Instructions
The Harvard Referencing System must be used. The Wikipedia website
must not be referenced in your work.
You are allowed to upload only ONE attachment (e.g. an Excel sheet) in
addition to your original assignment, unless there is a requirement for more
than one document in the assignment brief.
You must upload your assignment in PDF or Word document format. Your
paper will not be graded if it is submitted in any other format.
If you submit your assignment as a PDF version, please include the exact
word count of the assignment on the title page.
Learning
Outcomes
On successful completion of this assignment you will be able to:
- Critically appraise how operations and information systems contribute
to an organisation’s competitiveness and strategic direction ; - Evaluate the relevance of the ‘competitive advantage Vs. necessary
cost’ debate Combine and evaluate complex IT related issues; - Assess the contribution of IT to systems and operations management;
- Establish and implement effective operational decisions, with
particular reference to change management; - Critically assess the functionality of organisations from systems,
information, and business process perspectives.
Grading Criteria Postgraduate Grading Criteria for this assignment is available at the end of
this document.
Scenario
Your Task
Integrated business systems and the use of enterprise resource planning
(ERP) has transformed operations, logistics, and even the structure of
organisations.
This assignment requires you to demonstrate contemporary knowledge of
supply chain management principles in an organisation known to you. You
are required to critically analyse how these principles work with other aspects
of systems and operations management to create competitive advantage
through sustainable practices.
The assignment requires you to research an organisation known to you. It
can be the one that you work for or one that you have researched. In either
case, it is appreciated that you may not have in-depth knowledge of every
aspect of the supply chain or operations. The primary aim of the assignment
is to show your ability to apply academic theory to practice and for this
reason, some reasonable assumptions can be made.
You may choose any organisation you wish, but clearly, as the questions focus
on supply chains, the organisation should have one of these. Large
manufacturing organisations are a good choice because they have substantial
use of both materials management and logistics. Airlines and large restaurant
and hotel groups may also be appropriate.
You are a specialist in supply chain management and have been asked to
review the supply chain of a company known to you. You have been provided
with three tasks as outlined below. Each of the tasks is to be addressed within
the report format.
Task 1
Critically review the subject organisation’s approach to materials
management. You should review the structure of the supply chain, its
approach to management of intermediaries, and how lean and agile practices
might produce competitive advantage for the organisation.
(LO1, LO3, LO5) 40 marks
Task 2
Critically review the role of relationships in the organisation’s approach to
materials management, its logistics, and its handling of reverse logistics.
You should consider such aspects as contractual arrangements and how
activities such as outsourcing impact upon the operations.
(LO2) 30 marks
Task 3
Critically analyse the role of emerging technologies in the subject
organisation’s approach to supply chain. The analysis should cover the
application of information technology, materials planning, and systems
development to manage supply chains and their relationships within it.
(LO4) 30 marks
Guidelines
Please read all questions and information provided carefully. Answers should
be an appropriate length, keeping in mind the question requirements and
total word count allowance.
In addition, your assignment should demonstrate the following qualities:
A critical appreciation of relevant literature and its use to support your
argument, substantiate calculations, and address other aspects of the
assignment.
Taking ownership of the content, being prepared to debate and argue a
personal position, and providing evidence of evaluative skills. A submission
made up of extracts from published sources which is descriptive or simply
theoretical regurgitation is not acceptable. Your submission must have
interpretation and consideration of the challenges and issues of applying
theory to practice.
Logical flow of ideas and treatment; appropriate selection of real-world
factors related to the companies under scrutiny.
Evidence of additional personal research, and the ability to analyse material
from a variety of appropriate, relevant perspectives.
Presentation, structure, appropriateness of methodology, breaking into
section headings/subheadings, tidiness.
Marks will be awarded for proper referencing and originality of work. Also
note that plagiarism is a serious offence and your submission will be
electronically checked.
Your report must be handed in electronically no later than the given date of
submission
Pages 13 Double spaced(3575 words)
Style and sources APA7, 1 source
Free extras
Outline
Title page
Bibliography / Reference page
Study level Master
Assignment type Essay
Subject Business and Economics
Language US
