Logistics and Supply Chain Management

278 Words2 Pages
Logistics and supply chain management is unique and, to some degree, represents a paradox because it is concerned with one of the oldest and also the most newly discovered activities of business. Supply chain system activities - communication, inventory management, warehousing, transportation, and facility location - have been performed since the start of commercial activity. It is difficult to visualize any product that could reach a customer without logistical support. Yet it is only over the last few years that firms have started focusing on logistics and supply chain management as a source of competitive advantage. There is a realization that no company can do any better than its logistics system. This becomes even more important given that product life cycles are shrinking and competition is intense. Logistics and supply chain management today represents a great challenge as well as a tremendous opportunity for most firms. Another term that has recently appeared in the business jargon is demand chain. From our perspective we will use the phrases logistics management, supply chain management and demand chain management interchangeably. In this course we will view the supply chain from the point of view of a general manager. Logistics and supply chain management is all about managing the hand-offs in a supply chain - hand-offs of either information or product. The design of a logistics system is critically linked to the objectives of the supply chain. Our goal in this course is to understand how logistical decisions impact the performance of the firm as well as the entire supply chain. The key will be to understand the link between supply chain structures and logistical capabilities in a firm or supply

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