1.4 The Research Agenda

A review of the literature on horizontal collaboration in logistics and freight transport (see Chapter 2) reveals that there is a problem concerning how this horizontal collaboration should be structured and organized. Many of the previous studies have focused on the factors that are driving or prohibiting LHC, but fewer of them have studied the dynamic practice of LHC. There is also a fundamental lack of understanding in the literature regarding the distinguishing characteristics and forms of LHC between companies, especially when LHC is embedded into the wider supply chain context. Also, a lot of attention has been paid to studying the concept of horizontal collaboration itself, but the explicit impact of horizontal collaboration on the participating partners, as well as the supply chain system, remains understudied.Very few studies have explored the process of collaboration and how it links to performance behaviours.

The research agenda for this study is therefore to (1) examine the key elements which can support the design of LHC, and make a classification of models for collaboration; (2) model the collaboration process and work out what benefits would emerge from participating in horizontal collaboration and how this collaboration can produce impacts on supply chain operations for individuals and the system as a whole. wx1KWi8fVW5iecbjdG3lTH6NxlO3VumdPc9BaQDz9o+OkmaSbNIllWaLlHle14kX