Heterodox logistics

Logistics management is now both a central issue for companies and a major field of academic investigation. It is responsible for coordinating a set of technical and organizational processes to ensure that a product or service is delivered to the correct recipient, in the shortest time, in the right quantity, and at the most competitive cost, making logistics a weapon in the competition between supply chains. Any failure in the management of flows, as shown by the COVID-19 crisis and the war between Ukraine and Russia, leads to supply chain disruptions that could result in loss of market share. If this understanding is widely accepted, the application of logistical thinking to important historical and societal phenomena is much rarer. This is the focus of the textbook, which refers to examples such as the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza, city in medieval times, religious tourism, black bloc movement, juvenile prostitution networks, doping systems in professional cycling, funeral service, or the organization of rock-pop tours. The logistical dimensions of these examples are emphasized, highlighting the universalism of logistics management. Aimed at bachelor’s and master’s degree students, management researchers, and, more broadly, at a public interested in a “heterodox” view of logistics, this textbook should stimulate debate and controversy.

Gilles Paché is a Professor of Marketing and Logistics at Aix-Marseille University, in France. Member of the CERGAM Lab, his major interests are supply chain management, distribution channel management, and governance of football clubs.