From Logistics Strategy to Macrologistics: Imperatives for a Developing World

Macrologistics is a strategic view of logistics as a production factor on national scales to support a shift towards sustainability. The book details logistics' evolution from a functional discipline to a value chain optimiser and, ultimately, an enabler of sustainability, including the evolution of metrics to support this shift. Macrologistics instrumentation involves striving towards the lowest total cost of ownership for national economies where, to improve decision-making, these costs should ultimately include the societal and ecological costs incurred due to logistics activities.

From Logistics Strategy to Macrologistics represents macrologistics research outputs for a number of developing economies, identifying distinctive macrologistics policy and infrastructure investments themes to address national logistics challenges in developing economies. The book culminates in a discussion on the potential future role of logistics to support the shift to a more sustainable society, where an acceptance of a degrowth paradigm might be required, and even advisable, for a more secure, fulfilling future. Logistics (and economics) scholars, researchers and practitioners should steer their work towards contributing to the development of an ecologically sustainable society, where resources and returns are shared widely, sustainably and equitably.

About the Authors

Jan Havenga is a Professor of Logistics at Stellenbosch University. He is one of the pioneers of the field of macrologistics, including the development of the theory, measurement tools and strategies to support logistics' role in society and macroeconomics, with a specific focus on applications in developing economies. He works closely with government and industry to support the development of freight logistics policy and guide national freight logistics infrastructure investments.

Ilse Witthöft is a freelance writer and researcher with a current focus on developing the body of knowledge in the emergent field of macrologistics, with a special focus on how it relates to developing economies. She leverages a career in organisational strategy development and strategic consulting, which included the inception stages of the development of macrologistics measurement tools for developing economies.

Anneke de Bod is a lecturer at the Department of Logistics, Stellenbosch University. Her consulting engagements with government and industry focus on the role of organisational culture and change management principles in facilitating logistics' successes, with a current interest on how to translate this to support macrologistics implementation.

Zane Simpson is a researcher at the Department of Industrial Engineering, Stellenbosch University. He is the mastermind behind the development of macrologistics measurement tools in developing economies, including freight flow- and logistics costs models, which were pioneered in South Africa, and has been subsequently successfully applied in sub-Saharan Africa, India, Mongolia and Uzbekistan.