Managing an organisation's logistics and supply chain management was for many years a neglected management activity. As a result of an article in Fortune in 1962 written by Peter Drucker, businesses became aware that 50 percent of each dollar consumers spent on goods financed activities that occur after the goods leave the factory, thus focusing attention on the potential efficiency savings that managing these activities could achieve. In the 50 years that has passed, business has seen massive changes; a complete management discipline has been built resulting in the integration and coordination of materials flows into, through, and out of, manufacturing facilities achieving exceptionally high levels of productivity. Logistics and supply chain management now plays a major role in implementing organisational strategy and in many industries has sole responsibility for managing customer service. An understanding of the role of this activity within an organisation and how an understanding of logistics and supply chains can assist business managers to better respond to market opportunities is essential for business students. Students undertaking this unit will be given a solid grounding in the language, concepts, techniques and principles that underlie the field of logistics and supply chain management, and how knowledge of these concepts can contribute towards a strategically effective and operationally efficient organisation or network of organisations.

Supply chain management as well as logistics, transport and infrastructure management relies on the ability to make effective decisions based on the information provided by careful analysis of data. Students undertaking this unit will develop a strong understanding of the basic techniques underpinning quantitative analysis and will develop highly marketable skills in spreadsheet modelling and the communication and presentation of data to support management decision making. This unit emphasises the practical aspects of quantitative analysis with computer based workshops. Students are guided through the basic theories used in decision making but emphasis is placed on how the theories are applied in practice, drawing on real world experience in quantitative analysis. The unit covers demand forecasting, spreadsheet modelling, optimisation of production and transportation using linear programming, simulation and basic statistics and linear regression techniques.

Successful supply chain management relies upon informed decision making. This unit explores a range of important decisions, and equips students with a toolkit of models and analytical methods that can assist in making informed decisions. The first set of decisions concern supply chain design and strategy, and includes network design and facility location. These decisions provide structure to the supply chain, set the boundaries within which planning decisions will be made, and impact on supply chain performance over the long term. In contrast, planning decisions provide value over the medium and short term. Here, this unit will cover aggregate planning, sales and operations planning, and inventory control. Special attention will be placed on how to handle uncertainty and risk within the supply chain.

Globalisation of supply markets, evolving regulatory environments and technological developments pose ongoing challenges for strategic procurement. This unit explores current procurement practice in both public and private sector organisations using a number of local and international case studies. Students will gain insights into category management, sourcing risks, spend analysis, lean and e-procurement, negotiations, reverse auctions, ethical sourcing and the implications of big data analytics and emerging technologies for contemporary procurement practice. The unit includes an industry-led workshop and certificate component and is suitable for both early career procurement professionals as well as students considering procurement as a future career option.

Companies increasingly work with multiple partners in globally distributed supply chains. To create agile and responsive supply chains, it is essential for companies to have timely visibility of information in relation to products within their own warehouses as well as the movement of raw materials and finished goods across the supply chain from source to the end consumer. To improve business-to-business visibility, information from a wide range of sources and business processes must be gathered and shared amongst a number of supply chain partners. This continues to be a challenge for many businesses. This unit examines the role of evolving technologies and the global GS1 standards in enabling warehouse and supply chain visibility. Case studies, SAP and other software packages as well as an industry--led workshop and certificate component are used to create a practical learning environment.

Large scale, sudden onset disasters strike with little or no warning. In their wake they leave shattered infrastructure, collapsed services and traumatised populations, while the number of dead, injured and homeless often reaches staggering proportions. Humanitarian aid organisations, such as the Red Cross, Doctors without Borders or Oxfam, to name just a few, are usually amongst the first responders, but depend on extremely agile supply chains to support their worldwide operations. Successful disaster relief missions are characterised by the ability of professionals to cope with time pressure, high uncertainty and unusual restrictions. This unit is designed as an introduction to the coordination and management of humanitarian aid and emergency response logistics. Case studies of real events, such as the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and the 2010 Haiti earthquake provide the framework for analysis and research, while discussion of operational factors, simulations, workshops and group exercises offer students an interactive learning environment.

Production and operations management designs, operates, and improves the processes and systems through which products are made and delivered. Firms can improve their productivity and gain competitive advantage through effective and innovative production and operations management. This unit offers a thorough examination of various production and operations management concepts from a supply chain perspective. The key teaching topics include operations planning hierarchy, resource management, capacity planning, quality management, retail operations, sustainable/green operations, and reverse logistics. Students learn about the successful production and operations management practices that have helped organisations improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their supply chains and create competitive advantage.

