The beer transportation game: How to decarbonize logistics by moving freight to sustainable transport modes
Dong, Chuanwen Boute, Robert
Dong, Chuanwen
Boute, Robert
Citations
Altmetric:
Publication Type
Journal article
Editor
Supervisor
Publication Year
2019
Journal
INFORMS Transactions on Education
Book
Publication Volume
20
Publication Issue
2
Publication Begin page
102
Publication End page
112
Publication NUmber of pages
Collections
Abstract
Moving freight to sustainable transport modes is one of the most frequently mentioned suggestions to decarbonize logistics. Regrettably, even with regulation and technology developing over the past years, most of the freight volumes are still shipped via road, the least sustainable means of transport. This paper presents a beer transportation game to support logistics decarbonization via a modal shift from road to rail. In the game, student teams play the role of a logistics manager of a beer brewer and decide on the transport mode and shipment volume from the brewery to a distribution center. Their decisions are evaluated by the impact on total logistics costs and emissions. The game consists of two rounds, each with a student participation part and a lecturer debrief part. The fi rst round helps students understand why firms are often reluctant to shift freight from road to the low-emission transport mode, e.g., rail, and the second round encourages students to overcome the obstacles and help them design practical approaches to alter the modal split in favor of rail transport. The game can be sealed into a 90-minute session and incorporated in any courses covering the topic of sustainable logistics or supply chain management.
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
Game, Decarbonization, Modal shift, Simulation, Synchromodal Transport