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• Module overview
• 1. Introduction to knowledge management
  • 1.1 Knowledge management in organisations: Theory and practice
  • 1.2 Information and knowledge
    • 1.2.1 Distinguishing information, data, knowledge and wisdom
    • 1.2.2 Knowledge defined and managed

• 2. Type and structure of knowledge

  • 2.1 Type and structure of knowledge
    • 2.1.1 The structure of purposeful knowledge in an organisation
    • 2.1.2 Explicit and tacit knowledge
  • 2.2 Acquiring knowledge
    • 2.2.1 Sources of knowledge

• 3. Knowledge and learning

  • 3.1 The ability to learn as knowledge
  • 3.2 Types of knowledge and culture, meaning, and learning
  • 3.3. Knowledge management and balanced learning strategies

• 4. A knowledge management cycle

  • 4.1 A Knowledge Management Framework
    • 4.1.1 Stages in KM Cycle
  • 4.2 Dimensions to KM Strategy
    • 4.2.1 Leadership dimension to KM
    • 4.2.2 Governance and policy dimension
    • 4.2.3 Architecture dimension
    • 4.2.4 Absorption dimension
    • 4.2.5 Measurement dimension
  • 4.3 Knowledge as a basis for organising

• 5. Conduct a knowledge audit

  • 5.1 Knowledge audit
    • 5.1.1 Conducting a knowledge audit
    • 5.1.2 The Audit Process

• 6. Organisational Knowledge Capital

  • 6.1 Building an organisational Knowledge Capital framework
    • 6.1.1 IC and KC
    • 6.1.2 The value of knowledge
  • 6.2 Structural capital
  • 6.3 Social capital
  • 6.4 Human Capital defined
    • 6.4.1 Capital resources for organisations
    • 6.4.2 The individual as a capital resource
    • 6.4.3 Ingredients to HCM

• 7. Valuing forms of knowledge

  • 7.1 Valuing forms of knowledge assets
    • 7.1.1 Valuing Intellectual assets
    • 7.1.2 Valuing knowledge as an intangible asset

• 8. Information management systems

  • 8.1 Information management systems
    • 8.1.1 A basic information management framework
    • 8.1.2 Building systems to meet individual and organisational needs
    • 8.1.3 Information guardians versus stakeholders
  • 8.2 Structure and information transfer
    • 8.2.1 Information relevance and timeliness
    • 8.2.2 Information characteristics versus decision types
    • 8.2.3 Storage and retrieval

• 9. Information capture and intelligence gathering

  • 9.1 Information capture and intelligence gathering
    • 9.1.1 Developing a 'wish list'
    • 9.1.2 Finding answers
    • 9.1.3 Integrating intelligence within a knowledge management framework
  • 9.2 Forecasting methods
    • 9.2.1 Issues to consider when forecasting

• 10. IT and E-commerce

  • 10.1 An overview of e-commerce
  • 10.2 The Internet, computer networks and e-commerce
    • 10.2.1 Internet speed, innovation and change
  • 10.3 E-commerce advantages and disadvantages
    • 10.3.1 E-commerce advantages
    • 10.3.2 E-commerce disadvantages and constraints
  • 10.4 The Internet and business
    • 10.4.1 Drivers of e-commerce and Internet growth
  • 10.5 E-commerce and e-business

• 11. IT and supply chain management

  • 11.1 Electronic supply chain management (eSCM)
  • 11.2 E-logistics
    • 11.2.1 Are e-logistics and e-commerce the same thing?
    • 11.2.2 E-logistics blurs older logistic business categories
  • 11.3 E-procurement
  • 11.4 E-fulfilment

11.2 E-logistics

As defined by the Council of Logistics Management in 2004, logistics is

that part of supply chain management that plans, implements and controls the efficient, effective forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services and related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet customer requirements (http://clm1.org/Website/AboutCLM/Definitions/Definitions.asp)

E-logistics is simply the involvement of ICTs to automate logistics processes within the overall management of the supply chain from product origination through to customer fulfilment. The challenge confronting e-logistics include the need to overcome

• poor transaction management
• persistent overcapacity in inventory that result in low returns, markdowns, shrinkage and write offs
• demand imbalances that can cause frequent out-of-stocks
• slow fulfilment cycle times that when coupled with poor revenue management systems cause unsatisfactory variations between income and expenditure patterns
• on-time delivery problems
• lack of differentiation between logistics service providers
• obsolete technologies that can no longer be incrementally improved
• inter-operability problems between online and back-end systems within and between different companies
• overcoming fragmentation of shipping management (3PL, 4PL)
• declining service quality and customer satisfaction levels

(See van Rensberg, 2004:2)

In terms of shipping management the challenge has been compounded as e-commerce has accelerated new business models such as 3PL ( third-party logistics providers) and 4PL (fourth-party logistics providers). 3PL plays an important role in modern logistics, usually providing specialist services in conventional warehousing operations, inventory management, order fulfilment, delivery, tracking and such like (Colin, 2001:36). 4PL providers tend to augment the traditional 3PL offering with interfaces that span all the information systems needed to ‘mobilise all of the resources of the upstream (suppliers) and downstream (distributors, service providers) actors involved in the e-supply chain’ (Colin, 2001:36).

However, without wider reform the development of 3PL and 4PL providers can cause discontinuity between supply chain partners. This can have advantages for those involved when competing against more ‘backward’ companies, but for national and regional policy makers or companies involved in supply chain relationships, solutions (particularly multi-modal solutions) are often impossible if all businesses within the supply chain are not addressing the above list of e-logistic challenges in a coordinated manner.

The evolution of new business models in the e-logistics arena seems set to continue: for instance, the need to design eSCM, integrated logistics information systems and physical logistics systems has even given rise to a new business model, 5PL providers

 

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