Importance of Green Service Offerings for French and Swedish Retailers in their Selection of Transport Operators : A study of French and Swedish companies operating in the retail industry.

Sammanfattning: Background: The selection of transport operators has become a complex decision making process with multi-criteria aspects. Deciding on which transport operator to use depends on various service offerings that can be different for each company. Retailers such as those from France and Sweden look to improve logistical performance in areas such as lead time, flexibility and reliability, and improve customer relations. In the past the main critical aspects of retailers were cost and service optimisation. An additional factor could play a role in their selection of transport operators and this is green service offerings. Research question: Which service offerings are important for French and Swedish retailers in their selection of transport operators? • Sub question: Are the retailers willing to use green service offerings and why? • Sub question2: Which of the green service offerings are important for French and Swedish retailers in their selection of transport operators? Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to find out what the most important service offerings are for French and Swedish retailers in their selection of transport operators. It also aims to determine if French and Swedish retailers are willing to use green service offerings and explain why. Finally, it will attempt to identify which of the green service offerings are important to French and Swedish retailers in their selection of transport operators. Method: This thesis was conducted by applying the deductive approach and is based on a quantitative research method. The sampling method used for this thesis is non-probability sampling. Data was collected through questionnaires with French and Swedish retailers. French and Swedish retailers have been selected for the sample population in order to find out how important green service offerings might be for them when they are purchasing the services of a transport operator. French and Swedish retailers from different sectors were chosen in order to achieve an objective overview of the retail industry from each country when selecting transport operators. Conclusion: Traditional service offerings are more important than green service offerings for the French and Swedish retailers that participated in this research paper. However, when looking at the results of the data, some green service offerings were perceived to be important. The author therefore believes that when French and Swedish retailers are selecting transport operators their first focus is on the traditional service offerings that are very important to them. However, if a French or Swedish retailer is encouraged by the following motivators: customer expectations, measurable improvement or economic incentives. They might pursue the green service offerings that are important for their business activities.