The importance of logistic management for the general developmentstrategy of functioning of the enterprise is a stimulus to consider it in terms of newmethodology in enterprise management. Taking into account the up-to-date experiencesof logistics, either as a scientific branch or a practice, logistic management cannot betreated in the same way as the system management, through its aims, or the strategicmanagement understood as new method of management.logistic, management, enterprises

Marek Lis

Tomasz Lis

English

Research Papers in Economics

Annales Universitatis Apulensis Series Oeconomica, 11(2), 2009 
 
 
890 
 
LOGISTIC MANAGEMENT IN COMMERCE ENTERPRISES 
 
 
Tomasz Lis
1 
Marek Lis
2 
 
 
ABSTRACT:  The  importance  of  logistic  management  for  the  general  development  strategy  of 
functioning of the enterprise is a stimulus to consider it in terms of new methodology in enterprise 
management.  Taking into  account  the  up-to-date  experiences  of  logistics,  either  as  a  scientific 
branch  or  a  practice,  logistic  management  cannot  be  treated  in  the  same  way  as  the  system 
management,  through  its  aims,  or    the  strategic  management  understood  as  new  method  of 
management. 
 
Key words: logistic, management, enterprises 
 
JEL Codes: L8 
 
 
Introduction  
Commerce  enterprises  –  features  and  peculiarities  of  their  activity.  One  of  types  of 
enterprises  is  a  commerce  enterprises.  The  form  of  economic  organization  like  a  commerce 
enterprise  has  appeared  in  the  market  at  the  instant,  when  the  number  of  wares  produced  by 
producers ahs reached the level exceeding their own selling possibilities. The aim of its activity is 
being a go between in the ware exchange between the producer and the consumer (either individual 
one or a wholesale one). This ware exchange is called commerce. “Commerce is an economic 
activity consisting in professional going between in the ware exchange, i.e. their purchase in order 
to  sell  it  later  with  profit.  The  functioning  of  commerce  is  based  on  the activity  of  numerous 
enterprises  (economic  units),  which  perform  many  useful  functions  either  for  producers  (ware 
suppliers) or consumers, joining the ware distribution process”
1. In the book “Marketing strategies 
of commerce enterprises” the authors consider the commerce in the functional and institutional 
aspects.
2  
The functional aspect refers to commerce at the level of production enterprises, which sell 
the wares produced by themselves to end users. Man speaks of institutional commerce in reference 
to  enterprises,  which  purchase  wares  in  order  to  sell  them  later.  They  aim  at  obtainment  of 
measurable financial effects due to adding margin of profit to the purchase price.  
Maria  Sławińska  defines  the  notion  “commerce  enterprise”  in  the  following  way:  “A 
commerce enterprise is an economic unit (team of people, system of material and financial assets) 
unique in its organizational, economic and legal form, specializing in carrying the activity in the 
sphere of ware exchange i.e. carrying out transactions of ware purchase in order to sell them later”
1. 
Each  type  of  the  enterprise:  a  production  one,  commerce  one  or  a  service  one  has  its 
characteristic  features,  which  are  distinct  and  consititute  its  organizational  individuality.  The 
following feaures are accounted to the most important features of commercial enterprises:
1 
   substantial level of dependency from factors related to phenomena and processes 
occruing in the sphere of demand and supply, 
   responsibility for its own offer, thus for shaping consumption, 
   observed strong links with the region of its activity. 
                                                 
1 Częstochowa University of Technology, aleksnowa@poczta.onet.pl; 
2 Częstochowa University of Technology, annaw@zim.pcz.pl; 
 Annales Universitatis Apulensis Series Oeconomica, 11(2), 2009 
 
 
891 
 
Because the processes occuring in a commerce enterprise are variegated and followingly 
their examination occurs in different spheres, the characterisitc features may be divided into three 
main kinds:
1 
   economic ones: gaining profit as the result of fulfilling the consumers’ needs, self 
financing  of  their  activity,  pledging  with  owned  capital  for  contracted  loans  and  debts, 
responsibility for bought and sold wares, 
   organizational ones: organization of internal specialization, coordination and control 
of performed activities, purposefullness of existance and functioning,\ 
   legal ones: posession of individualized property, possibility to take legal steps. 
Commerce enterprises acting on economic market perform a number of important functions. 
To the most important ones the following may be accounted: focusing different wares in one place, 
making access to products easier, modifying the offer in dependence on consumers’ needs, market 
control as far as demand is concerned. The market control function influences to much extent the 
enterprises being producers, making them to produce wares, which are popular and necessary.  
The market functions influencing market shaping are in a close relationship with marketing 
activites  taken  by  commerce  enterprises.  If,  according  to  the  assesment  of  producers,  eventual 
suppliers and consumers, the commerce enterprise functions properly, then the chance to fulfill its 
assumed strategic and operational aims increases substantially.
1 
The commerce enterpise is at present one of the most commonly found forms of activity. 
Due to economic processes occuring in it, which consist in ware currency exchange  with economic 
partners, the fundamental role is played by activities related to logisitc management. The success of 
mission of this kind of economic subjects is dependent on the situation in the sphere of demand and 
supply.  
 
