Research On The Formation And Operation Of Fourth Party Logistics Enterprise

With the rapid development of information technology, the acceleration of economic globalization, the further refinement of social division and the rapidly changing competitive environment, logistics has increasingly become the focus of attention for the enterprises to reduce costs and increase competitiveness. The development of logistics outsourcing theory prompted many companies started to outsource logistics business to a third party logistics enterprise, keep themselves focus on core areas. However, as the further development of supply chain theory, third-party logistics gradually exposed its inherent flaws, its biggest shortage is difficult to optimize and integrate the entire supply chain, and then, fourth party logistics was presented as the role of supply chain integrator.However, the current research on fourth party logistics is still in an exploratory stage. Most researches which at home or abroad have focus on single and qualitative aspects, such as its conceptual definition, characteristics, causes and functions and so on. For the quantitative studies, always only from the view of general logistics activities, rather than combine with the specific operation mode of fourth party logistics. Moreover, the above mentioned elaborated only from some aspects of fourth party logistics, and lacked of a systematic exposition view.From a systematic point, this paper using the virtual enterprise and supply chain theory, discuss and analyze the new concept ---fourth-party logistics and its formation and operation.First, as the base of the formation and operation of fourth party logistics enterprise, the relevant theory about fourth party logistics was reviewed and analyzed. For the formation of fourth party logistics enterprise, fourth-party logistics providers was firstly analyzed, and got to a common view that, in China, fourth party logistics enterprise must be a union (Virtual Enterprise) which combined with third-party logistics enterprise, management consulting firms and IT companies, to provide fourth-party logistics services. Then the role and core competencies of champion were analyzed, the fourth party logistics enterprise was formatted. Moreover, a cooperative logistics network was introduct which help champion to select potential partners in advance and coordinate alliance members. For the operation of fourth party logistics enterprise, the operation mechanism was firstly elaborated, then a matching matrix of and operating mode was presented, which aims to help fourth-party logistics enterprise choose the right operating mode at different applicational level. And then operating processes was analyzed. Moreover, a coordination model of fourth-party logistics enterprise based on MAS presented which aims to help coordinate its members. For the incentive problem of fourth party logistics enterprise's operation, a single commission-multi agent model was presented to help the fourth party logistics members low down the moral hazard risk and improve the operational effectiveness in a different degree of risk aversion and effort. Subsequently, a combination incentive mechanism of the "membership classification" and "Kanban evaluation system" was proposed. Finally, according to the current development of fourth party logistics enterprise, the existing problems was analyzed, and the relevant proposals was put forward. Wish the research of this paper can provide systematic reference for the domestic enterprise who apply to fourth-party logistics...