EVOLUTION OF CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES TO DESIGNING BUSINESS LOGISTICS SYSTEMS

Abstract

The evolutionary nature of conceptual changes is traced, especially in terms of their impact upon systems design. The paper analyzes the changing nature of systems design over 3 broad stages of logistics development: (1) prelogistics era; (2) logistics era and (3) neologistics era. The prevailing, predominant conceptual approaches to systems design during each era are identified and examined in depth. Past, present, and emerging trends in logistics systems design are introduced, and literature sources and suggestions for further reading are cited. The implications of these design changes for practitioners and educators are also discussed. The approaches discussed in the prelogistics era are the modal rate approach and the modal cost approach. The approaches discussed in the logistics era are the total cost approach, the total profit approach, and the total channel approach. The discussion of the neologistics era (1980s and beyond) considers the total enterprise approach.