Muhammed Akbas

Muhammed Akbas is a Lecturer in the Logistics Management program at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, where he has been teaching since 2015. He is simultaneously pursuing his PhD at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, conducting research on the morality of logistics managers within the Business Ethics research group. His academic work focuses on understanding the values held by logistics managers and how they navigate conflicts between efficiency, cost-saving, customer focus, and sustainability in their daily practice.

Dr. Akbas's research spans Logistics, Business Ethics, Moral Philosophy, and Value Conflicts in Management. His dissertation examines which value profiles exist among logistics managers in food supply chains (including wholesalers, producers, and supermarket chains) and how they handle tensions between competing objectives. Through interviews and philosophical literature analysis, he aims to develop typologies of what constitutes 'good management' in logistics and identify practical approaches for handling value conflicts.

His publications reveal a consistent focus on ethical dilemmas in logistics operations, with notable works including 'Three Shades of Gray - Morality and Managers in Logistics' (2024) and 'Muhammed Akbas' research: do you choose hard targets or people-friendly management?' (2025). His research shows that the cliché image of tough logistics managers focused solely on targets is inaccurate, with most demonstrating greater sensitivity to social issues than commonly assumed.

• Active contributor to the Business Innovation Knowledge Center
• Regular presenter at logistics management congresses including vLm Logistics Management Congress 2022
• Media contributor on logistics ethics topics since 2021

As an educator with thirteen years of experience, Dr. Akbas supervises students in their graduation internships and emphasizes the importance of not underestimating students' capabilities. He believes students can ask excellent questions and provide valuable insights, which is why he continues to enjoy teaching in higher professional education. His goal is to incorporate his research findings into educational casuistry that helps students learn from real-life ethical dilemmas in logistics.