A Decision-making Model for Potential Implementation of Reverse Logistics by Third-party Logistics Providers

摘要

With the development of reverse logistics concepts and practice, reverse logistics is becoming an important entity in the supply chain. Unfortunately, many companies desiring to enter the reverse logistics market are not prepared to effectively address these service needs due to the lack of knowledge of reverse logistics. This paper identifies the processes necessary to engage in the reverse logistics business. A decision-making model is proposed to guide the process of examining the feasibility of implementing reverse logistics by third-party logistics providers. The purpose of this model is to help those companies who wish to pursue reverse logistics as a new market. A case study was conducted with a Chinese logistics company to validate the proposed model.