In this era, many more people are becoming increasingly aware of the logistics processes that are working behind the scenes to support their every-day lives. However, logistics professionals still require significant guidance and research to support their decision-making at many points along the global supply chains. This issue examines topics that are related to the globalization and opening of international trade systems, in a variety of contexts. We provide several manuscripts looking at a range of different topics of interest to members of the logistics and supply chain communities, ranging from those working with 3PLs through to those opening up global supply chains and dealing with distribution issues. I would be delighted to hear from authors who are considering submitting a manuscript to the journal, even if the manuscript is in the early stages of preparation. Please get in touch with me if the outcomes of your logistics innovation or study hold significant potential for managers or practitioners. If you are a research student (or you are supervising research students) where the project focuses on applied logistics, please feel free to contact me to see whether your project may fit without our scope and would be of interest to our readers. Over the next few years, I hope to continue the focus of UAL over several themes including: 1. Sustainability, following a stream of research including the analysis of sustainability and green logistics in developing nations (Thiell & Zuluaga, 2013), greening of suppliers and sustainability-focused innovation (Chan, Chiou, & Lettice, 2012), and specific cases of greening along the supply chain (Ergiin, Uludag-Demirer, & Kasap, 2013) 2. Technology and new technological developments, exploring themes such as RFID (Liu & Shao, 2012), new protocols (Zhang, Zhang, & Wei, 2011), and the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in service environments (Fellenz & Brady, 2010). 3. Optimization and solutions to real-world problems, with adaptions of existing techniques (Dugardin, Yalaoui, & Amodeo, 2012), simulation of distribution scenarios (Ech-Cheikh, Elhaq, Rachid, & Douraid, 2014), and meta-heuristics (Ezzinbi, Sarhani, El Afia, & Benadada, 2014). 4. The different logistics modes and industries, including maritime (Benghalia, Oudani, Boukachour, Boudebous, & Alaoui, 2014), air (Low, Tang, & Yuan, 2010), and motor carriers (Nadler & Kros, 2014). The UAL will continue to grow and publish valuable research focused on applied logistics, addressing both the art and science of logistics. The research focus of submitted manuscripts should be clear regarding how the research would be valuable in practice and use, ensuring a clear alignment with the scope and objectives of the UAL. If any authors, reviewers, or prospective authors have any questions, please feel free to get in touch as soon as possible. Lincoln C. Wood Editor-in-Chief, UAL.
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