Module BUSI4AO60: Strategic Supply Chain Project

Department: Management and Marketing

BUSI4AO60: Strategic Supply Chain Project

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To provide students with the opportunity to conduct an in-depth investigation at an advanced level of an issue which is applicable and relevant to supply chain management. The positioning at the end of the programme is intended to promote integration of material covered in the other modules.
• The strategic supply chain project should be underpinned by analytical approaches, methods and techniques covered in the other modules.
• The strategic supply chain project should normally involve data collection and data analysis and recommendations to a strategic supply chain management problem faced by an organisation.

Content

• Students can choose to pursue a strategic supply chain project in two ways, either by working with a host organisation, or an issue-led investigation which is not focused on just one organisation but instead examines a supply chain management issue faced by multiple organisations.
• The topic (which is formally approved by the Programme Director on behalf of the Chair of the Board of Examiners) should be one that is suitable for in-depth investigation.
• Projects of this nature will be based in a wide variety of organisations, including: profit-seeking companies in both manufacturing and the service sector; nationalised industries; public agencies and local authorities; non-profit seeking organisations; global multinationals; and owner-managed small firms.
• Students will be provided inputs on the following:
• - use of databases to identify key literature
• - how to write an evaluative literature review
• - introduction to empirical research in the management context
• - questionnaire design
• - interviews and focus groups
• - ethical issues in business and management research.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the module students should:
• have a critical appreciation of how a strategic supply chain project is conducted
• have a critical appreciation of ethical issues in collecting and analysing supply chain data
• develop knowledge and critical understanding of important literature and research questions related to specific issues and challenges in supply chain management
• develop critical understanding of a specific challenge or problem in supply chain in depth and to explore its significance and how it can be addressed and implemented in practice
• develop critical understanding of key supply chain processes and how challenges associated with disruptions, globalization and the volatile environment impact those processes*
• develop specialised knowledge of the relevant analytical techniques to plan and manage supply chains*
• develop critical understanding of the role of different digital technologies in managing and improving performance of supply chains*
• develop advanced knowledge and understanding of the different mechanisms to ensure that supply chains are designed to be resilient and sustainable*
• *Will depend on specific project.

• By the end of the module students should:
• be able to use appropriate research methods and analytical tools and techniques to address the problems
• be able to conduct the project from beginning to end. This involves the following: identifying an interesting and practical research question at an appropriate advanced level; choosing a method for answering the question; conducting the research, including managing all aspects of the project interpreting the results; being able to identify and manage any ethical issues that might arise
• be able to critically apply knowledge and different forms of reasoning to form a discriminating analysis of issues currently being experienced in specific organisational and supply chain contexts
• be able to produce a substantial piece of written work demonstrating critical analysis of specific supply chain issues.

• Effective written communication
• Planning, organising and time management
• Problem solving and analysis
• Making effective use of communication and information technology
• Self-organisation and managing time and activities in working to a deadline
• Data visualisation, data analytics, interpretation and reporting

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• This module will be delivered by the Department of Management and Marketing at the Business School. Learning outcomes are met through classroom-based workshops, supported by online resources. The workshops consist of a combination of taught input, computer practical sessions, groupwork, and discussion. Online resources provide preparatory material for the workshops consisting of directed reading and video content.
• Additionally, students have individual meetings with their appointed supervisor, up to 8 but normally 5-6. These meetings enable the supervisor to monitor the student progress towards the achievement of the learning outcomes. Students will receive formative feedback on a draft of one chapter of the project.
• The summative assessment includes a 2500-word Research Proposal, the purpose of which is to assist students in preparing for the Strategic Supply Chain Project. This is a 10,000-word document that tests students’ acquisition of relevant subject-specific knowledge and skills and their ability to apply these, and appropriate key skills, in the context of a Masters-level research project.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Students will receive formative feedback on a draft of one chapter of the strategic supply chain project.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University