A Firm-Based Freight Demand Modeling Framework: Capturing Intra-firm Interaction and Joint Logistic Decision-Making

摘要

This paper presents a firm-based freight demand modeling framework that incorporates supplychain concepts and accounts for the interdependency of establishments within a firm. At theheart of the modeling framework is the recognition that freight transportation demand is derivedfrom business logistics decision-making and that multi-establishment firms coordinate theiractivities across member establishments rather than manage each establishment independently.Conceived based on the logistics management process reviewed and the intra-firm interactionsdiscussed in this paper, the proposed modeling framework is envisaged to support more accurateanalysis of the effects of policy changes, technology shifts and market evolutions on freighttransportation patterns. The framework consists of four main modules: firm synthesis,purchasing, inventory and ordering, and transportation. The paper outlines the overall modelingprocedure and describes the mathematical structure underlying each model component.