Fallopian tubes make vital portals for the transfer of gametes and the early conceptus, and were named after Gabrielis Fallopius (Italy, 1423–1562) who first described the structures. Reinier De Graaf (1641–1673), however, was the first to understand the function of the Fallopian tubes.

Education generates human capital and competitive advantages of nations, including the logistics and supply chain sectors. In order to meet everchanging logistics business environment, the logistics education in Hong Kong has undergone significant changes in the postmodern era. In this chapter, we will achieve the following objectives:

Introduction

Logistics industry is traditionally one of the four economic pillars of Hong Kong (The Census and Statistics Department, 2016). Within service, the logistics industry has generated 6 percent of Hong Kong's total GDP in 2015. Thanks to the domestic demand and investments, Hong Kong's annual growth rate (in terms of GDP) has recorded an average of 5.38 percent between 1974 and 2015 (The Census and Statistics Department, 2016). Recently, Hong Kong has become an international hub for trade, business and finance, notably, with Mainland China entering the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, the introduction of Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) in 2003 and the introduction of the “Belt and Road” initiative in 2015. As such, the logistics industry has made significant economic contributions to the ever- changing global environment. However, Hong Kong's logistics industry has faced keen competition with neighboring countries in the Asia- Pacific regions. To further strengthen and consolidate the competitiveness of Hong Kong's logistics industry in the world, it would be crucial to develop a comprehensive logistics education. In today's global and dynamic environment, there has been increasing concern that professional education could be an effective approach to improve productivity, and employees of the highest quality have the quality and competency to respond effectively to continuous changes (Becker, 1993). Recently, there has been a tremendous growth in academic institutions considering apprentice- style, non academic learning approaches to add on their “professional” and “practicebased” programs (Bourner et al., 2001).

Due to capacity expansion, environmental considerations, community restrictions and complex supply chain management, an inland port has emerged as a notable actor to connect a hub port and hinterland area. Mexico has demonstrated illustrative examples of inland ports in global supply chains. In this chapter, we will achieve the following objectives:

Introduction

A supply chain is a series of organizations that interact with one another in order to bring products (goods or services) to the final consumer. Typically a supply chain includes customer or consumer, retail or retail stages, merchants or distributors, manufacturers or manufacturers and suppliers, among others (Chan et al., 2012; Tang and Lau, 2013; Lau et al., 2018).

One of the main purposes of managing supply chains is the coordination and improvement of interorganizational processes. The world's bestrecognized definitions come from the Council of Professional Supply Chain Management, formerly known as the Council of Logistics Management.

Before the 1990s, companies were oriented to managing their internal processes, but as the approach to supply chain management emerged, the emphasis shifted to managing interorganizational processes, which went beyond the boundaries of one's own institution.

In an integrated supply chain approach, organizations realize that they need to include not only their suppliers and customers, but also third- party service providers (intermediary and service providers) to identify and improve their critical processes, in such a way that can be gained collaboratively through synergies, in order to meet customer requirements at a lower cost, with greater quality and speed (Figure 6.1).

Supply chain management is an applied subject. In order to facilitate the learners on how to apply the different learning knowledge and concepts into a practical workplace and dynamic business environment, various case exercises in global supply chains are provided in this chapter. In this chapter, we will achieve the following objectives:

Specialized Warehouse

Assume that you are the business development manager of ABC Liner Shipping Company. Recently, ABC Liner Shipping Company launched a new shipping routing in order to create a new logistics business. The new shipping routing will pass through key container ports including Qingdao, Ningbo, Savannah, Charleston, Boston and New York. You need to select ONE container port to provide the recommendations on how to develop a specialized warehouse.

The Belt and Road Initiative in Maritime Transport Networks

The Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, a significant development strategy launched by the Chinese government with the intention of promoting economic cooperation among countries along the proposed Belt and Road routes. The initiative has been designed to enhance the orderly free- flow of economic factors and the efficient allocation of resources. It is also intended to further market integration and create a regional economic cooperation framework of benefit to all. Assume that you are the vessel planning manager of a liner shipping company. You need to manage four 2,000 TEU container ships, four 6,000 TEU container ships and four 10,000 TEU container ships for a 60- day sailing schedule. You are requested to design the ship routings for Intra- Asian regions and the Belt and Road Initiative countries. Also, you need to plan which container port(s) is/ are the hub port(s) and feeder port(s).

