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University of Leeds Global Logistics and Value Network Design Discussion

 

Subject Description:

In today’s global and connected economy, any company pursuing global growth sees its supply chain and logistics networks critical to competitive advantage. Advances in information technology, introduction of new products with shorter life cycles, intensified competition in today’s global markets, and the heightened expectations of customers have contributed to the development of new approaches to procurement and supply chain management. While designing an effective global supply network is a challenge, it can be a rewarding one because it can help create more valuable products/services that a firm delivers. This growing concern has created an incentive for more effective and efficient design of supply networks, thus allowing this subject to focus on imperative design considerations of both strategic and tactical aspects of value networks and logistics network design which all procurement and supply chains managers should know. How the strategic intent on the supply side sourcing segments and procurement strategies, and demand side logistic strategies and market behavioral segments changes the design of supply chains. At the tactical level how cost patterns of product delivery, efficient sourcing and procurement, forecasting methods, designing layouts, data aggregation and data mining for quality improvement and network management, packaging etc. influences logistic networks, distribution and warehousing decisions. Both these dimensions provide students with an in-depth understanding of how to strategize and position different building blocks ensuring dynamic alignment across a logistics and supply chain network. The concepts and strategies taught in the subject arms students with an ability to operationalize practices that can affect cost and service performance level of end-to-end supply chains for global competitiveness.

Learning Objectives:

On successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

  • design and re-design global supply chains to cope with increased volatility so as to align sourcing segments, procurement strategies, logistics strategies and market segments
  • Demonstrate in-depth understanding of dynamic design of enterprise supply chains and processes of formulating and implementing appropriate strategic responses
  • Appraise how to govern the intersection of procurement management and supply chain networks and the intersection of logistics strategies and market segments for managing costs and service level tradeoffs
  • Determine the operational dynamics in global logistics and distribution e.g. practical tactics to storage, order picking, packing, material movement and physical control.
  • Examine global export/import practices and international standards impacting operational performance of supply chains.