materials across the “end-to-end” supply chain.  It also elevated the function from an operational to a strategic level. ...

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International logistics

Chapter

McKinnon, A.C. in ‘International Business: Theories, Policies and Practices’ ed. Tayeb, M., Financial Times / Prentice Hall, London, 397-418 (2000)

This book chapter begins with classifications of companies’ international distribution systems and global logistical requirements.  It then reviews of the restructuring of European logistics following the formation of the Single Market in 1992.  The remainder of the chapter focuses on three major trends affecting international logistics: wider sourcing of supplies, acceleration of material flow and local customisation.   ...

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Scottish brewers

Case study

McKinnon, A.C. A case study in Global Cases in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, ed. Taylor, D.H., Thomson Business Press, London (1997)

This case study, which was accompanied by teacher’s notes, examined the restructuring of Scottish Brewers’ distribution system in Scotland, which involved the closure of five depots and concentration of inventory in the remaining four.  It contains data on the logistical cost trade-offs that the company made between transport, warehousing, inventory ... ...

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Physical distribution systems

Book

McKinnon, A.C., Routledge, London 316pp (1989)

This book provides a broad introduction to the subject of physical distribution / logistics.  It reviews around 500 articles, books and reports and presents new empirical data on the design of physical distribution systems.  It comprises ten chapters: introduction; marketing channels; physical distribution channels; pattern of stockholding; depot location; choice ... ...

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National Expenditure on Logistics in the UK

Case study

McKinnon, A.C. Focus on Physical Distribution and Logistics Management (Journal of the Institute of Logistics and Distribution Management), vol.7, no.8, 23-7 (1988)

In 1980 Angela Childerley, for the first time, estimated total UK expenditure on logistics using 1976 data.  I updated and slightly modified this calculation using 1986 data.  This article reports the results of this analysis.  It suggests that total UK spend on logistics remained roughly the same, at 22% of GDP, though the composition of this expenditure changed radically. This ...

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Starry-eyed: journal rankings and the future of logistics research

Paper

McKinnon, A. C. in International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 43 (1): 6-17 (2013)

This is a polemical paper challenging both the principle and practice of journal ranking. In recent years academics and their institutions have become obsessive about the star?ratings of the journals in which they publish. In the UK this is partly attributed to quinquennial reviews of university research performance though preoccupation with journal ratings has become an international phenomenon. ...

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Spatial Organisation of Physical Distribution in the Food Industry

Book

PhD Thesis. University of London (1984)

Efforts to improve methods of freight traffic forecasting, to regulate lorry movements in sensitive environments and to rationalise deliveries to shops have been inhibited by limited knowledge of the way products are distributed. This thesis examines the shortcomings of previous methods of freight flow analysis, then proposes an alternative approach ... ...

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