Decision Making for Logistics and Transport Systems

Transport and logistics systems are pivotal to economic health and societal well-being but face challenges from sustainability, economic efficiency, and environmental impacts. These systems are complex socio-technical entities where technology intersects with various social aspects policy, organizational structures, and cultural factors and where diverse stakeholders often have conflicting interests.

This course highlights the importance of sophisticated decision-making models that incorporate advanced data analytics and operations research. These models are crucial for understanding and managing the intricate dynamics among stakeholders and system components.

Course Objectives.

By the end of this course, students will:

• Understand and frame transport and logistics challenges as decision-making problems.

• Utilize mathematical modeling to formulate these challenges.

• Validate and apply models to address real-world scenarios, enhanced through detailed case studies.

Course Content:

The curriculum is structured around decision-making at various planning levels, essential for effective transport and logistics management:

• Strategic Planning: Focuses on long-term network design and policy development with an emphasis on sustainability and macro-level efficiency.

• Tactical Decisions: Bridges strategic objectives and operational needs through medium-term planning, including resource allocation and service planning.

• Operational Management: Manages daily operations to ensure efficient, reliable service delivery, focusing on resource deployment and protocol adjustments.

• Real-Time Decisions: Employs quick, responsive decision-making to address immediate changes and unexpected challenges, ensuring system integrity and continuity.

This course's assessment consists of the following components:

(1) Assignments

• Students shall form groups of up to three members to complete two assignments. These assignments are designed to reinforce foundational concepts introduced in the course.

• Each assignment constitutes 15% of the final grade. The average of both assignments must be a minimum of 5.8 out of 10 to meet passing requirements.

Should the average score of the group assignments fall below 5.8, an additional assignment will be offered in the fourth quarter (Q4). Successfully completing this assignment ensures a passing mark of 5.8 for the assignments component.

(2) Written Examination

• The course includes a closed-book written examination designed to evaluate the students’ comprehensive understanding and analytical skills.

• To pass the written examination, a minimum score of 5.8 out of 10 is required.

• Reviews of the examination will be made available in the third quarter (Q3) following the announcement of final grades, offering students an opportunity to understand their performance.

• Should students not achieve a passing score on the written examination, a retake opportunity will be provided in Q3.

Final Grade Calculation and Passing Criteria

The final grade is determined as follows:

• Assignments collectively contribute 30% (15% per assignment).

• The written examination contributes the remaining 70%.

The formula for calculating the final grade is:

Final Grade=(0.15×Grade of Assignment 1)+(0.15×Grade of Assignment 2)+(0.70×Grade of Written Examination)

Required minimum scores are as follows:

• Assignments: A combined average of at least 5.8 out of 10.

• Written Examination: A minimum score of 5.8 out of 10.

Important Note on Assessment Validity

Please be aware that the results from the assignments and the written examination are valid only for the current academic year. If students do not pass the assessments after all provided opportunities two attempts for the assignments and two for the written examination these results cannot be carried over to the next academic year. Failure to meet the course requirements within this timeframe will require students to re-enroll and complete all assessments again in a subsequent academic term.