Led by Malcolm McLean Simulacrum
About this course
The first course in the Universitas Graduate Diploma in Logistics and Distribution Management, based on Rushton, Croucher and Baker's Handbook of Logistics and Distribution Management (4th edition). It establishes the intellectual architecture of the discipline before any operational technique is introduced.
Your host is the Malcolm McLean Simulacrum — the man who invented the shipping container and, in doing so, created the conditions for every global supply chain that followed. He understood that the question was never "how do you move cargo faster?" but "how do you eliminate the boundary between modes entirely?" That reframe is the opening question of the discipline itself.
Led by Malcolm McLean Simulacrum
The question
What problem is logistics actually solving? You will study the scope and definition of logistics and distribution management, the twelve key components of distribution, the historical development of the discipline from military supply through total cost integration to global supply chain management, and the commercial significance of logistics — costs as a percentage of GDP, proportion of final product cost, and logistics as a source of competitive advantage.
Outcome
You can define logistics precisely, name its key components, trace its historical development, and quantify its commercial significance.
Sub-units
Led by Malcolm McLean Simulacrum
The question
What happens when you manage logistics as a system rather than a collection of separate functions? You will study the total logistics concept and the trade-off principle, the planning hierarchy (strategic, tactical, operational), the financial impact of logistics on return on investment, globalisation and integration, and the distinction between logistics management and supply chain management.
Outcome
You can explain the total logistics concept, trace a trade-off across functions using total cost analysis, and distinguish logistics management from supply chain management.
Sub-units
Led by Malcolm McLean Simulacrum
The question
What is the output specification of the logistics system, and how is it delivered? You will study customer service in logistics terms (the seven rights, pre/transaction/post-transaction elements, policy development and measurement), distribution channel types and selection criteria, and the key strategic challenges — environmental, technological, manufacturing-driven, and the e-commerce and consumer-expectation revolution.
Outcome
You can define a customer service policy, evaluate distribution channel options against strategic objectives, and identify the strategic forces reshaping logistics design.
Sub-units