In this book, the business of international freight forwarding is examined from both a theoretical and empirical point of view with a special emphasis on multimodal transport chains, including sea or air transport operations. In such contexts, the freight forwarder is always considered "The Architect of Transport", but this intermediary role seems to be largely neglected in research to date. Therefore, relevant concepts from economic theory and economic sociology are employed to produce both an intermediary and a network perspective of freight forwarding in order to provide a better understanding of this kind of transportation business. Furthermore, its intermediary role in such inherent network structures is explored by mapping relationship patterns in a stylized model framework applied to a questionnaire-based sample collected among freight forwarders engaged in such multimodal transport chains in Germany (especially from Hamburg, Bremen and Bremerhaven) as well as in Austria in 2003.

The business of freight forwarding is examined thoroughly from both a theoretical and empirical point of view in English Current status and development of multimodal transport chains including a leg by sea or air and the role of freight forwarders therein are discussed A conceptual framework of a freight forwarder's intermediary perspective based on New Institutional Economics and Intermediation Theory of the Firm is developed Six distinct models of network structure are surveyed, namely Network Models in Operations Research and Management Science, Strategic Networks, Dynamic Networks, Entrepreneurial Networks, Industrial Networks and Social Networks A brief introduction to Social Network Analysis is given

Inhalt
Legal and Functional Perspective of Freight Forwarding in Multimodal Transport Chains.- New Industrial Economics, Intermediation Theory, and the Intermediary Perspective.- Models of network Structure and the Network Perspective.- A Closer Look on Contemporary Social Network Analysis.- Freight Forwarder's Personal Network in Multimodal Transport Chains: An Empirical Investigation.