ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 epidemic has been deemed a pandemic by the World Health Organization. It is triggered due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It originated and spread from Wuhan, China, in December 2019. At present, the entire world is struggling from this virus due to large confirmed positive and death cases of COVID-19. People of every nation have been isolated, and lockdowns are instituted. Despite the introduction of several precautionary measures, the spread of the virus is still increasing at an alarming pace. Although promising development has been made for the development of vaccines for SARS-CoV-2, no vaccines have been reported to cure the infection. Different antiviral therapies have also been attempted but do not seem to be successful for every patient. To deter the dissemination and control the spread of virus, the frontline healthcare staff and police officers deployed numerous autonomous systems for an increased line of protection. Robots are deployed to conduct different operations including decontamination, package delivery, etc. It also acts as a mediator for two-way communication between the doctors and patients. Recent advancement in robotics for its application in healthcare facilities has been found very effective for the healthcare officials to communicate with the virus affected patients, and this literature has addressed it. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
ABSTRACT
Sustainability and safety have become the two most important considerations of consumers of the current century. The limited movement of consumers and significant shift to online business as effects of the current health pandemic led to an increased demand for package delivery services worldwide. This study investigated the factors that influence the intention of consumers in the Philippines to choose a package delivery or carrying service during the COVID-19 pandemic using the integrated pro-environmental planned behavior (PEPB) theory and service quality (SERVQUAL). An online questionnaire was distributed as the instrument data collection, and 400 respondents who have utilized the package delivery service during the pandemic participated in the study. The theoretical model was examined using the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with higher-order constructs. Testing the different parameters of structural model, measurement model, and the model fit presented values within the threshold. Moreover, the HTMT and Fornell & Larcker discriminant validity analysis was performed to determine the overall fit of the constructs of the model. These tests demonstrated the acceptability of the model. The findings revealed that perceived environmental concern, perceived authority support, subjective norm, attitude, service quality, customer perceived value, and customer satisfaction significantly influence the consumer's intention to choose a package delivery service during the pandemic. The consumers' perception of pro-environmental activities was also an essential contributor since perceived environmental concern and perceived authority support indirectly affect behavior intention. The findings contribute to developing and validating an integrated model on sustainability and service quality in package delivery services. The study also provides suggestions to service providers to ensure quality and safety on package delivery during the pandemic.
ABSTRACT
This paper study suggests the specifications for high-efficiency, short-haul utility aircraft. This class of aircraft is used extensively in the multinational express package delivery service. Concurrent with the COVID 19 pandemic upending passenger travel, there has been a broad increase in the demand for air cargo. We forecast a need for more efficient short and medium range aircraft that offer route time savings and lower operating costs. Using current market planes designed with similar mission requirements, payloads, and engines – a general plane was created and optimized around the operating model of the present-day FedEx package delivery feeder fleet. The modification and optimization process was completed using a Model-Based-Systems-Engineering (MBSE) approach utilizing Phoenix Integration’s ModelCenter, Excel, MATLAB, and SOLIDWORKS. The final design achieved 40% improvement in fuel efficiency over the current fleet, and improvements in speed, payload, and range while in compliance with FAA regulations as a class E cargo aircraft certified under 14 CFR Part 25. © 2022, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc, AIAA. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Understanding customer sentiment associated with delivery solutions, such as smart lockers, is an area of increasing interest for package delivery companies. Applications of this data could result in cost savings through vehicle route planning, cross docking, fleet size optimization, and increased placement of smart locker technology for stop reduction. However, there has been little effort applied to gathering information related to public sentiment applications to last mile package delivery. Therefore, through a survey instrument we gather sentiment data related to smart lockers for review and analysis. Sentiment analysis by region (suburban, urban, and rural) is accomplished through a survey instrument with the goal of understanding the difference in sentiment by region and the effects of COVID-19 on customer sentiment towards the use of smart lockers. Some significant findings were that suburban residents were willing to travel further to pick-up a package from a smart locker (α = 0.01) and previous experience was correlated with increased sentiment (α = 0.05). © 2022, ICST Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering.