Cranfield School of Management

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Course structure and content

The course has been developed to produce expert logistics and supply chain professionals who can take the skills they develop here at Cranfield and make a significant difference in the marketplace.

Students will complete a series of core modules and then a selected amount of elective modules, which focus on the individual's personal career plan.

The culmination of the learning process features an optional logistics consultancy project. You will work on a real company project in teams, competing against your class colleagues to make the strongest logistics and supply chain management presentation to senior executives from partner firms. Previous projects have been conducted with organisations such as Tarmac Quarry Products, Guinness and Unipart.

Term 1: 30 September 2013 to 20 December 2013
Term 2: 12 January 2014 to 28 March 2014
Term 3: 14 April 2014 to 27 June 2014
Term 4: 30 June 2014 to 12 September 2014

We are continually updating the modules we offer to reflect the changing external business environment, therefore the modules listed below are subject to change.

Click on each module title to view the module description.

Module summary

Orientation week

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Orientation week

Orientation week takes place at the very start of your course. The week is carefully designed to introduce you to the Cranfield campus and the learning environment, help you settle in to your new surroundings and facilitate getting to know your fellow students before your studies start.

Term 1

Term 2

Logistics and Supply Chain Concepts

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Logistics and Supply Chain Concepts

One of the keys to good supply chain management is being able to utilise good practice to sustain competitive advantage. By introducing you to the fundamental principles of contemporary logistics and supply chain management within a business context, you can explore the means by which many organisations are changing the way they compete. This competition is increasingly between supply chains rather than between companies.

Demand and Inventory Management

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Demand and Inventory Management

It is important to understand consumer and industrial demand behaviour in order to be able to manage and forecast demand appropriately. You will learn demand management and forecasting techniques as well as inventory control models for both single point holding and multi-echelon networks.

Procurement Management

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Procurement Management

Procurement and supply in the industrial and commercial context are important factors within the supply chain. Effective procurement involves a broad understanding of its role within the organisation and the supply chain, rather than simply paying the lowest price. In addition to a solid background in procurement development and the academic theory behind it, you will develop the specific skills and knowledge necessary to be a highly successful procurement professional.

Project Management

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Project Management

Project managers need to understand tools and techniques to organise and manage an environment characterised by uncertainty. This elective will focus on the processes, tools and techniques required to define, scope, plan and resource (and then manage) an individual project, within the context of the enterprise.

Supply Chain Process Re-Design

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Supply Chain Process Re-Design

There are two key areas you need to address in redesigning a supply chain – the processes of the supply chain and the physical structure of the network itself. We will introduce you to the issues surrounding supply chain redesign and process re-engineering, focusing on a systematic approach.

Physical Network Design

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Physical Network Design

We will teach you the main principles and concepts behind the actual design of physical supply chain networks. You will be taught a practical framework for carrying out the planning process and given alternative tools and techniques for evaluating different supply chain strategies.

Freight Transport

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Freight Transport

Choosing between different modes of freight transport is far more complex than simply taking goods on the straightest line between A and B. By giving you a sound knowledge of road, air, rail and sea freight – from a supply chain user perspective – you will gain a clear understanding of the benefits and limitations of each in different situations

Information Systems and e-Business

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Information Systems and e-Business

While information technology (IT) plays an ever-increasing role in organisational performance, it is the successful application of IT to deliver business benefits that are important skills for you to possess, rather than the necessity to understand the technology itself. In addition to exploring the ways in which IT can contribute to the efficient management of the supply chain, you will also examine e-Business solutions in the context of supply chain management.

Warehousing

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Warehousing

Efficient warehouse design and operation is an essential part of the successful management of any supply chain. You need to have a firm grasp of the range of storage and handling equipment available, and information technology options. We focus on warehousing within the wider context of the organisation's supply chain strategy, which equips you with the means to tackle any warehousing aspects of complex supply chain problems.

Supply Chain Sustainability

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Supply Chain Sustainability

Organisations are increasingly under scrutiny from customers, investors, legislators, governments and pressure groups, with regard to the impact their operations have on society and the environment as a whole. You need to be aware of sustainability issues and how they relate to supply chain operation, as well as how to model the supply chain on a more sustainable basis.

Manufacturing and Operations Management

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Manufacturing and Operations Management

The nature of different manufacturing operations, the design of transformation systems and effective materials management are important disciplines for any manager. However, it is important that you gain a comprehensive understanding of these specifically within the context of the supply chain. We will help you evaluate the spectrum of MRP 11 push, demand driven pull and hybrid philosophies. We also introduce you to models of capacity management and appraise sequencing and scheduling rules.

Research Methods

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Research Methods

Before undertaking your thesis it is important for you to gain an overview of the practical problems associated with framing and planning a research project. We will support you in building the skills needed to conduct the research. This will include:

principles of research
the research process
problem formulation data collection
data analysis report writing These transferable skills are invaluable to anyone working in a business situation and you will leave confident in how to apply them to complex research challenges in the workplace.

Business Statistics and Forecasting

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Business Statistics and Forecasting

Statistics and forecasting play an important role in predicting trends and activity in supply chain management. It is necessary that you learn both the theory behind statistical models and techniques for putting them into practice. We place significant emphasis on helping you to choose the appropriate application of statistical methods and the accurate interpretation of their output.

