Industry continually strives to provide value added products and services with increased customer satisfaction. Value addition and customer satisfaction become strategic missions as they drive businesses’ market shares in the local and global marketplace. Logistics services play a significant role in establishing value addition and customer satisfaction through customised services. Logistics outsourcing is also seen as a strategic move towards accomplishing core values by delivering products and services to the right place at the right time and cost.
Fierce competition in various sectors including logistics warrants the implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) system in logistics services for the improvement of supply chains at local and global levels. Companies looking for logistics economics may undergo ongoing improvement in their services cost-effectively through efficient use of information system and teamwork.
TQM in product and service management plays an important role in achieving value addition and customer satisfaction by initiating positive changes in managing limited ‘7M’ (men, machines, materials, methods management, money, matrix and motherland). Resources are optimised and used in the most effective manner both qualitatively and qualitatively, thus offering better returns for management. TQM also refines management’s cultural values, thereby helping to achieve excellence in overall corporate governance. Thus TQM is the ultimate strategic tool for accruing comprehensive benefits in manufacturing and service industries.
The key areas of focus regarding TQM in logistics services for effective supply chains to manage the challenges of logistics economics and globalisation are:
- TQM in logistics services management: excellence models in logistics management for local and global logistics management.
- TQM in logistics management decisions: various Decision Support System (DSS), Multi-Criteria Decision Models (MCDM) and models based on soft computing to aid logistics managers in decision making.
- TQM implementation in logistics services: frameworks related to TQM implementation in logistics services.
- TQM benefits in logistics: TQM benefits derived in terms of higher market share, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, etc.
- Cost control and service improvement: rapid and constant change are rocking this traditionally stable area and management must to adapt for growth.
- Logistics information systems
- Logistics economics
- Logistics and distribution networks
- Transportation management
- Warehouse management
- Purchasing and procurement
- Logistics and transportation optimisation
- Third party logistics
- Reverse logistics
- Global logistical networks
- Emerging, mobile and connective technology for logistics performance
- RFID and EDI
- Data mining in a globalised supply chain
- Logistics network security
- Real-time logistical operations
- Web-based logistics systems
- Uncertainty and risk in a globalised supply networks
- Supplier relationship management
- Customer relationship management
- Outsourcing and off-shoring
Manuscript submission: 30 November, 2011
Notification of initial decision: 31 January, 2012
Submission of revised manuscript: 30 March, 2012
Notification of final acceptance: 15 April, 2012
Submission of final manuscript: 30 May, 2012
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