University of Sydney Handbooks - 2018 Archive

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Units of study

The University of Sydney website (sydney.edu.au/courses/) contains the most up to date information on unit of study availability and other requirements. Timetabling information for the current year is available on the Business School website (sydney.edu.au/business/timetable). Students should note that units of study are run subject to demand.

1. Table of postgraduate units of study: Logistics and Supply Chain Management

(i) Master of Logistics and Supply Chain Management

Students enrolled in the Master of Logistics and Supply Chain Management complete units of study from the following table.

Unit of study Credit points A: Assumed knowledge P: Prerequisites C: Corequisites N: Prohibition Session

Core units of study

Students complete 36 credit points in core units of study.
The core unit, ITLS5000, must be completed in a student's first semester of study.
Students who can demonstrate prior knowledge of quantitative analysis (in particular mathematical knowledge and MS Excel solver proficiency) may apply to waive the prerequisite requirement for ITLS6002 Supply Chain Planning and Design. Students should outline their knowledge of quantitative analysis when applying for Special Permission to waive the prerequisite requirement.
ITLS5000
Foundations of Supply Chain Management
6    N TPTM6155 or TPTM5001
Semester 1
Semester 2
ITLS5200
Quantitative Logistics and Transport
6    C ITLS5000 or TPTM5001 or ITLS5100 or TPTM6241
N TPTM6495
Semester 1
Semester 2
ITLS6002
Supply Chain Planning and Design
6    P ITLS5200 or TPTM6495 or STAT5002
C ITLS5000 or TPTM5001 or TPTM6155
N TPTM6190
Semester 1
Semester 2
ITLS6003
Contemporary Procurement
6    A Basic ability to work with Excel is assumed.
C ITLS5200 or QBUS5001
N TPTM6400
Semester 1
Semester 2
ITLS6008
Production and Operations Management
6    C ITLS5000
Semester 2
ITLS6101
Global Freight Logistics Management
6    N TPTM6440
Semester 1
Unit of study Credit points A: Assumed knowledge P: Prerequisites C: Corequisites N: Prohibition Session

Elective units of study

Students complete 18 credit points in elective units.
ITLS6007
Disaster Relief Operations
6    N TPTM6390
Winter Main
ITLS6107
Applied GIS and Spatial Data Analytics
6    N TPTM6180


This unit assumes no prior knowledge of GIS; the unit is hands-on involving the use of software, which students will be trained in using.
Semester 2
ITLS6301
City and Ports Logistics
6      Summer Main
ITLS6400
Airline Strategy and Supply Chains
6    C ITLS6101
N TPTM6160
Semester 2
ITLS6401
Airport Management
6      Semester 1
ITLS6500
Decision Making on Mega Projects
6    C ITLS5000 or TPTM5001 or ITLS5100 or TPTM6241 or INFS5001
Summer Main
Unit of study Credit points A: Assumed knowledge P: Prerequisites C: Corequisites N: Prohibition Session

Capstone unit of study

The capstone unit must be completed in a student's final semester of study.
ITLS6090
Logistics and Supply Chain Project
6    P ITLS5000 or TPTM5001
C ITLS5200 and ITLS6002 and ITLS6003 and (ITLS6004 or ITLS6008)
N TPTM6170


This is the capstone unit for the Master of Logistics and Supply Chain Management and should be completed in the last period of study.
Semester 1
Semester 2

(ii) Graduate Diploma in Logistics and Supply Chain Management

Students enrolled in the Graduate Diploma in Logistics and Supply Chain Management complete units of study from the following table.

Unit of study Credit points A: Assumed knowledge P: Prerequisites C: Corequisites N: Prohibition Session

Core units of study

Students complete 24 credit points in core units.
The core unit, ITLS5000, must be completed in a student's first semester of study.
ITLS5000
Foundations of Supply Chain Management
6    N TPTM6155 or TPTM5001
Semester 1
Semester 2
ITLS5200
Quantitative Logistics and Transport
6    C ITLS5000 or TPTM5001 or ITLS5100 or TPTM6241
N TPTM6495
Semester 1
Semester 2
ITLS6003
Contemporary Procurement
6    A Basic ability to work with Excel is assumed.
C ITLS5200 or QBUS5001
N TPTM6400
Semester 1
Semester 2
ITLS6008
Production and Operations Management
6    C ITLS5000
Semester 2
Unit of study Credit points A: Assumed knowledge P: Prerequisites C: Corequisites N: Prohibition Session

