Research agenda for circular logistics nodes
| Theme | Implications | Network | Node | Resources | Research questions | Potential methodological approach | Potential theories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incentives and regulatory enablers for integrating circular services | Strategic staff must be forward-looking and understand political decision-making and macrotrends | X | RQ1. How can governance models integrate top-down circular economy policy goals with bottom-up industry capabilities to support organizational adaptation and prevent system disruptions? | Multi-stakeholder qualitative interviews | Complex adaptive systems | ||
| Potentially multiple reconfigurations due to continuous change in consumer preferences and the regulatory environment | X | X | RQ2. How do retailers reconfigure logistics nodes and networks over time to address external drivers and pressures from circular economy regulations? | Longitudinal process research | Dynamic capabilities | ||
| Avoid static configuration and enable continuous reconfiguration (modular/flexible design) | X | ||||||
| Introducing the circular consumer | Need for a strategic understanding of who the consumers are and what their requirements are from different types of nodes | X | X | RQ3. What network configurations (decentralized micro-hubs vs. centralized specialized nodes) best support consumer participation in circular services? | Consumer perspective: Ethnography or field experiments Retailers perspective: Multiple case studies, simulations or modelling | Socio-ecological-technical systems | |
| Continuous mapping of logistics nodes portfolio and their fit with current vs. future consumer preferences | X | ||||||
| The issue with supply | Decide which nodes should handle the supply (all or selected few) | X | RQ4. How can circular logistics nodes and networks be designed to manage unpredictable supply while maintaining balanced capacity utilization? | Design science research and simulations or modelling | Process modularity theory | ||
| Decide what the need is for decentralized nodes vs. centralized nodes | X | ||||||
| Circular nodes need flexible and modular space to accommodate and sort fluctuating product types and volumes | X | ||||||
| Logistics nodes need system support to handle dynamic inventory and continuous tracking on item level | X | ||||||
| Circular governance and organization | Clarify ownership and responsibility of the product flows, operations, resources and competencies | X | X | RQ5. How do governance structures and decision-making autonomy evolve as circular services scale, and how do these changes reshape power relations within retail logistics networks? | Longitudinal process studies | Network governance | |
| Decide where the business and operations decision-making will take place: at headquarters or at the local node | X | ||||||
| Keep an agile governance so local nodes can adapt to market, product and customer needs | X | ||||||
| Decide which operations to outsource and integrate external partners | X | X | |||||
| Enable coordination between the different nodes to balance supply and demand across the system | X | ||||||
| Integrating and scaling circular services and operations | Learn from linear retail and simplify and standardize circular operations as much as possible | X | X | RQ6. Which circular operations are best integrated into existing retail logistics nodes, and what are the implications when circular services and operations are scaled up? | Design science research | Transvection theory, Interdependence theory | |
| Analyze the logistics nodes' and network capacity to perform the new operations, considering space, equipment and resources | X | X | X | ||||
| Balance standardization and flexibility when configuring the node on the front and back ends (to achieve logistics efficiency and customer utility) | X | ||||||
| Not all nodes are suitable for integration or separation. Define which operations should be performed by existing logistics nodes and which should be separated into other (new) nodes | X | X | |||||
| Leveraging resources to take on circular services | Define and differentiate the competences and technologies required by each node | X | X | RQ7. What skills and technologies are needed, and how can retailers leverage existing resources to support the implementation and scaling of circular services? | Action research | Dynamic capabilities | |
| Enable knowledge and resource sharing across nodes | X | X | |||||
| Implement and develop technologies to enhance operational efficiency and standardization | X | ||||||
| Upskill employees through training programs to standardize or simplify ways of working | X | ||||||
| New performance indicators for circular services | Adapt KPIs to track circular operations efficiency, environmental impact and work environment for each node | X | X | RQ8. Which performance indicators and incentive structures best support the implementation and operation of circular services in circular logistics nodes? | Design science research | Contingency theory | |
| Balance indicators to cover customer utility, logistic efficiency, environmental sustainability and employee well-being | X | ||||||
| Integrate circularity metrics into reporting systems to support decision-making and long-term planning | X | X | |||||
| Align employee incentive structures to emphasize sustainability and circularity metrics | X |
| Theme | Implications | Network | Node | Resources | Research questions | Potential methodological approach | Potential theories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incentives and regulatory enablers for integrating circular services | Strategic staff must be forward-looking and understand political decision-making and macrotrends | X | Multi-stakeholder qualitative interviews | Complex adaptive systems | |||
| Potentially multiple reconfigurations due to continuous change in consumer preferences and the regulatory environment | X | X | Longitudinal process research | Dynamic capabilities | |||
| Avoid static configuration and enable continuous reconfiguration (modular/flexible design) | X | ||||||
| Introducing the circular consumer | Need for a strategic understanding of who the consumers are and what their requirements are from different types of nodes | X | X | Consumer perspective: Ethnography or field experiments | Socio-ecological-technical systems | ||
| Continuous mapping of logistics nodes portfolio and their fit with current vs. future consumer preferences | X | ||||||
| The issue with supply | Decide which nodes should handle the supply (all or selected few) | X | Design science research and simulations or modelling | Process modularity theory | |||
| Decide what the need is for decentralized nodes vs. centralized nodes | X | ||||||
| Circular nodes need flexible and modular space to accommodate and sort fluctuating product types and volumes | X | ||||||
| Logistics nodes need system support to handle dynamic inventory and continuous tracking on item level | X | ||||||
| Circular governance and organization | Clarify ownership and responsibility of the product flows, operations, resources and competencies | X | X | Longitudinal process studies | Network governance | ||
| Decide where the business and operations decision-making will take place: at headquarters or at the local node | X | ||||||
| Keep an agile governance so local nodes can adapt to market, product and customer needs | X | ||||||
| Decide which operations to outsource and integrate external partners | X | X | |||||
| Enable coordination between the different nodes to balance supply and demand across the system | X | ||||||
| Integrating and scaling circular services and operations | Learn from linear retail and simplify and standardize circular operations as much as possible | X | X | Design science research | Transvection theory, Interdependence theory | ||
| Analyze the logistics nodes' and network capacity to perform the new operations, considering space, equipment and resources | X | X | X | ||||
| Balance standardization and flexibility when configuring the node on the front and back ends (to achieve logistics efficiency and customer utility) | X | ||||||
| Not all nodes are suitable for integration or separation. Define which operations should be performed by existing logistics nodes and which should be separated into other (new) nodes | X | X | |||||
| Leveraging resources to take on circular services | Define and differentiate the competences and technologies required by each node | X | X | Action research | Dynamic capabilities | ||
| Enable knowledge and resource sharing across nodes | X | X | |||||
| Implement and develop technologies to enhance operational efficiency and standardization | X | ||||||
| Upskill employees through training programs to standardize or simplify ways of working | X | ||||||
| New performance indicators for circular services | Adapt KPIs to track circular operations efficiency, environmental impact and work environment for each node | X | X | Design science research | Contingency theory | ||
| Balance indicators to cover customer utility, logistic efficiency, environmental sustainability and employee well-being | X | ||||||
| Integrate circularity metrics into reporting systems to support decision-making and long-term planning | X | X | |||||
| Align employee incentive structures to emphasize sustainability and circularity metrics | X |