Logistics and Supply Chain Management

Core modules

Sustainable Logistics and Supply Chain Management

Green logistics and supply chain management enables students to learn the latest development in this field, anchoring on the issues of sustainability and low carbon futures. Practices and challenges in decarbonisation of logistics and supply chain will be debated. The degree of success and failure of greening interventions will also be critically discussed. Future trends and direction in this area will be presented providing students with up to date knowledge and understanding of the subject area.

15 credits

Supply Chain Technology

Supply chain technology relates to various technology (e.g. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)) used for logistics and supply chain to make it more efficient, productive and cost effective. This module will introduce students with a range of technology (e.g. RFID, Bar code etc.) and related practices within the logistics and supply chain operations. It will demonstrate the theories and principles underpinning supply chain technologies and give demonstration of the modern implementations in real life scenarios. This module will enrich the practical skills and knowledge relating to supply chain technology of students, in turn enabling them to immediately and effectively contribute towards a supply chain and logistics-related role.

15 credits

Logistics System

In broad terms, Logistics systems enable the right material to the right place in the right time. This module will introduce students with three major activities of logistics system including order processing, inventory management and freight transportation. It will demonstrate the theories and principles underpinning logistics systems and logistics managerial issues with real life scenarios. It will highlight the decision support methods and emerging trends in the global logistics. This module will enrich the practical skills and knowledge of students relating to logistics system, enabling them to immediately and effectively contribute towards a logistics and supply chain related role.

15 credits

Operations Management for Logistics and Supply Chain Management

Operations Management (OM) deals with the production of goods and services and relates closely to other business functions. It is concerned with the effective and efficient marshalling of the organisations resources to meet its objectives. OM is the business function that generates income and is therefore central to all commercial businesses. Operational Research (OR) is introduced on this module to support OM decision-making processes. It is a systematic and logical approach involving the construction and manipulation of mathematical models. The aim of this module is to take a general view of OM in all sectors of business and to provide a wider experience of OM and OR for the MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management.

15 credits

Supply Chain Accounting and Finance

The unit focuses on developments in supply chain accounting and finance. New organisational forms demand new approaches to accounting and finance in order to maximise opportunities arising out of collaborative forms of engagement. Firms compete with each other on the relative merits of their respective supply chains and therefore accounting and finance practices must support this reality rather than being rooted in traditional organisational settings. The unit will critically evaluate accounting and finance in this context and identify developing tools and techniques in the area.

15 credits

Global Supply Chain Leadership

Global Supply Chain Leadership is a module designed to enable students to learn the latest strategic thinking and issues in developing a strong leadership to manage a global supply chain. Some theories from strategic management, organisations, international business, HR and leadership will be used. This is a multi-disciplinary module that prepares students with the relevant knowledge and skill sets required in order to successfully manage a global supply chain.

15 credits

Supply Networks Management

This unit will enable students to understand the complexities of managing supply networks across different industries. It will introduce students to the relevant principles and management frameworks to effectively identify and analyze the problems associated with network management. The unit will highlight the importance of supply networks in successfully managing the businesses, and will enable students to evaluate emerging trends in current and future industry landscape. Practical examples and case studies will be discussed to provide practitioners' perspectives over various issues in supply networks management.

15 credits

Research Methods

The unit provides an introduction to a wide range of research methods used in management research. It prepares students for their dissertation by helping them to make an informed choice of objectives and methods (design, data collection and analysis) for thier own research. It also prepared students to review the literature and critically evaluate the methods used by others, to consider ethical issues around research and to prepare a plan for their dissertation research.

15 credits

Project Dissertation

This unit requires the student to research a topic appropriate to the field of management. The topic chosen by the student must receive approval from a supervisor. A dissertation written by the student should be delivered to the School at the conclusion of the study. The study, and the resulting dissertation, may take the form of an academic research or of a managerial problem-solving exercise. In either case, it requires the student to apply critical analysis and to set the issues within the context of appropriate management literature.

45 credits

You will take one of the following:

Strategic Supply Chain Management

This module focuses on critical topics in strategic supply chain management (such as corporate strategy-supply chain strategy interface, supply chain environment analysis, supply chain resources and capabilities, strategic supply chain choices, and sustainable supply chain strategy in action) that interest diverse business leaders (e.g. top executives, logistics and supply chain management professionals, purchasing and procurement managers, operations managers, and IT managers) in different industries and sectors.

The module starts by laying out the theoretical foundations of strategic supply chain management concepts and then uses industry examples and case analysis to demonstrate how strategic supply chain management that meets sustainability requirements works in practice. The module combines lectures, tutorials, and seminars to deliver learning outcomes. In addition, students will be presented with real-world business issues and work as a team of managers to propose appropriate supply chain strategies for managing their chosen business issue.

Ultimately, you will better appreciate the strategic nature and roles of supply chain management in contemporary business organisations. You will be able to analyse major strategic management concepts, theories, tools, and cases in supply chain contexts. The knowledge and analytical skills you acquire from the module will enable you to develop, resource, implement, and evaluate supply chain strategies that drive competitive advantage and sustainable performance.

15 credits

International Business Strategy

This unit introduces key theories of international business strategy - those concerning the rationales for international expansion, the choice of foreign market entry strategy and the impact on the economies of host countries. This theoretical understanding will then be illustrated and examined by reference to the way particular companies in contrasting industries have developed and implemented their international strategies. Particular attention will be devoted to the role played by the international business environment and its institutions, understanding and critique of various theories of the multinational enterprise, evaluating key strategic issues facing the multinational enterprise, and exploring inter-relationship between host government policies and multinational company strategies.

15 credits