Warehouse Management Systems: Resource Commitment, Capabilities, and Organizational Performance

Abstract

Note:The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.Every day, logistics managers sift through mountains of information, looking to answer questions concerning their operations. For example, where should the most frequently ordered parts be located in the warehouse? How should inventory be deployed to optimize sales during a period of forecasted high demand? Or which motor carrier should be selected to provide transportation service to a new and potentially valuable customer? Information that could help managers to find solutions to these questions is often collected and available, but the sheer volume of data can be overwhelming. The ability to link information to immediate action is critical. Without reliable information support for logistics, firms could miss the chance to respond to market opportunities, become vulnerable to competitive threats, or struggle to simply provide good service.The need for data management to support logistics processes has created demand for specialized information systems, custom-designed for logistics management needs (Copacino 1998;Gold et al. 1998;Knill 1998). Many firms are beginning to better understand the need for logistics information support, and as a result, have begun to invest in technologies that enhance decision-making JOURNAL

Warehouse performance measurement: a literature review

“…As the decision support tools are considered as means to manage the performance, the articles presenting decision support systems (DSS) to help warehouse manager's decisions (Lam, Choy, and Chung 2011;Lao et al 2011Lao et al , 2012 and the articles treating the system influence on enterprise performance (Autry et al 2005;Karagiannaki, Papakiriakopoulos, and Bardaki 2011) were included in this review as well.…”

What Skills Are Needed to be a Humanitarian Logistician?

“…Logistics research has linked skills to various capabilities, for example, Ramsay (2001) and Hunt and Davis (2008) single out purchasing as a capability, while Autry et al (2005) and Lai et al (2008) mention information technology and logistics information systems, Azadegan et al (2008) focus on manufacturing capability, and Tatham and Houghton (2011) discuss an "emergency response capability." Logistics itself has been assessed as a dynamic capability (Zhao et al 2001;Autry et al 2005;Esper et al 2007).…”

The effects of supplier capabilities on industrial customers’ loyalty: the role of dependence

“…As manufacturers reduce their suppliers, "highly reliable service, repeated process or product innovations, manufacturing flexibility, responsiveness to market trends, and short product development cycles" become increasingly critical (Amit and Schoemaker 1993, p. 35). Researchers in marketing (e.g., Day 1994;Dutta et al 1999;Jap 1999), supply chain (e.g., Autry et al 2005;Kempainen and Vepsalainen 2003), and management (e.g., Barney 1991;Grant 1996;Ray et al 2004) contend that organizational resources and capabilities constitute an important source of sustainable competitive advantage.…”