THE STANCE LOGISTICS: An Attempt to Adapt Logistics Principles on Human and Inter-human Movement Behaviors

Abstract

The broad span of Logistics Management encompasses control of time, place, movement, energy (efforts, labor), as well as the positioning, stance and movement of products, materials, commodities, and people. This study coins the term Stance Logistics to focus on the stance and movement of people within the range of Logistics principles. The philosophy behind this is to enhance the required sensitivity with respect to management and control of time, place, movement, motion, stance and energy in material and nonmaterial exchanges and in all types of human encounters. Stance Logistics includes not only the “on foot” (pedestrian) or “in-vehicle” (automated) movements and public behaviour in stopping, standing, and positioning, but also individual predisposition of physical and mental response, and awareness (aesthesia). This essay describes the application of the scientific principles of Logistics to the personal experiences of people. Current Logistics literature includes mostly models developed on pedestrian and evacuation movement behaviour. To the author’s knowledge, however, there is nothing documented on the issue of personal individual Logistics Stance. Behaviours, especially that of blocking other people’s ways and passages, intervening, rudeness and queue-jumping in various environmental settings have not been extensively studied, if at all, whether during walking, pausing, stopping, face-to-face encounters, standing or waiting in lines and lanes or waiting for an elevator or metro train door to open. This study seeks underlying clues to increase sensitivity and awareness of people’s movement particularly in public areas by shedding light on Logistics behaviours of people. When combined with applicable models of pedestrian movements and integrated with the general principles of Logistics, Stance Logistics can serve as an important guide to facilitate the daily activities of many people. It is believed that, this exploratory study will pave the way for further research to produce promising results on the aspects of this new concept of Stance Logistics