This capstone unit consolidates and integrates the knowledge and skills that students have gained in the Master of Logistics and Supply Chain Management program. Taken in the last semester of study, the unit provides students with the opportunity to explore real world and/or scenario?based logistics and supply chain management problems and to reinforce competencies in the area of their interest and expertise. The projects are assigned to students based on their experience and professional needs in one or more of the following areas: design and planning of global supply chains, supply chain risk analysis and mitigation strategies, sustainable logistics and supply chains, performance measurement and management, warehouse and inventory management, production planning and control, strategic procurement, and supply chain challenges facing Australian businesses. Students manage the project investigation and carry it to completion within a specified time period and to a professional standard. Through the project, students identify the problems and existing bottlenecks, explore the potential solutions to these problems, critically analyse the situation, document their progress, communicate findings with their mentor and other students, reflect on their learning, and prepare a formal project report describing the work performed as well as the resulting conclusions and recommendations.

This unit seeks to give students an understanding of the management of international freight, including express, freight forwarding, air freight and ocean shipping. The unit will discuss underlying drivers of international trade flows and the demand for capacity in different freight transport modes, as well as industry structure, regulatory environment (customs, etc.) and market access. Building on this background the unit will highlight the implications for profitable air cargo and shipping operations. Particular focus will be given to fleet and network planning, revenue and cost management. The material covered in the unit will take into account recent developments in global and regional economic activity and discuss implications for the various sectors of the air, sea and intermodal freight businesses. This unit covers operators, customers and investors perspectives and strategies and intermodal freight businesses.

The provision and implementation of infrastructure involves a choice between alternative ways of using scarce resources. Infrastructure appraisal is a process which provides an evidence base for decision-makers to make informed and rational choices on investment strategies. This unit uses cases studies to investigate the evaluation of infrastructure investment whether funded by the private or public sector, where the critical difference is between the viewpoint of the investor with private investors being interested in the return to their own business, and public investment needing to be concerned with the costs and benefits to society as a whole. The unit also examines the implications for appraisal in the increasingly-important public-private financing investment setting. The unit considers the rationale of appraisal and its underlying value judgements before addressing issues of reference case and elements for appraisal identification. Uncertainty is a crucial element associated with evaluating investments which occur in the future, as is the valuation of resources, when there is no market to guide value. The unit goes beyond financial appraisal and cost benefit analysis to include themes that are assuming growing importance in today's evaluation processes, such as the wider economy impacts and economic impact analysis.

The world is increasingly filled with systems, devices and sensors collecting large amounts of data on a continual basis. Most of these data are associated with locations that represent everything from the movement of individuals travelling between activities to the flow of goods or transactions along a supply chain and from the location of companies to those of their current and future customers. Taking this spatial context into account transforms analyses, problem solving and provides a powerful method of visualising the world. This is the essence of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and this unit. This unit starts by introducing students to the 'building blocks' of GIS systems, including data structures, relational databases, spatial queries and analysis. The focus then moves on to sources of spatial data including Global Positioning System (GPS), operational systems such as smartcard ticketing and transaction data along with web-based sources highlighting both the potential and challenges associated with integrating each data source within a GIS environment. The unit is hands-on involving learning how to use the latest GIS software to analyse several problems of interest using real 'big data' sources and to communicate the results in a powerful and effective way. These include identifying potential demand for new services or infrastructure, creating a delivery and scheduling plan for a delivery firm or examining the behaviour of travellers or consumers over time and locations. This unit is aimed at students interested in the spatial impact of decision-making and on the potential for using large spatial datasets for in-depth multi-faceted analytics.

This unit conveys the fundamentals of maritime logistics and positions each student to become a competent practitioner with an understanding of the key concepts, techniques and management methods of maritime logistics. The unit commences with a review of world seaborne trade, trends and cycles in the industry. This includes a review of ship types, ship life cycles, and the markets for new and second hand ships. There is an analysis of competition and efficiency in maritime logistics, including the impact of vertical and horizontal integration, alliances, freight stabilisation agreements and conferences. Ship owning, financing, chartering and insurance are covered in detail. Ship certification, flag state control, and the role of the IMO are described. Intermodal supply chains are studied for both bulk and containerised freight. Tramp and liner shipping is covered, with a detailed look at routing and scheduling for liner operations. Presentations by maritime professionals will complement the lectures and provide students with windows on the workings of the industry.

