Logistics and Supply Chain Management with Foundation Year
BSc (Hons)

Business communication is the sharing of information between people both inside and outside the organisation. However, effective communication is not always easy or straightforward, methods and processes of communication will be reviewed.

Good communication also provides knowledge and this provides the basis for successful business decisions. Good decision making is vital for any organisation and a range of decision making processes and situations will be explored.

These two elements will be brought together to provide a holistic perspective of personal and business perspectives of communication and decision making and how one informs the other.

You will practice applying the theory to case study organisations to explore how it can be used as an analytical tool to gain a clearer understanding of the complex causes of workplace behaviour in order to develop effective management interventions.

You are certain to be involved in some aspect of operations management as you enter the workplace – and therefore you will find this module very useful in helping you to excel in whatever career you choose to follow in the future.

As you explore the role of the operations function in an organisation; you will start to appreciate how organisations actually source, produce and deliver goods and services to demanding customers, and now this becomes a key contributor to superior performance and customer satisfaction.

The module provides you with a framework, to understand the crucial role of operations to business success. You will be able to demonstrate skill and understanding of the systems and processes whereby, people, capital, materials, equipment, knowledge, technology, information and time are combined to produce superior goods and services.

You will get an overview of the key areas of operations management, particularly in maintaining and improving the quality of goods and services and making sure that this is also reflected in the organisations performance.

For those of you who are students on BA Business Management, this module contributes to achieving your CMI Level 5 Diploma under the dual accreditation arrangement.

On this module, you will experience some of the dynamics of this challenging sector. You will explore the complexity of purchasing and managing an international supply chain, of lean systems and cost reduction. A business operating in the logistics sector has to be lean and agile to survive. It must be innovative in order to grow. Almost any business from a solicitor’s office to a leisure centre has some reliance on logistics activities and your insight into managing effective logistics could add value through efficiency and customer satisfaction.

This module will give you the opportunity to explore the importance of the logistics function within an organisation, what logistics means to different sectors and help you to develop some of the techniques and approaches to managing organisational logistics.

The module will be up to date with both the latest (critical and evaluative) thinking in Supply Chain Strategy and the current practices and approaches that facilitate overall organisational development and direction.

Finally the module encourages you to develop a wider global/national perspective: increase your awareness of the impact that effective Supply Chain Strategy has in the competitive position of the Organisation and develop your critical/analytical, problem-solving and strategic decision-making skills.

The key changes have been:
Supply Chain Risk. The rise of fragmented global supply chains with a high South East Asian base whilst significantly reducing cost has added risk. The scale and impact of recent global events on supply chains (Japan Tsunami, Icelandic Volcano Eruption, and Indonesian Floods) has demonstrated the importance of understanding risk and developing strategies to mitigate.

Innovation. With diminishing product life cycles and increasing technical innovation firms add value from the knowledge of their suppliers. Increasingly firms gain competitive advantage from strategic relationships with their suppliers.

Increased Market Complexity. As emerging economies place successful, fast-growing, and culturally different companies onto the global playing field, the process of selecting suppliers will become riskier, more complicated, and more fluid. The range of supplier choices is going to get much broader, so firms will need to become more sophisticated in supplier search and selection processes. While cost will always be a major factor there are clear indicators that the market will become more focussed on quality and innovation.

Information Technology. eSourcing and availability of data are bringing increased price transparency. Digital trading networks and communities are enabling more effective discovery of and collaboration with suppliers. Ongoing technological innovations will make collaboration faster, more secure and easier. As a result, it will accelerate the change in relationships.

This module will give you the opportunity to explore the dynamics and importance of the procurement role within the context of the organisation and help you to develop an understanding of how to manage this function.

The aim of this module is for you to explore the modern technologies currently being utilised in the logistics industry, as well as the latest popular systems being explored and tested. Examples of such technologies include Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) technology to auto-track and trace items in the supply chain, telematics and in-cab technology to improve driving condition and safety, transport/vehicle routing and optimisation tool to promote better options for delivery to reduce operating costs and CO2 emissions, warehouse management system and order picking system (e.g. pick-to-light system) to increase warehousing and despatching efficiency and reduce errors, and the list goes on. You will learn to see how these technologies bring impacts and add values to the company’s operations. In particular, this module gives you the understanding of the current logistics issues faced by the industry and enables you to be able to identify in what way the technologies can improve what specific logistics operations. You will be expected to experience some of these technologies in action in our university lab, as well as through field trips to our research partners. In this module, the trend of technology development will also be covered to include Internet of Things and Cloud Computing.

To address the current logistics issues, innovative approach bringing effective solutions is critical. This module will explain the importance of innovation in this new age in order to maximise the potential for operations improvement. You will be expected to learn the philosophy and techniques of being innovative and creative in thinking leading to effective solutions. This includes improving your problem analytical and solving skills, particularly in the context of logistics and supply chain management. The module will be up to date with both the latest (critical and evaluative) thinking in Supply Chain Strategy and the current practices and approaches that facilitate overall organisational development and direction.

