International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

A. Michael Knemeyer; Paul R. Murphy

2004 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/09600030410571356

Despite the increased importance and corporate visibility of logistics – and its concomitant opportunities – the demand for college educated entry‐level logisticians continues to greatly exceed their supply. The current study, which responds to this persistent shortfall of talented students, was designed to investigate three primary issues: student familiarity with logistics vis‐à‐vis other business disciplines; student perceptions of logistics in terms of academic and career issues; and the potential impact of promoting the value of logistics in a “principles of marketing” course. The findings suggest that students are relatively unfamiliar with logistics as a career choice and have a distinct level of neutrality towards many of the key “selling” points of the discipline. However, the findings also suggest that a focus on promoting the value of logistics in a “principles of marketing” course can have a significant impact on these perceptions. The study concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for various logistics constituencies along with suggestions for future research.

Olga W. Lemoine; Tage Skjoett‐Larsen

2004 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/09600030410571365

A large number of firms have reconfigured their supply chains. The general trends entail, among others, the reduction, centralization and re‐location of plants and distribution centers, the design of new distribution systems, and the reduction of the supplier base. The analysis of the implications of such reconfiguration for freight transport has received comparatively little attention, and most of the analysis has focused on the development of different theoretical models showing how changes in logistic structures and decisions could affect the transport demand. Using empirical data from Denmark, this paper sheds some light on the implications of reconfiguration supply chains on transport. Industry mail surveys among Danish firms as well as an in‐depth case study were performed. The consequences of the reconfiguration process on the present and future demand for transport are measured and analyzed in terms of the quantity of transport units used (trucks/containers), and the transport‐work (ton/km).

Vikas Kumar; Ik‐Whan G. Kwon

2004 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/09600030410571374

The results from citation studies of journals have often been used as a benchmark in evaluating a faculty member's productivity for tenure, salary adjustment, teaching load reduction and other areas. It is also often used in ranking academic programs of particular disciplines in universities. This paper attempts to rank the leading journals in the logistics and transportation discipline using three different approaches: total weighted score, total weighted score on citations provided by journals other than the journal in question, and standardized weighted score. A different weight is assigned to each citation depending on whether the article in question is written by single or multiple authors, there are multiple citations of the same study, or the citation is from author/s’ own work. The ranks of journals differ depending on the citation study methods used. A sample of 19 journals in the logistics and transportation field for the year, 1999 was used as a sample space. The results of the study using the most objective and rigorous criterion, standardized weighted score, indicate that the top five journals in the logistics and transportation field are in order of their ranks, the Journal of Business Logistics, International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, Transportation Journal, Production and Inventory Management Journal , and Journal of Supply Chain Management . Although this study reveals that the top three ranked journals remain stable regardless of the method used, there is strong evidence that the rankings of journals fluctuate widely based on volume and numbers of pages of the journals in question as depicted by the wide movements in Transportation Quarterly , Transportation Science and International Journal of Logistics . Standardized approach is a unique method to neutralize such bias in the citation study. Study limitations including study period of one year are discussed.

James H. Foggin; John T. Mentzer; Carol L. Monroe

2004 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/09600030410571383

How can a third‐party logistics (3PL) provider decide whether or not there is a viable opportunity to serve the needs and desires of potential clients? To answer this question, a tool is needed that can help determine if there are problems, inefficiencies, or needed improvements in a client's, or a potential client's, supply chain that the 3PL can effectively address. Most diagnostic tools currently in use in supply chain analysis are large, quantitative, and time‐consuming. This paper describes a qualitative diagnostic tool designed for more rapid analysis. The research and managerial implications of this tool are also discussed.