The marketing of luxury goods faces a fundamental challenge: balancing sales growth against exclusiveness. In today's digital world, this trade-off has become even more challenging. A luxury brand's fragile concept of exclusiveness is seemingly incompatible with the ubiquitous availability provided by the mass medium Internet. The author addresses this trade-off both conceptually and empirically. First, the author conceptually examines the specific marketing-mix for luxury goods in terms of product, price, communications, and distribution management. Second, this marketing-mix is applied to the online environment. Third, the author empirically tests the effects of the online accessibility of luxury goods on consumer perceptions of scarcity and desirability.

Over the last decade lean and six sigma methods and tools have helped organizations improve to historic productivity levels with the data driven, systematic elimination of waste and improvement of flow. Today many organizations have enjoyed the benefits of Lean and Six sigma initiatives, and are looking more to sustain the gains, and aggressively drive a systematic and on-going approach to improvement and problem solving. The concept of diminishing returns applies here, when in the early stages, organizations were able to find 'low-hanging fruit' and to quickly make significant improvements. Now the easy work is done, and organizations need a simple yet systematic approach to continuing their continuous improvement efforts. Operations and supply chain leaders will benefit from this book by developing a clear understanding of why and how metric scorecards and dashboards can be used as a powerful data driven improvement tool. This book illustrates visual management, scorecards, and dashboards for a full range of organizations, and focuses on Operations and Supply Chain Management areas. By covering these tools in these environments in a story book format, organization leaders can begin to understand how these methods and tools can be applied in their organizations.

Workflow, process, or business process mapping has been discovered by organizations of all kinds as being a powerful tool to analyze and improve their internal processes. It has attracted major attention from software vendors, including Oracle and IBM, who market systems that are designed to map processes and quantify all aspects of their operations. These systems can be very effective at capturing the formal or explicit knowledge inherent to any workflow; however, a long-term problem with these approaches is that the full 'knowledge base' underlying these processes contains many elements which are 'tacit knowledge.' Despite being outside of the formal knowledge base, tacit knowledge must be addressed when describing the nature and functioning of processes. A key feature of the mapping method used in this book is that it makes both formal and tacit knowledge explicit in the workflow maps it produces. Much of what has been learned in the years of applying and teaching this method is that software-driven approaches are hobbled by the complications presented by tacit knowledge in workflows. Until both formal and tacit knowledge are understood these software-driven approaches cannot achieve their full potential. Consequently the mapping process here, by necessity, becomes a method for managing knowledge as well as a method of mapping the flow of materials and information. While it is a basis for process improvement in its own right, it can support development of both software-driven process mapping and the creation of dynamic programs on the basis of accurate understanding of existing workflows.

The formal theory of bargaining originated with John Nash's work in the early 1950s. This book discusses two recent developments in this theory. The first uses the tool of extensive games to construct theories of bargaining in which time is modeled explicitly. The second applies the theory of bargaining to the study of decentralized markets. Rather than surveying the field, the authors present a select number of models, each of which illustrates a key point. In addition, they give detailed proofs throughout the book. It uses a small number of models, rather than a survey of the field, to illustrate key points, and includes detailed proofs given as explanations for the models. The text has been class-tested in a semester-long graduate course.

Logistics and supply chains play a vital role in the overall success of retail management. This fifth edition of Logistics and Retail Management covers the major strides made in retail logistics and the challenges which remain, providing students and professionals with the current thinking and research in this strategic field. Including chapters on internationalization, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and green logistics, the book also explores examples from successful organizations such as Schuh and Tesco. Fully updated with the latest international developments and on-going changes in the field, Logistics and Retail Management, 5th edition is a multi-contributed collection from leading academics and practitioners and an expert editor team. The new edition also includes material on the luxury fashion industry and the logistical challenges of e-commerce. Logistics and Retail Management, 5th edition is the essential text for students of retail logistics and supply chain management.

