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Logistics Management

Description

Logistics (or distribution) is the term describing the various functions related to the movement of an item from the place where it was made or grown to the place where it is used or consumed. All of the activities involved in moving goods to the right place at the right time can be described under the broad terms, "logistics" or "distribution." The act of managing this far-reaching activity is generally known as "logistics management." Examples of activities involved in logistics include customer service, inventory control, order processing, traffic and transportation, warehousing, salvage and scrap disposal, and many others.

Career Opportunities

Entry-level positions are available in a variety of industries and businesses. The types of organizations that are most likely to employ students with educational backgrounds in logistics include manufactures, retailers, transportation carriers, public warehouses, consulting firms, government/military institutions, wholesale distributors, material handling equipment manufactures and dealers, telecommunications companies and other service firms. Logistics offers a wide variety of functional areas as possible directions for career seekers, including logistics planning, traffic management, warehouse operations, packaging, customer service and order entry, inventory planning and control, purchasing and materials management, production and operations management, and international corporate consulting and/or research.

Educational Background

A college degree that includes a good business administration background is important. Eighty-two percent (82%) of logistics managers hold a college degree and while graduate level work is not a requirement, it is both valued and rewarded. Logistics managers utilize skills from marketing, computer science, management, cost accounting, business law, economics, human relations/personnel and communications. Truly, logistics is a boundary-spanning activity. Particularly valued is an ability to integrate the various functional areas of a firm so that the implications of logistics decisions can be traced to other areas of the business. [Further information can be obtained in the booklet, "Careers in Logistic" by the Council of Logistics Management, 2803 Butterfield Road, Suite #380, Oak Brook, IL 60521.]

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