| 创新点摘要 | 第5-6页 |
| 摘要 | 第6-7页 |
| ABSTRACT | 第7-9页 |
| CHAPTER ONE Introduction and Problem Statement | 第17-28页 |
| 1.1 Background of the Study | 第17-23页 |
| 1.1.1 International Trade and Containerization | 第17页 |
| 1.1.2 Containers | 第17-19页 |
| 1.1.3 Empty Containers | 第19-21页 |
| 1.1.4 Sharing Ship Space | 第21-22页 |
| 1.1.5 Interchange Containers between Carriers | 第22-23页 |
| 1.1.6 Various Forms of Strategic Alliances | 第23页 |
| 1.2 Research Problem Identification | 第23-28页 |
| 1.2.1 Symptoms of the Problem | 第24页 |
| 1.2.2 Significance of the Problem | 第24-26页 |
| 1.2.3 Objectives of the Study | 第26-27页 |
| 1.2.4 Chapter Outline | 第27-28页 |
| CHAPTER TWO Literature Review | 第28-66页 |
| 2.1 Background | 第28-29页 |
| 2.1.1 The Empty Container Problem | 第28-29页 |
| 2.2 Diachronic perspectives of the imbalance problem | 第29-37页 |
| 2.2.1 Global Container Movement | 第29-34页 |
| 2.2.2 Main sources of container inventory | 第34-36页 |
| 2.2.3 The Trade and Weight Imbalance | 第36-37页 |
| 2.3 Organizational Behaviour of Container Shipping Companies | 第37-40页 |
| 2.4 Synchronic view to the Container Inventory imbalance problem | 第40-45页 |
| 2.4.1 A snapshot of global container inventory imbalance | 第40-41页 |
| 2.4.2 Empty container repositioning | 第41-45页 |
| 2.5 Exploring solutions to minimize container management issues | 第45-47页 |
| 2.5.1 Mitigating the problem of empty container repositioning | 第46-47页 |
| 2.6 Collaboration among Container Shipping Companies | 第47-53页 |
| 2.6.1 Pooling Resources in Consortiums | 第52-53页 |
| 2.7 The Paradox in Container Inventory management by Carriers | 第53-54页 |
| 2.8 Theoretical approach to container imbalance | 第54-66页 |
| 2.8.1 Key points of study done by YUR & Esmer | 第55-58页 |
| 2.8.2 Summary of other studies on Empty container related issues | 第58-63页 |
| 2.8.3 Container Sharing with Competing Carriers | 第63-66页 |
| CHAPTER THREE Conceptualization of the research | 第66-74页 |
| CHAPTER FOUR Container Inventory Management (CIM) Concept Model & Multidimensional CIM Evaluation Index | 第74-99页 |
| 4.1 Container Inventory Management | 第74-77页 |
| 4.1.1 The Process of Container Operation | 第75-77页 |
| 4.2 Container Inventory Management (3 F) Concept Model | 第77-86页 |
| 4.2.1 Method of Formulating the CIM Mix | 第78-81页 |
| 4.2.2 Understanding the significance of CIM | 第81-82页 |
| 4.2.3 Introducing the 3 F Model (Freight, Forecast, and Flexibility) | 第82-84页 |
| 4.2.4 The Application techniques of 3F Model | 第84-86页 |
| 4.3 Multidimensional CIM Competence Index | 第86-91页 |
| 4.3.1 The origins of CIM Index | 第86-87页 |
| 4.3.2 Method of constructing the country's Multidimensional CIM Index (CMCI) and Carriers' container inventory management competence (CIMC) | 第87-91页 |
| 4.4 Computing Multidimensional CIM Index for Sri Lanka | 第91-95页 |
| 4.4.1 Interpretation | 第92页 |
| 4.4.2 Validating the CMCI for Sri Lanka | 第92-95页 |
| 4.5 Identifying the variables that may impact CIM strategies | 第95-99页 |
| CHAPTER FIVE Potential Solutions to Container Inventory Imbalance Problem:The 6R Container Supply Management Model | 第99-147页 |
| 5.1 The container Demand: Customers' Perspectives | 第99-100页 |
| 5.1.1 The Six Types of Demands | 第99-100页 |
| 5.2 Managing Container Inventory based on Customer Demand | 第100-107页 |
| 5.2.1 Minimizing Container Inventory Imbalance | 第102-107页 |
| 5.3 Identification of the variables affecting container demand and supply | 第107-112页 |
| 5.3.1 Exporters' view (The demand for containers) | 第108-110页 |
| 5.3.2 Carriers' view (The supply of containers) | 第110-112页 |
| 5.4 Feasibility evaluation of container exchange as a smart CIM strategy | 第112-140页 |
| 5.4.1 Causes Underlying Container Inventory Imbalance | 第112-116页 |
| 5.4.2 Need for Balanced In/Out Movements | 第116-117页 |
| 5.4.3 The imbalance | 第117-118页 |
| 5.4.4 MTY movement in Sri Lanka | 第118-119页 |
| 5.4.5 Cost incurred due to imbalance | 第119-120页 |
| 5.4.6 Alliances of CSL | 第120-123页 |
| 5.4.7 The models of collaboration | 第123-138页 |
| 5.4.8 Collaborating to Sustain | 第138-140页 |
| 5.5 Identification of carriers' perception towards container exchange | 第140-147页 |
| CHAPTER SIX Virtual Container Pool and its Evaluation | 第147-167页 |
| 6.1 Container Exchange Possibilities | 第147-149页 |
| 6.1.1 Prerequisites for Container exchange | 第148-149页 |
| 6.1.2 Two key aspects that determines the aptness of container exchange | 第149页 |
| 6.2 Examine the variables that influence container exchange between carriers | 第149-157页 |
| 6.3 Development of a model for the container exchange between carriers | 第157-158页 |
| 6.3.1 The Benefits and disadvantages | 第157-158页 |
| 6.4 Formation of Virtual Container Pool(VCP) | 第158-159页 |
| 6.5 The mathematical model for the VCP | 第159-167页 |
| 6.5.1 Problem formulation | 第159-160页 |
| 6.5.2 Notation, assumptions and problem description | 第160页 |
| 6.5.3 Decision variables | 第160-161页 |
| 6.5.4 Model | 第161-163页 |
| 6.5.5 Examples | 第163-167页 |
| CHAPTER SEVEN A Case Study from Sri Lanka | 第167-172页 |
| 7.1 Container Exchange between shipping lines in Sri Lanka | 第167-168页 |
| 7.2 Evaluation of the impact of container exchange | 第168-172页 |
| CHAPTER EIGHT Conclusions；Limitations；and Directions for Further Research | 第172-178页 |
| 8.1 Conclusions | 第172-177页 |
| 8.1.1 The key contributions of research | 第174-177页 |
| 8.2 Limitations of the Study | 第177页 |
| 8.3 Recommendations for further research | 第177-178页 |
| References | 第178-189页 |
| Publication on the topic by researcher and corresponding chapter in the thesis | 第189-190页 |
| Acknowledgements | 第190-192页 |
| Resume | 第192-196页 |
