Logistics & Supply Chain Management

Martin Christopher is Professor of Marketing and Logistics at Cranfield School of Management. His work in the field of logistics and supply chain management has gained international recognition. He has published widely, his recent books include Logistics and Supply Chain Management and Marketing Logistics. He is is also co-editor of the International Journal of Logistics Management and is a regular contributor to conferences and workshops around the world. At Cranfield, Martin Christopher chairs the Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management, the largest activity of its type in Europe. In addition to leading a number of on-going research projects in logistics and supply chain management, Martin Christopher is active as an advisor to many organisations and is non-executive director of a number of companies. In 1988 he was awarded the Sir Robert Lawrence Gold Medal for his contribution to logistics education and in 1997 was given the USA Council of Logistics Management's Foundation Award.

ToC (new and updated chapters in bold) Chapter 1 : Logistics & Competitive Strategy This chapter will look at how logistics capabilities and supply chain excellence can help companies gain a competitive advantage. It will also look at the relationship between logistics and financial performance. Case Study : Dell (updated from 1998 version) Chapter 2 : Logistics & Customer Value This chapter focuses on the ways in which customer value can be created and delivered through the supply chain. The theme will be demand-driven and responsive supply chain strategies. Case Study : Zara (updated from 1998 version) Chapter 3 : Measuring Logistics Costs and Performance The content of this chapter will be about the need to understand the 'costs-to-serve'. Issues such as customer profitability analysis and benchmarking will be included. Case Study : Wal-Mart/K-Mart (new) Chapter 4 : Creating the Agile Supply Chain The concept of the agile supply chain is developed in this chapter and the building blocks of the agile paradigm explained. The differences between 'lean' and 'agile' will be discussed. Case Study : The challenge of the 3-day car (new) Chapter 5 : Strategic Lead-Time Management Time compression is the focus of this chapter including the search for ways in which non-value adding time can be removed from the pipeline. Case Study : Hewlett Packard CD/RW (new) Chapter 6 : Managing the Global Pipeline The particular challenges of global supply chains will be discussed in this chapter. The pros and cons of global sourcing and offshore manufacturing will be presented. The need to understand the total supply chain impact of globalisations will be emphasised. Case Study : Dyson (new) Chapter 7 : Managing the Supply Chain in an Era of Uncertainty This chapter will examine the ideas of supply chain risk and vulnerability and will explore ways in which supply chain resilience can be improved. Case Study : Nokia/Ericsson (new) Chapter 8 : Managing Networks and Relationships The idea of the supply chain as an interdependent network of organisations that jointly combine to deliver customer value is introduced. The idea of supply chain 'orchestration' is discussed. Case Study : Li & Fung (new) Chapter 9 : Overcoming the Barriers to Supply Chain Integration The fundamental business transformations that are required to enable supply chain integration to become a reality are examined. The characteristics of effective supply chains will be presented. Case Study : GM/Vectra (new)