Enhancing Delivery of Operations by Optimizing the Omni-Channel Supply Chain through Delivery as a Service

Kaplan, Marcella Mina

Enhancing Delivery of Operations by Optimizing the Omni-Channel Supply Chain through Delivery as a Service

dc.contributor.author	Kaplan, Marcella Mina	en
dc.contributor.committeechair	Heaslip, Kevin Patrick	en
dc.contributor.committeechair	Katz, Bryan J.	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Hotle, Susan	en
dc.contributor.department	Civil and Environmental Engineering	en
dc.date.accessioned	2021-05-25T08:01:14Z	en
dc.date.available	2021-05-25T08:01:14Z	en
dc.date.issued	2021-05-24	en
dc.description.abstract	The need for delivery grew significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic because people avoided activities in public to limit the spread of the virus. The purpose of this research was to evaluate how the pandemic influenced many individual's delivery preferences through the administration of a stated preference survey targeted at residents in the New River Valley, Virginia. Conclusions revealed from the survey show that people want more efficient and accessible delivery services. A new delivery ecosystem called Delivery as a Service (DaaS) was developed using the input from the survey, existing service-based models being widely implemented in many industries, and emerging technologies. This thesis details a framework for DaaS derived by defining major actors, characteristics, and a method to measure the effectiveness of a DaaS system. This comprehensive definition of integrated delivery services illustrates areas for future research to further optimize the DaaS system. DaaS has the potential to significantly change the current delivery ecosystem through increased delivery accessibility and efficiency. Goods can be brought to users at a faster rate and on a larger scale. Autonomous vehicle and drone delivery technologies can significantly reduce the cost while correspondingly reducing the time of delivery. DaaS is a concept that is needed for people to thrive in modern times and brings the opportunity to provide added benefits to even rural areas.	en
dc.description.abstractgeneral	The need for delivery grew significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic because people avoided activities in public to limit the spread of the virus. The purpose of this research was to evaluate how the pandemic influenced many individual's delivery preferences through the administration of a stated preference survey targeted at residents in the New River Valley, Virginia. Conclusions revealed from the survey show that people want more efficient and accessible delivery services. A new delivery ecosystem called Delivery as a Service (DaaS) was developed using the input from the survey, existing service-based models being widely implemented in many industries, and emerging technologies. This thesis details a framework for DaaS derived by defining major actors, characteristics, and a method to measure the effectiveness of a DaaS system. This comprehensive definition of integrated delivery services illustrates areas for future research to further optimize the DaaS system. DaaS has the potential to significantly change the current delivery ecosystem through increased delivery accessibility and efficiency. Goods can be brought to users at a faster rate and on a larger scale. Autonomous vehicle and drone delivery technologies can significantly reduce the cost while correspondingly reducing the time of delivery. DaaS is a concept that is needed for people to thrive in modern times and brings the opportunity to provide added benefits to even rural areas.	en
dc.description.degree	Master of Science	en
dc.format.medium	ETD	en
dc.identifier.other	vt_gsexam:30381	en
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10919/103476	en
dc.publisher	Virginia Tech	en
dc.rights	In Copyright	en
dc.rights.uri	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/	en
dc.subject	Delivery	en
dc.subject	Delivery Model	en
dc.subject	Omni-Channel	en
dc.subject	COVID-19	en
dc.title	Enhancing Delivery of Operations by Optimizing the Omni-Channel Supply Chain through Delivery as a Service	en
dc.type	Thesis	en
thesis.degree.discipline	Civil Engineering	en
thesis.degree.grantor	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	en
thesis.degree.level	masters	en
thesis.degree.name	Master of Science	en