The convergence of the Internet and mobile telephony in the late 1990s produced a revolutionary business management tool: mobile marketing. Yet despite an increasing number of research publications and books focused on general business issues, many key concepts have seldom been explicated thoroughly. This book offers the first comprehensive coverage of mobile marketing from a theoretical and practical perspective, arguing that pragmatic mobile marketing tools need to be understood in terms of "why" so that theories can be advanced. Questions relating to a theoretical framework of mobile marketing, factors influencing the adoption of mobile marketing, and other applications and cases of mobile marketing are provided alongside historical background. This is a student-friendly text with up-to-date examples and issues presented throughout. Bibliographic references as well as a comprehensive glossary are provided at the end of the book.

The convergence of the Internet and mobile telephony in the late 1990s produced a revolutionary business management tool: mobile marketing. Yet despite an increasing number of research publications and books focused on general business issues, many key concepts have seldom been explicated thoroughly. This book offers the first comprehensive coverage of mobile marketing from a theoretical and practical perspective, arguing that pragmatic mobile marketing tools need to be understood in terms of "why" so that theories can be advanced. Questions relating to a theoretical framework of mobile marketing, factors influencing the adoption of mobile marketing, and other applications and cases of mobile marketing are provided alongside historical background. This is a student-friendly text with up-to-date examples and issues presented throughout. Bibliographic references as well as a comprehensive glossary are provided at the end of the book.

A comprehensive exploration of the massive changes in the biopharmaceutical supply chain that have occurred during the past 10 years, and predicted future trends, Biopharmaceutical Supply Chains: Distribution, Regulatory, Systems and Structural Changes Ahead documents the specific impacts of these changes for key players in the supply chain.

Based on interviews with industry professionals, the book presents an overview of the key challenges and discusses how leading biopharmaceutical companies handle these challenges. It exposes the underlying structures that support the biopharmaceutical supply chain, focusing specifically on distribution-the point at which manufacturers release a finished product to the time that it is administered, and the complicated set of channels that exist between these two points. This overarching view of the supply chain provides an important piece of intelligence that can inform business strategy for life sciences manufacturers and distributors and help them achieve success in this industry.

The historic growth in world trade, large container ships and information technology have triggered profound changes in international trade. A few years ago, customs officers at the border were meticulously checking goods and documents before releasing a shipment to the trader. A business could be confident that a shipment that had cleared customs complied with all applicable regulations. Today, to reduce congestion and give the trade quick access to their goods, customs have introduced risk management principles and a large number of shipments clear customs automatically. Controls have moved from the border to the trader's premises and it is during site visits that customs officers check the business compliance records. Moving from frontier checks to audit based controls has transferred a high level of responsibility and risk to the trader. It is now the duty of the trader to identify and report any error or irregularity and to keep an impeccable audit trail from initial quotation to receipt of payment. For the business, failing to provide satisfactory compliance records will result in delayed shipments and serious disruption in the supply chain. This will in turn impact on financial performance indicators such as Days in Inventory, Days Sales Outstanding and of course Cash Flow. The business will also have to endure in depth customs audits during which customs officers will inspect each step of the audit trail disrupting day-to-day business operation. Errors uncovered during these audits will yield heavy financial penalties and a customs debt. Ultimately, customs risk will impact on shareholders value. Customs and finance reporting should receive the same level of attention. However, if all companies check carefully their tax returns, only a few check their import or export declarations with the same scrutiny. Managing customs risk is often seen as a cost centre but it is also a source of competitive advantage. A sound customs management can reduce or remov

A unique introduction to distribution logistics that focuses on both quantitative modeling and practical business issues

Introduction to Distribution Logistics presents a complete and balanced treatment of distribution logistics by covering both applications and the required theoretical background, therefore extending its reach to practitioners and students in a range of disciplines such as management, engineering, mathematics, and statistics. The authors emphasize the variety and complexity of issues and sub-problems surrounding distribution logistics as well as the limitations and scope of applicability of the proposed quantitative tools. Throughout the book, readers are provided with the quantitative approaches needed to handle real-life management problems, and areas of study include:

Supply chain management

Network design and transportation

Demand forecasting

Inventory control in single- and multi-echelon systems

Incentives in the supply chain

Vehicle routing

Complete with extensive appendices on probability and statistics as well as mathematical programming, Introduction to Distribution Logistics is a valuable text for distribution logistics courses at both the advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate levels in a variety of disciplines, and prior knowledge of production planning is not assumed. The book also serves as a useful reference for practitioners in the fields of applied mathematics and statistics, manufacturing engineering, business management, and operations research. The book's related Web site includes additional sections and numerical illustrations.

