Towards the Restructuring and Co-ordination Mechanisms for the Architecture of Chinese Transport Logistics Defended on Thursday, 22 January 2009

With China’s emergence as a global manufacturing centre, reshaping the country’s logistics industry is assuming a global dimension too. The Chinese transport sector, despite its tremendous potential in facilitating the economic development of the country, is plagued with problems of insufficient infrastructure; overlapping regulatory authority; operational inefficiencies and a lack of logistics culture. The thesis shows that China urgently needs to restructure the architecture of its transport industry by incorporating logistics thinking and by embodying the strategic objectives of logistics development. Restructuring the architecture of transport logistics (ATL) aims to improve, the mechanism of integrated operations and planning, as well as the development of transport logistics infrastructure and facilities. Based on experiences from developed economies as a reference, and by integrating its own conditions and situation, the thesis argues that China needs to strengthen co-ordination and harmonization among the various components of its logistics system. The architecture of transport logistics (ATL) consists of an integrated and coordinated system. The main function of the system is to accelerate interaction and coordination among transport logistics enterprises, government agencies, and relevant institutions at national level. This research presents a framework for the establishment of an efficient ATL system in China with appropriate structure, complete functions, and efficient operations. The presented framework focuses on the macroeconomic environment of transport logistics and supporting systems, presenting at the same time a monitoring and early warning system for effective pre-emptive decision making at policy level.

Keywords

the architecture of Chinese transport logistics (ACTL), restructuring, co-ordination mechanisms, market structures, sustainable transport logistics chain, cultivating mechanism, information monitoring and guiding (IMG) model, policy intervention, reversing flagging out