School of Business, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325035, China.
PLoS One. 2023 Nov 29;18(11):e0294520. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294520. eCollection 2023.
The global cold chain logistics market is witnessing a significant upswing, driven by the rising demand for perishable food products and increasing shipment volumes worldwide. Technological advancements are leading to a more intelligent and digitally enabled cold chain logistics system. However, the high loss rate of fresh agricultural products in China poses a significant threat to the country's food security. Therefore, it is imperative to explore innovative solutions, such as blockchain, to address the challenges of traditional cold chain logistics. In this paper, inspired by the prospect theory and evolutionary game theory, we propose an evolutionary game model to analyze the behavioral strategies of the tripartite of n-level cold chain participants, consumers, and government. Using MATLAB software, the numerical simulation of the game path of this tripartite theory is conducted, and the influence of variable parameters on the evolutionary process and outcomes of the system is analyzed. The results the following: (1) The development of an effective cold chain supply chain system can be divided into three stages, and blockchain technology plays a pivotal role in creating a seamless cold chain environment. The cost of blockchain adoption, government rewards, as well as penalties can significantly influence the behavioral choices of the three stakeholders. (2) The behavior of individual cold chain participants has a strong negative externality, which can impact the behavior of others. We also find that the larger the scale of the cold chain, the lower the probability of default by the participants. (3) The government's adoption of blockchain technology and the implementation of effective incentive policies can foster the successful development of the cold chain blockchain infrastructure. Our research contributes to the theoretical understanding of cold chain logistics decision making and policy creation for the tripartite stakeholders, including cold chain participants, consumers, and government. Our findings can serve as a valuable reference for scientific decision making and policy formulation to encourage the development of a robust cold chain supply chain system.
全球冷链物流市场正在经历显著增长，这主要归因于易腐食品需求的增长和全球运输量的增加。技术进步正在推动更智能和数字化的冷链物流系统发展。然而，中国新鲜农产品的高损耗率对国家的食品安全构成了重大威胁。因此，探索创新解决方案，如区块链技术，以应对传统冷链物流的挑战势在必行。在本文中，我们受前景理论和进化博弈论的启发，提出了一个进化博弈模型，以分析 n 级冷链参与方（包括生产商、分销商和零售商）、消费者和政府三方的行为策略。我们使用 MATLAB 软件对三方理论的博弈路径进行了数值模拟，并分析了变量参数对系统进化过程和结果的影响。结果表明：（1）有效的冷链供应链系统的发展可以分为三个阶段，区块链技术在创建无缝冷链环境中起着关键作用。区块链采用成本、政府奖励和惩罚等因素都可以显著影响三方利益相关者的行为选择。（2）冷链参与方的个体行为具有强烈的负外部性，会影响其他参与方的行为。我们还发现，冷链的规模越大，参与者违约的概率越低。（3）政府采用区块链技术并实施有效的激励政策可以促进冷链区块链基础设施的成功发展。我们的研究为冷链物流决策和三方利益相关者（包括冷链参与方、消费者和政府）的政策制定提供了理论理解。我们的研究结果可以为科学决策和政策制定提供有价值的参考，以鼓励建立强大的冷链供应链系统。
