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Collaborative Logistics (CL) and merging operations are crucial strategies for reducing costs and improving service in transportation companies. This study proposes a model for optimizing efficiency in supply chain networks through inbound and outbound Collaborative Logistics implementation among the carriers in centralized, coordinated networks with cross-docking.

A mixed-integer non-linear programming model is developed to determine the optimal truck-goods assignment while gaining economies of scale through mixing multiple less-than-truckload (LTL) products with different weight-to-volume ratios. Unlike the previous studies that have considered Collaborative Logistics from the cost and profit-sharing perspective, the proposed model seeks to determine an appropriate form of Collaborative Logistics in the VRP.

This article shows that in a three-echelon supply chain consisting of a set of suppliers, a set of customers and a cross-docking terminal, partial collaboration among the inbound carriers and outbound carriers outperforms no/complete collaboration. This approach enhances the supply chain efficiency by minimizing the total transportation costs, the total transportation miles and the total number of trucks and maximizing fleet utilization. While addressing the four points, the role of collaborative logistics among the carriers was discussed. In a three-echelon SC consisting of a set of suppliers, a set of customers and a cross-docking terminal, partial collaboration among the inbound carriers and outbound carriers outperforms no/complete collaboration. Using a combination of experimental analysis and optimization process, it was recommended that managers be cautious that too much (full or complete) or no collaboration can result in SC performance deterioration.

The suggested approach enhances the supply chain efficiency by minimizing the total transportation costs, the total transportation miles and the total number of trucks and maximizing fleet utilization. While addressing the four points, the role of Collaborative Logistics among the carriers was discussed.

Project managers' competencies contribute toward project success in a considerable manner. The significance of technical competencies' (TCs) contribution toward success in Oil and Gas (O&G) projects is even higher due to the complexity and the technology-intensive nature of these projects. However, technical competencies have often been overlooked in favor of behavioral competencies or simply identified and listed in terms of their significance. Thus, there is currently very limited research-based knowledge concerning the contribution mechanisms of technical competencies toward project execution success. Hence, the aim of this study is to explore the contribution mechanisms of TCs toward success in O&G projects.

A case study was employed as the research strategy through which data was collected from project professionals in O&G projects in the Kingdom of Bahrain using semi-structured interviews. Transcripts of the interviews were then analyzed through thematic analysis method with the aid of NVIVO 12.

The findings reveal six mechanisms through which technical competencies of project managers contribute toward execution success in O&G projects. TCs not only act as a launch pad toward project success, but also help in optimizing engineering designs throughout the project life cycle.

Instead of simply identifying and listing TCs, the obtained results enhance our current understanding of their contribution mechanisms toward project success in O&G projects.

Nowadays, universities increasingly consider reputation as a key component for improving quality and rankings. A positive reputation opens doors to added value and diverse opportunities. This paper aims to explore Middle Eastern higher education managers' perceptions of university reputation components.

Given the significance of this concept in Middle Eastern universities, a descriptive phenomenological qualitative approach is adopted to identify these key components. The study includes interviews with university managers, and data are collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically.

The findings reveal that, from the perspective of higher education managers, university reputation is influenced by four main components: university management and leadership, quality and performance, identity and image and social responsibility. These components are tailored to the context of Middle Eastern countries.

Practical implications are clearly laid out in the form of four key themes for higher education managers in Middle Eastern countries to manage reputation.

The study’s outcomes can be used as a guide for university managers in developing countries to change the situation in their favor and achieve great success in the competitive condition of universities by planning and making policies in this direction. Also, the managers of higher education in the Middle Eastern countries can take advantage of the components of this study to improve the quality and quantity of their universities and take an important step towards increasing the university’s reputation at the international level.