Faculty
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Günter Prockl

Course Coordinator
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Günter Prockl

This course can be followed by master level and by exchange students. For students not having a basic logistics background, it is recommended to read the appropriate chapters of a textbook within logistics before starting this course, e.g. e.g. Grant, D.; Lambert, D.; Stock, J.; Ellram, L.: Fundamentals of Logistics Management, European Ed., McGraw-Hill 2005

Logistics Services become increasingly important within the supply chains of modern globalized economies. The course specializes into the specific management challenges, roles, and service offerings of logistics service providers as important players within the broader theoretical context of modern supply chain management. The structure is based on four blocks and a mixture of theoretical approaches with industry facts.

It is starting with a general discussion on the business environment for logistics services, introducing structure and impact of international flows of goods and material, resulting effects on the demand for logistics services and a view into their institutional setup in terms of basic roles, functions and restrictions e.g. caused by regulations and deregulations.

Then theoretical concepts and approaches of logistics theory and service theory are combined and grouped around the generic structure of a business model approach for logistics service providers. This business model view is used further as framework for analysis.

The course then details upon generic as well as current challenges for the management of logistics services, now in a more isolated view for different modes of transportation like on the water, the air, the street or on rail tracks. For the different modes and their respective systems, key challenges, and different opportunities for different service providers involved are discussed and analysed.

Finally also approaches for an integration of the different modes of transportation and logistics services to combined transportation chains are presented and discussed as well as further upcoming topics like security or integrity issues in international transportation chains or the demand for sustainable supply chains reflected in the ideas of “greener” logistics services.

Some of the central issues of the course are:

- A market based view on the international flows of goods and the specific positioning and opportunities of logistics service providers within the international supply chains

- Effects and opportunities of regulation and deregulation on the development of logistics services

- The role play of different logistics service providers within the transportation chains

- Generic elements, standard problems and standard solutions of business models for logistics services

- Industrialization or individualization of logistics services

- A resource based view on architectures and related challenges of the respective services

- Integration of different modes of transportation to innovative transportation chains

Aspects of sustainability and security in international transportation chains

The aim of the course is to equip students with a sound understanding of the processes and the key business challenges of the field of logistics services, with the modern repertoire of solutions, instru­ments and meth­ods, and the ability to adopt and apply theory fun­damentals of dif­fe­­rent disciplines into the field. Students learn to understand the supply chains of logistics service providers in the context of their specific business models integrating aspects like specific value propositions, different revenue models, and different architectures of the resource basis involved. They use their knowledge to analyse and compare such models, identify problems or fields of tension, and are enabled to assess the potential of specific innovative positions, approaches or solutions.

Upon course completion, the individual student should be able to demonstrate knowledge on the meaning of logistics services within global supply chains and relate these to broader supply chain, logistics, and service management issues. Students are able to analyse specific business models and related functions, activities, and processes of logistics services embedded in a global environment.

The goals of this course in relation to what the students will achieve on completion are that students:

- understand the basic systems for providing logistics services on the air, the water, the street, or on track

- are well familiar with the common terminology referring to logistics service and different modes of transportation and are able to use the terminology in developing convincing arguments

- can analyze the role of different actors within the service supply chain for different modes

- understand and compare appropriate business models for logistics services in their context

- apply concepts and theories to answer specific questions referring to different modes of logistics services and identify and argument for the potentials of innovative logistics concepts applied

- can identify key business challenges for different modes and players in the logistics service supply chain and so provide reasons for specific developments of different segments in the logistics service industry

Developing their own case and presenting their arguments on one of the specific issues, discussed in the course, shall provide additional valuable insights into the challenges of managing logistics services.

Individual project exam, 15 A4-pages, student is not entitled to supervision

Reference book –

Bardi/Coyle/Novack: Management of Transportation, Thomson, International Student Edition, 2006

Articles –

The course includes dialogue lectures, case discussions, in-class assignments and when appropriate guest speakers from the industry.