Finally, the module encourages you to develop a wider global/national perspective: increase your awareness of the impact that effective Supply Chain Strategy has in the competitive position of the Organisation and develop your critical/analytical, problem-solving and strategic decision-making skills.

The module provides the opportunity to develop a new business concept from the inception of a company through to the launch of a new product/service idea which requires external investors to take it to the next phase.

The module will explore how and why companies are structured as differing legal entities, the need for communication and interaction between departments and other external agencies.

It examines broad areas of business which are vital for the business acumen of marketers working within established companies or entrepreneurs developing a new start up company. Business finance, budgeting and costing approaches will be considered.

Case studies and business simulation will be used to examine problem-solving and business decision making, bringing an insight into how and why real business objectives are formulated.

This module gives students an understanding of business strategy, competitor analysis, brand development, customer personas, financial forecasting, budgeting and profitability, plus an appreciation of underlying business processes from research and development through to operation and project management. These enable you to develop a new business concept, supported with marketing frameworks in order to establish an investment proposal which could attract external funding.

Business improvement methodologies require development and understanding of the ways in which resources and business processes can be measured, before planning improvement projects through continuous improvement or radical change. This module provides a framework, to understand the crucial role of operations within the Supply Chain for business success and offers you the opportunity to learn methodologies and skills for an organisation to improve performance, become more operationally effective and significantly improve the customer experience. 

You will be introduced to a number of theoretical, methodological and practical approaches and techniques to improvement facilitation and implementation, including systems thinking, radical change, and leadership of change projects.

You will develop key skills for your future employment – including the ability to use MS Project to plan a project. MS Project is used every day in many organisations to assist with the planning and control of projects.

Globalisation has meant that that few products are manufactured in national markets: they are outsourced and manufactured in developing nations, particularly in South East Asia and then shipped around the world.

In complex supply chains, such as consumer electronics and automobile production, components and sub-assemblies are manufactured globally before being shipped to the factory for final production.

In addition, fresh food such as fruit, vegetables and fish are available year round. Improvements in chilling and refrigeration technology combined with the reducing costs of airfreight make it possible to eat whatever we want whenever we want.

As a result of these activities, logistics and supply chain management have dramatically increased their impact on the natural environment.

This module will focus on the interlinking components of supply chains and examine the role that each has and how the environmental impact of these can be reduced. It will address issues such as existing and planned technology along with how effective management contributes.

You will critically examine sustainability in supply chains across a broad representation of industry as well as the differing and often conflicting perspectives from both academics and business practitioners. There will be a strong emphasis on practical applications.

You will focus on key current themes and perspectives on globalization; performance management and financial control; hierarchies and networks; and knowledge management is included to provide students with a more ‘rounded’ and ‘integrative’ framework.

The module will be up to date with both the latest (critical and evaluative) thinking in supply chain sustainability and the current practices and approaches that facilitate overall organisational development and direction.

Finally, the module encourages you to develop a wider global/national perspective: increase your awareness of the impact that logistics and supply chain management has on the environment and the competitive position of the Organisation and develop your critical/analytical, problem-solving and strategic decision-making skills.

As a manager of any business it is important to understand the impact of the physical assets with regard to the bottom line, this module will give you insight into how to measure the financial return on specific physical assets of the business (for example – vehicles) and the financial impact of factors such as depreciation.

In order to maximise asset value, optimisation is fundamental, this module will enable you to investigate and evaluate some of the methods and approaches for efficient asset management, for example – asset maintenance and integration of technology through Enterprise Resource Management systems. To complement the specific subject areas, you also learn new skills to enhance your development with regards to working in a business, including the development of risk assessments.

Effective transport management is able to provide major strategic advantage for an organisation through both customer service and efficient use of capital. The module will critically examine transport’s role in the strategic management process across a broad representation of the differing and often conflicting perspectives, from both academics and business practitioners and with a strong emphasis on practical applications.

The module will focus on key current themes and perspectives on globalization, performance management and financial control, and hierarchies and networks. The module aims to provide students with a ‘rounded’ and ‘integrative’ framework and will be kept up to date with both the latest (critical and evaluative) thinking in transport chain management and the current practices and approaches that facilitate overall organisational development and direction. 

Warehousing forms a key strategic function within the organisations supply chain, balancing trade-offs between major capital expense and customer service. The aim of this module is to examine in-depth the role of the warehouse within the supply chain at a national and global level. The module will provide an in-depth understanding of the design, operation and management of warehouses, including where and how many. Through critical examination, the module will investigate the interface and relationships between warehousing and the end-to-end supply chain and the impact warehousing has on the competitive position of the organisation. The module will provide students with the key analytical tools necessary in designing warehouse networks, utilising space effectively and the most appropriate order picking systems.