Elective units of study

Students complete 12 credit points in elective units.
ITLS6002
Supply Chain Planning and Design
6    P ITLS5200 or TPTM6495 or STAT5002
C ITLS5000 or TPTM5001 or TPTM6155
N TPTM6190
Semester 1
Semester 2
ITLS6007
Disaster Relief Operations
6    N TPTM6390
Winter Main
ITLS6101
Global Freight Logistics Management
6    N TPTM6440
Semester 1
ITLS6107
Applied GIS and Spatial Data Analytics
6    N TPTM6180


This unit assumes no prior knowledge of GIS; the unit is hands-on involving the use of software, which students will be trained in using.
Semester 2
ITLS6301
City and Ports Logistics
6      Summer Main
ITLS6400
Airline Strategy and Supply Chains
6    C ITLS6101
N TPTM6160
Semester 2
ITLS6401
Airport Management
6      Semester 1
ITLS6500
Decision Making on Mega Projects
6    C ITLS5000 or TPTM5001 or ITLS5100 or TPTM6241 or INFS5001
Summer Main

(iii) Graduate Certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management

Students enrolled in the Graduate Certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management complete 24 credit points in core units of study from the following table.

Unit of study Credit points A: Assumed knowledge P: Prerequisites C: Corequisites N: Prohibition Session

Core units of study

The core unit, ITLS5000, must be completed in a student's first semester of study.
ITLS5000
Foundations of Supply Chain Management
6    N TPTM6155 or TPTM5001
Semester 1
Semester 2
ITLS5200
Quantitative Logistics and Transport
6    C ITLS5000 or TPTM5001 or ITLS5100 or TPTM6241
N TPTM6495
Semester 1
Semester 2
ITLS6003
Contemporary Procurement
6    A Basic ability to work with Excel is assumed.
C ITLS5200 or QBUS5001
N TPTM6400
Semester 1
Semester 2
ITLS6008
Production and Operations Management
6    C ITLS5000
Semester 2

2. Unit of study descriptions for the Logistics and Supply Chain Management coursework programs

Note: These unit of study descriptions are listed alphanumerically by unit code.

ITLS5000 Foundations of Supply Chain Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Classes: 8 x 3 hr lectures, 5 x 3 hr tutorials Assessment: Individual report (20%), group report (30%), quiz (10%), final exam (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day, Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
Logistics and supply chain management functions can account for as much as half of the total costs of running a business. The success of a firm's logistic and supply chain management not only impacts on the profitability of a firm but also has a significant and growing impact on customer experience and satisfaction. Logistics and supply chain management 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 improving logistics and supply chains can assist business managers to better respond to market opportunities is essential for business students. Students undertaking this unit are 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 contributes towards a strategically effective and operationally efficient organisation or network of organisations.
ITLS5200 Quantitative Logistics and Transport

Credit points: 6 Session: Classes: 1 x 3hr computer workshop per week Assessment: readiness assuranceness assessments (10%); computer exam (25%); individual report (25%); final exam (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day, Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
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.
ITLS6002 Supply Chain Planning and Design

Credit points: 6 Session: Classes: 6 x 3.5 hr lectures, 6 x 3.5 hr computer labs. Assessment: 2x computer exams (40%), assignments (40%), final exam (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening, Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
ITLS6003 Contemporary Procurement

Credit points: 6 Session: Classes: 9 x 3 hr lectures, 8 hr workshop, 1 x 3 hr industry forum Assessment: quiz (30%), group presentation (20%), final exam (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Procurement practitioners have to be able to generate insights from large volumes of transactional, aggregate, structured and unstructured data resulting from growing stakeholder needs, the globalisation of supply markets, evolving regulatory environments and relevant technological changes. This unit explores challenges in procurement practice using real procurement spend data from organisations with different strategic priorities. Students gain an appreciation of spend analysis techniques involving large datasets and an understanding of how the insights are applied in the context of category strategies, sourcing risk management, negotiations and ethical sourcing. The usefulness of large volumes of both structured and unstructured data for input to procurement strategy is explored. The unit includes an industry-led workshop and certificate component and is suitable for both early career procurement professionals as well as students interested in the application of data analytics in procurement.
ITLS6007 Disaster Relief Operations

