Maritime Logistics and Supply Chain Management – (M.Sc.)

Contents

Core Modules

* Logistics and Supply Chain Strategy

The establishment of clear supply chain strategic objectives complementary to wider business strategic aims is an essential starting point for the study of logistics and supply chain management. Understanding the scope, process and opportunities open to any company is therefore essential.

This course first sets out the evolution of supply chain thinking and identifies the challenges faced by organisations. The nature and means of formulating business strategy is first identified before looking at the scope of supply chain strategic planning and the different perspectives of producers, retailers and logistics service providers. The challenges associated with outsourcing, methods of assessing corporate and supply chain performance and an understanding of customer service and the use of service gap analysis are all discussed. * Global Purchasing and Supply

As more companies have outsourced and off shored manufacturing and service capabilities the strategic and transactional efficiency of purchasing and managing suppliers has become of critical importance.

From an initial review of strategic purchasing portfolio analysis techniques the course will go on to provide ways of undertaking supplier appraisal, selection and development. Techniques of supplier qualification, value engineering, assessing whole life costing and negotiation will be investigated. The impact and procedures associated with new e-commerce initiatives will be studied along with the impact of corporate social responsibility and compliance issues associated with international sourcing. * Freight Transport

In today's supply chain how freight transport is sourced, operated, controlled and its performance measured has real strategic importance to all companies. It is from this perspective of achieving acceptable costs within required customer service levels that Freight transport is examined.

The course provides a basic understanding of road, intermodal, sea, air freight transport as well understanding the role and activities of the major market players; the efficient organisation of international, national and local delivery; and finally examines how new technologies are being used to enhance visibility, reduce cost and achieve customer service.

* Inventory and Operations Management

The extent of inventory held and the means of forecasting its rate of replenishment is at the heart of the success or failure of most supply chains. Understanding the alternative methods of calculation, the advantages and drawbacks of each approach, the means of assessing the uncertainty of any forecast and appropriate manufacturing response are therefore a critical part of the understanding of any supply chain professional.

The course will first consider the supply side approaches of lean and agile with there impact on approaches to inventory management; demand management will review forecasting methods along with JIT manufacturing, MRP and capacity planning; finally a range of production process choices will be reviewed - jobbing, batch and continuous - in relation to wider service and trading relationships.

* Maritime Logistics

This module aims at combining latest development, knowledge and practices being taken place in logistics and supply chain with maritime industrial sector on international and global scale. Possible topics include the importance of maritime industry within global logistics and supply chain, impact of the current business pattern in logistics and supply chain on maritime sector, strategic approach of shipping companies in the globalised market place, and logistics challenges faced by global port operators. It furthers aims to deal with activities and strategies of shipping and port/terminal companies and logistical implications of those company strategies and port development with regional cases. * Maritime Business and Economics

This module aims to teach students with the analytical methods and techniques for assessing and examining the maritime industry from an economics and management perspective, with emphasis on the shipping and ports industry as well as its associated stakeholders. It is intended for students with an interest in developing an understanding of high-level managerial issues and responses relevant to the maritime industry. In doing so, fundamental subjects of the economic theory underlining maritime transport and global patterns of production and consumption are taught. The relationship between shipping and ports and international trade is illustrated in terms of shipping costs and forms the basis for explaining the emergent pattern of international trade. Market structures and workings are explained with the emphasis on several key sub-markets.

* Distribution Centre Design and Management

The Distribution Centre is the point in the supply chain where all the complexity of dealing with ever changing product ranges, sales promotions and customer demand on a 24/7 basis has to be managed quickly, accurately and cost effectively.

This module provides the understanding of basic physical storage, handling and picking equipment used along with the methods of organising work flows, warehouse layouts and the use of advanced information systems to manage that complexity. Through the use of a specialist warehouse simulation software package, (Cirrus Logistics Class), visits to distribution centres and a design case study you will understand the relationship between successful design and successful management. * Green Logistics

Semester 1: September to December
Logistics and Supply Chain Strategy; Global Purchasing and Supply; Inventory and Operations Management; Freight Transport.

Semester 2: January to April
Design and Operation of Logistics Systems; Distribution Centre Design and Management; Maritime Logistics; Maritime Business and Economics.

Summer: May to August
MSc Dissertation.