During the past decade, the requirements for transport and logistics services have become stricter and more numerous. The share of high-value and/or time-sensitive goods with short economic life cycle has increased. Therefore, there is a growing need for fast and reliable transport that allows shippers to gain access to global markets and supply chains. Integrators companies that offer vertically integrated, time-definite, door-to-door transport are crucial for the delivery of those transport services. Since they are able to control the total supply chain, the strategic and operational importance of integrators for the commercial and production processes ofshippers is extremely high. In addition, the competitiveness of a region is partly determined by the presence of one or more integrators. Currently, only four players are fully integrated across all transport modes, including air transport: UPS, FedEx, DHL and TNT. A market structure in which only a few sellers account for a substantial proportion of total sales, is an oligopoly. The main challenge for the analysis of an oligopoly is strategic interdependence between competitors, which means that each firms optimal behaviour depends on its assumptions about its rivals' likely reactions. Despite the significant market power of integrators, insight into the market structure and the cost structure of these companies, as well as intothe consequences of their growth and relational strategies, is lacking. There are no instruments available to examine the market from an industrialeconomic perspective or to make forecasts. This study aims to provide an industrial economic analysis of the integrators growth and relational strategies. Four main hypotheses will be tested: 1. Each integrator will finance its growth independently. 2. New players will enter the integrator market. 3. Total costs for vertically integrated companies (integrators) offering an integrated, door-to-door supply chain are lower than the sum of costs for companies offering parts of the supply chain. 4. Integrators will get involved into different types of horizontal and vertical cooperation outside the integrator. The results of this study will be used subsequently to develop an industrial economic simulation model applicable to the integrator market. This model will allow understanding, explaining and forecasting strategic behaviour of the current market players. Finally, the model will be used to make forecasts about the future market structure and the economic consequences of strategic decisions. For the covering abstract seeITRD E145999
Abstract