GRA 6722 Current Issues in Logistics, Operations and SCM

GRA 6722 Current Issues in Logistics, Operations and SCM

Course code: 
GRA 6722
Department: 
Accounting and Operations Management
Credits: 
6
Course coordinator: 
Marianne Jahre
Course name in Norwegian: 
Current Issues in Logistics, Operations and SCM
Product category: 
Master
Portfolio: 
MSc in Business - Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Semester: 
2019 Spring
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

The competition has moved from competition between firms to competition between supply chains. Any company is linked to other organisations, whether it is suppliers, customers, logistics service providers, or other intermediaries. The performance of the individual firm is dependent on the strength and weaknesses of its partners in the supply chain. This development has had a significant impact on shippers and logistics service providers as well as on other participants in the supply chain, and particularly it has involved a set of strategic challenges concerning supply chain positioning and the role of the supply chain participants, supply chain integration, and supply network configuration and organisation. The objective of the course is to provide the students with an insight of these strategic issues, and how to approach some of them.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge
  • To gain knowledge of selected and current issues
  • To understand specific operational and strategic challenges of logistics and supply chains in selected industries
  • To gain understanding of selected current research areas in logistics, operations and supply chain management
  • To gain understanding of the use of tools, models and frameworks within the field
Learning outcomes - Skills
  • To be able to apply logistics, operations management, and SCM models, tools and frameworks in different settings
  • To be able to compare and critique different sources and approaches
  • To be able to communicate in the range of logistics professionals
Learning Outcome - Reflection
  • To appreciate and understand multiple perspectives on logistics, operations and supply chain management
  • To be able to be a reflexive logistics professional

The intention is that this course will help students to apply and further develop knowledge gained from previous courses in logistics, supply chains, and operations.

Course content

Topics in focus will be a selection among:

  • Logistics, OM and SCM in theory and practice
  • Creating Value through Logistics, OM and SCM
  • Network planning and Supply Chain Alliances
  • Outsourcing, Procurement and Supply Contracts
  • Organisational Issues in Logistics, OM and SCM
  • Global and environmental issues in SCM
  • Implementation of the SCM-concept

The course provides students with a framework of how to develop business cases in real life settings and requires use of tools, concepts and frameworks learnt in other OM, logistics and SCM courses.

Learning process and requirements to students

The course is highly interactive and constitutes a mix of discussions, presentations, work with term paper, and lectures on selected issues 

Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all courses, it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on It's learning or text book.

This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam components) and one final exam code. Each exam component is graded by using points on a scale from 0-100. The components will be weighted together according to the information in the course description in order to calculate the final letter grade for the examination code (course). Students who fail to participate in one/some/all exam elements will get a lower grade or may fail the course. You will find detailed information about the point system and the cut off points with reference to the letter grades when the course start.

At resit, all exam components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course.

Software tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.
Qualifications

All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have specific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.

Required prerequisite knowledge

Prior knowledge of Logistics at an intermediate level is required.

Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
60
Grouping: 
Group (2 - 10)
Duration: 
1 Semester(s)
Comment: 
Term paper
Group size is depending on class size.
Exam code: 
GRA67223
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Activity
Form of assessment: 
Class participation
Weight: 
40
Grouping: 
Individual
Duration: 
1 Semester(s)
Exam code: 
GRA67223
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam organisation: 
Continuous assessment
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Total weight: 
100
Sum workload: 
0

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of at least 160 hours.