1. Frame the Opportunity
You have to “hook” your readers by beginning with a focus on your own business. No matter how
interesting you find the topic, you will lose your audience if you don’t immediately make a connection to
a problem your organization is facing. To do this, you will leverage the 5 Operational Failings in
Business to frame the opportunity. As a reminder, these are:
• The products or services produced cost too much
• Production and/or delivery moves too slowly to keep up with customer demand
• There are too many quality issues
• The organization doesn’t manage risks well enough
• The organization is not able to innovate and be agile
2. Summarize the Supply Chain Innovation
Explain the supply chain practice you have been researching, including:
A. Where, when, and why it has evolved
B. The challenges it addresses in the industries/sectors that have been using it
C. Examples from at least one organization that has adopted this practice and how it has
impacted their business
3. Bring it Home
Explain how there would be a meaningful, measurable, positive impact on your business if you were to
deploy this approach. You may organize this as you see fit, but you must address:
A. Demonstrate applicability. You’ve got to deliver a clear pitch that answers the prompt: “So
what? How does this apply to our business?”
B. Explain how your business could implement this strategy, including:
i. What would have to change about your current practices
ii. What resources would be needed to make those changes
C. What risks does the company face in implementing this strategy, and what risks does it face if it
fails to implement it?
D. Finally, make a case for how this strategy will strengthen your competitive advantage by
addressing one or more of the 5 Failings.
Submission Requirements
• Your work is to be submitted in Word.
• Typed, single-spaced, professional font (size 10 – 12) with one-inch margins on all sides. Total length
should be 3-4 pages.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, your name, professor’s name, and the
course title and date.
• Develop and support your research with facts and in-text citations, appendices, and references.