Numerous studies indicate that learning is most effective in terms of persistency when it addresses the whole person rather than merely the intellect. A set of promotive activities that foster significant learning have been extensively researched in classroom settings. The major scientific goal of this work is to investigate whether and how promotive activities may be applied in technology-enhanced learning settings. Besides transferring existing activity patterns to the online context, this work presents new opportunities that could only emerge with technology enhancement. This work draws up general recommendations and provides practical examples. The main fields of interest are: motivational aspects, peer review, and "active listening" with written means of online communication.

A definitive roadmap for implementing effective supply chain management

Strategic sourcing redefines the traditional approach to buying and using materials and services. Purchasing and supplier programs are receiving substantial attention in current professional literature, but there is little information on implementing supplier strategies and techniques.

Harnessing Value in the Supply Chain offers a specific, step-by-step approach to the strategic sourcing process, developed by the author at Southern California Edison. This unique reference provides expert guidance on designing, launching, executing, evaluating, and maintaining a sourcing project. It includes illustrations, examples, and templates for immediate use. Finally, supply chain management and strategic sourcing are presented in a usable, comprehensive, and cost-effective framework.

To illustrate this approach, the book describes the experience of Southern California Edison, a utility company that achieved $150 million in annual cost reduction through a strategic sourcing program. The story is told from the perspective of the people who led the revolutionary change at SCE, as wellas the suppliers. A detailed method on how to duplicate SCE's success is included in the book.

This book is unique in that it fully traces a strategic sourcing initiative from conception to implementation—and it is the only book that documents the SCE story. Harnessing Value in the Supply Chain is a powerful tool that will help organizations optimize their resources and develop relationships to sustain effective supply chain management.

Better inventory management translates directly into better cash flow for businesses. However, in order to successfully manage inventory, businesses must strike a balance between customer demand and the amount of inventory they keep. Hands-On Inventory Management demonstrates principles key to developing an inventory management process, which will meet customer needs while keeping inventory costs at a level reasonable enough to produce a profit. The text explains basic inventory principles, calculations, and techniques using real-world examples. Different operational situations require different inventory planning and replenishment approaches; hence, this book emphasizes the prerequisites needed for success in a number of different industries. These prerequisites include top management support, a clear definition of responsibilities and alignment of goals throughout the company, as well as uncomplicated item identification. The author stresses the importance of accurate recordkeeping and delineates the most common causes of inaccurate records. He provides solutions to mitigate these causes and demonstrates how businesses can develop and administer a cycle counting program that will lead to a more well-managed physical inventory. Using a building-block approach, Hands-On Inventory Management gives a clear view of what steps must be taken to strike a profitable balance between customer demand and inventory.

Integrating theory and practices of supply chain management, this book incorporates more than 15 years of supply chain and operations management research and industry consulting experience to both government and industry firms.The coverage focuses on how to build a competitive supply chain using viable management strategies, operational models, decision-making techniques, and information technology. It includes a core presentation on supply chain management and new initiatives such as e-commerce, collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment (CPFR), data mining, knowledge management, and business intelligence.

'Work hard, have fun, make history' proclaims the slogan on the walls of Amazon's warehouses. This cheerful message hides a reality of digital surveillance, aggressive anti-union tactics and disciplinary layoffs. Reminiscent of the tumult of early industrial capitalism, the hundreds of thousands of workers who help Amazon fulfil consumers' desire are part of an experiment in changing the way we all work. In this book, Alessandro Delfanti takes readers inside Amazon's warehouses to show how technological advancements and managerial techniques subdue the workers rather than empower them, as seen in the sensors that track workers' every movement around the floor and algorithmic systems that re-route orders to circumvent worker sabotage. He looks at new technologies including robotic arms trained by humans and augmented reality goggles, showing that their aim is to standardise, measure and discipline human work rather than replace it. Despite its innovation, Amazon will always need living labour's flexibility and low cost. And as the warehouse is increasingly automated, worker discontent increases. Striking under the banner 'we are not robots', employees have shown that they are acutely aware of such contradictions. The only question remains: how long will it be until Amazon's empire collapses?