During your time in the work place and with guidance from your tutor, you will identify a specific area(s) of professional practice. You will offer a detailed discussion of the area and locate it within the wider context of current academic and professional thinking as presented in the literature and relevant research.

You will be expected to demonstrate the ability to diagnose an organisational issue or opportunity and to present it in a coherent manner and to draw conclusions from your reading, research and personal analysis.

During this period of work experience, students can gain a deeper appreciation of the responsibilities arising from both corporate and individual responses to such issues, thus enabling them to relate to the wider world when exploring a personal direction for potential career development.

The emphasis in this module is on the analysis and evaluation of the work completed within the organisation. This module also gives students an opportunity to relate their academic knowledge to the work environment.

Alternatively you may choose to examine a business situation in depth, develop a creative advertising campaign or develop a marketing plan with ideas for creative execution. You could analyse and test the theories, principles and concepts addressed in the classroom environment in the reality of a private, public or community sector organisation by means of a pathway related report. The independent study is an individual piece of work completed under the guidance of an academic supervisor. The subject of study will normally be in your particular area of specialism, and this is an important opportunity to build your expertise and knowledge in that area.

In the course of your studies, you may discover an area that is of particular interest to you, or which has specific relevance to your intended professional orientation. This module gives you the opportunity to extend aspects of your coursework or professional interests in more depth, including topics that have not otherwise been available as formal modules. You will also refine and develop your skills in research, critical evaluation, analysis and production of professional documents.

This module differs from other modules because it relies on independent study rather than formal classes, and the initiatives to choose a topic and organise the study come from you. The skills you develop during this module will prepare you not only for future employment but for higher-level study. If you choose to work with a particular organisation then the opportunity for engaging with that organisation will provide insights into professional practice. If you choose to work in a more academic or creative setting your work will align with the recommendations of professional bodies in your field.

Effective Supply Chain Strategy is able to provide major strategic advantage for an organisation through both customer service and efficient use of capital.

In this module, you will critically examine Supply Chain Strategy across a broad representation of industry. You will observe differing and sometimes conflicting perspectives, of academics and business practitioners. There will be a strong emphasis on practical applications.

You will focus on key, current themes and perspectives; on globalization; performance management and financial control; hierarchies and networks; sustainability and knowledge management. This will provide you with a ‘rounded’ and ‘integrative’ framework.

Supply Chain Strategy and Management are fast advancing. The module will provide contemporary perspectives in Supply Chain Strategy and the current practices and approaches that facilitate overall organisational development and direction.

Finally the module will encourages you to develop wider, global/national perspective, increase your awareness of the impact that effective Supply Chain Strategy has in the competitive position of an organisation and develop your critical/analytical, problem-solving and strategic decision-making skills.

The aim of this module is to examine in-depth the roles of each method within the supply chain at a local and global level and provide students with a comprehensive overview of the main issues related to the increasingly important fields of multimodal, intermodal and co-modal transport policies and practices in global transport chains.

The module will provide an in-depth understanding of the design, operation and management of multi-modal networks. Through critical examination, the module will investigate the interface and relationships between multi-modal transportation and the end-to-end supply chain along with the impact on the competitive position of the organisation. The module will provide students with the key analytical tools necessary in designing and implementing the most appropriate multi-modal systems.

Within Global Supply Chains air freight is becoming increasingly important as it allows International Markets to be reached quickly and easily, and Supply Chains to be dispersed to areas of competitive advantage.

Increased speed of transport compared with Road, Sea and Rail allows organisations can significantly reduce the amount and therefore the cost of inventory.

The specialised nature of air freight means that it has operations and security methods which are unique in the logistics industry.

The aim of this module is to examine in depth these methods and provide students with a comprehensive overview of the main issues related to air freight and its strategic importance within global supply chains and multi modal transport systems.

It will provide students with a broad knowledge of the key issues of the environment in which the air freight industry operates. Through critical examination, the module will investigate the interface and relationships between air freight and the end-to-end supply chain along with the impact on the competitive position of the organisation. The module will provide students with the key analytical tools necessary in understanding the strategic role that air freight has for the organisation.

Whilst learning about traditional distribution channels, this module will also enable you to explore the Omni channel concept and the potential impacts on distribution centre and outbound logistics activities and operations, together with understanding the vital links between such operations and other aspects of the business (the value chain).

Many organisations focus on the outbound logistics and getting the goods to the customer when they expect them, however, a significant number of retail products are returned with a cost to the retailer – For example, approximately 50% of all on-line clothing purchases are returned! This module will include exploration of the Omni channel concept together with the returns dilemma and the potential impacts on the Logistics function and wider business operations.

The rapid development rate of technology has increased customer expectations with regard to when and where we buy our products, which is forcing retailers to re-think traditional distribution models, which includes customer insight with regard to quantity and type of product demand. To meet the new consumer demands supply chains have to be both agile and resilient, this module will explore such concepts, which includes how the organisation is linked together through the value chain and influences on the inbound logistics.