Material Economy and Logistics 05/2022

Logistics plays an important role in business management. It is both an important area of the management and quality studies, as well as a tool for the forming the competitiveness of the firms, supply chains and supply networks. The article is a review. The aim of the article is to present the most important research problems conducted by Professor Piotr Blaik, related to logistics as a concept and determinant of business management. In the research studies performed by the Professor logistics is seen primarily as a concept of materials, goods and information flow management, as well as a determinant of changes in the business management system. Such an approach to the essence of logistics is still relatively rare in Poland.

The article deals with the use of humanitarian logistics in the aspect of exposing the social component of its essence and the determinants of effectiveness with an emphasis on hybridization. In this context, the aim of the article should be seen, which is to indicate the social place of humanitarian logistics in crisis conditions. In this case, the fact is raised, that the fundamental task here boils down to a quick response to a crisis situation in order to save life or prevent or alleviate human suffering. The author points to the importance of the problem through the prism of the literature on the subject, citing a number of works that were published after 2009, when the term "humanitarian logistics" was more closely identified. Moreover, it indicates the premises for the development of interest in these issues. The author treated the problem of the place of humanitarian logistics in social sciences in a special way, outlining it against the background of views and perspectives of looking at this extremely current area of logistics interest. In relation to the classical approach of logistics, it's a necessary supplement that accentuates people and their needs in crisis situations and more. This is a different, humane understanding of the logistics system.

Contemporary organizations, that are operating in a competitive, global market observe a significant increase of interest in the issues of quality management, initially in products and services, and in the consequence in the management systems, which results in the development of new methods of quality improvement in organizations. This process is determined by increasing emphasis on reducing production costs and generating savings combined with the reduction of unnecessary costs. As a result, advantageous conditions were created for the development of new quality management methods, such as: Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing and Kaizen, which are widespread in many organizations, especially in enterprises of various industries and business profiles around the world. The article presents a selected concept of the improvement of logistics processes according to the DMAIC methodology in theoretical and practical terms. The aim of the article is to present the possibility of a practical application of the process improvement concept according to the DMAIC methodology, heading to reducing the value of production scrap in an enterprise that produces window fittings.

The increasing competition encourages firms to search for sources of competitive advantage. An important element in creating this advantage is customer service. Properly implemented customer service allows to achieve customer satisfaction and contentment, which enables the formation and maintaining of competitive advantage. One of the methods of proper shaping of customer service are the capabilities of firms, including logistics capabilities. The aim of the article is to present the importance of logistics capabilities in shaping customer service. This article presents (1) the concept of logistics capabilities, (2) the essence, stages and elements of customer service, (3) transformation of the customer service approach towards logistics service and (4) identifies the logistics capabilities with the greatest contribution to the formation of customer service.