Achieving excellence in logistics through the appropriate style of information management.

[摘要] Logistics is a management discipline that has been spoken about for years and isyet to deliver the full potential that it purports to bring about. Excellence inlogistics has been identified as one of the major challenges that products relatedorganisations currently face to ensure continued success in an increasinglycompetitive, global market.One of the key enablers to integration is the effective application of informationtechnology. Most managers easily accept this as fact but few are clear indescribing how this can be achieved.Two prime works used as reference for this research are Bowersox's research intologistics, providing a reference framework on the role of logistics in organisations,and Cilliers's study of logistics at ISO South African companies, providing aSouth African reference point,It is the combination of the Bowersox attributes and the Cilliers qualified sampleof South African companies that provides the basis for an exciting researchinitiative establishing the role of information technology in achieving logisticsexcellence in South AfricaBoth successful and less successful organisations were measured against a set ofattributes to determine which were most crucial in achieving logistics excellence:It is clear from the survey that logistics excellent companies have a markeddifference in their approach to information teclmology as compared to those whoare not logistics excellent. This is mapped out in the paper in some detail andsome of the detailed responses may be somewhat of a surprise to the reader as theychallenge conventional wisdom.The results of the survey were encapsulated into a simple model. This should actas a quick reference to IT professionals seeking to playa leading role in drivingtheir company towards logistics excellence.Information technology plays a vital role in achieving logistics excellence. Thispaper provides some insight into the factors that are critical in achieving this goal.

[发布机构] University of the Witwatersrand