Rui Soucasaux Sousa, Full Professor at Católica Porto Business School, is a co-editor of a special issue of the Journal of Operations Management focused on last-mile operations, in collaboration with Elliot Rabinovich (Arizona State University), Niels Agatz (Erasmus University), and Jan Fransoo (University of Tilburg). This journal is one of the most renowned in the field of Operations Management and is included in the prestigious Financial Times list of top academic journals in Management.

As part of this special issue, the researchers have published an editorial article entitled "Innovations, Technologies, and the Economics of Last-Mile Operations: A Call for Research in Operations Management." In the article, the authors analyse the challenges of last-mile operations and highlight key areas where Operations Management research can help improve efficiency and the experience of the agents involved.

Last-mile operations involve delivering goods or services directly to the recipient at their chosen location and time. Examples include delivering an online order to a customer’s home or dispatching an ambulance with medical equipment and supplies to attend to a patient in an emergency.

“In today’s economy, last-mile operations have become indispensable and have a significant economic and social impact. However, they are challenging to manage as they involve reaching geographically dispersed customers. Additionally, these services can have negative externalities, such as congestion and pollution caused by delivery vehicles. With this article, we aim to stimulate research into the major challenges of providing these services efficiently and sustainably,” says Rui Soucasaux Sousa.

Read the full article here.