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Logistics Management Career Outlook

Abstract:

This report is an investigation of the employment outlook for the occupation of logistics management. The following report provides Logistics Management Career Outlookinformation about the data collected from four interviews, occupational outlook handbook and job listings. According to this report, logistics and supply chain management are two distinct occupations that have been merged into one job. Supply chain management is described as systems that have been established in organizations to facilitate and coordinate the activities that are aimed at delivering items for advertisement. On the other hand, logistics refers to activities taking place within a single company. Logistics managers are charged with various roles and responsibilities. There arespecific jobs and mission they are expected to accomplish such as procurement, inventory management, procurement, and maintenance. Logistics managers perform other activities such as customer service, development of new products, and financing. The primary objective of logistics is to ensure that the right products are delivered to the right clients at the right time. It also ensures that the product delivered is of the right quantity, right cost, and in the right condition (Coyle, Langley, Novak, & Gibson, 2017).

General Overview:

Several individuals have not heard or do not understand logistics management. Logistics management refers to the process of managing or governing the functions of the supply chain. The role of the logistics manager is to facilitate the transactions that are taking place in the company. For instance, whenever the firm is receiving products from the supplier or another party, it is the responsibility of the logistics manager to ascertain that funds are available for the purchase. Besides, he or she must make sure that there is enough storage space and the right quantity is received at the agreed cost. The logistics managers are required to have specific skills to allow them to perform their jobs efficiently. Such skills include commercial awareness, problem-solving and numeracy skills. Besides, they must have analytical skills. They must also think quickly and logically.

Logistics is a complex process that involves a myriad of activities that takes place within the context of a business organization. It involves getting the right people, right products at the right time. Logistics also involves providing the right products at the right quantity and cost. In this case, logistics management refers to day-to-day activities that take place within the organization. It entails various processes including production and dissemination of goods effectively and efficiently.

Introduction:

Supply chain management (SCM) is the process of controlling networks to ensure goods and services are availed to the end point from the manufacturer. Such end points include customer service, marketing, finance and product development or processing. The terms supply chain management and logistics have been used interchangeably. They are two distinct terms that have some interrelations. Both logistics and SCM are wide and entails numerous concepts. For instance, logistics is divided into various categories including transport and logistics, third-party logistics (3PL), international and global logistics and fourth party logistics (4PL). Professionals in Logistics and Supply Chain Management can work in both small and large firms. Such industries include aerospace, manufacturing, defense, and energy among others. Most companies regardless of their size and nature of operations require professionals who can coordinate and facilitate the activities concerning receiving and sending goods. Most jobs are in need of managers who have specific skills in logistics and supply chain management to allow them to perform their duties efficiently. Therefore, the role of logistics and supply chain management cannot be understated in any given organization. Different organizations have specific qualifications that logistics professionals are required to meet. For instance, an electrical manufacturing company operating in Texas requires logistics and operations manager to have a Bachelor degree, 7-10 years of work experience, ability to work independently and handle multiple tasks and projects. A logistics analyst working for Logistics System and Information in Houston, TX must have a bachelor degree; three years work experience in business process specialist and SAP. Lastly, Northrop Grumman Technology Services operating in Port Hueneme requires a Logistics Engineer with a Bachelor Degree with five years of work experience in a similar position. Besides, the company considers an additional of 4 years of work experience in place of the degree.

The complexity of the supply chain management and logistics depends on the size of the organization. Large organizations have complex logistics and supply chain management compared to small ones. In case, of the logistics and supply chain management fails, the business activities are likely to be adversely affected. The failure can result in business loss and impose negative impacts on the related process and activities within the organization. In this case, those who are interested in working as logistics and supply chain management must acquire the requisite education to enable them to become competent in their jobs. In most case, the job postings in this profession require a minimum of 3 years work experience. This can be earned from previous occupations and internships in the same career. Work experience is vital for people seeking job postings in this profession. The probability of getting the job is high.

Purpose Statement

The following report identifies the role of job outlook in identifying the future changes in the number of human resources employed within the profession of logistics management. This report also analyzes the requirements and qualifications required of professionals within logistics and supply chain management. It also describes the essential observation of the professions working in logistics management.

