Objectives of the Assessment:
The assignment aims to evaluate students’ ability to acquire a holistic understanding of the theories and their practical application in supply chain management. After displaying a fundamental knowledge of the underlying theoretical concepts and models, students are encouraged to critically evaluate and apply these concepts to a specific setting at a strategic, organisational and individual level. Through this assignment the students will display the dynamic nature of modern organisations and understand the complex issue of change within them. The assignment, in addition, will assess students’ ability to prepare a PowerPoint presentation and to illustrate in a professional manner their findings to the class and to a qualified audience.
ASSIGNMENT DECRIPTION
In the last quarter of 2021, we are in the middle of a crisis that we have all witnessed closely. The UK government is battling a shortage of fuel in petrol pumps and food on supermarket shelves. Besides, energy prices are rising rapidly, and smaller energy companies are going bankrupt as a result. Moreover, fresh fruit and vegetables are rotting in the fields.
A well-performing supply chain system is vital to the success of running a safe, productive and efficient organization. This can contribute significantly to both financial and operational performance. However, unfortunately, we are currently experiencing a poorly managed SCM and it affects us all. Of course, there are many factors that lead to this result.
There are 4 articles that you can access from the links below. These were written between April 2016 and May 2021. These are the articles containing the research, predictions and determinations made before the SCM crisis reached this point.
The academic sources below should be used to support arguments made for questions 1,2 & 4.
• Forbes / Brexit- A Supply Chain Perspective Apr 28, 2016
• McKinsey / Brexit: The Bigger Picture Rethinking supply chains in a time of
uncertainty May 7, 2019
• SupplyChainDigital / Brexit pain for UK businesses, as supply chain costs rise May 17,
2020
• CIPS.ORG / Supply chain risk in the UK is falling May 24, 2021
1. Critically identify the current SCM crisis in the UK in terms of the “Logistic” and “Cross- Functional” drivers that make up the Supply Chain Structure. (25 Points)
2. Detail in the context of “Risk Management” which strategy you would determine in order to prevent the SCM crisis in the UK. (25 Points)
3. Considering the information in the above articles, how do you create a contingency plan to regain control of the supply chain in an environment of uncertainty and quickly rebuild confidence when a crisis occurs? Please build your plan with the Decision Tree Methodology. (25 Points)
4. Analyze the pros and cons of “globalization” on SCM by considering the current crisis. (25 Points)
Structure of the paper (Word Document Part): ·
• Cover Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction of the Project o Project Scope
• Analysis
o Supply Chain Structure
o Risk Management
o Supply Chain Uncertainty, Decision Tree Methodology o The impact of Globalization
• Conclusion. Strategies to be applied in crisis management in SCM, correct reading of forecasts, precautionary plan and risk management.
• Bibliography and citations
o The bibliography should be on the last page of the report.
o Include Harvard style references, no copy and pasted links.
o You must cite information taken from other sources as well as paraphrased
sentences
NOTE: The title page should include the name of the course, the title of the project, the student’s full name, the tutor’s name and the date. The table of contents should include all the headings with appropriate page numbers, including the Bibliography and the Appendices.
STRUCTURE AND FORMAT OF THE PROJECT/REPORT:
This is an individual assignment. Make sure your writing is precise and to the point. Your paper should not exceed 2500 +/-10% words per student, excluding appendices and references.
Format of the Project/REPORT:
1. The project should display a coherent structure: title page should include student name, module name, lecturer name, date and school name followed by contents page, introduction, executive summary, methodology, findings, analysis, recommendations, referencing and appendices.
2. The report should display a coherent structure: title page should include student name, module name, lecturer name, date and school name followed by contents page, introduction,executive summary, methodology, findings, analysis, conclusions, recommendations, referencing and appendices.
3. The project should be prepared as a neatly typed Word document (Times New Roman 12 points), with double spacing and page numbering.
4. All projects will be discussed in class in a power point presentation of no more than 20 minutes. The presentation should be a summary of your work.
5. Tables or work/data taken from other sources may be included in an appendix.
6. All sources must be referenced in the text and a full bibliography must be provided (including visited websites) in the Harvard style referencing system. Paraphrasing or direct quotes taken from other sources must be clearly indicated with citations. No footnoting!
7. Students are reminded that depth, relevance and variety are the crucial elements of quality research. (Wikipedia is not considered to be a relevant source of information; any students referencing Wikipedia will be deducted marks! Alternatively, if you find information on Wikipedia use the original sources listed at the bottom of the article)
8. Students are reminded to use valid and peer-reviewed references to support their work. Websites should only be used if they represent an established source and only for facts and figures. Students should make the most of academic and practitioner books and articles.
9. Submission should be by the deadline below.
10. All work must conform to University regulations on Cheating, Collusion and Plagiarism’ as described in your program handbook. You are advised to use the Harvard referencing style and avoid plagiarism.
