Exploring express delivery networks in China based on complex network theory |
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| Authors: | Fengjie Xie Jun Lin Wentian Cui |
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| Institution: | 1. Logistics and Electronic Commerce Department, College of Economics and Management, Xi'an University of Posts and Telecommunications, Xi'an, China;2. Management Science Department, School of Management, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China |
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| Abstract: | Based on the complex network theory, we explore an express delivery system in China, which consists of two delivery networks, namely, the air delivery network (ADN) and the ground delivery network (GDN). Systematic structural analysis indicates that both delivery networks exhibit small‐world phenomenon, disassortative mixing behavior, and rich‐club phenomenon. However, there are significant differences between ADN and GDN in terms of degree distribution property and community structure. On the basis of the Barabási‐Albert model, we have proposed a network model incorporating the structural features of the two delivery networks to reveal their evolutionary mechanisms. Lastly, the parcel strength and the distance strength are analyzed, which, respectively, reflect the number of parcels and the long‐haul delivery distance handled by a node city. The strengths are highly heterogeneous in both delivery networks and have intense correlations with topological structures. These works are beneficial for express enterprises to construct or extend their express delivery networks, and provide some useful insights on improving parcel delivery service. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 21: 166–179, 2015 |
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| Keywords: | complex network express delivery network structural properties network model strength features |
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