• Organisations are outsourcing peripheral activities and concentrating on their core operations. Logistics is a useful area for third-party operators, with specialised companies offering a range of services.
• Organisations are increasing co-operation through alliances, partnerships, and other arrangements. This integration is important for logistics, which is usually the main link between organisations in a supply chain.
• Managers are recognising the strategic importance of the supply chain.
• Attitudes towards transport are changing, because of increased congestion on roads, concerns about air quality and pollution, broader environmental issues, government policies for the real cost of road transport, deregulation of transport, and a host of other changes.