This document discusses the emergence and importance of logistics and transportation management. It addresses eight reasons for the emergence of logistics, including military experience during WWII, total cost analysis, systems approaches, changing consumption patterns, attention to distribution channels, economic/IT revolutions, and professional logistics associations. It then discusses five reasons for the importance of logistics, such as high costs representing 19% of US national income, long supply/distribution lines with globalization, its role in competitive strategy and differentiation, adding value through timely delivery, and growing customer demand for prompt response.