Distribution Network for the Last Mile of Cross-Border E-business in a Smart City at Emerging Market in Response to COVID-19: A Key Node Analysis Based on a Vision of Fourth Party Logistics

This research studies the development of distribution networks for the last mile distribution for cross-border E-business based on a vision of fourth party logistics (4PL) in smart cities in emerging markets in response to COVID-19. This research analyzes the distribution centers of distribution companies in Beijing city using fuzzy cluster analysis as a case study of smart cities. The location decision for distribution centers to serve cross-border E-business is further analyzed by considering the local conditions of the distribution centers. The solutions to the location decisions for distribution centers in different cases are further visualized by 2-mode networks. The key nodes in the distribution network of the last mile for cross-border E-business are further studied based on fourth-party logistics by a immune algorithm. Cross-border E-business value creation based on the development of distribution networks using fourth-party logistics is further discussed. The location distribution of key nodes can spread from the downtown district to suburban areas as the coverage of the distribution network is expanded. This research can help managers and decision makers address the last mile distribution for cross-border E-business in smart cities in emerging markets based on a vision of fourth-party logistics in response to COVID-19.