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Logistics at work is rapidly changing. The changing trend is especially prominent when considering the active involvement of individuals that perform diverse forms of formal/informal “logistics work” (e.g. crowd logistics and self-collection). Thus, by conducting a synthesised review (n = 55), this study aims to provide a typology of individuals' logistics work.

The total social organisation of labour is used as a guiding framework. A deductive literature analysis is performed based on the identified journal articles.

The review findings reveal three major contexts where individuals perform logistics work: formal organisation, social community and private household, with a decreased level of formality. Under each context, individuals may be engaged in paid or unpaid activities, creating six forms of logistics work, termed as paid/voluntary professional logistics, incentivised/friendly social logistics and rewarded/free consumer logistics. Furthermore, an actor–sphere–resource–value conceptualisation of individual logistics is proposed, focussing on the chains of actors, work settings, resource input and value outcome.

The results provide a theoretical foundation for further research in individual- or consumer-centrism in logistics. Two research directions and seven research questions are presented for future investigation.

A talent shortage and underrepresentation of women in logistics emphasize the need to assess the logistics work culture. As logistics practitioners face round-the-clock job pressures, work–family conflict presents one such opportunity for study. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of supervisors and mentoring on work interference with family (WIF) and subsequent job satisfaction and intent to leave logistics.

Under role conflict theory, the authors apply structural equation modeling to survey data of logistics practitioners, focusing on time, strain and behavior WIF sources.

The results highlight the complexity of WIF in logistics. Strain and behavior-based WIF relate to job satisfaction, which then relates to intent to leave logistics. Family-supportive supervisors reduce time and strain-based WIF, and mentoring provides complementary support for behavior-based WIF. However, mentoring also yields unintended contradictory effects for women as detrimental to time-based WIF.

The relatively small sample size, particularly for women, limits generalizability of the results.

To foster supportive work environments, logistics organizations must train supervisors and mentors to resolve employee WIF, including its different sources and gender-specific impacts.

The interplay of supervisors and mentors has not been well studied to date. Also, the contradictory impacts of mentoring for women based on WIF sources challenges WIF literature and issues warnings for mentoring in professional practice. Finally, the results provide insight into the talent shortage and gender imbalance in logistics that lack empirical study.

Managing container shipping logistics requires people with good competencies, especially in the time of new challenges. The purpose of this paper is to validate a new framework of competencies for container shipping logistics professionals.

The competency framework was proposed through a comprehensive literature review process followed by in-depth interviews with senior maritime logistics executives both in Singapore and South Korea. It contains three groups of business-, logistics- and management-related competencies, with each group further being classified into generalist and maritime-specific skills and knowledge. A confirmatory survey was also conducted in both countries. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software and thematic analysis technique.

It was found that all competencies proposed in this framework are important and perceived to contribute to work performance of container shipping logisticians. Findings also revealed that those competencies related to management are more important and can contribute to work performance of container shipping logisticians more than those of logistics and business nature.

The proposed and validated framework is original as it is the first framework for container shipping logisticians. This lays the background for future research on competency-based education and training programs for logisticians in container shipping logistics and other sectors of the maritime supply chain. Findings of this research can help senior management identify important competencies which are critical for container shipping logisticians to acquire, and design subsequent training and education programs accordingly.

Human resources can differentiate firms from their competitors or directly affect the success or failure of firms. As in many sectors, there is a need for qualified employees in the logistics sector, which is of great importance for the national economies. Qualified employees in this sector contribute to the success of the companies and the development of the industry. In this study, it is aimed to reveal the qualifications and characteristics of the labour force needed by logistics companies. It was also aimed to show the impact of COVID-19 on logistics job ads. For this purpose, a total of 1,410 job vacancy postings (before COVID-19) and a total of 1,700 job vacancy postings (during COVID-19) were searched on the kariyer.net website with the word “logistics” and analysed by content analysis method. As a result, it was found that the most advertised province was Istanbul in both periods, the most looked up experience requirement in the candidates was 1-5 years in both periods, the opportunities provided to the candidates (transportation, food and beverage, career, social activity) were not mentioned much in both periods. This study reveals the status of logistics job postings in the period before COVID-19 and during COVID-19. It was also aimed to show the impact of COVID-19 on logistics job ads. We investigated whether the logistics employee demand has changed and whether the pandemic is affecting workforce characteristics. This is the first empirical analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on logistics vacancy postings.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the underlying strategic mechanisms of agility in a humanitarian logistics context. Based on the research conducted in business disciplines, the paper empirically examines a set of four strategic dimensions (being purposeful, being action-focused, being collaborative, and being learning-oriented) and identifies an emergent relationship between these capabilities and agile humanitarian logistics operations.

Leadership and management actions perceived to support the four capabilities were identified and used as a basis to complete the exploratory research. Specifically, a case study with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) was undertaken and, in this context, a qualitative analysis of 29 face-to-face interviews with humanitarian logistics experts working for WFP was conducted.

The research corroborates the relevance of the four strategic-level capabilities to the humanitarian logistics context and confirms that these capabilities play a role in the development of agility in humanitarian operations. The work also identifies a set of key strategic decision-making areas that relate to the building of agility.

Additional research is needed to further investigate and measure the strategic-level capabilities and to quantify their impact on operational agility. Further research should also be undertaken to extend this study to a wider range of humanitarian organisations.

