External factors
An external factor is a development beyond the area of influence of the transport and logistics industry, which may have a direct/indirect effect on the freight activities related to logistics and transport and thus on logistic procedures, field of activity or intensity.
Logistic (business) strategies
Companies react to the external factors with relevant logistics strategies. As external factors are continuously changing, logistic strategies also have to continuously develop. Logistic strategies can be considered as a procedure, activity field or change of intensity, which is a business reaction to the development of one or more external factors (cf. above).
Logistics trends
A logistic strategy that is used permanently and widely by the logistics sector is termed as a logistic trend.