Warehousing and Transportation Logistics offers an overview of transport, warehousing and assembly logistics, including order picking, packaging, handling and management. The key focus is on the management techniques in transport and warehousing and the logistics-focused perspective runs throughout the entire book. The author examines different applications and planning techniques and includes examples of supporting economic calculations and questions and answers. Warehousing and Transportation Logistics looks at unit creation, material flow or goods storage as well as systems and management for planning or information to identify objects, control and processing of orders. It is a practice-oriented book for students with a multitude of useful information and ideas. It is also a workbook for professional practitioners, production, planning and industrial engineers, who are specifically concerned with the planning side of this specialist area. The examples at the end of each chapter deepen and complement the content and there are comprehensive notes with each figure providing additional information on the topic.

In a decentralized supply chain, most of the supply chain agents may not share information due to confidentiality policies, quality of information, or different system incompatibilities. Every actor holds its own set of information and attempts to maximize its objective (minimizing costs/minimizing inventory holdings) based on the available settings. Therefore, the agents control their own activities with the objective of improving their own competitiveness, which leads them to make decisions that maximize their local performance by ignoring the other agents or even the final consumer. These decisions are myopic because they do not consider the performance of all the partners to satisfy the consumer. Demand Forecasting and Order Planning in Supply Chains and Humanitarian Logistics is a collection of innovative research that focuses on demand anticipation, forecasting, and order planning as well as humanitarian logistics to propose original solutions for existing problems. While highlighting topics including artificial intelligence, information sharing, and operations management, this book is ideally designed for supply chain managers, logistics personnel, business executives, management experts, operation industry professionals, academicians, researchers, and students who want to improve their understanding of supply chain coordination in order to be competitive in the new era of globalization.

Logistics and fulfillment management (LFM) - the management of the flow of goods, services and information throughout a value chain - is becoming an important part of e-business. This book shows the reader what is involved in running an e-business: operating a warehouse; pulling inventory from shelves and packing it for shipment and retaining a shipping service; and forecasting, planning, tracking orders until they arrive at their destination. The author also highlights the need for after-sales care: returned products; warranties; and technical support. To support all of these things an e-business should implement an automated LFMS to fulfil their needs.

This contributed volume brings together research papers presented at the 4th International Conference on Dynamics in Logistics, held in Bremen, Germany in February 2014. The conference focused on the identification, analysis and description of the dynamics of logistics processes and networks. Topics covered range from the modeling and planning of processes, to innovative methods like autonomous control and knowledge management, to the latest technologies provided by radio frequency identification, mobile communication, and networking. The growing dynamic poses wholly new challenges: logistics processes and networks must be(come) able to rapidly and flexibly adapt to constantly changing conditions. The book primarily addresses the needs of researchers and practitioners from the field of logistics, but will also be beneficial for graduate students.

Supply chain performance will be a key indicator of overall corporate success into the next century. This book, edited by logistics and supply chain expert John Gattorna, and with international contributions, presents unpublished material on next generation thinking about the management of the supply chain. Based on the recently developed strategic alignment model it shows how external market dynamics, the company's strategic response, and internal capability must be aligned if competitive advantage is to be achieved. Supply chain management is a strategic challenge demanding top level management attention. This book tackles the subject at that strategic level to help companies reposition their supply chains successfully. The book then offers the vital link between strategy setting and implementation, providing comprehensive coverage of the main areas of execution, and making it an essential compendium on all aspects of the subject. With case studies from major organizations from around the world, it is a 'must' read for anyone wishing to be at the forefront of international supply chain management thinking. Strategic Supply Chain Alignment brings together for the first time the world's leading logistics professionals, management consultants and academics to offer their insights and experiences on the latest supply chain management techniques. This collection of previously unpublished material offers the reader a unique opportunity to identify the hot issues, discover emerging strategies and uncover key industry and market perspectives. Divided into five sections which reflect the important components of the strategic alignment model, the book covers: The market: Customer value creation and segmentation, and the rationale behind the integration of supply with demand. Strategic response: Considers channel strategy, supply chain configuration and operations and distribution management. Culture: Adopting organization options which focus on delivering.

