A structured programme covering the full theory and practice of logistics and distribution management, from supply chain foundations through network design, procurement, warehousing, freight transport, and operational management.
These three modules are taken once and count toward every diploma you pursue. They may be completed at any point — all three are required for the diploma certificate.
The first foundation course — mapping argument structure, identifying fallacies, testing claims against evidence with precision, and constructing the strongest version of a position before critiquing it.
What is the actual logical structure of this argument — not what it claims to be, but what it is? You will study how to map premises, conclusions, and the inferential steps between them (including hidden premises), distinguish deductive from inductive arguments, and identify formal and informal fallacies in real text.
Does the conclusion follow from the premises, and is your critique engaging with the argument at its strongest? You will study validity and soundness, the precision of claim (over-claiming, under-claiming, evidence fit), and the steelmanning practice — constructing the most defensible version of a position before attacking it.
The second foundation course — the paragraph as reasoning unit, CEA architecture, thesis construction and stress-testing, argument coherence, scope control, and the pre-submission review.
Is every sentence advancing the argument? You will study the CEA unit (Claim, Evidence, Analysis) as the fundamental architecture of academic writing, the paragraph as the smallest unit of argument, topic sentences as micro-theses, logical transitions, and the structural difference between an essay that describes a topic and one that argues a claim about it.
Does the argument on the page match the argument you intended? You will study thesis stress-testing (So what? Who disagrees? Is this demonstrable?), the section audit, scope control, academic register and voice, citation architecture, and the full pre-submission checklist.
The third foundation course — reading research papers for methodology and claims, stress-testing studies, verifying citations against the specific risk of AI hallucination, and using sources honestly.
Does the methodology support the claims? You will study how to read a research paper for method rather than content — identifying the research question and claims, the methodology type and its validity requirements, the gap between method and claims, common methodological limitations, the replication standard, and what statistical significance does and does not establish.
Is every citation verified, and is every source used honestly? You will study citation verification (including the specific risk of AI hallucinated citations and the verification procedure), source selection criteria, genuine paraphrase versus its imitations (mosaic plagiarism, patchwriting), and the attribution standard.
The conceptual and historical foundations of logistics — scope and definition, the total logistics concept and integrated supply chain, customer service as output specification, distribution channels, and the strategic challenges facing the discipline.
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.
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.
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.
The most consequential decisions in logistics — network design, depot configuration, segmentation, modelling, and manufacturing integration — hosted by the planner of D-Day and the builder of the Interstate Highway System.
What triggers a logistics network redesign, and how is the design process structured? You will study the pressures for change that drive logistics redesign, the strategic planning overview, logistics design strategy dimensions, product characteristics and their logistics implications, and supply chain segmentation as the prerequisite for network design.
How many depots, where, and of what size? You will study the cost trade-off governing depot configuration, the phased planning methodology, initial analysis and option definition, quantitative modelling tools (centre-of-gravity, linear programming, simulation), site selection criteria, and how logistics strategy must align with business strategy.
How does manufacturing strategy drive logistics requirements? You will study JIT and its distribution implications (frequency, consignment size, time windows), MRP and MRPII, postponement and flexible fulfilment, and the logistics consequences of make-to-stock, make-to-order and assemble-to-order strategies.
The decisions that govern quantity, timing and sourcing — inventory planning and the EOQ, the supply-chain-level bullwhip effect, and procurement strategy from total acquisition cost to CPFR and e-procurement.
Why is inventory held, what does it cost, and how should replenishment be managed? You will study the three holding motives (cycle, safety, anticipation), the four inventory cost categories, continuous and periodic review replenishment systems, the Economic Order Quantity — its derivation, assumptions and limitations — and demand forecasting and its relationship to safety stock.
How does inventory behave across a supply chain, and why does small retail demand variability become large manufacturer demand variability? You will study the lead-time gap, pipeline and safety stock, the bullwhip effect and its remedies, and inventory planning for manufacturing (dependent vs independent demand) and retailing.
What is procurement strategy, and when does a partnership relationship with a supplier produce better outcomes than arm's-length price competition? You will study total acquisition cost, supplier selection and development, collaborative planning forecasting and replenishment (CPFR), factory gate pricing, and e-procurement tools.
The design and management of physical logistics operations — warehouse role and strategy, storage and handling systems, order picking methodologies, cross-docking, and warehouse design procedure.
What is this warehouse for, and what strategic form should it take? You will study the three primary warehouse roles (storage, consolidation, break-bulk), the private/public/contract choice against cost, control and flexibility, core operational processes in sequence, the throughput-utilisation-unit cost relationship, and packaging and unit loads.
Which storage and handling system is appropriate for this product, throughput, and building? You will study palletised storage systems (selective, double-deep, mobile, live, AS/RS) compared by density, selectivity, cost and throughput, and non-palletised systems — small-item storage, conveyors, sortation, AGVs — with equipment selection criteria.
How is order picking designed for efficiency, and how is a warehouse designed from scratch? You will study picking strategies (picker-to-goods, goods-to-picker, zone, batch, wave), picking equipment, ABC velocity slotting, cross-docking, receiving and dispatch processes, and the warehouse design procedure.
The selection, economics, and planning of freight transport — international modal choice, maritime and air transport, rail and intermodal systems, and road freight vehicle selection, costing, and scheduling.
Which mode, for which cargo, to which destination, produces the lowest total logistics cost consistent with the required service level? You will study the modal choice methodology, mode characteristics (road, rail, air, sea, pipeline), consignment factors, the total cost approach to mode selection, and Incoterms — the allocation of risk and cost in international trade.
What are the economics and operational characteristics of maritime and air freight? You will study the maritime market segments, charter and liner markets, shipping documentation, vessel types, ports, and — for air freight — industry structure, ULDs, pricing (actual vs volumetric weight), hub-and-spoke networks, and air cargo security.
How is an intermodal chain designed, and how is road freight costed and scheduled? You will study intermodal equipment (containers, swap bodies, semi-trailers), inland container depots, road vehicle types and selection, standing and running costs, whole-life costing, and vehicle routeing and scheduling — including the savings algorithm.
The ongoing management of logistics operations — performance monitoring and benchmarking, logistics ICT and outsourcing decision and selection, outsourcing management, security, safety, and environmental compliance.
What should you measure, against what standard, and how should you act on the result? You will study the purposes of performance monitoring, the planning and control cycle, the main KPI categories for logistics (service, cost, utilisation, sustainability), effective metric design, dashboard formats, and the full benchmarking process from comparator identification to gap analysis.
What technology manages the logistics operation, and when should logistics be outsourced rather than operated in-house? You will study WMS and TMS systems and their integration, supply chain planning tools, RFID and IoT visibility, and the outsourcing decision — 1PL to 4PL distinctions, drivers and risks, critical 3PL selection factors, and the RFI/RFP/evaluation/contract selection process.
How is an outsourced logistics relationship governed, and how are security and environmental obligations managed? You will study the governance structure for outsourced logistics, implementation planning, transition management, international security schemes (ISPS, C-TPAT, AEO), warehouse safety risk assessment, EU environmental legislation, and carbon measurement and best practice.
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