Data Section

The available jobs for logisticians in the year 2014 were 130,400. Their annual salary was $74,260 by the year 2015 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015). The logisticians working for the federal government received the highest salary at $81,450. On the other hand, those working for wholesale firms earned the least annual salary at $65,850. Over 25% of the people who are working as logisticians in the USA work for 40 hours or more in a week. The number of logisticians is expected to grow within the next ten years at the rate of 2% (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015).

According to our search concerning the job postings, those who intend to work as logistics and supply chain management are required to have at least three years of work experience in the similar career. Besides, they are needed to have various skills such as project management skills, communication skills, and analytical skills.

Worldwide Logistics (Logistics Manger) ·         3-5 years’ experience in outbound and inbound customer service.

·         Bachelors in Logistics.

New Cumberland PA (Logistics Management Specialist) ·         Bachelors in logistics.

·         Minimum 6 years of experience

·         Secret security clearance license

Confidential-distribution (Logistics manager) ·         Minimum 3 years of experience in domestic and international logistics.

·         Bachelors in Logistics.

·         Competent with MS office applications.

Interview 1:

This interview was carried out at OXY Petroleum Company. Mr. Patrick who works as logistics manager was interviewed. He has been an employee of the firm since the year 1996. We began the interview by inquiring of the specific skills required of logistics manager to be successful. According to him, logistics managers must have effective communication skills both written and spoken. Computer and numeracy skills also play a significant role in ensuring that he performs the jobs efficiently. According to him, the logistic manager is expected to be accountable for his actions. He also noted that flexibility, teamwork, and team building are required for a successful logistics manager.  Mr. Patrick described the position of logistic manager as being stressful. This is because the manager is required to be responsible for tracking over 9000 items of the company. He also noted that the role is both challenging and exciting. He is expected to handle different situations on a daily basis. I was interested to know if the role requires a lot of physical work. Mr. Patrick noted that those who are working in the distribution sector especially shipping, and case throwing must engage in physical work. They are required to load trucks, and this requires a lot of physical activities. Those who are doing the audit are required to access the racks on forklifts to ascertain the number of goods received. This depends on the structure of the building. However, those working in the purchasing sector are not exposed to physical activities. Logistics entails a myriad of activities. There are those who work as truck drivers. They do not use a lot of energy but are required to stay active most of the times. We also asked him the difference between logistics and business. He noted that logistics is more of fun compared to business. Business has different formal structures as opposed to logistics which is challenging and an individual can register in different areas. The primary focus of the business is accounting, marketing, and finance. In this case, it is straightforward. On the other hand, logistics covers a wider area including marketing, costing, finance, and purchasing. Logistics requires people to be experts in various areas, and this makes it challenging and interesting. I went further to inquire about what purchasing in logistics entails. Mr. Patrick noted that purchasing forms the largest share in logistics. Purchasing involves buying products that can be either stored in the warehouse or sold to the final consumers. Concerning training and development, he noted that it is a crucial process that employees are expected to undergo. Most employees undergo apprenticeship where they are trained on the job by a knowledgeable person. This type of training is provided for employees at all levels. The company also offers training opportunities to equip the employees with basic skills to allow them to perform their duties efficiently. The most useful course which is useful in the job from high is mathematics. This is because mathematics is applied on a daily basis. As a logistician, you are expected to perform basic multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction. This course is required in carrying out inventory control purchasing. I also asked Mr. Patrick if the occupation requires one to travel a lot. He noted that traveling depends on the position. Facility managers are required to travel for two weeks annually. Other positions such as warehouse workers do not require traveling. The last question was about the benefits that logistics managers are entitled to. He is entitled to dental insurance, health insurance, company car, Roth option to retirement and vision in Sherman K program.

After the interview, I was motivated to pursue a career in logistics. I was encouraged to undertake a bachelor degree in logistics from UNT and commence working after completion. During the interview, I learned that logistics management is a wide profession with different opportunities. Interestingly, the career is both entertaining and challenging. Every position has specific tasks that the job holder is expected to perform. Besides, the privileges given to job holders vary depending on the position. The functions carried out in logistics management rely on the daily situations.

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