Smart logistics ecological cooperation with data sharing and platform empowerment: an examination with evolutionary game model

Abstract

With the application of advanced technology, smart logistics ecological cooperation is in development, characterised by data sharing and platform empowerment. In order to explore the trend of ecological cooperation between the logistics platform and the supplier from the perspective of business ecosystem, this study uses evolutionary game theory to describe the multi-period game between the two parties, and obtains the equilibrium where the two parties both choose ecological cooperation and its preconditions. Through sensitivity analysis, we obtain the specific paths to convert other evolutionary stable strategies (ESSs) into the ideal ESS by adjusting certain parameters, and provide suggestions for the platform to induce its supplier to choose ecological cooperation. The platform should charge a reasonable agency fee to reach the ecological cooperation. The relationship between the agency fee, empowerment cost, and service price elasticity coefficient determines the platform's ultimate evolutionary stable strategy. This study finds the butterfly effect of ecological cooperation. There are different combinations of the initial probabilities between the two parties making them both choose ecological cooperation or both not choose under the same condition.

KEYWORDS:

• Logistics ecological cooperation
• data sharing
• platform empowerment
• evolutionary game
• game theory
• decision analysis

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by National Key R&D Program of China (grant number No. 2018YFB1601400). The reviewers’ comments are also highly appreciated.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by National Key R&D Program of China [grant number 2018YFB1601400].

Notes on contributors

Weihua Liu

Weihua Liu is Professor of Department of logistics and supply chain management, College of management and economics, Tianjin University, China. He obtained his Doctor degree from Shanghai Jiaotong University in 2007. He specialises in logistics and supply chain management, and has published more than 60 international research papers including International Journal of Operations and Production Management, International Journal of Production Economics, International Journal of Production Research, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, Production Planning & Control, Transportation research Part E: transportation and logistics review, Annals of operation research, etc.

Shangsong Long

Shangsong Long is a PhD student in Department of operations and supply chain management, College of Management and Economics at Tianjin University, PR China. His research interests mainly focus on smart logistics, smart supply chain and platform.

Shuang Wei

Shuang Wei is a PhD student in Department of operations and supply chain management, College of Management and Economics at Tianjin University, PR China. Her research interests are in the field of smart supply chain and technological innovation.

Dong Xie

Dong Xie received his PhD in Management Science and Engineering from Tsinghua University in China. He obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Tianjin University majored in Management Science and Engineering and focused on the research topic of quality guarantee in the logistics service supply chain. His current research interests are in the field of supply chain management and behavioural operation management. He has published his research in International Journal of Production Economics, International Journal of Production Research, etc.

Jingkun Wang

Jingkun Wang is a master student in Department of operations and supply chain management, College of Management and Economics at Tianjin University, PR China. Her research interests are operations management and digital supply chain.

Xinyun Liu

Xinyun Liu is a master student in Department of operations and supply chain management, College of Management and Economics at Tianjin University, PR China. Her current research interests are in the field of supply chain finance and supply chain quality.