Business Logistics

2020-2021

1. Description of the course

Name of the course: Business Logistics Trimester: first
Degree: ADE, ECO, IBE, EMP_MGT Course code: 21958
Number of ECTS credits: 5 Student’s working hours: 125 hours
Teaching Language: English (Group 1 & 2)

Professor: Helena Ramalhinho

Office 20.210 /Jaume I Building
Office Hours: to be announced (request by mail helena.ramalhinho@upf.edu).

2. Course Presentation
Business Logistics is the business function that manages, implements, and controls the efficient
and effective flow and storage of goods, services and related information between the point of
origin and the point of consumption in order to meet customers' requirements. Every business is
within a logistics chain, and in our days, being able to optimize these activities and processes
along this chain is strategical for most companies. The efficient management of the logistics
activities is today a big challenge for most companies due its importance for business
competitiveness and performance.

In this course, it will be developed and discussed key topics and issues in Logistics Management,
the applications of analytic tools and methodologies in different areas of Logistics, as well as the
discussion of several practical and real cases of successful companies.

The objectives of the course are the following:

1) Learn the foundational skills and concepts for Logistics and Supply Chain Management;
2) Learn how to develop and apply analytic tools, approaches and techniques used in the
management of logistics activities;
3) Provide strategic and operational logistics management examples and case studies of
different industries.

3. Contents
1. Introduction to Logistics and Supply Chain Management (SCM)
2. Logistics and SCM Strategies
3. Customer Management in Logistics
4. Inhouse Logistics. Warehouse and Inventory Management.
5. Manufacturing Management
6. Procurement Management
7. Transportation Management. Inbound, middle and last mile Logistics.
8. Information and Technology Systems in Logistics
9. Sustainable Logistics

Notes:
i) Some Business Analytics methodologies will be explained so the students can solve logistics decision
problems. Basic knowledge in linear programming and statistics will be helpful.
ii) Some topics are related with other courses as Operations Management and Operations Research due
the frequent interaction in real business. During the course, this relationship will be explained, and for
students not attending these last courses some extra explanation will be given.
 Syllabus of the course Business Logistics

4. Methodology
The methodology of this course will be based on lecture classes, practical classes (exercises,
games and case studies), as well as set of highly interactive and participative activities. These
activities should be done individually or in groups, and if asked, students are expected to read
and prepare them before class, and eventually deliver a report. The students are also expected
to participate actively in all activities of the course. The students will have access to self-paced
videos for the basic concepts and so, the lectures online classes, will be used to clarify concepts
and methodologies. The seminars will be face-to-face classes, and they will be the opportunity
for the students to engage and learn from other participants, to focus on the live training and to
have personal attention.

5. References and resources

• The support material of the course is available in the Aula Global – Moodle and consist on
videos, slides of each topic for the lecture classes in pdf format, and cases of study, exercises
and game rules for seminars.
• Ballou R.H. (2014) “Business Logistics/ Supply Chain Management”, Prentice Hall.
• Bowersox D.J., D.J. Closs, M. B. Cooper, J.C. Bowersox (2020) “Supply Chain Logistics
Management”, McGraw-Hill.
• Ghiani G., Laporte G. & Musmanno R. (2013) “Introduction to Logistics Systems
Management”, Wiley (e-book)

6. Grading
The grading of the course will be done in the following way:
• Class Participation (20%).
o The class participation consists in answer short questions, multiple choice tests or
participate in the activities done in any class (theoretical and seminars). These activities
cannot be recovered.

• Group Project (30%).

o The students must work on a group project on Logistics and Supply Chain. One option is
to study the Logistics in an organization or business. The other, for students interested in
Business Analytics and Data Science, is to work on a Logistics Project based on real data
from Barcelona Open Data or European Data Portal, or other data provided by a business.
The project will be very demanding and of high quality. Students must talk with the
professor in the first two weeks for approval. These activities cannot be recovered. The
grading of the project will be based on peer and professor grading.

• A final exam consisting of multiple choice (30%) and exercises/open questions (20%).
o Given the recommendation of the Facultat, this exam will be online.
o The exam can be recovered on the Recover Period (January). The final grade will be
calculated as in December considering the class participation grade.
o To be eligible to take the recovery exam, students must meet both of the following
conditions: the student has completed the continuous evaluation activities and the student
has taken the exam in December.

Attendance policy
The classes are expected to be very participative, so it is highly recommended to attend both
lectures and seminar classes. A participation evaluation can be taken in any class (lecture and
seminar).

Relevant issues in Grading:

§ Plagiarism is to use another’s work and to present it as one’s own without attributing the
sources in the correct way. All essays, reports or projects handed in by a student must be
original work completed by the student. Otherwise, the score will be zero and, depending
on the severity of the fact, the student can fail the course.

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 Syllabus of the course Business Logistics

§ Students must bring resolved or worked activities in each class. In particular, in seminars
dedicated to:
o Case study: students must read the case before class and discuss it in class.
o Game: students must understand the rules of the game before the class; play the game
in class and afterwards prepare a report (in group).
o Exercises: students must work in the exercises before class and, in class, must discuss
doubts and participate in the resolutions of these ones, afterwards must do the online
tests in Aula Global.
§ No report can be handled by mail, only through Aula Global.
§ Any topic discussed in any class can be evaluated in the final exam.
§ The evaluation will be equal to all students; there are no exceptions.
§ UPF students in Erasmus must contact the professor in the first week in order to decide how
to deliver the continuous evaluation activities.
§ The professor will decide on any other situation.

7. Competence to develop on the course

General competence
Instrumental
Planning and arrangement capabilities;
Software Skills; Problem solving; Ability
to find appropriate information from
different sources.
Interpersonal
Oral communication for public audience;
Team working; Writing.
Systematic
Critical reasoning in the reading, writing
and oral communication activities.;
Capacity to analyze and summarize
quantitative and qualitative information.;
Fitting to new situations.
Specific competence
Academic and professional
To be able to identify the main functions of
business logistics and supply chain.
To be able to link business logistics with other
business strategies and functional areas of the
firm, such as marketing and operations.
To be able to identify, plan and manage the basic
logistics activities of a company, such as
inventory, demand planning, warehouse
management and transportation.
To be able to use analytic tools and
methodologies to plan and manage logistics.
To be able to identify the main information
systems of logistics and their impact on an
efficient logistics management.

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