Reference no: EM133496891 , Length: word count:1000
Learning outcome 1: Critically analyse logistics and supply chain management issues
Learning outcome 2: Apply relevant theories and methods for managing supply chains
Purpose
Supply chain professionals should be able to critically analyse the supply chain's issues using relevant theories and methods. Focusing on a typical supply chain of an exemplary firm/sector in Australia, we aim to investigate its advantages and disadvantages based on the resources and capabilities to recommend a suitable future strategy.
Task details
You need to take the key aspects of the company's products and supply chain characteristics into account and discuss the contingencies surrounding both the current and proposed supply chain strategies.
Instructions
Assignment 1 is an individual assessment that requires students to write a business report. This assessment focuses on how companies collaborating as a supply chain can take advantage of their resources and/or capabilities in their supply chains to maintain competitive advantage and achieve desired performance. The business report should include the following aspects:
• Identify a food/agribusiness supply chain in Australia.
• Identify the business units, products, and service lines in the supply chain.
• Identify the current strategy of the supply chain.
• Analyse the advantages of the firm supply chain based on its resources and capabilities, and how they can increase the performance of the supply chain.
• Discuss its disadvantages compared to other related supply chains and how they can decrease the supply chain's competitive advantage.
• Make recommendations for the future strategic directions of the selected supply chain.
Submit your final report as a Word document, including your analyses and recommendations about the business. The approximate time spent on this task is 30 hours. The report needs to have a Cover Page, i.e., the first page that provides the necessary information such as the report title, assignment number, title of the case, student number, student name, submission date, etc. Besides, the report should adopt the following format:
(1) Summary (Summarise the topic of the investigation, the analysis, and the conclusions of the study in one page).
(2) Table of Contents (List the sections and subsections with corresponding page numbers on a separate page).
(3) List of Figures (List the figure numbers and captions with corresponding page numbers on a separate page whenever figures are used in the report).
(4) List of Tables (List the table numbers and captions with corresponding page numbers on a separate page whenever tables are used in the report).
(5) Overview of the Chosen Topic (Give a comprehensive and thorough analysis and discussion of the topic assigned to you for investigation. This may include its definition, role in a supply chain, state of the art, pros, and cons, as well as how companies can leverage it to gain competitive advantage).
(6) Real-World Case (Provide an overview of the company that is used as an example to illustrate how a firm can leverage the supply chain function in question to gain competitive advantage).
(7) Discussion (Demonstrate using adequate evidence that the points discussed in (e) can be witnessed in the company identified as an example. In this regard, comparison tables (theories vs practices), figures, charts, etc., can be used to aid the discussion).
(8) Conclusion (Summarise the study and give insight based on the analysis and the findings).
(9) References (List at least 3 references used in the report in Academy of Management Referencing Style. Note that your reference list is not included in your total word count).
(10) Appendix (Show any additional information about the case company that will be useful for the reader to see how the firm leverages the supply chain function in question to gain its competitive advantage. Note that your appendix is not included in your total word count).