Overcoming barriers for functional reverse logistics in e-commerce A systematic literature review
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Typ
Examensarbete på grundnivå
Program
Internationell logistik 180 hp (teknologie kandidatexamen)
Publicerad
2023
Författare
Ahlén, Alexander
Johansson, Eric
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
Traditionally, the flow of goods has been allocated forwardly in the supply chain,
where used products consequently have been discarded and destroyed by the end
consumer. In light of globalization, and environmental and economic concerns, the
circular economy and its principles have gained considerable attention from supply
chain stakeholders. A vital element of the circular economy is reverse logistics. In ecommerce,
the reverse logistics process enables the management of returns in the
form of products and materials from the end customer travelling backwards in the
supply chain, often to the source. However, the topic of reverse logistics in ecommerce
is fairly new. This study aims to summarize the current scientific
knowledge on e-commerce reverse logistics from the perspective of identifying
present barriers, and possible solutions for overcoming the identified barriers by
conducting a systematic literature review (SLR). SLR is a comprehensive and precise
methodology which synthesizes a large body of knowledge, in a specific scientific
area, in a factual and unbiased way that ensures reproducibility and reliability. From
the SLR, we found five major barrier categories and six major solution categories,
both with belonging sub-categories. The findings show that the significant barriers
are lack of knowledge and awareness from top management, limited forecasting, lack
of infrastructure, and lack of supply chain coordination. Furthermore, solutions for
overcoming these barriers include commitment, awareness, and support from top
management, efficient technological infrastructure, and sufficient information
exchange in the supply chain. The study is limited to scientific knowledge on reverse
logistics in B2C e-commerce.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
Reverse logistics , e-commerce , reverse logistics barriers , reverse logistics solutions , systematic literature review