What benefits are promised from the use of this concept? Do the literature sources indicate where/when this technique should be applied?
How do your chosen cases demonstrate different competitive requirements?
Do the differences in competitive requirements explain their different approaches? Compare your industry findings with the promises of literature.
Are some approaches useful in some industries but not in others? What can go wrong?
What future research is suggested by your findings?
ECMM112 Manufacturing Supply Chain Management
Mini-project: Critical Evaluation of Supply Chain Management Theory in Practice
Assignment:
Use evidence from industries to evaluate the benefits actually achieved from using any of the following SCM concepts:
- Third-party logistics
Some ideas:
What benefits are promised from the use of this concept? Do the literature sources indicate where/when this technique should be applied?
How do your chosen cases demonstrate different competitive requirements?
Do the differences in competitive requirements explain their different approaches? Compare your industry findings with the promises of literature.
Are some approaches useful in some industries but not in others? What can go wrong?
What future research is suggested by your findings?
Use on-line journals and other reference sources to identify theoretical ideas and to deepen your understanding. Reports prepared for the mini-project assignment should provide a useful introduction on how supply chain management is conducted in different industries. Focus on specific concept chosen. For industries, you may wish to base your discussion on one particular industry with reference to (or comparison with) some others, or you may base your discussion across a number of industries.
Rules:
Remember your opinion counts for nothing unless you can support it with evidence. You should discuss, compare, and evaluate what is said in journals, books, etc. Short quotations up to one or two lines or a table / figure can be included in the text, and sources must be fully referenced in the Harvard style. Any longer passages must go in an appendix. Do not imagine that everyone who publishes something is right – look for agreement and disagreement, and show your ability to criticise.
A target length would be around 4000 words, or not exceeding 25 pages.
This assignment is to be done by individuals, not by groups.
The assignment will be marked according to the marking scheme attached. Think about this as you plan your work.
ECMM112 Manufacturing Supply Chain Management
Mini-project
Critical Evaluation of Supply Chain Management Theory in Practice
Marking Scheme
Candidate number:
| Understanding of the theory, summary description based on references
| /20 |
| Comparison of the industries regarding their competitive aims and the type of work they do
| /20 |
| Critical evaluation of the theory in light of industry practice (use of the above industry evidence to evaluate existing theories of supply chain management)
| /30 |
| Synthesis of future research needs – what do companies need to understand better? What knowledge would help them perform better? What are the gaps in the theory?
| /20 |
| Presentation, structure, argument
| /10 |
| Total
| /100 |
Answer preview
One key area of confusion and ambiguity in literature is on the relationship between SCM and its main partners; Logistics. While some theorist view SCM as a small part of logistics other holds logistics is part of SCM. The disparity is part of the level of variability on how people see and defines SCM. However, despite the variability, there are four essential fundamentals of the practice that determine its effectiveness. The first fundamental is to set its objectives which include defining a clear relation to customer services and financial optimization. The second aspect is to define the integration which also forms the SCM philosophy. The crucial third pillar is on the management of the supply chain flows
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