(i) Investigating sustainable supply chain issues
(ii) How to manage and response to these sustainable supply chain issues
You need to identify, critically evaluate the supply and logistics collaboration issues and assess how to manage and response in a specific sustainable supply chain context. Examples of sustainable supply chain scenarios:
(i) Humanitarian Supply Chain or Aid/Charity/Donor based Supply Chain linked to specific event e.g. 2010 Haiti Earthquake or 2004 Asian Tsunami or 2005 Kashmir Earthquake)
(ii) Ethical Supply Chain e.g. Supply Chain focused on Fair Trade or large enterprise determined to demonstrate ethical purchasing
(iii) Low carbon Supply Chain (Climate change, Environment, Health and Safety based Supply Chain). E.g. enterprise planning to be carbon neutral within defined period.
(iv) A Specific Supply Chain reflecting a combination of the above.
You only need to select any ONE of the above.
This coursework provides a realistic environment that enables students to apply knowledge and make decisions about real world problem in sustainable supply chain context.
Report Requirements:
Please critically assess the following where appropriate based on your understanding and evaluation of a specific Sustainable Supply Chain scenario (that you have identified) and your findings and research of Managing Sustainable Supply Chain scenario response from literature or any other appropriate source (books, journals, published company's report, www, white papers, articles, magazines and e-database of RGU). You need to build upon your thoughts and ideas from the specific sustainable supply chain scenario (that you have identified) and prepare a report covering and critically evaluating the following elements.
(i) You can critically evaluate the themes that we have discussed on a weekly basis for this module, e.g., supply chain strategy, design, forecasting, coordination issues, best practices and risk. How these themes facilitate the selected sustainable supply chain. This must be related to the specific sustainable supply chain scenario that you have selected.
(ii) The stakeholders in the sustainable supply chain. Critically assess their sustainable supply chain strategies. The role of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) in an ethical and responsible humanitarian supply chain and illustrate how a commitment to CSR can be used to facilitate a collaborative supply chain response. Critically assess where and how government and private sector can collaborate to improve the sustainability context in their supply chains.
(iii) Innovative applications of IT/IS technologies in managing sustainable supply chain response - Alignment of supply chain processes and technology (e.g., Interoperability of IT systems for managing their supply and demand forecasting); i.e., IT, IS, Computing or System based solutions: - for a collaborative coordination.
Reminder:
Your evaluation should not be a mere discussion on sustainable supply chain tools and techniques. You must demonstrate how will you use e.g., these tools and techniques to manage the specific sustainable supply chain scenario that you had identified.
You will be assessed on:
- Your ability to analyse the situation using a range of theoretical concepts introduced in the module - background research and literature review;
- Your ability to identify and critically evaluate the key issues and interaction with supply chain management issues, challenges and best practices in managing sustainable supply chain response;
- Flow and consistency of argument supported by literature (references and bibliography) and practice based evidence;
- Your ability to present recommendations on how to better manage the sustainable supply chain response (identify solutions where possible) that are clearly supported and justified by your analysis.
For this part of the assignment, the written submission, in report format, should consist of approximately 3,500 (excluding executive summary, footnotes, tables, figures, diagrams, exhibits and any attachments in the appendices) words typed in a suitable font, paragraphs with justify aligned, 1.5 spacing, on one side of A4 paper. (This paragraph is 1.5 spacing). Appropriate and relevant diagrams, process flow charts, figures, illustrations, tables etc. are permitted. When you cite the appendixes with attachments, clear link (relevance) must be demonstrated with the report body (text), i.e., it should not be just 'mere' attachments. An electronic copy of your coursework must be retained.
Requirements
Your Report should be in compliance with the University Report Writing Guide and incorporating the report guidelines as above.
- A contents page including page numbers.
- A list of tables and figures used.
- An executive summary.
- Numbered sections and sub sections in systematic order (e.g.: 1, 1.1, etc).
- Conclusions.
- Recommendations if appropriate.
- Reference section (actual sources used in the report).
- Bibliography (other relevant books you may have read during your research but you have not specifically referred to).
- Appendices, if needed, at the end.
Harvard referencing system MUST be used, for example:
In the body of the report, use: (Van Weele, 2010).
In the reference section, use: Van Weele, A.J. (2010) Purchasing and Supply Chain Management. (3rd edition), Thomson Learning, London.
For an assignment of this nature you must demonstrate wider and expanded reading; reading, organising your argument and evaluation from a variety of authoritative, credible and relevant sources, are expected.
You must avoid generalization and descriptive statements - this is inadequate for an MSc based coursework submission!
Evaluation must be made based on evidences from authoritative literature, electronic references and credible source. Avoid using 'hearsay' statements (unconfirmed reports).