Course content

• The logistics and SCM concept
• Global supply chains
• Logistics and customer value
• Relationships and strategies within supply chains
• Logistics activities - transport, inventory and materials handling
• Purchasing and procurement
• SCM, complexity and vulnerability
• Responsiveness, integration and profitability in the supply chain
• Overview of export/import & the Sunnmøre region/Norway
• Export - import documentation and steps
• Methods and instruments of payment and pricing
• Export and import strategies and practices
• Export marketing
• Methods of financing exporters
• Customs clearance of import and export cargo
• Shipping
• Export procedures and documents
• Incoterms
• World Trade Organization
• Barriers to exporting
• Determinants of export performance
• Exporter/importer behavior
• Usefulness of export information sources
• Exporting problems & barriers
• Technology & export behavior
• Ethical issues in export/import
• Export propensity, intensity & firm performance

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

• Master core terminology within logistics and supply chain management
• Identify and describe various logistics challenges
• Explain how logistics and supply chain management can be used to enhance a company's competitive advantage
• Account for various strategies within logistics and supply chain management
• A global perspective of supply chain management.
• Understand network thinking in regards to export. This includes the role of import in relation to export, including the role of business relationships with customers, suppliers, supporting actors such as consultants, financial institutions, logistics service providers.
• Appreciation of the role of export/import process in the globalized world market.

Skills:

• Describe complexity and vulnerability in the supply chain
• Have a good appreciation of digital supply chain and its associated digital transformation
• Have a broad overview of the export-import process and its related literature and research streams.
• Have the ability to create export and import plans

Competence:

• Have an understanding of how supply chain activities and export/import from a network perspective can create customer value
• Be able to develop supply chain strategies for efficiency improvements
• Be able to develop import-export plan

Learning methods and activities

Teaching methods:

• Lectures, group assignments, case presentations and discussions. Mandatory assignment: Two mandatory group assignments must be approved prior to the written exam. Passed mandatory exercise is valid for later continuation exams.

Company visits:

• Visit to local company/companies to learn at first hand logistics operations/supply chain management practices/strategies

Guest lecture:

• Logistics/Supply chain management guest lecture on how a business/firm manages its logistics functions/operations, supply chain and export-import operations.

Compulsory assignments

• Assigment

Recommended previous knowledge

As required for admission to Norwegian higher education

Required previous knowledge

None

Course materials

Required books/chapters/articles:

• J. Mangan, C. Lalwani: Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management, John Wiley & Sons (2020), ISBN: 9781119703051, 4th edition, Wiley.
• Paul, J. & Aserkar, R. Export Import Management, Oxford University Press (Fourth impression 2016), ISBN: 9780198089407
• A collection of research articles/papers in addition to the textbooks.

Credit reductions