7 Careers in Logistics

Essay by supergrl6831University, Bachelor'sA, December 2002

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Melissa Green

Careers In Logistics

Although most college students do not see logistics as a very probable employment field, it is actually an area of great importance to everyone (Gibson, 1985,p. 2). Logistics is a broad career field that includes a wide variety of jobs. In this paper I will discuss and analyze seven major careers in logistics: administrative manager, inventory control manager, warehousing manager, administrative analyst, transportation manager, customer service manager, and consultant. For each one of the careers I will talk about the job and all it involves, the skills needed in order to do the job effectively, and some of the key duties that are included with the job.

ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER

I wanted to begin with talking about the logistics manager because it is one of the most involved careers in logistics.

Being a logistics manager is kind of like running a medium-sized company within the organization (Gibson, 1985,p.

4). It is not uncommon for them to supervise as many as 300 people (Johnson, 1999,p. 18). These individuals oversee many logistics functions that include warehouse and distribution operations, forecasting, planning, logistics systems, customer service, and purchasing (Weiss, 1996,p. 12). They direct daily operations and manage logistics personnel. Also, the logistics manager coordinates third party relationships with suppliers and other members of the supply chain (Ballou, 1998,p. 6).

It is extremely important for managers to have good leadership and teamwork skills and also strong written and verbal skills (Gibson, 1985,p. 18). Good technical, analytical, and negotiation skills are also equally important. Financial skills are needed in order to manage the budget, and people skills to be able to deal with employees and customers (Weiss, 1996,p. 13). Logistics managers must be enthusiastic about change in order for them to be successful. Change is the only thing that is constant...