Background: Last-mile delivery (LMD) is becoming more and more demanding due to an increasing number of users and traffic problems in cities. Besides, medical crises (like the COVID-19 outbreak) and air pollution represent additional motives for the transition from traditional to socially and environmentally sustainable LMD mode. An emerging problem for companies in the postal and logistics industry is how to determine the best LMD mode in a multi-criteria setting under uncertainty. Method: For the first time, an extension of the Weighted Aggregated Sum Product ASsessment (WASPAS) method under the picture fuzzy environment is presented to solve the LMD mode selection problem. The introduced picture fuzzy set (PFS) based multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method can be highly beneficial to managers who are in charge of LMD since it can take into account the neutral/refusal information and efficiently deal with high levels of imprecise, vague, and uncertain information. The comparative analysis with the existing state-of-the-art PFS-based MCDM methods approved the high reliability of the proposed picture fuzzy WASPAS method. Its high robustness and consistency are also confirmed. The presented method can be used to improve LMD in urban areas worldwide. Besides, it can be applied to solve other emerging MCDM problems in an uncertain environment. Findings: A real-life case study of Belgrade is presented to fully illustrate the potentials and applicability of the picture fuzzy WASPAS method. The results show that postomates are the best mode for LMD in Belgrade, followed by cargo bicycles, drones, traditional delivery, autonomous vehicles, and tube transport.

In light of the increasing importance of last-mile delivery (LMD) and the associated high costs, air pollution, and logistical challenges, research on sustainable LMD is highly trending and dynamic. The selection of sustainable LMD mode is an emerging problem for decision-makers in the logistics industry. The key question is how to determine the best LMD mode from a set of alternatives under numerous criteria with ambiguous, vague, and uncertain sustainability-related information. This paper aims to provide an advanced decision-making approach for sustainable LMD. Firstly, 20 sustainable LMD mode evaluation criteria are identified. Secondly, picture fuzzy sets (PFSs) are exploited to help decision-makers to more naturally express their preferences by voting. Thirdly, a hybrid picture fuzzy criteria weighting method based on the Direct rating and R-norm entropy is developed to compute the importance of evaluation criteria. Fourthly, a novel picture fuzzy Combined Compromise Solution method is formulated to rank alternative LMD modes. Fifthly, the presented picture fuzzy approach for sustainable LMD is implemented in the real-life decision-making context. The results show that “e-cargo bike” is the best alternative in the Pardubice context. The comparative analysis with three state-of-the-art PFS-based MCDM methods approved the high reliability of the provided approach. The sensitivity analyses of the trade-off parameter and balancing factor confirmed the high robustness of the presented approach. The introduced approach can help decision-makers in the logistics industry to elucidate sustainable LMD mode. It can solve not only the highlighted problem but also other MCDM problems under the picture fuzzy environment.

The aim of this paper is to propose a management model which would assess the state of the business and indicate the improvement points, as well as to demonstrate the applicability of the model in a case of the postal company. An A’BA model is proposed which represents a combined application of Analytic Hierarchy Process – AHP method as a multi-criteria decision making tool and theory of business areas. The research consists of two parts. To define the most important influencing factor on business performance, the experts are interviewed. A new concept is proposed and applied in the process of aggregating experts’ assessments based on their mapping in a plane. This creates the appropriate surface, and the position of its centroid in relation to the Saaty’s scale defines the final score of pairwise comparison - an indicator of the relationship between two elements that are compared. In the second part, additional experts from the determined area are involved to define an approach for detailed analysis of the most important factor. In this case, the approach included a survey of employees based on the specialized questionnaire. The guidelines for business performance improvement are obtained.The aim of this paper is to propose a management model which would assess the state of the business and indicate the improvement points, as well as to demonstrate the applicability of the model in a case of the postal company. An A’BA model is proposed which represents a combined application of Analytic Hierarchy Process – AHP method as a multi-criteria decision making tool and theory of business areas. The research consists of two parts. To define the most important influencing factor on business performance, the experts are interviewed. A new concept is proposed and applied in the process of aggregating experts’ assessments based on their mapping in a plane. This creates the appropriate surface, and the position of its centroid in relation to the Saaty’s scale defines the final score of pairwise comparison - an indicator of the relationship between two elements that are compared. In the second part, additional experts from the determined area are involved to define an approach for detailed analysis of the most important factor. In this case, the approach included a survey of employees based on the specialized questionnaire. The guidelines for business performance improvement are obtained.

A rapid development of Internet technologies creates new opportunities for e-commerce, which is one of the fastest-growing segments of the entire economy. For policymakers, the most important aspects of e-commerce are related to the cost reduction in transportation, facilitation of administration and communication, innovations at the market level, and environmental issues. An unavoidable part of the e-commerce production process is related to the postal service. New market expectations of modern society lead to the consideration of upgrading the traditional express delivery service in terms of time availability. In this paper, we propose a new 24-h availability of postal and courier service so-called “post express nonstop”. To assess the potential demand for this kind of service, we propose a forecasting procedure based on the Bass diffusion model. In particular, the research is directed toward the examination of environmental issues, considering both types of services—traditional and the proposed new one. A comparison is done by analyzing CO₂ emissions in the last-mile delivery of goods to the users’ addresses. The experiment was carried out in the city of Belgrade, simulating the last-mile delivery under realistic conditions and controlling the fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions. In accordance with the results of this experiment and the forecasted number of postal items, a projection of CO₂ emissions for the new service from 2020 to 2025 was carried out. The results show a significant contribution of the proposed new express delivery service to environmental well-being and sustainability.