Freight Forwarder's Intermediary Role in Multimodal Transport Chains: A Social Network Approach

378 Pages·2012·2.81 MB·English

by  Hans-Joachim Schramm (auth.)

Contributions to Management Science
Forfurthervolumes:
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•
Hans-Joachim Schramm
Freight Forwarder’s
Intermediary Role
in Multimodal Transport
Chains
A Social Network Approach
Dr.Hans-JoachimSchramm
DepartmentofGlobalBusinessandTrade
InstituteforTransportandLogisticsManagement
Nordbergstr.15
1090Vienna
Austria
[email protected]
Additionalmaterialtothisbookcanbedownloadedfromhttp://extra.springer.com.
ISSN1431-1941
ISBN978-3-7908-2774-3 e-ISBN978-3-7908-2775-0
DOI10.1007/978-3-7908-2775-0
SpringerHeidelbergDordrechtLondonNewYork
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2011943881
(cid:2)c Springer-VerlagBerlinHeidelberg2012
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Foreword
Thisbooksumsup my researchso far concerningthe freightforwardingbusiness
inmultimodaltransportchainsandwassubmittedsuccessfullyasaDoctoralThesis
atDresdenUniversityofTechnology.Asresearchalwayscomesalongwithatleast
someexternalsupport,acknowledgementsareasfollows.
First, I express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Univ.-Prof.Dr.Sebastian
Kummer and my local examiner Prof.Dr.Knut Haase for their patience as the
finishingofmythesistookunusuallylong.
Second, thank you to Prof.Michael Browne, Prof.Dr.Herbert Kopfer,Prof.Dr.
HerbertKotzab,Prof.Dr.WolfgangSto¨lzle,Prof.Dr.MichaelEssigandProf.Lauri
Ojala beingamong those deliveringusefulcommentsduringthe variousstages of
mywork.
Third, sincere thanks are given to my present and former colleagues from
Dresden University of Technology, University of Applied Sciences bfi Vienna
and WU Wirtschaftsuniversita¨t Wien, especially Dipl.-Verkwirtsch.Nicole Gu¨lle
for raising a sample of Austrian freight forwarding companies engaged in air
cargooperationsaswellasDr.Dipl.-Verkwirtsch.MirkoHoppe,MMag.IreneSudy,
Dipl.-Ing.RainerP.BogenspergerandDipl.-Buchhandelswirtin(FH)AstridFischer
forsuggestionsforimprovementwhileproof-readingthetext.
Furthermore,I owe some librarieswhereI spend hoursdoingdeskresearch on
my topic a debt of gratitude, especially the Dresden State and University Library
(SLUB), the University Library at WU Wirtschaftsuniversita¨t Wien and the ISL
InformationCentreattheInstituteofShippingEconomicsandLogisticsatBremen.
Moreover,electronic resources providerslike Karlsruhe Virtual Catalogue (KVK)
formonographsandProQuest,ScienceDirect,EBSCOhost,SpringerorJSTORfor
articleswhichallowedeasyaccesstopublicationsfromallaroundtheworld.And
last but not least subito (the document delivery service of research libraries in
Germany, Austria and Switzerland) which saved my life many times when I was
inneedforreallyscarcesourceselsewherenotavailable.WithoutthemIcouldnot
haveretrievedsuchahugeamountofreferencesgiveninthiswork.
Moreover, I am in debt with Donald E. Knuth and Leslie Lamport for LATEX,
MacKichan Software for Scientific Work, and Visio Corporation (as the original
v
vi Foreword
developer of Microsoft Visio) which allowed me to write this thesis in perfect
stylethanwithanyotherword-processingsystemavailable.Referringtostatistical
analysis,SPSSwasused,whichrecentlygotpartofIBM’sBusinessAnalyticsand
ProcessOptimizationorganization.
Finallymythesis(andthisbook)isdedicatedtomygrandfatherDipl.-Ing.(FH)
HansHaupterwho supportedme fromthe verybeginningof my academiccarrier
but could not see the end of my doctorate studies as he died some time ago and
(ofcourse)mylittledaughterHannawhichwasgrowinguptonowwithherdaddy
writinghoursandhoursonaworkthatneverseemedtogetcompleted.
Hans-JoachimSchramm
Contents
1 Introduction .................................................................. 1
1.1 FreightForwardingasaResearchTopicSoFar ...................... 2
1.2 PurposeandResearchObjectives ...................................... 7
1.3 ResearchMethodologyandOutline.................................... 9
2 LegalandFunctionalPerspectiveofFreightForwarding
inMultimodalTransportChains........................................... 13
2.1 TheFreightForwarderfromaLegalandFunctionalPoint
ofView .................................................................. 14
2.1.1 ActualLegalStatusofForwardingBusiness
inGermanyandAustria........................................ 14
2.1.2 ComparisonswithLegalStatusofForwarding
BusinessinOtherCountries.................................... 19
2.1.3 FreightForwardersfromaFunctionalPointofView......... 24
2.1.4 Fields of Activity and Specialization
inForwardingBusiness......................................... 30
2.2 FreightForwardinginMultimodalTransportChains ................. 34
2.2.1 IntroductoryNotesandBasicDefinitions ..................... 34
2.2.2 TheOceanShippingIndustryintheGeneral
CargoSegment.................................................. 41
2.2.3 TheCargoSegmentintheAirlineIndustry ................... 48
2.2.4 Mappingof Inter-organizationalInteraction
andCargoMovement........................................... 54
2.3 SummaryandConcludingRemarksontheFunctional
Perspective .............................................................. 72
3 New InstitutionalEconomics, IntermediationTheory,
andtheIntermediaryPerspective.......................................... 77
3.1 NewInstitutionalEconomics........................................... 78
3.1.1 AncedentsoftheNewInstitutionalEconomics............... 78
3.1.2 CommonAssumptionsofNewInstitutionalEconomics ..... 80
3.1.3 BuildingBlocksofNewInstitutionalEconomics............. 93
3.1.4 ConclusionsandSomeComparisons.......................... 106
vii
viii Contents
3.2 MarketMicrostructureandIntermediationTheory.................... 108
