Logistics and the bottom line
Today’s turbulent business environment has produced an ever greater awareness
amongst managers of the financial dimension of decision making. ‘The bottom line’
has become the driving force which, perhaps erroneously, determines the direction
of the company. In some cases this has led to a limiting, and potentially dangerous,
focus on the short term. Hence we find that investment in brands, in R&D and in
capacity may well be curtailed if there is no prospect of an immediate payback.
Just as powerful an influence on decision making and management horizons is
cash flow. Strong positive cash flow has become as much a desired goal of man-
agement as profit.
The third financial dimension to decision making is resource ...