Consortium

A consortium is a group made up of two or more individuals, companies or governments that work together toward achieving a chosen objective. Entities participating in a consortium will pool resources but otherwise are only responsible to the group in respect to the obligations that are set out in the consortium's agreement. Therefore, every entity that is under the consortium remains independent with regard to their normal business operations and has no say over another member's operations that are not related to the consortium. (Source: Investopedia.com)

Concession Agreement

A concession agreement is a negotiated contract between a company and a government that gives the company the right to operate a specific business within the government's jurisdiction, subject to certain conditions. Concession agreements may also refer to agreements between the owner of a facility and the concession owners or concessionaires that grant the latter exclusive rights to operate a specific business in the facility under specified conditions. (Source: Investopedia.com)

Hitherto

up to this time; until now: a fact hitherto unknown to here. (Source: Dictionary. com)

Reverse logistics is the process of moving goods from their typical final destination for the purpose of capturing value, or proper disposal. Remanufacturing and refurbishing activities may also be included in the definition of reverse logistics. In this chapter, we will achieve the following objectives:

Introduction

Only a few decades ago, the world spoke about “quality” as a concept to add value in products and services; then the “just in time” concept appeared some years after. At that time, engineers, administrators and logistics strategists focused on designing intelligent and reliable strategies that would boost the concept of “supply chain” and guarantee greater efficiency in the delivery of products and services on time. It was essential to do what was necessary to achieve such, the production lines did not stop for any reason and added to the previous concept of quality and the consumers satisfied their need, taste or desire as soon as possible.

Quality refers to the ability of an object to meet implicit or explicit needs according to a parameter, a fulfillment of quality requirements (Figure 9.1). It is a subjective concept related to the perceptions of each individual to compare the thing with any other of the same species, and various factors such as culture, product or service, needs and expectations directly influence this definition.

The term quality of Latin is “qualitative.” A current view of the concept of quality in marketing indicates that quality is not delivering to the customer what they want, but delivering what they had never imagined they were looking for and that once they get it, realize it is what they have always wanted.

There is also quality control, quality assurance and quality management concepts that are related to quality in industries and services.

Setting the Scene

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the understanding of global supply chains. In the twenty- first century, firms encounter untold pressures including market expansion, globalization, keen competition and increasing customer expectations in a dynamic business environment, where competitors continuously upgrade capabilities so as to remain competitive. This encourages firms to provide superior customer service and reduce total cost via upgrading logistics capabilities. Firms such as General Electric, Wal- Mart, Dell, Cisco and Southern Book Company are able to control supply chains and root out volatilities. Indeed, a competitive supply chain is the key driver for firms to accomplish a competitive edge by improving productivity, decreasing operating cost, keeping strong partnership, increasing revenue and improving customer services (Chan et al., 2012). Hence, today business competition often is “a supply chain against another supply chain” rather than a company against another company (Bowersox et al., 2013). In this regard, the boundary between logistics and supply chain management (SCM) is often confused. The former is a subgroup of SCM that covers additional issues beyond the flow of products and services and incorporates logistics into a core supply chain focused function (Tang and Lau, 2013). The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (2007) distinguishes logistics management from SCM. Logistics management is defined as “part of supply chain management that plans, implements, and controls the efficient, effective forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services and related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet customers’ requirements.” SCM, however, “encompasses the planning and management of all activities involved in sourcing and procurement, conversion, and all logistics management activities. Importantly, it also includes coordination and collaboration with channel partners, which can be suppliers, intermediaries, third party service providers, and customers. In essence, supply chain management integrates supply and demand management within and across companies.” Logistics includes all relevant processes pertaining to warehouse, materials handling, packaging, transport, distribution, reception, customer relationship management, demand forecasting, inventory management, procurement and reverse logistics, to name but a few.

