Code
MGFE OPM 5151
Level
M2
Field
Logistique, supply chain, etc.
Language
Anglais/English
ECTS Credits
1
Class hours
12
Total student load
20
Educational team
Introduction to the module
International trade increasingly depends on complex, technology-intensive transport and logistics systems. This course gives Master Engineer students a rigorous, practice-oriented understanding of how goods move across borders — bridging trade economics, transport engineering, and regulatory compliance. Students learn to structure international contracts with Incoterms® 2020, engineer modal and multimodal transport solutions, navigate customs and compliance frameworks, manage trade risk and digital trade technologies, and design decarbonized, sustainable freight networks.
Learning goals
- 6. Concevoir et/ou piloter des solutions de gestion innovantes en veillant à garantir une création de valeur soutenable pour toutes les parties prenantes
Learning objectives
- 6 - Design and/or pilot innovative management solutions, ensuring sustainable value creation for all stakeholders
Course Learning objectives
• Analyze global trade flows and the economic and geopolitical drivers of international trade.
• Apply Incoterms® 2020 rules to structure commercial contracts and allocate cost, risk, and responsibility.
• Compare and select transport modes (maritime, air, rail, road, multimodal) using engineering and cost-based criteria.
• Navigate customs procedures, trade compliance requirements, and free trade agreements.
• Evaluate supply chain risk, cargo insurance, and digital trade technologies (blockchain, e-B/L, Customs 4.0).
• Assess sustainability and decarbonization strategies for freight transport and design an end-to-end international transport solution.
Content : structure and schedule
1. Foundations of International Trade & Global Transport Systems: Trade flows & drivers · actors of the trade/transport chain · global logistics networks & chokepoints.
2. Incoterms® 2020 & International Trade Documentation: The 11 Incoterms® rules · transfer of risk & cost · B/L, invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, L/C.
3. Transport Modes & Multimodal Logistics Engineering Maritime: containerization & port ops · air freight networks · rail/road & intermodality · modal-choice engineering.
4. Customs, Trade Compliance & Free Trade Agreements: HS classification & tariffs · export controls & sanctions · AEO status · FTAs & rules of origin.
5. Risk, Insurance & Digital Trade Technologies: Supply-chain risk management · cargo insurance · blockchain, e-B/L, Customs 4.0, port community systems.
6. Sustainability, Decarbonization & Course Synthesis: IMO/EU regulation · alternative fuels & green corridors · end-to-end transport-solution design.
Sustainable Development Goals
This course addresses Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It focuses on developments in the industrial sector's technical capabilities, specifically in supply chain enterprises.
Number of SDG's addressed among the 17
1
Learning delivery
synchrone
Pedagogical methods
Each 2-hour session combines a structured lecture with applied exercises, short case discussions, and knowledge checks. Sessions 5 and 6 escalate to full case studies that require students to integrate concepts from earlier sessions into a coherent transport and trade solution.
Evaluation and grading system and catch up exams
Continuous assessment 40%:
• Quizzes (Sessions 1, 2, 5) 10% - 20-question knowledge check administered at the end of each listed session, with a separate answer key.
• Case Studies (Sessions 5 & 6) 20% - Applied case analysis: Session 5 covers trade risk/digital trade.
• In-class Exercises & Participation 10% - Applied exercises in Sessions 3 & 4, plus engagement across all sessions.
Final assessment 60%:
• Individual 2-hour written exam at the end of the course, built on short case-based problems.
The final examination assesses students’ analytical abilities and managerial competencies across the whole course.
• Format & duration: individual written examination, 2 hours, held after Session 6 during the IMT-BS examination period.
• Structure: three to four short case-based problems, each presenting a realistic international trade or transport situation followed by two or three questions.
• Question types: quantitative calculations (e.g., landed cost and customs duties under a given Incoterm®, modal cost/transit-time trade-offs, cargo insurance value, CO₂ emissions of alternative routings) combined with analytical and managerial questions requiring students to interpret results, assess risks, and recommend and justify a decision.
• Coverage: all six sessions — Incoterms® and documentation, transport modes and multimodal design, customs and FTAs, risk and digital trade, and sustainability.
• Authorised materials: non-programmable calculator. Any reference data needed (tariff rates, freight rates, emission factors) is provided in the exam paper.
• Grading criteria: accuracy of calculations, correct application of concepts and rules, quality of analysis, and relevance and justification of managerial recommendations.
Students who do not pass the final written examination may sit a catch-up written examination of the same format and duration (2 hours, short case-based problems with calculations and analytical/managerial questions), using new cases. The catch-up grade replaces the final written examination grade (60%); continuous assessment grades (40%) are carried over. Final grade computation follows IMT-BS regulations.
Module Policies
Professor-Student Communication:
The professor will contact students only through their school email address and the Moodle portal; no communication will take place via personal email addresses. Students are responsible for checking their IMT-BS/TSP mailbox regularly. To reach the professor, students should email their institutional address. Meetings can also be arranged by appointment.
Accommodating Student Needs:
Students with a disability that may prevent them from completing coursework, or who require any accommodation, should inform the program director as soon as possible (with supporting documentation). Students are also encouraged to discuss their situation directly with the professor as well.
Class Behaviour:
Out of respect for the professor and fellow students, all phones, electronic games, and other sound-generating devices must be switched off during class. Students should avoid disruptive or disrespectful behaviour, including but not limited to arriving late, leaving early, sleeping, reading non-course material, using inappropriate language, talking over others, or eating and drinking in class. A warning will be issued for a first offence; repeated violations may result in penalties, expulsion from class, and/or further disciplinary action. A grace period of 5 minutes is allowed for tardiness. Attendance is recorded on Edusign during this window via a QR code provided at the start of class. Students must arrive on time for exams and other assessments. Once the first student has finished and left the exam room, no one else may enter; there is no exception to this rule. No student may continue working once time is up, and no student may leave the room during an examination unless they have finished and submitted all materials.
Honor Code:
IMT-BS upholds a strict policy of academic honesty. Any conduct that compromises this policy may result in academic and/or disciplinary sanctions. Students must not cheat, lie, plagiarise, or misrepresent others' work as their own. This means submitting original work and properly crediting any ideas or material that are not one's own, including materials paraphrased, quoted, or taken from the internet. This also means disclosing any use of AI in an assignment, including details on how it was used. Any student who violates, or assists another student in violating, these academic standards will be penalised according to IMT-BS policy.
Textbook Required and Suggested Readings
• International Chamber of Commerce (2020). Incoterms® 2020: ICC Rules for the Use of Domestic and International Trade Terms. ICC Publications.
• Branch, A. E., & Robarts, M. (2014). Elements of Shipping (9th ed.). Routledge.
• Rodrigue, J-P. (2020). The Geography of Transport Systems (5th ed.). Routledge.
• Krugman, P., Obstfeld, M., & Melitz, M. (2022). International Economics: Theory and Policy (12th ed.). Pearson.
• World Customs Organization (2022). Harmonized System (HS) Nomenclature.
• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Review of Maritime Transport (latest edition).
• International Maritime Organization (IMO). Fourth IMO GHG Study & decarbonization strategy documents.
Keywords
Transport; International Trade; Supply Chain