Discussion 4: Transportation Logistics
The overview comments for this module reflect the opinion that transportation is yet another form of inventory, and it should be managed and controlled as such. Large retail organizations including Walmart and Amazon take great pains to productively control inventory in transit. Organizations with large air transport operations also manage their inventory-in-transit very carefully. Select a private or public sector organization that is deeply involved in air transport operations. (FedEx, DHL, UPS, Air Mobility Command, Cargolux, Lufthansa Cargo, etc.) Respond to the following topics in your main post.
- Provide an overview of the purpose, scope, and range of operations of the air transport organization.
- Compare and contrast how the organization manages its transportation and inventory operations with the principles and techniques noted in the course text.
- What do you perceive as the greatest challenges facing the organization in the coming two years? Justify your response with reference support.
What’s New in Inventory & Transportation Management?
Great strides have been made in inventory control and transportation management in recent years. The use of GPS and RFID identification and monitoring systems are two major technological advances that have enhanced overall logistics productivity. Conduct your search for authoritative articles related to advances in how inventory and transportation systems have been improved in modern times.
Use the Hunt Library databases to select a current research journal or professional trade publication article related to inventory or transportation aspects of the supply chain. Your selected article must be from within the past two years. Do not use newspaper articles, news presentations, PR releases, web sites, blog posts, Wikipedia entries, or other online web sources for your articles. You may use respected business magazine articles from Forbes, Fortune, The Economist, or Business Week.
Write a review of the article addressing the following elements.
- Identify the article, its author, and publication, and briefly summarize the purpose and content of the article. Provide a formal reference entry for the article in current APA format.
- Compare and contrast the article’s content with the readings from the course text.
- Analyze how the article’s information and findings can be applied in today’s organizations to improve logistics management performance.
- Evaluate the reliability and validity of the article using critical thinking and rational analysis of its content, logic, author credentials, and purpose.
- Justify your conclusions and make a concrete recommendation to others in the class about whether or not they should read the article.
Review it
To confirm that you have mastered the content for this module, complete the end of module review below.
Independently answer the following essay questions using your own words. Avoid using quoted material to make your points, but do cite sources if you use facts or information derived from publications.
- Identify four primary functions of inventory, and give a practical example to illustrate each function in an action related to an aviation or aerospace operation.
- Define three account categories of inventory carrying costs and provide a concrete example or illustration of each such cost applied in the aviation or aerospace fields.
- Compare and contrast the effects of three main transportation cost factors on how those factors influence the choice of air transport versus the use of truck or rail transport.