3.2.1 MarketMakers,Specialists,Dealers,Marketers
andMerchants .................................................. 111
3.2.2 MatchmakersandBrokers...................................... 120
3.2.3 InformationProduction,GuarantorsandCertificators........ 128
3.2.4 DelegatedExpertise,Bargaining,Contracting
and/orMonitoring .............................................. 135
3.2.5 ConclusionsandSomeApplications........................... 144
3.3 ATaxonomyofIntermediariesinMultimodalTransport
andLogisticChains..................................................... 147
3.3.1 CommercialMiddlemenandServiceProviders............... 148
3.3.2 FinancialMiddlemenandServiceProviders.................. 151
3.3.3 TransportMiddlemenandServiceProviders.................. 152
3.3.4 LogisticsMiddlemenandServiceProviders.................. 153
3.3.5 FreightForwardersasaStrangeHybrid....................... 155
3.4 SummaryandSomeCriticismontheIntermediaryPerspective...... 156
4 ModelsofNetworkStructureandtheNetworkPerspective............ 161
4.1 Network Modelling in Operations Research
andManagementScience............................................... 163
4.1.1 HistoricalandTheoreticalBackground........................ 163
4.1.2 Applications..................................................... 165
4.1.3 CriticalComments.............................................. 169
4.2 StrategicNetworks:FocalCompanieswithCooperative
Relationships............................................................ 170
4.2.1 TheoreticalBackground........................................ 170
4.2.2 ApplicationsandCriticalComments .......................... 172
4.3 DynamicNetworks:TemporaryVirtualCompanies
forSpecificTasks ....................................................... 174
4.3.1 TheoreticalBackground........................................ 174
4.3.2 ApplicationsandCriticalComments .......................... 175
4.4 EntrepreneurialNetworks:SpecializedIntermediaries
EconomizingonInformationCosts.................................... 176
4.4.1 TheoreticalBackground........................................ 177
4.4.2 Applications..................................................... 180
4.4.3 CriticalComments.............................................. 183
4.5 IndustrialNetworks:InterdependentBusinessRelationships......... 184
4.5.1 TheoreticalBackground........................................ 184
4.5.2 Applications..................................................... 188
4.5.3 ConcludingComments......................................... 189
4.6 SocialNetworks:NetworkStructure,PositionsandRelationships... 190
4.6.1 TheoreticalBackground........................................ 191
4.6.2 Applications..................................................... 198
4.6.3 ConcludingComments......................................... 199
4.7 ComparisonsandEvaluation........................................... 200
Contents ix
5 ACloserLookonContemporarySocialNetworkAnalysis............. 207
5.1 RootsofContemporarySocialNetworkAnalysis..................... 207
5.1.1 SociometricAnalysisandGraphTheory...................... 208
5.1.2 US-AmericanCommunityandIndustrialSociology.......... 210
5.1.3 ManchesterSchoolofSocialAnthropology................... 211
5.1.4 MethodologicalBreakthroughs................................ 212
5.2 LevelsofAnalysisinContemporarySocialNetworkAnalysis....... 213
5.3 AnalyticalInstrumentsofContemporarySocial
NetworkAnalysis....................................................... 214
5.3.1 Actor’s Degree, Density, Multiplexity,
HeterogeneityandConnectedness............................. 215
5.3.2 Tie Strength, Durability, Directedness,
MultiplexityandConnectedness............................... 217
5.3.3 NetworkSize,Density,Cohesion,Multiplexity
andConnectedness.............................................. 220
5.3.4 Prominence:Centrality,Centralization,Prestige
andHierarchization............................................. 222
5.3.5 NetworkConstraintandBrokerageConcepts................. 239
5.4 SummaryandConcludingRemarks.................................... 247
6 FreightForwarder’sPersonalNetworkin Multimodal
TransportChains:AnEmpiricalInvestigation........................... 251
6.1 SurveyDesign........................................................... 251
6.1.1 AGenericMultimodalTransportChainModel............... 252
6.1.2 LevelsofAnalysisandAnalyticalInstruments ............... 255
6.2 SampleDesignandPreliminaryAnalysis ............................. 266
6.3 PresentationofEmpiricalResults...................................... 269
6.3.1 SampleCharacteristics ......................................... 269
6.3.2 PersonalNetworkStructureandPosition...................... 278
6.3.3 IntermediaryRoles.............................................. 281
7 FinalConclusions............................................................ 285
7.1 SummarizingMainFindings ........................................... 285
7.1.1 What Is the Intermediary Role of Freight
Forwardersin MultimodalTransportChains
IncludingaLegbySeaorAir?................................. 285
7.1.2 WhichBodyofTheoryMayHelptoExplore
ItsIntermediaryRoleTheoretically? .......................... 286
7.1.3 WhichKindsofMeasuresAreNeededtoCatch
ItsIntermediaryRoleEmpirically?............................ 286
7.2 ContributiontoExtantResearch ....................................... 287
7.3 ManagerialImplications................................................ 288
7.4 LimitationsandSuggestionsforFurtherResearch.................... 289
References......................................................................... 293
Appendix.......................................................................... 351