Managing Firm's Logistics and Knowledge: The value concept

Abstract

With growing pressures to modernise the value chain, rationalise operations and minimise costs, a firm's logistics and knowledge management systems require continuous renewal. This paper examines inter relationships between logistic and firm's knowledge management from a value concept. A value concept is a useful construct to ascertain the contingent factors of logistics and firm's knowledge and how they are interrelated. We asked the question: what happens to a firm's logistic operations and knowledge resources when it decides to outsource business functions? This paper draws on logistics, supply chain and knowledge theories to introduce a conceptual framework of firm's logistic and knowledge value. Using this value concept, our analysis offers insights into managerial practices and an agenda for future research for a deeper understanding of the connection between logistic and knowledge management functions. We postulate that firm's logistics and knowledge are intrinsically connected and the outsourcing of logistics invariably alter a firm's value.