The course specializes into the specific management challenges, roles, and service offerings of logistics and transportation services as important elements within the broader theoretical context of modern supply chain management.

The course is structured into four blocks and based on a combination of theoretical approaches with industry facts to illustrate developments and key management issues in a more applied context.

It is starting with a focussed 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 in its major block, consisting of several modules, upon generic as well as current challenges for the management of logistics services.
For this, the focus will be set in single modules on different modes of transportation like on the water, the air, the street or on rail tracks.

For each of the different modes the basic systems, key challenges, and context issues are introduced and opportunities for specific business models discussed and analysed.

Beyond this, the analysis turns on to a modern and more integrated view on the management of logistics services and for each mode of transportation a salient, but also principle, issue of logistics service management like chain integration, industrialization of services, network vs. focussed services, network structure is illustrated and discussed in more detail and in applied context. In total this provides a sound understanding of the specific systems relatet to the single modes of transportation but as well a more generic and global understanding of key management issues regarding logistics services.

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 are further upcoming topics briefly adressed 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 international logistics flows and the specific challenges and opportunities for a positioning of logistics service providers within the international supply chains
• A resource based view on the creation of the service architectures and the related challenges and solutions for specific services
• Generic elements, standard problems and standard solutions related to the definition of business models for logistics services
• Key issues of logistics serives like Industrialization or individualization, network structure, vertical and horizontal chain integration etc.
• Effects and opportunities of regulation and deregulation on the development of logistics services
• Integration of diffenret modes of transportation to innovate transportation chains
• Complementary discussions on sustainability and security in international transportation chains

The course´s development of personal competences:

The aim of the course is to equip students with a sound understanding of the key processes and major business challenges in 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 integrading 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 limitations, and are enabled to assess the potential of specific innovative positions, approaches or solutions.

Reference book –

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

Articles –

Boyson, Sandor; Corsi, Thomas; Dresner, Martin; Rabinovich, Elliot: Managing effective Third Party Logistics Relationships: What does it take?, in: Journal of Business Logistics, 20(1999)1, pp. 73-100.

Carbone, Valentina; De Martino, Marcella: The changing role of ports in supply-chain management: an empirical analysis, in: Maritime Policy & Management, 30(2003)4, pp. 305-320.

Chapman, Ross L.; Soosay, Claudine; Kandampully, Jay: Innovation in logistic services and the new business model, in: International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 33(2003)33, pp. 630-650.

Corbett, James; Winebrake, James; Green, Erin; Kasibhatla, Prasad; Eyring, Veronika; Lauer, Axel: Mortality from Ship Emissions: A Global Assessment, in: Environmental Science & Technology, 41(2007)24, S. 8512-8518.

Corsi, Thomas; Stowers, Joseph: Effects of a Deregulated Environment on Motor Carriers: A Systematic, Multi-Segment Analysis, in: Transportation Journal, (1991)Spring, pp. 3-28.

Franc, Pierre; Van der Horst, Martijn: Understanding hinterland service integration by shipping lines and terminal operators: a theoretical and empirical analysis, in: Journal of Transport Geography, 18 (2010), S. 557-566.

Goetz, Andrew; Graham, Brian: Air transport globalization, liberalization and sustainability: post-2001 policy dynamics in the United States and Europe, in: Journal of Transport Geography, 12(2004)4, pp. 265-276.

Green, Forrest; Turner, Will; Roberts, Stephanie; Nagendra, Ashwini; Winigner, Eric: A Practitioner’s Perspective On The Role Of A Third-Party Logistics Provider, in: Journal of Business & Economics Research, 6(2008)6, S. 9-13.

Hesse, Markus; Rodrigue, Jean-Paul: The transport geography of logistics and freight distribution, in: Journal of Transport Geography, (2004)12, pp. 171-184.

Jara-Diaz, Sergio; Basso, Leonardo: Transport cost functions, network expansion and economies of scope, in: Transportation Research, Part E 39(2003), pp. 271-288.

Johnson, Mark; Christiansen, Clayton; Kagermann, Henning: Reinventing your Business Model, in: Harvard Business Review, 86(2008)12, pp. 50-59.

Laird, James; Nellthorp, John; Mackie, Peter: Network effects and total economic impact in transport appraisal, in: Transport Policy, 12(2005), pp. 537-544.

Larson, Paul; Gammelgaard, Britta: Logistics in Denmark: A Survey of the Industry, in: International Journal of Logistics: Research and Applications, 4(2001)2, pp. 191-206.

Lemoine, W.; Danaes, Lars: Globalisation strategies and business organisation of a network of logistics service providers, in: International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 33(2003)3, S. 209-229.

Levitt, Theodore: Marketing myopia, in: Harvard Business Review, (2004) July-August Reprint from 1960, pp. 138-149.

Levitt, Theodore: The industrialization of service, in: Harvard Business Manager, 1976 September-October, pp. 63-74.

Notteboom, Theo: Container Shipping And Ports: An Overview, in: Review of Network Economics, 3(2004)2, S. 86-106.

Notteboom, Theo; Merckx, Filip: Freight integration in liner shipping: A strategy serving global production networks, in: Growth and Change, 37(2006)4, pp. 550-569.

Prockl, Günter; Pflaum, Alexander; Kotzab, Herbert: What is the right value creation model for 3PL services? - 3PL AS FACTORY OR LERNSTATT, in: Proceedings of the 22nd NOFOMA conference, Kolding 10th and 11th of June 2010, S. 197-212.

Prockl, Günter; Schottenhammer, Michael; Kotzab, Herbert: JOB SATISFACTION IN ROAD TRANSPORTATION - A SURVEY, in: Proceedings of the 22nd NOFOMA conference, Kolding 10th and 11th of June 2010, S. 51-66.

Trip, Jacob; Bontekoning, Yvonne: Integration of small freight flows in the intermodal transport system, in: Journal of Transport Geography, 10(2002), S. 221-229.

Vogt, Alexander; Ruby, Cecile: Challenges faced by new entrants of the French rail freight market, in: Internationales Verkehrswesen, 60(2008)5, pp. 173-176.

Wilmsmeier, Gordon; Sanchez, Ricardo: Shipping Networks Evolution in International Containerised Trade, in: Heidelhoff, Christel; Pawlik, Thomas: Handbook of Container Shipping Management, in: Volume 2: Management Issues in Container Shipping, Bremen 2008, pp. 33-43.