Outbound logistics is the downstream of supply chain management (SCM). The critical role of outbound logistics is to distribute products and services to final end users at the right time, to the right place, for the right people and at the right quality and quantity. In this chapter, we accomplish the following:

Supply Chain Management

The field of SCM emerged over a half century ago and continues to evolve. In the early 1980s, scholars began to connect SCM to “systems theory” and “holism” (New, 1997). In the 1990s, research on SCM significantly increased (Huan et al., 2004). However, the definitions of “supply chain” and “supply chain management” are not universally shared, with different scholars providing different perspectives. Before reviewing the role of outbound logistics in supply chains, we may develop a clear understanding of the supply chain. Thus, we examine some central concepts as follows.

Many scholars have tried to provide effective interpretations of SCM through different approaches. Simchi- Levi et al. (2009, p. 1) offered the following definition: “supply chain management is a set of approaches utilized to efficiently integrate suppliers, manufacturers, warehouses, and stores, so that merchandise is produced and distributed at the right quantities, to the right locations, and at the right time, in order to minimize systemwide costs while satisfying service level requirements.” SCM concerns the coordination of all activities related to the entire supply chain, starting with raw materials and concluding with a satisfied customer. The main objective of SCM is to reshape the supply chain to maximize an operator's competitive advantage over others (Heizer et al., 2017). In addition, Christopher (1992, p. 12) provided this explanation: “The supply chain is the network of organizations that are involved, through upstream and downstream linkages, in the different processes and activities that produce value in the form of products and services in the hands of the ultimate customer.”

The emergence of logistics associations generates the tremendous growth in the logistics industry. Logistics associations are one of the important platforms for logistics professionals to meet and generate business opportunities. In this chapter, we will achieve the following objectives:

Introduction

Logistics associations have appeared in the world in the nineteenth century. The growth of these association has spread from the western to eastern regions. In order to align with the ever- changing logistics business practices and employer expectations, logistics associations organize various activities (i.e., seminars, site visits, conferences, social gatherings etc.) and collaborate with academic institutions to deliver different courses and practical examinations. Nowadays, logistics professionals tend to acquire both academic and professional qualifications. It makes good sense for them to obtain various professional qualifications from different logistics associations. In other words, the number of logistics associations is trending rapidly upward since the twentyfirst century.

Why Join a Logistics Association?

Until now, various students and industry participators have been eager to strive to obtain various academic qualifications. The majority of them seriously overlook the significance of professional qualifications obtained from different logistics associations. In this section, we explore the rationale behind you joining a logistics association in the following reasons:

What Are the Top Challenges for Today's Logistics Associations?

In this chapter, we will be providing two specific case studies on food supply chains. Halal food and wine are the two main emerging issues in food supply chains. Recently, the market for halal food has received much attention worldwide. Therefore, the demand for halal food is increasing tremendously. Additionally, a cold chain involves the transportation of temperature- sensitive products along a supply chain through thermal and refrigerated packaging methods and the logistical planning to protect the integrity of these shipments. Wine is a typical example to illustrate such a chain. Thanks to globalization, wine has become one of the important commodities in the global trading activities of the twenty- first century. In this chapter, we will achieve the following objectives:

Principles of Halal Food

Halal is an Arabic word that in English is translated as allowed, permitted, legal or lawful. The opposite meaning is haram, which is described as forbidden, unlawful or illegal (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia, 2005). Under Islamic principle, halal is a part of Shariah (Islamic law) and is mentioned in the Holy Quran. Shariah law is the fundamental guidance in developing the halal standard (Tan et al., 2012a) and a code of conduct for all Muslims to follow and apply to every activity including eating. Every product and service must exclude the use of non- halal ingredients (i.e., carrion, blood, flesh of the swine etc.) (Ab Talib and Johan, 2012).

According to Islam and Shariah, all disputes and issues relevant to halal or haram should be based on Quran and Sunnah. Basically, halal is a series of rules “Halalan Thoyyiban” (Sungkar and Hashim, 2009). Almighty Allah clearly states that