Social Aspects of Reverse Logistics and Knowledge Management

Introduction

The enterprise logistics is related to practically all the areas of an organization. This is an advantage and a disadvantage. Is an advantage, because, since the same it can study the organization as a whole. But at the same time, it is a disadvantage, because the enterprise logistics study is complex.

These two topics, the relationship of the enterprise logistics with the entire organization and the complex that it is to study the enterprise logistics, it can see through some aspects of great social impact, as:

The Quality. Since the late twentieth century Anderson, Jerman & Crum (1998), present the impact of quality in logistics. They reflect the social impact, linking the impact of logistics in customer service.

Later indicate Van der Vorst, Tromp & Van der Zee (2009), the relationship of the quality and logistics through the quality in the food industry. And to relate its social impact not only through the quality required to food, but in the sustainability and especially the environmental impact of the supply chain in the food industry.

The maintenance. Some authors (García, Escobet & Quevedo, 2010; Luna, 2009) manage a concept that relates the logistics and maintenance and the social impact, of the Prognostics and Health Management (PHM). Although obviously in this case Health, does not refer to the health of the staff, if not to the equipment and parts.

The relationship with the social is given because equipments which makes it a suitable maintenance, generates fewer problems for the employees in its environment, while generally more environmentally benign.

The industrial design. In different sections of their book Järvinen & Koskinen et al. (2001), draw attention to the sociological aspects of industrial design, which should be focused on the man. Among other aspects it must consider the logistics, either in the use of the designed, as in the logistics for its creation. In this way it can see the close relationship between logistics, industrial design and the social aspects.

Although they focus more on the market that the logistics, Van Gent et al. (2011), to present the technical Experiential Design Landscapes (EDL), show how the design is a social problem. And again it is clear that the design and logistics could ensure greater social comfort. They understand that the current design must do trying to minimize consumption of energy and minimizing the environmental impact.

The Human resources. A term that immediately relates logistics, human resources and the social is Humanitarian logistics, which clarify Tomasini & Van Wassenhove (2009), it is directed to vulnerable people. While this concept is intended to alleviate the deficiencies of people affected by a disaster, it covering aspects such as: transportation, planning, procurement and warehousing, which are specific terms of business logistics.

In some cases, the private organizations take part in works of Humanitarian logistics, not only for social commitment, but to learn managerial aspects of these experiences (McLachlin & Larson, 2011; Tomasini & Van Wassenhove, 2009). These last authors clarify, that between the differences between the business logistics and the Humanitarian logistics is emphasizes in collaboration.

Through business logistics directly, or through the Humanitarian logistics, it can see the close relationship between logistics, human resources and social aspects. In any case, the companies will take all this relationship through the human resource management.

It could show more examples for each of them. But with these four aspects there has been only a brief overview about how logistics is related with the whole organization, at the same time as influences in their social impact.

By all this complexity and multiple interactions, to facilitate the understanding of the business logistics have been created in the academy four models qualitative-quantitative, which study it from different approaches.