Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management by John Mangan and Chandra Lalwani (review)

Global Logistics and Supply Chain Managementprovides a solid foundation for an undergraduate supply chain management course. The authors have skillfully blended important historical aspects of our industry with current international theories, practices, and experiences, while adhering to their own prefaced mission to “be concise.” The book’s layout is logical, with ample cross-chapter references and relevant cases, plus it is supported by a comprehensive index as well as a user-friendly glossary that refers back to the chapter where an undefined term is first introduced. The glossary itself is fairly compact, since it is not padded with definitions that have already been explained in the text. In addition, supporting material (in the form of PowerPoint slides, case notes, and review question answers) is available to instructors through the publisher’s website.

The authors clearly understand that there is more to today’s supply chain than just moving things from point A to point B. Among the many topics covered are humanitarian disaster logistics, sustainability (a whole chapter), security (another whole chapter), selection of logistics service providers, the “Triple Bottom Line”, and some often overlooked factors like international holidays. This reviewer was quite surprised, for example, to learn that there are over 300 different banking holidays in the EU alone, which of course can affect both financial and physical supply chain operations. One pleasant benefit of today’s interconnected world is the book’s provision of numerous web addresses, which enable readers to mine further information on many subjects. The section on measuring logistics performance, as an example, clearly explains the usefulness of the World Bank’s Global Logistics Performance Index, and then directs readers to the World Bank website for the current LPI country list.

Along with presenting standard supply chain concepts, this book addresses a number of “outside the box” concepts. In one chapter the authors cite the ongoing debate on whether the Internet should now be considered as a sixth mode of transportation. For those who grew up with five modes this might be seen as heresy, but the book makes a good case for six. Another relatively new concept they present is reducing the supply chain’s carbon footprint. No matter what your personal views may be on the causes of global warming, the chart that illustrates the carbon generated by three competing supply chain options for delivering an ocean container to a customer in the UK makes a modern, compelling case for what we practitioners have known for years: the most efficient delivery route is usually the direct route—the one with the fewest handoffs, links and nodes. Potential (but positive) major disruptions in supply chain design are also discussed, such as 3D printing and even 4D printing—which turns out to be the use of 3D technology to create an item that transforms into its final, permanent shape through a later heating or other treatment.

The historical references are numerous, but relevant, such as the deregulation of air freight in the United States and Malcolm McLean’s first practical use of large intermodal containers in waterborne commerce. One interesting example concerned two possible origins of “Logistics”: did the word and concept come from Roman and Byzantine military officials whose title was “Logistica,” or did they evolve from the Greek word “logisticos” (“skilled in calculating”), or was it both? Readers are left to decide that on their own.

To gain its full value, students using this text must be at least slightly internationally literate. In one dimension, some of the business experiences discussed present financial impacts in the currency of the country being discussed, which requires the ability to make sense out of results shown in US dollars, Australian dollars, Euros, pounds Sterling, and others. Another dimension, quite common in today’s international writings, is the occasional intrusion of British English into what otherwise would read like...