The essence and aims of logistic management in commerce enterprises 
Management plays a crucial role for any organizational unit acting in the conditions of 
market economy. Without an efficient management all the positive values of the enterprise are 
wasted, what can lead to its bancruptcy in the end. High dynamics and level of complicacy of 
phenomena occuring in the neighbourhood of the enterprise cause substantial processes related to 
management.  To  these  factors,  the  following  ones  can  be  accounted:  market  globalization  and 
related  increased  competition  level,  as  well  as  increasing  demands  of  consumers.  As  states  Z. 
Sarjusz Wolski, the management of contemporary enterprises is a complex process, whose most 
important issues are related to “the multiplicity of ware streams (materials, parts, semi parts, ready 
made  products  etc.)  and  corresponding  information  streams,  which  cross  each  other  and  are 
complementary to each other”
1. Management is a wide area , which in dependence on functional 
scope  covers:  marketing  management,  financial  management,  human  resource  management  or 
production management.
1 
From many different definitions of management the following ones may be exemplified: 
   “management  is  a  leader’s  activity  consisting  in  taing  decisionsand  controlling 
resources, processes and informations within organizations in order to obtain the optimal effects in 
the most efficient and frugal way, which is in conformance with social rationalization of economic 
activities, 
   management  is  a  process  of  planning  the  activities,  organization,  employment, 
leading and controlling, systematically implemented within the enterprise, aimed at attainment of 
the common goal.”
1 
   “management  is the process of coordination of common efforts in order to fulfill 
organizational aims by people, using technique, in organizaed structures, basing on pre planned 
tasks.” 
1 
Properties of the process like enterprise management are considered from two points of 
view. The structural view is oriented at people responsible in the firm for management – at each Annales Universitatis Apulensis Series Oeconomica, 11(2), 2009 
 
 
892 
 
level of its  organizational  strucutre, as  well as at their subjects.  The  fundamental  management 
components  with  this  respect  are:  the  managing  component,  the  component  being  subject  to 
management and dependencies occurring between them. The functional view on management is 
based on fundamental activities, which have to be carried out within the enterprise in order to fulfill 
its mission. Management is treated in this context as a complex activity, joining into one single net 
of dependencies all the economic and causative processes, as well as all the basic functions. The 
fundamental  management  functions  are:  planning,  organizing,  decision  taking,  controlling  and 
motivating. 
1,2 
All the management functions are valid for any sphere of activity of  commerce enterprise, 
beginning with the purchases, going through the spare supply economy and finishing up in the final 
selling process (Fig. 1) 
 
Fig.no.  1 - Relationships between management functions and fundamental functions  
of a commerce enterprise 
Source: Own study on the basis of Maria Sławińska, Management of a commerce enterprise 
(Zarządzanie przedsiębiorstwem handlowym), PWE, Warszawa 2002, s. 62. 
 
Dynamic development of technology, which allows for a free access to many different wares 
causes the increase of competition between enterprises. A number of factors decides about gaining 
success  by  the  economic  subject.  The  following  factors  may  be  accounted:  proper  publicity, 
efficient transport, which allows for ware supplies in determined time and quantity. Quick and 
efficient distribution of products prepared for selling is a factor, which allows for gaining advantage 
over  competitors.  The  distribution  process  is  related  directly  to  logistic  management  in  the 
enterprise.  
Constantly observed increase of interest with issues related to logistics, both from the point 
of view of science, as well as practice, is related above all to economic changes occuring within the 
organization and in its closer and further neighbourhood. The necessity to organize longer and 
longer distribution chains, along with increasing consumers’ demands, make people responsible for 
management working on constant improvement of logistic processes.
1 
Together with economic transformations, the role played by logistic processes within the 
enterprise has also evolved. Initially logistics appeared as the reply to the necessity to transfer goods Annales Universitatis Apulensis Series Oeconomica, 11(2), 2009 
 
