Total Cost Analysis, TCA, is an approach to handle all relevant costs in decisions concerning a choice between alternatives. Although TCA is considered important within Purchasing and SCM, there is little guidance on how to perform such analyses in a structured way. This is challenging to total cost analysts, but also to teachers wanting their students to learn TCA, especially since there is also a lack of guidance in literature on how to promote students' learning of TCA.

Based on experiences from a teaching case on supplier selection used in master's level education for several years, this paper presents a two-step teaching case approach which can serve as inspiration for teaching and learning TCA in a way that promotes students to be critical and engaged learners. In the two-step procedure, students first define which cost factors are relevant for the specific situation and which data they need to perform the TCA. Second, provided with requested data, they perform the TCA and evaluate their solution's robustness.

The proposed two-step model is novel, thereby adding to the case teaching literature. Moreover, the study adds to the scarce amount of research on purchasing education, as well as to the limited amount of literature on teaching and learning total cost analysis in general.

Critical thinking (CT) plays a crucial role in higher education. In the 12-credit master-level course Logistics Project at Linköping University in Sweden, students engage in practical logistical investigations with external clients. The projects are open-ended, something students find difficult and stressful. Teachers perceive the students do not really show a critical mindset to apply their knowledge to the specific context. To be able to support the students’ learning better, student and teacher perceptions were gathered through questionnaires and interviews to investigate what, more specifically, is challenging for the students. The main challenges identified were: Planning, The role of literature, Specify and delimit, Selection of investigation method, and Written communication of results. These challenges all relate to CT. The measures taken to counteract the challenges were informed by literature as enablers to improve students' CT skills: a new visual model for investigation planning, new thematic seminars, and redesigned peer group meetings (PGM). 

I projektkurser och examensarbeten där större utredningar ska planeras och genomföras behöver studenterna göra många val som kräver självständighet, kreativitet och helhetssyn. Detta upplever många studenter som svårt och frustrerande. Vi har undersökt vilka svårigheter studenterna upplever, och baserat på detta genomfört förändringar i kursens lärandeaktiviteter. Studien är ännu inte avslutad, men vi ser tendenser till positiva effekter vad gäller studenternas lärande.

Purpose

When relocating warehouses, goods are moved from the old warehouses to the new. This transfer of goods is extended over time and is performed in parallel with daily business running as usual. The transfer logic, i.e., the sequence in which products are moved, has substantial effect on many activities in the supply chain, connected to e.g., transports, warehouses, stores, and purchasing. A proper choice of transfer logic therefore has big effect on the total costs for the product transfer.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the total cost effects of selecting a suitable logic for goods transfer connected to a warehouse relocation.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is built on an in-depth case study on a major Swedish retail company in the process of establishing a new distribution warehouse. The specific sub-project for the product transfer was followed using an interactive research approach, combined with interviews with some of the stakeholders. 

Findings

The systematic total cost approach applied in this case showed that big cost savings can be made by choosing an appropriate goods transfer logic. The study also gives strong support that contextual knowledge of operations is needed to make well-informed strategic decisions.

Research limitations

The findings are built from a single case study in the retail sector. Although we believe the findings to be applicable to other cases at a general level, we acknowledge that the actual outcome will be context specific. 

Practical implications

Companies planning to relocate their warehouses will gain from the findings. The systematic total cost approach followed in the case may serve as a guideline for selecting a suitable goods transfer logic.

Originality

Total cost considerations connected to centralisation and restructuring of distribution have been discussed in research for many years. However, the relocation of warehouses has so far not been in focus. Hence, the application of total cost analysis on goods transfer connected to warehouse relocation is novel.

In engineering programs, systems thinking capability has been promoted for a long time. The capability of students to apply various systems thinking approaches is not only supported by educational staff, but also highly required by various employers. The aim of the study is to investigate the inclusion of systems thinking aspects in the Mechanical Engineering program at Linköping University. Two research questions address this aim. According to involved teachers, (1) What aspects of systems thinking are included in the Master Program in Mechanical Engineering?, and (2) What teaching and learning activities concerning systems thinking are included in the Master Program in Mechanical Engineering? Empirical data was gathered through focus group interviews with involved teachers from two Master profiles. The results indicate that systems thinking is present in the respective Master profiles, however not explicitly communicated with the students. Systems thinking is often coupled with disciplinary knowledge, which supports CDIO standard 3. Some examples of how systems thinking is taught relating to disciplinary knowledge (CDIO standard 7) were presented by the teachers. Examples of teaching activities specifically aimed at systems thinking were however missing, alongside examination of systems thinking in particular.

Although there is a strong relation between procurement and outsourcing, there is an unclear use of terminology in the literature. The purpose is therefore to unravel the interface between outsourcing and procurement and clarify how these two concepts relate to each other. The discussion suggests that outsourcing in much of the literature includes more than the definition of outsourcing allows. Leaning against accepted definitions of outsourcing and procurement, we present a description of the interface between these two concepts, thereby clarifying in what sense they overlap, and in which parts the two differ from each other.