LOG800 Fundamentals of Logistics and Supply Chain Management (Autumn 2026)

Fundamentals of Logistics & Supply Chain Management is the gateway course of the MSc programme in Logistics. It provides students with a comprehensive and integrative understanding of how materials, information, and financial flows are coordinated across modern supply chains, and how key operations and supply chain decisions influence organizational performance, competitiveness, and resilience. The course develops both fundamental and advanced concepts, frameworks, and analytical perspectives needed to understand, design, and improve supply chains in manufacturing and service environments. Students will examine how supply chain strategy aligns with customer needs and business objectives, how network configurations and operations processes are designed, and how planning and coordination mechanisms synchronize supply and demand across functions and organizations. This course establishes the conceptual foundation for further study in strategic purchasing, sustainability, supply chain risk and resilience, digitalization, and applied logistics analytics.

Key topics

• Supply chain and logistics definition & flows
• Cooperation, coordination, bullwhip effect, external and internal integration. Vertical and horizontal integration.
• SC strategy & strategic fit
• Process views (cycle & push-pull)
• Lean, flow, waste. Agile, leagile strategy.

• Supply chain drivers (facility, inventory, transport, info, sourcing, pricing)
• Forecasting and demand management
• Production planning system, and strategies
• Master Scheduling, MRP, and capacity management
• Inventory fundamentals (EOQ and its variations, Order point system, Periodic review system, safety stock)
• Purchasing: Supplier selecting techniques, sourcing strategies, sustainable procurement.
• Network design & distribution structures
• Global supply networks & Supply Chain Risks
• Current trends in SCM

Syllabus

• A. Harrison, H. Skipworth, Remko van Hoek and J. Aitken. (2025). Logistics Management and Strategy. Competing through the supply chain (7th ed.) Pearson. (main course book)
• Chapman, S. N., Gatewood, A.K., Arnold, J. R. T., & Clive, L. M. (2023). Introduction to materials management (9th ed.). Pearson.
• Supply Chain Management. Strategy, Planning, and Operation. S. Chopra. 7th ed., 2019.
• Scientific articles published in Canvas

The student's learning outcomes after completing the course

Knowledge

Upon successful completion of the course, the student:

• Has advanced knowledge of key concepts, processes, and performance drivers in logistics and supply chain management.
• Understands how supply chain strategy relates to customer needs, product characteristics, and competitive priorities.
• Has knowledge of supply chain structure including distribution networks, global design considerations, and logistics trade-offs.
• Understands the role of operations principles such as lean, agility, flow, bottlenecks, capacity, and process design.
• Has insight into coordination mechanisms including aggregate planning, information integration across supply chains.
• Understands the role and current trends in purchasing activities
• Understands current trends in modern supply chains

Skills

Upon successful completion of the course, the student can:

• Analyse supply chain and operations decisions using established frameworks and concepts.
• Evaluate network structures, process designs, coordination mechanisms and supply chain strategies
• Identify key trade-offs between cost, responsiveness, and risk in supply chain decisions.
• Apply conceptual models to diagnose performance challenges in supply chains.
• Communicate supply chain improvement recommendations effectively and professionally in written and oral form.

General Competence

Upon successful completion of the course, the student:

• Can reflect on the interconnected nature of strategic and operational decisions in supply chains.
• Can participate in cross-functional discussions and contribute to system-level supply chain decision-making.
• Can relate the foundational concepts from this course to later studies in purchasing, business cases, sustainability, digitalization, and analytics.
• Demonstrates awareness of the broader role of supply chains in economic and societal value creation.

• Lectures
• Mini case discussions and business game
• Group assignment and quizzes.
• Analytical exercises (non-technical)
• Independent reading and reflection

Coursework requirements - conditions for taking the exam

• Mandatory coursework: Assignment(s)
• Courseworks given: 1
• Courseworks required: 1
• Presence: Required

Examination

• Form of assessment: School exam
• Proportion: 100%
• Duration: 4 hours
• Grouping: Individual
• Grading scale: Letter (A - F)
• Supported material: Calculator, dictionary to/from native language - English

• One mandatory home assignment (pass/fail)