Question: What is Logistics

Logistics and its Significance

Logistics, according to LeCavalier (32), is the science of managing time and space. She contends that this term is applicable in both administrative and military logistics. From a managerial standpoint, transportation is concerned with the discovery of the supply chain. According to LeCavalier (33), there are mechanisms in place to navigate the supply chain, but there is no account for logistics. Logistics encompasses a product’s whole life cycle. The life of a substance starts when it is derived from the raw material and ends when it is consumed. Logistics helps to guarantee unification of objects and their surrounding whereby the volume area and unit of the element can be modeled and accounted for.

The Goal of Logistics

The goal of logistics is to ensure convoys arrive at the right time and place. Business managers use logistics to help in preparing the internal systems for action. For instance, logistics involves preparing the right widget required by the factory assembly system. The goal of logistics in military is to prepare for war. Having good supply and planning without logistics only becomes tactics in military operations. Military operations require strategic measures that take into consideration the logistics of operation. The growing complexity of war shows that logistics is necessary in military operations. Time and space of war is important in determining the type of war and tactics to use in the war (LeCavalier 34).

Managing Things in Space

The goal of logistics is to ensure that the things in space are calculated and managed. The superior technology in businesses such as Wal-Mart and strategic decisions do not guarantee the life of a product. Miscalculation and mismanagement during the product life span negatively affects the supply chain.

Importance of Logistics for “Big Box” Retailers

Why, according to LeCavalier, is it of particular importance to the operations of “big box” retailers such as WalMart?

Mega retailers have a “big box” format that is supply chain oriented. The entire Wal-Mart is an example of such a company where the entire supply chain is used to decrease costs and increase profitability. The companies are vertically integrated using logistics knowledge. Wal-Mart has the largest database in the world with 20 million customer transactions each day. It maintains its vast store information courtesy of hyper-efficient inventory management. LeCavalier (52), states that logistics is also involved with the management of inventory in huge companies such as Wal-Mart. The company manages the transport of its inventory as a central part of the daily processes. “Big box” retail stores and the centers of distribution created by the company have movable goods. Wal-Mart manages their goods as if they are immaterial. They manage goods as pure information while distribution centers act as information centers.

Importance of Standardization in Logistics

Why is standardization of importance to logistics?

Standardization helps to understand the procedures, processes, and time of output operation. Logistics is concerned with the time and space management of the output. Standards are therefore important in helping employees to understand the conditions required for a process to be successful. Standardization also supports the continuous improvement of the processes. The measures taken during standardization help to highlight areas of a process that need improvement. The process of an output takes place in a space within a period of time. The goal of every corporation is to create a stable logistic system (LeCavalier 34). Standards should be trustworthy and reliable. For instance, standardization helps Wal-Mart to manage their supply chain using the procedures that they trust and know. In essence, standards help Wal-Mart to know what to expect at every stage of the supply chain.

Patterns of Spatial and Urban Growth

What, according to LeCavalier, are some of the patterns of spatial and urban growth that accompany the proliferation of logistical services and systems?

Special economic zones, business towns, and central business districts are the major emerging spatial patterns that accompany logistical services and systems. Logistics requires the creation of systems, objects, and environments. LeCavalier (52) presents Wal-Mart’s spatial operations to show the implication of logistics in business towns. The logistics of Wal-Mart in the towns in which it operates is a clear indication of the role of logistics in planning for the supply chain in the towns. The company’s building effort, management protocols, and real estate practices are manifestations of urbanism and architecture that accompany the proliferation of logistics systems and services. Central business districts also have infrastructures that target the people and products. Logistics systems share features in the built environment in the industrial buildings. Buildings in urban areas support the production and distribution of products. Architecture in economic zones are designed to support the programs and functions of coordination and movement of goods.

Influence of Logistics on Space Planning

What influence, if any, has logistics had on space planning?

Logistics influence space planning because of its material realities. The movement of people, fuel, and resources in a space is governed by the actual energy required. Logistics in the military helps to plan for the space in which resources needed for war can be moved. Military operations use logistics to know “the how” in their limited space. According to LeCavalier (40) business logistical demands have transformed the space into one of infrastructure and technology. Commercial enterprises like Wal-Mart use technology and infrastructure to shape their space. The military uses fewer tactics and more innovations to manage the space they inhibit. Logistics, therefore, cast an active practice of organizing different operations within an organizational space.

Work Cited

LeCavalier, Jesse. The Rule of Logistics: Walmart and the Architecture of Fulfillment. 2016. Print.