This unit conveys the fundamentals of port management and thus develops each student into a competent practitioner with an understanding of the key concepts, techniques and management methods for the port industry. The unit comprehensively covers all aspects of management from planning and operation to security, efficiency and mitigation of environmental impact for all types of port. Technological changes and their implications for the port industry, in particular container terminal automation, are studied. The role of ports in global supply chains is analysed. The relationship of ports with their hinterlands as well as the concept of port-centric logistics is looked at in detail. The port-city interface as well as waterfront redevelopment is covered, with examples drawn from a number of countries. Port policy and the importance of competition and/or regulation are presented. Talks by port professionals will complement the lectures and provide students with windows on the workings of the industry.

International growth in the airline industry offers extensive commercial and employment opportunities not only for airlines but also for the airports, banks, consultancies and other players that form the aviation supply chain. This unit covers all aspects of international business and management for airlines and along the aviation value chain from consumer, producer and investor perspectives. Students develop an understanding of the economics of the operation of airlines and suppliers to the airline industry, including financial analysis, risk management and implications of competitive strategies for the development of hubs and global alliances. The growth in air traffic particularly in the Asia/Pacific region is creating significant opportunities for airline development and the unit thus covers forecasting and the role of the private sector in this development. The unit also examines the management and logistics of regional aviation. As a result of our strategic partnership with CAPA and a number of airlines and airports, students have access to industry data bases, company information and aviation contacts/networks.

Airports play an integral role in the aviation system, and contribute significantly to the economic growth of a region, or even a country. This unit covers major aspects of airport management, operation and public policy. The unit's learning objectives are two-fold. Firstly, it provides students with the core knowledge and insights concerning the key issues and decisions involved in the operation and management of airports in a rapidly changing regulatory environment. Secondly, it develops the skills for applying various applied economics and management knowledge to the airport industry. The unit assists students to understand more fully the business related problems encountered by commercial, industrial and public organisations in the airport industry. It also develops an ability to interpret results from relevant economic / management studies.

Global transport and logistics (aviation, shipping and multi-modal transportation) is one of the fastest growing international industry areas providing commercial and employment opportunities in airlines, airports, shipping lines, ports, freight forwarders, banks, consultancies, and other players in the global supply chain. In the current market environment it is not enough to have an understanding of the business fundamentals of the aviation and maritime industry. The most sought after skill is to be able to apply acquired knowledge and to be ready to do business. This unit builds on the material taught in the foundation maritime and aviations units with the aim to relate all of the key learning outcomes from those units to real world industry examples. Students are required to test their understanding in case studies and workshops both on an individual level and in team work environments. The course is enriched by a number of presentations from senior managers from the aviation and maritime industry.

Infrastructure is crucial to economic performance; without it business cannot operate efficiently or competitively. Delivery of large infrastructure projects, however, is complex and despite many more megaprojects being undertaken than any time in history, the majority of these projects are completed significantly over?budget and longer than planned. In this unit students will be introduced to megaproject decision making. The sources of social and technical complexity are discussed, issues of risk management and governance explored, and human biases in decision making are also highlighted. Strategies to overcome weaknesses in mega?project decision making are also outlined.

This unit involves a semester long research project, on a single transport, logistics or infrastructure topic. The topic may either be selected from a list proposed by the academic staff at ITLS, or negotiated with a staff member, based on the students personal or professional interests. The research can take a number of forms. An existing research finding or methodology may be refined or investigated in a different context. Academically strong and ambitious students may seek to obtain more original results. Another alternative is a critical investigation of a case study, or a critical comparison of a range of approaches to a problem, that are either implemented in industry or proposed in academia. Through this unit, students will develop skills in critical thinking, independence of thought and action, and management of a complex, uncertain project. The unit is ideally suited to the strong student who is seeking a competitive edge over others within their profession, or to students who may be interested in future, research based study.

This unit provides the opportunity for coursework students who have successfully completed the Research Case Study I unit to investigate an additional topic in the transport/logistics/infrastructure field or to further their existing research into a particular topic. The unit involves a semester long research project, on a single transport, logistics or infrastructure topic. The topic may either be selected from a list proposed by the academic staff at ITLS, or negotiated with a staff member, based on the students personal or professional interests. The research can take a number of forms. An existing research finding or methodology may be refined or investigated in a different context. Academically strong and ambitious students may seek to obtain more original results. Another alternative is a critical investigation of a case study, or a critical comparison of a range of approaches to a problem, that are either implemented in industry or proposed in academia. Through this unit, students will develop skills in critical thinking, independence of thought and action, and management of a complex, uncertain project. The unit is ideally suited to the strong student who is seeking a competitive edge over others within their profession, or to students who may be interested in future, research based study.