Global Supply Chain Game

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Global Supply Chain Game

You will work as part of a team to take part in an interactive and competitive business game, designed to help you understand the principles of building an efficient global supply chain. Over a number of weeks, your team will need to embrace issues such as the hidden costs associated with off-shore sourcing, the impact of extended lead-times on supply chain costs and flexibility and the need to align sourcing and supply chain design decisions with brand /product characteristics. You will also need to mitigate the risk of supply chain disturbances that threaten business performance.

Management Science Techniques

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Management Science Techniques

To support your reasoning and aid effective decision making, you need a thorough appreciation of the application, strengths and weaknesses of a variety of analysis techniques. Through interactive lectures and support workshops, you will learn to appraise these modelling techniques and learn how to apply them effectively in a work situation.

Electives

Accounting and Finance

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Accounting and Finance

Modern costing approaches such as activity based costing or through-put accounting help you to increase the visibility of costs in the chain. A number of practical supply chain problems, case studies and ongoing assessment will be used to demonstrate your ability to master and apply your acquired skills.

Master Data in the Supply Chain

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Master Data in the Supply Chain

Errors with data can cost an organisation large amounts of money, alienate customers and make new strategies difficult or indeed impossible to implement. This module aims to practice you to common supply chain data standards and methods of managing supply chain data.

Terms 3 and 4

Simulation

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Simulation

Building on the main concepts and principles of simulation developed in the core Quantitative Modelling module, this will present you with a practical framework for building and evaluating supply chains using simulation techniques. You will obtain hands-on experience of undertaking simulation studies using a variety of software tools.

Thesis Preparation and Development

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Thesis Preparation and Development

The culmination of the learning process is your opportunity to undertake a thesis which will be either research or company based.

A research based thesis encourages you to develop a topic that is practical, innovative and of particular interest to you. You will be supported by staff whose expertise lies in your chosen area, and will be assisted in developing and following a research plan. This will enable you to formulate the problem, undertake necessary empirical analysis and draw appropriate conclusions.

The company-based thesis takes place within a real organisation where a relevant individual project will have been identified through our close links with industry and commerce. Each project is discussed with the organisation during the spring term. You will then carry out sufficient research to identify the terms of reference and objectives, and a project plan will be agreed.

Although you will have an academic advisor at Cranfield, you are encouraged to work closely with the sponsoring organisation. Recent project sponsors have included: Shadow Strategic Rail Authority, Eurovos XL bv, Tarmac Quarry Products, Guinness, Unipart and Exel Logistics Automotive Europe.

Distribution Centre Design

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Distribution Centre Design

There is no substitute for using learned knowledge and skills in an applied situation. Following on from the Warehousing Design and Operations module, this elective further develops your abilities through group working, using raw data to design a complete warehousing solution.

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Performance Measurement in the Supply Chain

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Performance Measurement in the Supply Chain

Measuring performance in the logistics environment can be complicated, as there are often a number of loosely connected organisations that form part of the overall supply chain. We will expose you to the main issues that surround analysis, design and implementation of accurate performance measurement. You will also explore the factors affecting performance in strategic alliances and in large organisations with highly advanced supply chains.

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Logistics Outsourcing

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Logistics Outsourcing

Third Party Logistics (3PL) has become a very competitive and dynamic industry over the last ten years and there are many issues involved in selecting and dealing with a third party logistics contractor. You will also study the role of 3PL in international logistics as well as the evolution of Fourth Party Logistics (4PL).

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Demand Chain Management

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Demand Chain Management

The biggest inhibitor to successful deployment of supply chain strategy is the 'disconnect' between the supply chain and the customers it is supposed to serve. To help overcome this, you will explore how the demand fulfilment process can align successfully with the demand creation process, in order to achieve greater customer responsiveness.

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Road Freight Transport

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Road Freight Transport

Road freight is so important in modern logistics and supply chain management that it merits focused study. To gain a full understanding of factors that affect a successful road freight operation you will cover: costs, vehicle selection, regulation, legislation, fleet management, alternative fuels and road transport in e-business.

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Planning and Resourcing for Road Freight Transport

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Planning and Resourcing for Road Freight Transport

Sound planning and considered allocation of resources are critical for cost-effective road freight transport. This elective will reinforce the planning steps to determine resource requirements, and give you hands on experience with leading routing and scheduling software.

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Six Sigma in the Supply Chain

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Six Sigma in the Supply Chain

Total Quality Management (TQM) and specifically Six Sigma are methodologies employed in modern organisations for improving the supply chain process. Many of the techniques involved in this module build on analytical skills acquired earlier in the programme. The theory behind using Six Sigma methodology follows the Define- Measure-Analyse-Improve-Control (DMAIC) approach and this elective gives you the opportunity to apply this methodology in a practical case study.

Personal and professional development runs throughout the year

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Personal and professional development

To prepare you for your future career and support you throughout your studies at Cranfield, a series of personal development workshops will be offered to help you to develop your skills in areas such as study skills, effective writing, presentation skills, working in teams and problem solving in unstructured environments. You will also enhance your skills in project planning, skills which will help with your CV preparation, interviewing skills, assessment centres and networking.

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