Personal Strengths and Weaknesses
I 'm currently a post graduate student of International Logistics and Supply chain. My previous education qualifications also have a logistics background, as my undergraduate studies was on Logistics and Operations Management. Further more, I 'm a strategic level CIMA student which gives me a thorough understanding of finance and management accounting too. Add to these qualifications are my one year 's work as a professional digital marketer – which has gained me an understanding of marketing and e-commerce, which is a growing industry across the world. In fact according to eMarketer report on B2C e-commerce sales worldwide from 2012 to 2018 (2014, as cited in Statista, 2016), from 2012 the global B2C e-commerce sales has had a steady growth and is expected to reach 1.92 trillion USD by the end of 2016. In essence, I 'm an academic of Logistics and related finances with an e-commerce/digital marketing background. I identify the correlation that exists between my areas of studies and the work experience as an advantage. However, the lack of specific professional experience in the areas of my studies – logistics and supply chain remains as a disadvantage, as prior industry experience adds more weightage to someone 's employability. Industry Dynamics and Employment Roles International Logistics and supply chain is an industry which doesn’t operate in isolation of e-commerce, as e-retailing has become one of the major drivers of the B2C logistics industry. …show more content…
Burnson (2016) argues that the introduction of e-commerce has introduced a greater risk and complexity for Logistics managers ' job roles in terms figuring out the optimal distribution network. This is possibly because increasing customer demand in terms of volume and variety intensifies the competition between the rival supply chains to remain in business. As a direct result Logistics mangers are expected to understand the digital consumer behavior, read big data and come up with creative logistics solutions. A DHL Customer Solutions & innovations report (Jeske, Grüner and Weiß, 2013) suggests that data science skills and appropriate technology usage by employees across different levels of an organization are two of many success factors of an logistics business. This adds further weightage to Burnson 's argument, as it directly shows that logistics industry giants expect their managers to be digital-ready. Hence, it 's safe to conclude that a future transportation and logistics manager has to have digital …show more content…
This however is not a mandatory entry level requirement, but will help me in finding a good employer, career progression and to engage in further studies following several years of industry experience.
CILT and other relevant professional bodies ' accreditation is another important step. These professional bodies provide ample opportunities in the industry as well as to network with other professionals. These professional bodies and networks provide basis to seek expertise advice on problems, to make new business arrangements, to find alternative supply chain solutions and to discuss potential problems/threats in forums. (Logistics-leaders.co.uk, 2016).
Thirdly, I must be employed in a company that provides me sufficient room to progress quickly as a professional. The popular author Malcolm Gladwell in his book; David & Goliath (2013, as cited in Griswold, 2013) points out that working for a big corporation can crush the confidence and the growth potential of an individual. However, in my opinion – a large MNC which is more likely to have identified the global trends in logistics than a small operator due to the ever growing competition among the big players of market. Such organization will provide a strong training ground for a fresh graduate such as
I 'm currently a post graduate student of International Logistics and Supply chain. My previous education qualifications also have a logistics background, as my undergraduate studies was on Logistics and Operations Management. Further more, I 'm a strategic level CIMA student which gives me a thorough understanding of finance and management accounting too. Add to these qualifications are my one year 's work as a professional digital marketer – which has gained me an understanding of marketing and e-commerce, which is a growing industry across the world. In fact according to eMarketer report on B2C e-commerce sales worldwide from 2012 to 2018 (2014, as cited in Statista, 2016), from 2012 the global B2C e-commerce sales has had a steady growth and is expected to reach 1.92 trillion USD by the end of 2016. In essence, I 'm an academic of Logistics and related finances with an e-commerce/digital marketing background. I identify the correlation that exists between my areas of studies and the work experience as an advantage. However, the lack of specific professional experience in the areas of my studies – logistics and supply chain remains as a disadvantage, as prior industry experience adds more weightage to someone 's employability. Industry Dynamics and Employment Roles International Logistics and supply chain is an industry which doesn’t operate in isolation of e-commerce, as e-retailing has become one of the major drivers of the B2C logistics industry. …show more content…
Burnson (2016) argues that the introduction of e-commerce has introduced a greater risk and complexity for Logistics managers ' job roles in terms figuring out the optimal distribution network. This is possibly because increasing customer demand in terms of volume and variety intensifies the competition between the rival supply chains to remain in business. As a direct result Logistics mangers are expected to understand the digital consumer behavior, read big data and come up with creative logistics solutions. A DHL Customer Solutions & innovations report (Jeske, Grüner and Weiß, 2013) suggests that data science skills and appropriate technology usage by employees across different levels of an organization are two of many success factors of an logistics business. This adds further weightage to Burnson 's argument, as it directly shows that logistics industry giants expect their managers to be digital-ready. Hence, it 's safe to conclude that a future transportation and logistics manager has to have digital …show more content…
This however is not a mandatory entry level requirement, but will help me in finding a good employer, career progression and to engage in further studies following several years of industry experience.
CILT and other relevant professional bodies ' accreditation is another important step. These professional bodies provide ample opportunities in the industry as well as to network with other professionals. These professional bodies and networks provide basis to seek expertise advice on problems, to make new business arrangements, to find alternative supply chain solutions and to discuss potential problems/threats in forums. (Logistics-leaders.co.uk, 2016).
Thirdly, I must be employed in a company that provides me sufficient room to progress quickly as a professional. The popular author Malcolm Gladwell in his book; David & Goliath (2013, as cited in Griswold, 2013) points out that working for a big corporation can crush the confidence and the growth potential of an individual. However, in my opinion – a large MNC which is more likely to have identified the global trends in logistics than a small operator due to the ever growing competition among the big players of market. Such organization will provide a strong training ground for a fresh graduate such as