Freight Transport in Urban Areas: : Investigating the Environmental and Societal Impacts of Increased Production Volume on Dominant Stakeholders in Urban Areas. A Mixed Method Approach

Sammanfattning: As part of an on-going trend, the greening of logistics actions in business activities has become a critical issue for companies and society. Stakeholders are asking companies to minimize their negative impacts on the environment and society, and create effective business, sustainable environment, stakeholders’ benefits and quality of life. Through a case study approach, this research study aimed to examine the environmental and societal effects of freight logistics on dominant stakeholders in urban areas as a result of a company’s production volume increased. Furthermore, the study also aimed to pinpoint and discuss the suitable research method for a multifaceted research study. A mixed- method research approach of both qualitative (case study) and quantitative (simulation) methods were applied in this study consisting of dominant stakeholders (a Swedish company, a Swedish municipality, the Swedish transport administration, and local urban residents). The research revealed that a company’s production volume increase creates development for the company, local municipalities, and residents within the company’s business environment, however, freight trucks logistics that are used in this process to deliver raw materials to the company’s production site(s) creates negative environmental impacts (carbon emission, road congestion, noise, and pollution) on routes and urban areas. Moreover, as production volume is further increased, these negative impacts also increase. The study also revealed that a mixed-method approach is suitable for multifaceted research studies that comprise of multiple conditions, variables, and data from several sources. As such, the qualitative method can be used in the first phrase to collect formative data, which can then be tested and supported for effectiveness with a quantitative method in the second phrase.