The Roots of Logistics

Is Logistics a science? The importance and impact of logistics as a function which is critical to the success of companies, of entire industries, and even of nations competing in the global economy, is no longer questioned today. Logistics, within a few decades, has established itself firmly as a profession, an important field of sophisticated managerial practices, and as a large, powerful industry. But in the academic world the question of its status and identity as a science is still being debated. This volume aims to contribute to this debate in two ways: It offers a selection of classical, in some cases hard to access original international contributions to the evolution of the field in one convenient volume of readings. As such, it should be useful to students of the field, to researchers, and to practitioners who are interested in tracing the logistical ideas and instruments they are using down to their conceptual roots. Beyond that, by the arrangement and commentaries to the original materials, the editors are proposing their own innovative interpretation of the evolution and identity of the Science of Logistics. It is an invitation to further debate the potential and future of logistics.