Hub network design for integrated Bike-and-Ride services: A competitive approach to reducing automobile dependence

This study examines the challenges of healthcare systems toward sustainable inventory management of blood products. In this regard, three main goals are pursued; First, promoting social equity in providing medical services to various patients and reducing the risk to lives. Second, the optimal management of medical products in a way that minimizes economic costs. Third, optimal management of biological waste due to inventory corruption and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions caused by transportation, to the least environmental pollution. To achieve these purposes, a practical demand-driven multi-objective inventory model is presented by utilizing hybrid policies in an uncertain environment. In the proposed model, the demands are in two types, including elective and non-elective. These demands are classified according to their medical urgency, substitution allowance, and product freshness. A hybrid robust fuzzy stochastic programming approach is applied to capture real-world uncertainties. The proposed model is implemented for blood platelet. The solution is obtained using a combined metaheuristic technique established on genetic algorithms and simulated annealing according to global and local search paradigms. To create a proper perspective for decision-makers, sensitivity analysis is performed. Besides, the performance of the model is proved by the realization. The results show that the performance of the proposed RFSP model is better than the Nominal model. Also, it performs well in minimizing the overall system costs and environmental degradation, besides reducing shortage and wastage. It is also effective for taking steps toward equity in health and suggests a proper strategy for dealing with emergencies. 

Sustainable inventory management in blood banks considering health equity using a combined metaheuristic-based robust fuzzy stochastic programming

This article studies a competitive freight transportation pricing problem in the presence of two Intermodal Service Providers (ISPs) and a Direct Transportation System (DTS). The ISPs apply both rail and road transportation modes to carry the demands of a network of customers. The DTS uses only roads to carry the demands, without any transhipment at a distribution center. Each customer chooses its best transportation service based on the prices offered by the ISPs and the expenses of using the DTS. The ISPs determine their prices to maximize their profits, considering the customers’ choice behaviour. In order to determine the equilibrium decisions, a non-cooperative game-theoretic approach based on Stackelberg leader-follower competition is applied. Mixed-integer linear programming models are proposed to formulate this competition. A real-life case study is also conducted to demonstrate the validity of the models. We find that a barrier pricing strategy from the leader to deter the entrance of the follower ISP is not recommended for both of them because it may even lead to a negative value of profits for the leader. Finally, some sustainability objectives of the government, as the strategic decision maker, are examined. The results could help the government assess the effects of its policies on the transportation market, the environment, and the society.

A Game-Theoretic Approach to the Freight Transportation Pricing Problem in the Presence of Intermodal Service Providers in a Competitive Market

An integrated production and transportation scheduling problem with order acceptance and resource allocation decisions

Sustainable freight transportation is a logistics approach that provides affordable services to consumers where environmental, economic, and social sustainability dimensions are concerned. Governments usually improve sustainability dimensions in freight transportation by imposing taxes on transportation systems. Therefore, they should extend their knowledge on interactions between sustainability dimensions and how their interventions affect each dimension. In this regard, we analyze competition between two freight transportation systems in the context of government intervention. These systems include road and intermodal road–rail transportation modes, where the latter is regarded as an environmentally sustainable mode. A sequential game is addressed to analyze the duopoly competition. In the upper level, a government, as a Stackelberg leader, imposes taxes on fuel usage based on environmental, economic, and social concerns. In the lower level, a Nash game is developed to analyze price competition in the transportation market. Our analyses reveal that: (a) Given a fixed level of the consumers' loyalty to their specific transportation systems, economic and social sustainability are consistent with each other, while they conflict with environmental sustainability. (b) Economic risks increase economic sustainability requested by the transportation systems. Such a relationship and the mentioned conflict between environmental and economic sustainability imply that a reduction of economic risks by the government indirectly contributes to environmental sustainability. (c) An increase in the consumers' loyalty simultaneously improves the three sustainability dimensions. (d) The energy efficiency improvements of the transportation systems may pose adverse environmental and social effects, called the rebound effects. Moreover, government intervention effectively eliminates such rebound effects. (e) Government support for the service enhancement of the intermodal system, combined with the national advertisement of this system, may exempt the government from subsidy payment.

A game theoretic approach to sustainable freight transportation: Competition between road and intermodal road–rail systems with government intervention

Sajede Aminzadegan

Papers

Factors affecting the emission of pollutants in different types of transportation: A literature review

Multi-agent supply chain scheduling problem by considering resource allocation and transportation

A Game-Theoretic Approach to the Freight Transportation Pricing Problem in the Presence of Intermodal Service Providers in a Competitive Market

An integrated production and transportation scheduling problem with order acceptance and resource allocation decisions