High distribution costs constitute one of the major obstacles to the sustainable development of rural logistics. In order to effectively reduce the distribution costs of last mile delivery in rural areas, based on three typical transport modes (local logistics providers, public transport, and crowdsourcing logistics), this study first proposes a multimodal transport design for last mile delivery in rural areas. Then, a cost–benefit model for multimodal transport is proposed which uses genetic algorithms (GA) to solve the logistical problems faced. Finally, Shapley value is used to fairly allocate profits and represent the marginal contribution of each mode in multimodal transport. The numerical results show that multimodal transport can effectively reduce the distribution costs of last mile delivery in rural areas. When the order demand of each node tends to be stable, the marginal contribution of crowdsourcing logistics is often greater than that of the other two distribution modes. The marginal contribution of public transport is highest only when the number of orders per node is very small.

Returnable transport items (RTIs) are widely used in multimodal transport systems. However, due to the lack of effective tracking methods, RTIs management efficiency is low and RTIs are easily lost, which directly and indirectly causes economic losses to enterprises. Internet of Things (IoT) technology is proved to be effective in realizing real-time tracking and tracing of various objects in diverse fields. However, an IoT-enabled RTIs management system in a multimodal transport system has not been widely accepted due to a lack of an effective cost decision model. To address these problems, this research first presents three typical schemes of RTIs management. through extensive field studies on collaborative logistics service providers in multimodal transport systems. Then, the cost–benefit analyses of these three schemes are conducted while the decision models on whether to adopt IoT technologies are built. Finally, based on the decision models, the main factors affecting the application of IoT-RTIs management systems are studied by numerical analysis, based on which several managerial implications are presented. These results can serve as a theoretical basis for enterprises interested in finding out whether IoT technology should be used in RTIs management.

Fan, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Song, Z., and Liu, H., 2020. Coordination mechanism of port logistics resources integration from the perspective of supply-demand relationship. In: Yang, Y.; Mi, C.; Zhao, L., and Lam, S. (eds.), Global Topics and New Trends in Coastal Research: Port, Coastal and Ocean Engineering. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 103, pp. 619–623. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Ports play a key role in the maritime logistics supply chain. The role of ports largely depends on the development of the port logistics. The port logistics plays a pivotal role in urban economic development and foreign trade. At present, there are some problems in the development of port logistics industry, such as unreasonable distribution of logistics resources and unbalanced distribution. It is necessary to integrate port logistics resources and optimize resource allocation. This paper studies coordination mechanism of port logistics resources integration from the perspective of supply-demand relationship, and constructs a multi-objective model from time, cost and satisfaction.