"Kirk Zylstra's focus on the customer is a fresh approach to lean. Companies that can bear the burden of variability will develop a strategic advantage in today's volatile market."
--Travis Jarrell Institute of Industrial Engineers Program Committee Chair

""Lean Distribution" is a comprehensive yet concise work with clear leanings. Kirk's experience across a range of industries brings a unique understanding of common opportunities and solutions available to optimize distribution processes. Lean techniques, typically effective in manufacturing processes, are applied in the downstream supply chain in a practical and productive manner that will offer something to any business distributing tangible goods."
--F. Jeff Duncan Jr. VP, CIO, and Director of Technology Louisiana Pacific Corp.

""Lean Distribution" has robustly captured the revolution occurring in today's increasingly competitive and global supply chain. Eliminating losses through lean manufacturing and lean distribution initiatives will become even more critical enablers to organizations developing cost-advantaged supply chains."
--Rick McDonald Director of Manufacturing The Clorox Company

E-Logistics serves as the nerve system for the whole supply chain and enables smooth information flow within and between organizations. This new and updated edition provides the latest and most comprehensive coverage on digitalization in logistics and supply chain. It covers all transport modes and the role of ICT in supporting an integrated freight and supply chain network. E-Logistics provides a cross-academic and industry perspective with leading academics and practitioners as contributing authors. A variety of successful e-logistics business approaches are discussed covering a range of commercial sectors and transport modes. Subsequent chapters address in depth support systems for B2C and B2B e-commerce and e-fulfilment, warehouse management, RFID, electronic marketplaces, global supply network visibility and service chain automation. Industry case studies are used to support the discussion. The new edition also covers emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning and autonomous vehicles, Internet of Things, Robotics, drone and last mile deliveries.

Analyze, plan and manage profitable channels to market with this economic framework, ensuring maximum leverage of channel partners at every stage of the go-to-market process, with this fully revised third edition of the global bestseller, Distribution Channels - an essential toolkit for strategizing new and existing routes to market. Unprecedented upheavals in routes-to-market are challenging businesses of all types. Products are becoming services, online and offline channels are integrating, and new distribution channels are dictating terms to producers. Placing market access at the heart of business and marketing strategy, this revised edition of Sales and Marketing Channels (originally Distribution Channels) addresses emerging business models and buying behaviours with practical steps, offering an efficient structure to extract tangible commercial value from partner relationships. Often referred to as the "Place" P in the marketing mix, this book and its host of downloadable resources integrate innovative case studies like AirBNB, the largest seller of rooms without ownership of any; Transferwise, the peer-to-peer Forex; plus, the rise of online retailers like Amazon and ASOS versus the decline of traditional stores like Macy's or BHS. Other updates include: -The impact of cloud technology -Advancing consumer channels -Monetizing the distribution of intellectual property -Plus the evolving 'gig economy', led by Uber and Deliveroo

Retailers are being advised to review their supply chains in a bid to accelerate their speed to market. Fashion Logistics assesses the growth and changes in the industry as well as the drivers of change in the market. Supply chain networks and operations play an integral role in distributing their product across the retail industry, and significant changes within those networks have altered the way in which they function. Manufacturers therefore need to re-think their supply chains so that they are resilient enough to withstand shocks, agile enough to respond quickly to sudden change, flexible enough to customise products, and efficient enough to protect margins. Fashion Logistics assess these forces and changes, and how manufacturers should adapt their working practices accordingly.

The new edition includes updates on CSR, a re-write of the reshoring section, updated case studies and new content covering how manufacturers can adapt their working practices accordingly, and new content on the further demise of the department store sector. Online supporting resources include lecture slides to supplement new content covered in each chapter.

Logistics and fulfillment management is unglamorous, complex and expensive, but it is one of the primary factors determining whether an e-business will be profitable. Many enterprises (large and small) rush into the e-business model without adequate consi