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Physical distribution management in New Zealand, is still, in many companies, subordinate to other functions in the corporate organisational hierarchy. In this study of three industries (Menswear, Foodstuffs and Pharmaceuticals) it was found that most distribution executives were responsible for warehousing and transport with very little involvement in setting customer service levels, the very essence of physical distribution. These results were surprising considering that it was claimed that there existed a large degree of awareness about the importance of physical distribution in terms of a company′s overall success. The actual level of adoption and successful implementation of an Integrated Physical Distribution system was around 50 per cent. Here there was considerable disagreement between top management of a company and the senior distribution executive. These conclusions were drawn from the response by the General Manager/CEO of participating companies, together with independent responses from the person in the company “responsible for the planning and control of the distribution activities”. These responses were examined in three distinct areas: attitudes towards distribution, adoption of integrated distribution concept and company organisation of distribution activities.

Optimization of dynamics determining distribution performance of pharmaceuticals is vital in realizing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 3 which insists on provision of good health and well-being to the society. This study was designed at unfolding diverse factors that influence the distribution performance of pharmaceuticals in the Medical Stores Department (MSD) of Tanzania.

This study utilized cross-sectional survey strategy in gathering data from 67 staff members working in the MSD using census approach. A structured questionnaire facilitated the collection of quantitative data which were later analyzed using ordinal logistic regression.

The results disclosed that all variables of inventory management, information management system and facility location positively and significantly govern the distribution performance and henceforth rejection of the foreseen null hypothesis.

This study realized dynamics inducing distribution performance of pharmaceuticals but did not cover the role of 3PLS and 4PLS in enhancing the same, and hence, an imminent study ought to seal this gap. Also, having grasped management information system is of strategic pillar, then it would sound imperative to analyze the application of artificial intelligence in distribution system performance.

This paper assimilates the concept of subaspects of supply chain management in footings of distribution management and that of pharmaceuticals and hence multidisciplinary value addition. Also, this study illustrates the applicability of strategic choice theory in strategic management in developing countries through pertinent choice of inventory management, information management system and facility location in triumphing SDGs.

In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.

Preface The functions of business divide into several areas and the general focus of this book is on one of the most important although least understood of these—DISTRIBUTION. The particular focus is on reviewing current practice in distribution costing and on attempting to push the frontiers back a little by suggesting some new approaches to overcome previously defined shortcomings.

The librarian and researcher have to be able to uncover specific articles in their areas of interest. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume IV, like Volume III, contains features to help the reader to retrieve relevant literature from MCB University Press' considerable output. Each entry within has been indexed according to author(s) and the Fifth Edition of the SCIMP/SCAMP Thesaurus. The latter thus provides a full subject index to facilitate rapid retrieval. Each article or book is assigned its own unique number and this is used in both the subject and author index. This Volume indexes 29 journals indicating the depth, coverage and expansion of MCB's portfolio.

Key components of the logistics mix are described in an effort to create an understanding of the total logistics concept. Chapters include an introduction to logistics; the strategic role of logistics, customer service levels, channel relationships, facilities location, transport, inventory management, materials handling, interface with production, purchasing and materials management, estimating demand, order processing, systems performance, leadership and team building, business resource management.

Since the first Volume of this Bibliography there has been an explosion of literature in all the main areas of business. The researcher and librarian have to be able to uncover specific articles devoted to certain topics. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume III, in addition to the annotated list of articles as the two previous volumes, contains further features to help the reader. Each entry within has been indexed according to the Fifth Edition of the SCIMP/SCAMP Thesaurus and thus provides a full subject index to facilitate rapid information retrieval. Each article has its own unique number and this is used in both the subject and author index. The first Volume of the Bibliography covered seven journals published by MCB University Press. This Volume now indexes 25 journals, indicating the greater depth, coverage and expansion of the subject areas concerned.

The degree of association between sophistication in distribution management and service performance differs across industries. While there are significant associations with some of the indicators of management sophistication in all three industries used in this study, there was no consistency in the results. The only industry for which there was statistical support for a positive association between management sophistication and service performance is foodstuffs. Even this only indicates poor service providers were less sophisticated management. For all three industry groups there is evidence that factors, other than the level of management sophistication, have influenced the service rankings. The differences in the relevant importance of customer service and the various elements of distribution service may be one such factor. The inconclusiveness of association results may have been contributed to by the failure to take into account inter‐relationships between various subsets of management variables.

This issue contains abstract under the following headings: Logistics & Distribution Strategy; Supply Chain Management; IT in Logistics & Distribution; Just‐in‐Time Management; and Accounting for Logistics.

Since the emergence of physical distribution/logistics management as an applied discipline in the early 1960s, the search for requisite skills has dominated the concerns of professionals in this new field. While there had been some earlier attempts to organise educational approaches in this field, the first real national and cohesive attempts were launched with the founding of the Annual Transportation and Logistics Educators' Conference. The enthusiasm of the participants and the heavy focus of the first conference proceedings on this issue marked a really strong inertia towards the search for, and development of, status in this field of management concern.