Title: Delivery of Chinese mitten crab during peak season: logistics dilemma for micro-e-businesses

Authors: Junmin Yi; Huizhen You

Addresses: School of Economics and Management, Xiamen University of Technology, Xiamen 361024, China ' School of Economics and Management, Xiamen University of Technology, Xiamen 361024, China

Abstract: The enjoyment of Chinese mitten crab from Yangcheng Lake during mid-autumn has been cherished by wealthy people in the Yangtze Delta for a long time. With this delicacy tradition widespread throughout China, delivering these live crabs at the right time to different destinations has become a challenge in the current information-driven market. Such delivery poses remarkable logistics requirements for emerging micro-e-businesses. In this study, the packaging and shipping processes completed by farmers were examined. The logistics service provider's operations were analysed in terms of parcel entry and sorting, routing and transportation, and last-mile delivery. Finally, logistics capacity versus performance dilemma was identified. Based on the problems identified in the investigation, appropriate strategies are suggested for the logistics and supply-chain system.

Keywords: perishable food; delivery; logistics service provider; LSP; operations; e-business; case study; China.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLSM.2018.089795

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 2018 Vol.29 No.3, pp.399 - 408

Received: 19 Apr 2016
Accepted: 03 Dec 2016
Published online: 12 Feb 2018 *

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