Credit points: 6 Session: Classes: 6 x 3.5 hr lectures, 6 x 3.5 hr workshops. Assessment: Individual essay (25%), presentation (25%), final exam (50%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
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.
ITLS6008 Production and Operations Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Classes: 8 x 3hr lectures, 4x 3hr tutorials Assessment: individual quiz 1 (15%); individual quiz 2 (15%); case study report (30%); final exam (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
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.
ITLS6090 Logistics and Supply Chain Project

Credit points: 6 Session: Classes: 7 x 3.5 hr progress report meetings Assessment: group preliminary project report (20%), group presentation (20%), group final project report (40%), final exam (20%) Mode of delivery: Supervision
Note: This is the capstone unit for the Master of Logistics and Supply Chain Management and should be completed in the last period of study.
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.
ITLS6101 Global Freight Logistics Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Classes: 7 x 3 hr lectures, 6 x 3 hr workshops Assessment: Individual report (25%); quiz (30%); group presentation (30%); individual case discussion (15%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening, Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit provides students with an understanding of the management of international freight, including express, freight forwarding, rail, trucking, air freight and ocean shipping. The unit covers underlying supply chain drivers of international trade flows and the demand for capacity in different freight transport modes, as well as industry structure, institutional environment (customs, etc.) and market access. Building on this background the unit highlights the implications for profitable international logistics operations. The unit focuses on corporate strategies around fleet and network planning as well as revenue and cost management. The material covered in the unit takes into account recent developments in global and regional economic activity and discusses implications for the various sectors of the air, sea and intermodal freight businesses. This unit involves case studies and industry presentations, and analysis from the perspectives of shippers, carriers, end customers, regulatory bodies and investors.
ITLS6107 Applied GIS and Spatial Data Analytics

Credit points: 6 Session: Classes: 7 x 2 hr lectures, 7 x 4 hr computer labs Assessment: individual projects (40%); group project (20%); group presentation (10%); final exam (30%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
Note: This unit assumes no prior knowledge of GIS; the unit is hands-on involving the use of software, which students will be trained in using.
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.
ITLS6301 City and Ports Logistics

Credit points: 6 Session: Classes: 20 x 1.5 hr lectures, 4 x 1.5 hr seminars, 4 x 1.5 hr workshops Assessment: quiz (10%), individual presentation (10%), individual essay (40%), final exam (40%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
This unit conveys the fundamentals of city and port logistics and thus develops each student into a competent practitioner with an understanding of the key concepts, techniques and management methods for the city and port logistics industries. The unit 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 city and port logistics, in particular intelligent transport systems and container terminal automation, are studied. The role of cities and ports in global supply chains is analysed. The relationship of cities and 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 city and port logistics professionals complements the lectures and provides students with windows on the workings of the city and port logistics industries.
ITLS6400 Airline Strategy and Supply Chains

Credit points: 6 Session: Classes: 6 x 3.5 hr lectures, 3 x 3.5 hr seminars, 3 x 3.5 hr workshops. Assessment: individual assignment (50%), quiz (10%), presentation (30%), final exam (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Aviation is an international growth industry offering extensive commercial and employment opportunities in airlines, airports, logistic providers, banks, consultancies and other players of the aviation supply chain. This unit covers all aspects of international business and management along the aviation value chain and analysis from the perspectives of consumers (passengers and cargo), producers, distributors, brokers and investors. Students develop industry skills and an understanding of the strategic management and economics of operating airlines and other aviation entities, including financial analysis, risk management, sustainability, logistics, innovations and implications of competitive strategies for the development of hubs and alliances both in the global and regional/remote context. The growth in air traffic (i.e. in the Asia/Pacific region) creates endless opportunities and the unit thus also covers forecasting, entrepreneurship and the role of the private sector in airline/airport business development. As a result of our strategic partnership with CAPA and a number of airlines and airports, students have access to industry data bases, guest lecturers, company information and aviation contacts/networks.
ITLS6401 Airport Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Classes: 5 x 3.5 hr lectures, 2 x 3.5 hr seminars, 5 x 3.5 hr workshops. Assessment: individual report (40%), quiz (20%), group presentation (20%), final exam (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
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.
ITLS6500 Decision Making on Mega Projects

Credit points: 6 Session: Classes: 8 x 3.5 hr lectures, 4 x 3.5 hr workshops. Refer to timetable for full details. Assessment: 2x individual assignments (40%), group assignment (30%), final exam (30%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
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.