Learning Outcome Description:

Critically appraise ways in which the operations and Information Systems functions contribute to an organisation's competitiveness and strategic direction.

Synthesise and evaluate complex information on IT related issues.

Identify and justify the information required to establish and implement effective operational decisions, with particular reference to change management.

Describe and critically assess organisations from systems, information and business process perspective.

Appreciate how key organisational behaviour concepts such as structure, motivation, culture and work groups & teams impact on and influence the role of people within the broad operations of the organisation.

Scenario

Perhaps the most dynamic aspects of systems and operations management is the development of supply chains. Good supply chain management can often create a source of considerable competitive advantage and, indeed, many businesses owe their success to the novel use of supply chain management strategies.

This assignment asks you to relate your knowledge of supply chain principles to an organisation known to you. It also asks you to critically review how these principles work with other aspects of systems and operations management to create competitive advantage.

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 in question. The primary aim of the assignment is to show your ability to apply academic theory to practice and for this reason, reasonable assumptions can be made.

You may chose 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. Large restaurant and hotel groups may also be appropriate

Task

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 in a report format.

Task 1

Critically review the approach to materials management of the subject organisation. You should review the structure of the supply chain - its approach to intermediaries for example - and consider how materials management produces competitive advantage for the organisation.

Task 2

Critically review the role of relationships in the organisation's approach to materials management and logistics. You should consider such aspects as contractual arrangements and other informal agreements.

Task3

Critically review the role of emerging technologies in the subject organisation's approach to supply chain. You should consider factors such as the application of information technology, materials planning and systems development.