This paper is the first empirical research that takes a strategic approach to the concept of agility in humanitarian logistics. It highlights that the leaders and managers of humanitarian organisations have a significant role to play in the building of an agile system.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of humanitarian logistics training for the Finnish Red Cross (FRC) Emergency Response Unit (ERU) delegates, and the factors that influence its success. The managerial purpose of this research is to support the FRC in improving their Logistics ERU Foundation training. Additionally, this research provides humanitarian organisations, engaged in emergency response efforts, insights for logistics training design.

This is a case study examining the FRC, with qualitative data being collected in a field study, utilising participant observation and in-context interview techniques for rich data collection.

This research evaluated the effectiveness of the Logistics ERU Foundation training of the FRC by adapting the four-level training evaluation model by Kirkpatrick and transfer of training theories. The research has contributed to Gralla et al.’s (2015) call for further research in evaluating what people learn from humanitarian logistics trainings and in documenting and sharing experiences with specific training programs.

The conceptual framework serves as a basis for exploratory qualitative investigation of training transfer, from the perspectives of trainees, facilitators and human resource personnel.

This research contributes to the humanitarian community by identifying gaps in Red Cross Logistics ERU training and to the development of curricula content relating to Red Cross logistics response phase operations. Additionally, this gives other humanitarian organisations, operating in the response phase of natural disasters, insights for logistics training design.

There is significant potential for adding value by involving customer in the design process and delivery of logistic services. In order to add value to the overall logistic system, the purpose of this paper is to apply an integrated systems approach for the design of forward and reverse logistics services in order to build a self-organising service that can maximise efficiencies and in particular reduce reverse logistics costs.

Two exploratory case studies were conducted in the logistics systems of housing repair and maintenance sector in the UK. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, observations, and documented evidence.

The findings of the cross-case analysis suggests that systems approach expressed as the Vanguard Method (Seddon, 2008) has a direct impact on enhancing forward logistics performance and reducing reverse product flows by nourishing three dimensions for learning from demand-driven analysis; capturing customer clean information, demand predictability and categorisation, and failure demand analysis.

Findings from exploratory case studies cannot be easily generalised. Hence, further case studies are needed to enrich the findings, and to facilitate their industrial applications. Further, the paper explores the utilisation of the Vanguard Method only in the area of housing repairs and maintenance logistics services. It would be valuable for future studies to further investigate the utilisation of the Vanguard Method in other logistics services settings.

The paper demonstrates an important dynamics of how logistics services can incorporate customer demands into the logistics design process.

The purpose of this paper is to present findings concerning what logistics managers perceive as being difficult and challenging, and what implications this may have for further advances in the logistics discipline.

The point of departure for this study was to reflect on perceived problems, uncertainties, trends, and solutions in logistics, and how they are handled in the everyday work. The study was exploratory, inspired by grounded theory and aimed at providing grounds for further theory building in the area of real logistics.

The findings of this study was related to human, organizational and social aspects, i.e. how understanding and sense‐making can be accomplished in logistics efforts. A major outcome from this research endeavor was initial, empirically derived arguments toward theories of complex logistics.

One primary finding of importance was the identification of understanding and sense‐making of concepts, techniques and models in logistics. Thus, future research is needed to provide insights and guidance on how human factors can be considered and elaborated by management in logistics situations.

Logistics complexity needs consideration when logistics processes and phenomena are approached to ensure increase understanding for people involved and affected, and for the sense‐making of logistics phenomena.

This paper contributes to knowledge and understanding of uncertainty and challenges in logistics with focus on human aspects and perception. Previously, most research has focused on structural aspects and quantitative factors.

It is probably the case that a point has been reached where many companies understand the “total distribution concept” and the need for a logistics orientation in managing the flow of materials and goods through their business and their marketing channels. Whilst this recognition is by no means universal, we might be justified in claiming that at least the level of awareness of the importance of “thinking logistically” is higher than ever before.

The purpose of the research paper is to provide the humanitarian logistics community with an overall picture about competencies and skills in humanitarian logistics and if there is a lack of professionalization of the logistics function in humanitarian context from an international perspective. Further this research elaborates practical approaches how the skills and competencies can be enhanced and developed for international education programs.

An empirical survey as approach was used. Hereby a descriptive analysis provides in a comprehensive way education, skills and competencies in humanitarian logistics. The respondents are from different countries and continents as well as from different humanitarian sector, e.g. humanitarian organizations (HOs), logistics service providers, military services and researchers.

In general, the findings of the research paper present valuable insights of mandatory contents of education in humanitarian logistics as well as competencies and skills on different levels based on European Qualification Framework (EQF). This research paper explores these and offers suggestions to improve and promote market and professional competencies and skills for the humanitarian logistics sector and to minimize their impacts.

The field survey was due to access and motivation restriction mainly answered by academics in the field of humanitarian logistics or by leadership personnel with very high academic merits (MA/PhD). Further the objective of this research paper was purposefully limited to describing the education requirements, not gap analysis with existing education offers or development of new curricula content – this should be a task for further research setups.

Specific requirements regarding negotiation and legal competences are named in the survey as well as the objective of specific, country-related adaptions and the time schedule form of education trainings in humanitarian logistics (during a professional career with as much time absent for learning as feasible).

The paper highlights the increasing demand and still existing gap regarding education and training in humanitarian logistics in the field. All included institutions and persons have to re-evaluate their prioritization and budgeting in order to support further education and training for personnel in humanitarian logistics according to the results of the survey and addressing the need of logisticians in the humlog management and operations.

This paper adds to the knowledge about the implications of education and training and measurement of skills and competencies based on EQF for theory and practice. Further the humanitarian logistics community requires rudimentary humanitarian logistics education to enhance the logistics operation in case of disaster toward the affected people.