The essentials of logistics and management

Historically, logistics was defined as the process of moving and positioning inventory to meet customer requirements at the lowest possible total landed cost. Over the decades, logistics moved from a very narrow preoccupation focused on transportation or inventory management to a larger vision embracing not only cost but also quality management and service provision. Large part of the competitive advantage of an organization is due to the quality of service and especially to the ability of continuously improving and adapting this quality of service to specific customers requirements. Logisticians have an impossible, but feasible task to design, optimize and permanently re-adjust a global utility function. The function embraces the customers? major interests, the functional enterprise?s components and all the stakeholders. The Essentials of Logistics and Management presents a broad spectrum of the knowledge required for a logistician?s practice and for his contribution to the company?s growth. The book is built upon a conceptual framework in which all stakes and themes of logistics should be analyzed in a systemic approach: customer relationship management, interactive information support, production optimization and process development, vision, strategy and operations management as well as human resources and resource allocation. All these aspects are critical for the logistical strategy. The purpose of The Essentials of Logistics and Management is to bring the reader a methodology allowing him/her to use the critical factors embedded in the design of the strategy. The book combines both conceptual and practical illustrations. Transversal vision and detailed case studies highlight the main themes of modern logistics and daily preoccupations of logisticians. Contents Introduction Logistical strategy ? Globalization Customer service The structure and the operations of logistics systems Transport management as a key logistics issue Logistics of international trade Designing the supply chain Marketing & purchasing management Production systems Operations research in logistics Modelling and simulation in logistics Workflow management for supply chains of services Information technology for logistics Forecast analysis and forecasting models Financial elements Logistics: processing and controlling World-Class management World-Class logistics Managing human resources.