Organizational Dynamics of the U.S. Logistics Industry: An Economic Geography Perspective*

Although the logistics industry provides critical services to all sectors of the economy, few studies exist in economic geography that examine and explain the organizational dynamics of this industry. This article highlights the significance of the logistics industry in contemporary industrialization and argues that an enriched understanding of the interaction between technology and space can be achieved by examining the evolution of an industry that plays a central role in the contemporary economy. We focus on dimensions that are identified as particularly important: organizational, geographic, and risk and security.     

Some Aspects of Resource Uncertainty and Their Economic Consequences in Assessment of the 1002 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Natural Resources Research - Exploration ventures in frontier areas have high risks. Before committing to them, firms prepare regional resource assessments to evaluate the potential payoffs. With...     

3G技术与现代物流管理技术的集成模式研究

3G技术能够对现代物流作业与管理进行有效地监督和控制,3G技术与现代物流管理技术的集成是物流业发展的客观需要。探讨了3G技术与现代物流管理技术的集成模式,对于以GIS技术为平台支撑、以定位技术和无线通信技术为辅助手段的分布式空间物流信息系统的建设具有一定的意义。     

物流地理学研究进展与展望

以国内地理学视角物流活动研究为基础,梳理了中国物流地理学的发展脉络和理论进展。通过文献研究方法,分析了国内物流地理学的研究背景,对主要研究领域进行了综述,进一步理清了地理学研究与物流学研究的边缘学术衔接点,映射了20 年来中国学术背景下的物流地理学的研究进展和规律,列举出了各研究板块的代表性文献,对国内物流地理学研究的深化开辟了新的理论途径。研究表明,中国学术界物流地理研究宏观属性相对明显,地理学视角研究极大地丰富了物流活动研究的理论基础和方法论体系,已形成了物流运输地理研究、区域物流地理研究、港口场站物流地理研究、物流地理信息系统研究和物流地理综合性方法论研究等主要研究板块。最后,依托国内物流地理学研究的基本态势和现实经济社会发展的需求,探讨了未来中国物流地理学研究的基本趋向。     

中国物流企业的空间组织网络

物流企业是承担物流活动的专业化组织, 是具有空间网络的企业形式。基于相关研究 的评述, 分析了物流企业网络的基础理论, 重点解析其空间体系、职能联系与运营机制。通 过研究, 认为物流企业由企业属性要素和物流属性要素组成, 其共同作用形成企业部门的职 能分化和区位分离, 由此形成物流企业网络, 包括企业组分网络和物流运营网络。物流企业 在城市和区域尺度构筑企业组分网络, 城市网络包括总公司、配送中心和营业点, 总公司布 局于市中心区, 配送中心倾向于近郊区, 营业点集中在物流密集区; 区域网络包括总部、区 域分公司、地方分公司、办事处和受理点, 总部布局于国内大城市, 区域分公司倾向于各区 政治经济中心, 地方分公司集中在省会、经济中心和交通枢纽, 办事处与受理点在企业网络 外部或内部空白处布局。物流运营网络由运输专线、配送体系和物流网络组成, 运输专线形 成支线和干线两类, 是物流运营的基本途径; 配送体系形成区域、城市区域和城市三层, 是 物流企业提升竞争力的保障; 运输专线和配送体系的交错、融合和优化, 最终形成轴辐物流 网络。     

Ecosystem services assessment and compensation costs for installing seaweed farms

In a global context of promotion and expansion of blue growth initiatives, the development of activities such as aquaculture calls for the assessment of the potential impacts on biodiversity at different levels and associated services. This paper presents an assessment of the potential impact of the installation of seaweed farms on ecosystem services and the induced compensation costs. Biophysical and socioeconomic indicators have been developed for helping decision makers to select the most suitable locations. The approach considers a multi-criteria approach based on Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Habitat Equivalency Analysis (HEA). The former is used to obtain biophysical ecosystem services and socioeconomic indicators and the latter to evaluate the costs required to compensate the loss of cultural and provisioning ecosystem services. A case-study in the Normand-Breton (Saint Malo) Gulf, France, illustrates this method through the analysis of hypothetical locations of seaweed farms. Results highlight the differences between alternative locations regarding biophysical constraints (in terms of distance and depth), potential risks of conflicts with existing uses, impacts on habitats and the ecosystem services delivered, and compensation costs. This case-study illustrates the flexibility of this approach which can be further adapted to include other indicators in order to deliver integrated information to coastal planners.     

