Course description
In today’s highly competitive and global marketplace the pressure on organisations to find new ways to create and deliver value to customers is increasing. In the last two decades, logistics and supply chain management has moved to the centre stage to become a key determinant of business competitiveness.
Logistics is a term widely used in business for a range of activities associated with the efficient and effective flow and storage of goods, services and related information from the point of origin to the point of consumption in response to consumer requirements.
Management of these activities has been revolutionised over the past twenty years by addressing logistical issues through an extended perspective of the supply chain that incorporates concepts from several management disciplines, including strategy formation and the theory of the firm; logistics and manufacturing management; management accounting; marketing; and operations research.
Management of the supply chain, therefore, requires cross-functional understanding and sound technical and managerial skills that are becoming more and more important with the inevitable challenges brought about by consumer demand for greater choice and improved value, the globalisation of operations, intensified competition, environmental issues and increasingly turbulent and expanding markets.
Course Contents
This course examines current practices, issues and trends in the field and provides students with both a specialist knowledge and basic training in related business disciplines to design and manage efficient and effective logistics and supply chain systems.
The course is structured around four core modules and a choice of options that offer in-depth study in the specialist area of logistics and supply chain management, as well as knowledge and understanding on ancillary subjects that enhance the theoretical and practical aspects of the specialisation.
Core modules
* Logistical Resources
* Global Supply Chain Management
* Modelling the Supply Chain
* Operations and Project Management
Option modules
* Financial Resources
* Management in the Business Organisation
* Statistical Quality Control
* Interpersonal Skills and Change Management
* Knowledge Management – Principles and Practice
* Research Methods
* Interpersonal Skills and Change Management
* Mobile Business
* Business to Business Marketing Strategy
* Knowledge Management and the Organisation
On successful completion of the Postgraduate Diploma students will progress to the MSc dissertation which will involve an individual thesis on a research or application-based topic.
Career Prospects
Developments have created a healthy demand for qualified supply chain managers with employment possibilities in a wide range of both public and private organisations in recruiting areas that include: government agencies; consultancy firms (supply chain management); logistics service companies; manufacturing and retailing companies; transport companies; and planning and transport departments in local authorities.
The course attracts an international cohort of students and recent graduates have been employed by companies such as Toyota UK, Volvo Trucks Europe, European consultancy groups, and other companies around the world.
