انتخاب مسیر چند منظوره در حمل و نقل دریایی: صادرات قطعات خودرو کره ای Multimodal route choice in maritime transportation: the case of Korean auto-parts exporters

1. Introduction Global offshoring has increased both the international movement of end products and the need for the transport of half-finished goods and components (Gereffi and Lee 2012). Undoubtedly, the majority of low-tier suppliers have become heavily dependent on remote manufacturers and suppliers in the globalisation process; specifically, the auto-parts industry has entered the global market as car manufacturers participate actively in global operations (Humphrey 2003; Sturgeon, Van Biesebroeck, and Gereffi 2008). Auto-parts suppliers can also benefit from involvement in global operations through economies of scale that can be realised by both aggregation and possible market growth. Several challenges, however, emerge at the same time. Auto-parts suppliers usually depend heavily on global auto manufacturers for their operations and logistics management, which makes them vulnerable to market changes or macro-policy decisions taken by large manufacturers. Taking advantage of the power they have over suppliers in their relationships, vehicle manufacturers explicitly or implicitly force suppliers to provide auto-parts to meet the time frame of production planning. Because delay is unacceptable despite the length of the supply chain, autoparts suppliers tend to accumulate extra buffer inventory or use expensive logistics and transportation options (Nieuwenhuis, Beresford, and Choi 2012). In addition, suppliers are exposed to even fiercer competition in the global market than in the domestic market. They are expected to improve the quality of their products while maintaining a price level that is reasonably competitive in the global context. Whereas a long-term strategy to stay competitive in the market could be based on technological advancement or investment in facilities, the short-term option tends to be logistics cost reductions. Therefore, having a clear and effective logistics strategy is a primary prerequisite for auto-parts suppliers in the global market.