Module overview
This module provides a comprehensive overview of the main features of logistic system operations. During the module, students will develop an appreciation for the different ways in which goods and services are managed and handled across the different transport modes from consignor to consignee, and the range of different issues that have to be considered when planning such logistics operations. The module combines theoretical analysis with case study examination and practical field trips to ensure that students experience the logistics systems first-hand.
The module takes advantage of the University of Southampton, Transportation Research Group’s’s substantial experience and expertise in logistics research, and will makes use of case studies based on recent and ongoing research projects for local authorities, industry, the EU and EPSRC.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- Port logistics systems and rail freight.
- The impacts e-commerce has on logistics functions and the different operating models for ‘last-mile’ logistics in cities
- How freight and logistics systems can be better catered for in urban planning (delivery and service planning).
- Air freight logistics management and the scope for autonomous drone logistics
- The law relating to vehicle use, licencing regulations and drivers’ hours.
- Forward and reverse logistics systems.
- The role and design of warehouses and distribution centres (chilled, ambient and frozen) in the supply chain.
- The routing and scheduling challenge faced by logistics providers and the software designed to aid the optimisation process.
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Time management.
- Collating, synthesising and prioritising information.
- Reporting your work effectively.
- Learning, studying and researching independently.
Subject Specific Practical Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Make use of logistics literature to evaluate the merits of adopting various logistics technologies.
- Interpret drivers’ hours and vehicle use regulations.
- Plan and undertake a business delivery and service plan.
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Understand how to undertake a business delivery and service plan to quantify forward, reverse and service logistics impacts.
- Identify and describe the various systems and technologies used to manage logistics fleets across the different modes.
- Contrast and compare the various logistics systems used for managing forward and reverse goods movements in urban areas.
Syllabus
This module introduces students to the challenges of supplying goods and services to urban centres, removing waste and recyclate, and the ways in which the associated vehicle fleets, along with their supporting infrastructure are operated and managed. The course centres around a series of lectures which are complemented by site visits to specific logistics facilities so that the logistics operating systems and concepts can be appreciated in reality. The syllabus explores the fundamental principals of forward and reverse logistics in retail supply chains and the role regional distribution centres play in goods supply; last-mile city logistics and the types of vehicles and infrastructure used; routing and scheduling concepts and practices in logistics; containerisation and port logistics systems; airfreight and rail freight management and the logistics of waste, recyclate and service management.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
The module is focussed around classroom-based teaching and discussions. Lectures are live recorded and made available for subsequent reviewing via Blackboard. Field trips are arranged to specific logistics facilities in the Southampton area.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 10 |
| Completion of assessment task | 70 |
| Follow-up work | 10 |
| External visits | 6 |
| Wider reading or practice | 30 |
| Lecture | 24 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Continuous Assessment | 100% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Set Task | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Set Task | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External