英语论文网

Logistics as a management discipline originated in the military and later branched into the commercial sector as business logistics. Logistics is the painstaking integration of transportation, supply, warehousing, maintenance, procurement, contracting and automation into a coherent functional area; in a war that prevents sub optimization in any of these activities; and in a way that permits and enhances the accomplishment of a given goal, objective, or mission. In times of peace it allows consumers to get the desired goods fast, reliably and cheaply.

Military logistics has pioneered a number of techniques that have since become widely deployed in the commercial world. Operations research grew out of military logistics efforts. Likewise, combat logistics borrows from methods first introduced to the commercial world. The military has done so as a result of its desire to improve both the wartime effectiveness and peace time efficiency of its logistics system.

The private sector borrowed best-practice concepts in military logistics beginning in the 1960s. The defense establishment is now implementing commercial best practices by pursuing the concepts, practices, and technologies of supply chain management. The company with the most effective and efficient supply chain potential will be the victorious or successful company. Failures of many companies with seemingly strong leaders but poor supply chains are rife.

The tonnage that Wal-Mart moves every day and the control, placement and usage of people to get the job done is an excellent lesson in logistics. Just like the military they have to find manufacturers to make the needed products. Arrange for the shipment of the items, (to include ocean transport) distribute to multiple locations and then get the goods into the hands of the ultimate user.

Commercial and military logistics share the same history and should be studied together. An understanding of logistics comes principally from the study of history and the lessons that history offers.

Sun Tzu makes a good starting point because he was one of the earliest military writers to discuss the importance of logistics. The primary reason is that he seems to have grasped the importance of logistics and supply chains long before anyone else did. The early writings of Sun Tzu in 500 BC talked of the need to disrupt supplies and hamper the routes to win battles. In military science, maintaining one's supply lines while disrupting those of the enemy is a crucial-some would say the most crucial-element of military strategy, since an armed force without resources and transportation is defenseless

He considered logistics to be a critical item in warfare. Logistics concepts are included in many of his maxims. For example, he stated, "if you expose the army to a prolonged campaign, the state's resources will be inadequate." This implies logistics at a strategic level. Sun Tzu also considers it better not to carry large quantities of supplies but to feed off the enemy, "If you obtain your equipment from within the state and rely on seizing provisions from the enemy, then the army's foodstuffs will be sufficient."

James Huston wrote in his book, The Sinews of War, "Rarely in Modern War has the side with logistical inferiority prevailed. However superior the generalship, or however brilliant the strategy, ultimate victory generally has gone to the side having the grea本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。