 
893 
 
and was not related to strategic aims of functioning of the organizational unit on the market. It 
played a service role. The next step was to place logistic units within the organizational structures. 
Logistic  units  coordinated  the  flow  of  all  logistic  activites.  This  was  the  result  of  better 
understanding the role played by distribution processes in management by the enterprise leaders.
1,2 
The  development  of  market  economy  has  caused  finally  that  at  present  practically  all 
decisions taken within the enterprises are made taking into account logistic issues. In the literature 
the phenomenon is refered to as logistic management.  
Logistic management attains a special meaning to taking into account the aforedescribed 
activitities and functions of commerce enterprises. No commerce enterpsie may function properly in 
market  economy  conditions  without  an  efficiently  organized  and  well  managed  system  of 
distribution  and  supply.  If  the  continuity  and  punctuality  of  supplies  will  not  be  fulfilled,  the 
enterprise will not finish up its mission. Taking into account the fundamental aim of activity of a 
commerce  enterprise,  which  is  going between  in  the  ware  exchange,  the  basis  for  efficient 
manegement is supporting a proper logistic management.  
According to M. Christopher, the fundamental aims of logistic management are integration 
and supervision of main logistic activities in order to obtain the most optimal goal from the point of 
costs and market supplies. To the most important tasks of logistic management the author accounts: 
supply economy, information economy, warehouse and transport management. 
1. Similarly S. Abt 
writes, that “logistic management pays special attention to making more efficient supply, storage 
and transport processes in the organizational unit, in reference to the enterprise of a given producer, 
as well as to moderinzation of contacts to external consumers. 
2 K. Witkowski and P. Kużdowicz 
claim  that  “formulation  of  strategies,  planning,  control  (carried  out  in  an  effective  way,  that 
minimizes global costs) of flow processes as well as storing raw materials, supplies of products 
being processed, ready made products and proper pieces of information, from the point of their gain 
to  consumption  points,  in  order  to  accustom  best  to  consumers’  needs  and  their  fulfillment” 
consititute  into  logistic  management 
1.  Orientatino  aimed  at  individual  processes  occuring  in 
logistic management is presented by S. Krawczyk, he claims that: ,,logistic management must be 
understood as shaping of processes and their coordination, taking into account own and partners’ 
interests”
1. All these approaches feature paying special attention to mastering and supervision of the 
whole logistic chain by improvement of individual processes occuring in it. The aim of this action is 
to obtain maximum satisfaction of consumers and at the same time to minimize the engagement of 
available financial funds. 
The importance of logistic management for the general development strategy of functioning 
of the enterprise is a stimulus to consider it in terms of new methodology in enterprise management. 
Taking  into  account  the  up to date  experiences  of  logistics,  either  as  a  scientific  branch  or  a 
practice,  logistic  management  cannot  be  treated  in  the  same  way  as  the  system  management, 
through its aims, or  the strategic management understood as new method of management. Because 
it lacks its own characterisitc tools, it cannot be considered in terms of new management concept. 
Logistic management avails of already known and systematically applied components of classical 
management  methods  and  concepts.  Taking  into  account  logistic  factors  when  taking  strategic 
decisions for the organization is often called ,,orientation in management”
1. In this sense a number 
of activities, whose aim is to support the process of enterprise management, constitute logistic 
management. 
 Processes related to their management may be accounted to activities, which to a large 
extent  decide  of  fulfilling  the  mission  of any  economic  subject.  These  activities are  especially 
important today, when, due to a high competition, the market position of a given enterprise  is 
highly  dependent  on  the  speed  of  taking  correct  strategic  decisions.  Among  these  actions 
management in the sphere of logistics plays a particular role. Here decisions are taken, whose effect 
is optimization of ware flow in the whole logistic chain as well as increasing the efficiency of 
customer service processes. Annales Universitatis Apulensis Series Oeconomica, 11(2), 2009 
 
 
894 
 
 
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PLACET, Warszawa; 
4.  Kaczmarek B., Sikorski Cz., 1996, Podstawy zarządzania, Wydawnictwo Absolwent, 
Łódź; 
5.  Krawczyk S., 2000, Logistyka w zarządzaniu marketingiem, Wydawnictwo Akademii 
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LOGISTIC MANAGEMENT IN COMMERCE ENTERPRISES

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LOGISTIC MANAGEMENT IN COMMERCE ENTERPRISES

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