Compliance costs and the small fisher: A study of exiters from the New Zealand fishery

Over 3000 predominantly small-scale fishers have exited the New Zealand's quota management system (QMS) between its inception in 1986 and 2000. This study, based on the Ministry of Fisheries database and a questionnaire sent to the exiters, establishes that compliance costs in general, and those specifically related to the QMS, were one of the most consistent reasons for exit. Uncertainty about future QMS policy and the high cost of quota were also significant factors. It appears that the small fishers’ perception of high compliance cost can be supported by industry data.     

渤海海峡跨海通道建设前后区际城市群物流网络结构的时空演变

随着网络社会不断崛起,城市空间内涵发生了明显改变,已经成为人文地理学研究的新的重要内容。通过改进重力模型,基于有向加权网络分析方法以及BRIM算法,探讨了渤海海峡跨海通道建设前后山东半岛城市群与辽中南城市群物流网络结构的演变过程,研究发现：①渤海通道建设主要影响城市低等级物流联系,对高等级网络的影响局部集中在辽中南南部和山东半岛东部且自身物流规模较大的城市之间,其中大连、沈阳以及青岛、烟台、潍坊、济南等少数重点城市之间垄断了大量的物流资源;② 通道建设促进了“双通道双向合成流”格局形成,在各自城市群内部,物流结构将出现陆、海方向上的分离性变化,大连、烟台作为通道门户城市的地位逐渐确立;③ 首位离心流、向心流格局在演变过程中均表现出渤海通道指向性,仅有沈阳⇄济南、沈阳⇄淄博、大连⇄青岛、鞍山⇄潍坊等少数城市之间保持了常态化互惠关系,但互惠程度并不对称,辽中南地区城市的物流输出规模普遍高于具有互惠关系的山东半岛城市,前者表现为典型的“双核-边缘”结构,后者具有多极网络化特征;④ 通道建设前后山东半岛城市群的物流城市类型保持稳定,辽中南地区的向心流主导型城市则不断向铁岭、抚顺、本溪等东北部城市蔓延;⑤ 大连在渤海通道建设后首次与烟台、青岛等山东半岛城市群东部城市实现了同一子群结构衔接,总体上优化了山东半岛与辽中南城市群的物流空间格局。     

车辆路径问题:从时间地理学的视角

车辆路径问题具有典型的时空分布特征,受到众多时空约束条件的制约。在车辆路径规划中,综合考虑时间和空间因素是非常必要的。本文从时间地理学这一全新的视角来研究车辆路径问题,提出一套完整的时间地理学分析框架,阐述了时间地理学的基本概念,提出了车辆路径问题中的时空约束、时空路径、时空棱柱、时空可达性、时空距离等概念,并给出了图示或定量化的度量方法。论文提出的时空距离度量方法综合考虑了顾客在空间位置和时间窗口2个方面的特征,可更科学地判定顾客之间的"邻近性"。论文通过设计一种求解大规模软时间窗车辆路径问题的算法,证明了时空距离的价值,并展望了时间地理学在求解动态车辆路径规划问题、移动设施路径规划问题等方面的应用。本文的贡献在于,通过时间地理学所提供的一系列概念和方法,实现了在统一的框架下同时考虑车辆路径问题(VRP)的时间和空间特征的构想,挖掘了传统时间地理学理论在车辆路径领域中的应用潜力,这将有利于更快或者更好地求解VRP问题。     

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) in the face of external biophysical stressors

Economic instruments such as Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes are increasingly promoted to protect ecosystems (and their associated ecosystem services) that are threatened by processes of local and global change. Biophysical stressors external to a PES site, such as forest fires, pollution, sea level rise, and ocean acidification, may undermine ecosystem stability and sustained ecosystem service provision, yet their threats and impacts are difficult to account for within PES scheme design. We present a typology of external biophysical stressors, characterizing them in terms of stressor origin, spatial domain and temporal scale. We further analyse how external stressors can potentially impinge on key PES parameters, as they (1) threaten ecosystem service provision, additionality and permanence, (2) add challenges to the identification of PES providers and beneficiaries, and (3) add complexity and costs to PES mechanism design. Effective PES implementation under external stressors requires greater emphasis on the evaluation and mitigation of external stressors, and further instruments that can accommodate associated risks and uncertainties. A greater understanding of external stressors will increase our capacity to design multi-scale instruments to conserve important ecosystems in times of environmental change.