Re‐engineering knowledge logistics

Abstract

Describes the key elements of total logistics systems and their cycle times for requisite service levels at least cost. Shows how these constructs originally emerged from military necessity but have more recently been driven for commercial and manufacturing advantage. Analyses the traditional logistics cycle in academic and professional publishing and then demonstrates how the application of a total logistics system approach with the emerging capabilities of electronics totally transforms the performance of the system, reducing cycle time by 75 per cent. Significantly re‐engineers the five key elements of logistics systems ‐ facilities, unitization, communications, inventory and transportation ‐ and rewrites the cost/benefit equation of service levels. Explores the opportunities for backward and forward integration by traditional librarians and publishers respectively in the re‐engineered total system.

Exploring the e-Supply Chain of Information Products

“…The total logistics flow cycle in traditional publishing (Figure 2) is modelled across a 12 month period in Wills & Will (1997). Knowledge in the academic and professional publishing sector first arises in the minds of scholars and practitioners.…”

“…Traditionally, and surprisingly still today, manuscripts are procured in a lengthy process which is usually rationalized as being due to quality assurance, where more often than not, mainly reflecting inefficiencies (Will & Will, 1997). A manuscript can take up to 18 months to appear in book and may reach up to 3.6 years (as per our interview with a major publisher).…”

“…An in-house developed enterprise learning management system (ELMS) was used to demonstrate the application of the proposed framework. In the same spirit as Ayers (1995) and Badarecco (1991), we would like in particular, "time to market" as a key contemporary logistics issue that needs to be addressed (Wills & Wills, 1997). Unfortunately, little work has been done to that call since then.…”

Process Analysis of Knowledge Production

“…The manufacturing of knowledge products can be viewed as the engineering of knowledge logistics. We draw on the work of Wills and Wills (1997) to review the engineering of knowledge logistics. Logistics is the science of the flow of people, material and information along the supply chain.…”

“…Inspired by the work of Wills and Wills (1997) we refer to the production of knowledge as "knowledge logistics". There are two important extensions to be made: the first is that knowledge entails the manipulation (summation, aggregation, filtering) of information which, in the present context, needs to be treated in terms of 'information products' (IP).…”