International Journal of Physical Distribution & Materials Management: Volume 18 Issue 2/3
Table of contents
1. What is Logistics?
People buy products not simply for their obvious tangible qualities but for other, intangible reasons as well. Packaging, price, service, reliability — these are just some of the…
2. What is the Strategic Role of Logistics?
Little more than a decade ago businesses enjoyed the relative luxury of continuing expansion, soft markets, comfortable margins, reasonable overheads and good returns. In those…
3. How Do We Plan and Manage in a Changing Environment?
Distribution, the finished product end of the logistics mix, has often been described as the “long‐neglected side of marketing”. It is, in fact, the “positioning” element and…
4. What is Customer Service?
Customer service problems in industry are seldom what they superficially seem to be. They are almost invariably symptoms of deeper more basic problems in a company's logistical…
5. How Do We Develop Customer Service Strategies?
In most product/market situations logistics service will be a key element in a company's marketing mix — as important in its effects as say, advertising or price. Like any other…
6. What Does an Appropriate Level of Service Cost?
The provision of availability will naturally incur costs for the supplier. One of the major problems facing logistics management is that of accurately identifying the total costs…
7. Who Are Channel Intermediaries?
Traditional descriptions of channels and their intermediaries tend to assume the channel is a fixed entity, a closed system of essentially simple exchange. This can serve as a…
8. How Do We Develop Channel Strategy?
The question of whether the company should itself undertake all of the many activities involved in the distribution function is of extreme importance. It is always open to a…
9. How are Partnerships Developed in the Channel?
Channel relationships are now seen to be a series of partnerships rather than a static or closed chain. The importance of working with other channel members to meet the needs of…
10. What Types of Facilities Do We Need?
Logistics management is concerned with stocks and flows of goods and information. The purpose of facilities or depots is to hold stocks of materials to match anticipated demand…
11. Where Should Facilities Be Located?
This question describes some of the complexities which abound when selecting warehouse sites. We have previously seen how the depot relates to other logistics system components…
12. What Transport Arrangements Should We Make?
Transport costs for many companies form a large part of total distribution costs and the effective management of the transport function can lead to enhanced profitability both…
13. What Level of Inventory Should be Held?
Inventory has always been considered as the safety factor, the lubrication between separate parts of the logistics system which makes the system as a whole function smoothly. It…
14. What Materials Handling Systems Do We Need?
The concept of “unitisation” is a vital determinant of the economics of distribution. The concept extends from the basic unit, say the carton, through to the pallet load or even…
15. How can the Critical Interface between Logistics and Production be Managed?
The production department is one which barely survives in the traditional sketch of the logistics system. It is often indicated implicitly within a flow diagram but not examined…
16. What is the Role of Purchasing and Materials Management?
Materials management is sometimes called reverse distribution as it covers the input of materials required to satisfy distribution outputs. Good liaison between all functions is a…
17. How Do We Estimate Demand on the Logistics System?
For the logistics activity of the firm to operate smoothly, planned product vailability and distribution capability must be closely aligned with demand. Accurate demand or sales…
18. How Should We Process Orders?
The speed and efficiency with which a customer's order is handled not only ensures marketing success, it can also affect the company's overall profitability. Time lags within the…
19. How Do We Monitor and Report on Logistics Systems Performance?
Information systems are the amalgam which holds the system together and allows us to operate in a physical sense. This is different from, and should not be confused with…
20. How Should We Organise for Logistics?
Logistics can be superimposed upon the conventional functional structure of most companies. This requires effective horizontal integration and co‐ordination of materials and…
21 . How Can We Develop Leadership and Team‐Building Skills?
People are a manager's greatest resource. The logistics manager must organise that resource by demonstrating effective leadership and team management, removing the obstacles to…
22. Business Resource Management
An approach to management known as “holistics” attempts to broaden traditional definitions by removing traditional boundaries. The organisation can be seen as a single entity…