Project Assignment: Supply Chain Management Challenges and Opportunities in the 21st century

The point of this topic is to further allow students to explore a specific topic related to supply chain management in modern economy that is interesting and relevant to their field of study or future career path.

Level D: Do BOTH of the following

• Choose a topic that describes a supply challenge or opportunity. The topic can be generated from the list of operations topics or something else. Try to generate a topic that is specific to a certain industry, sector of the economy, geographical region or business discipline. Document your topic in your Learning Log. Here are some examples of topic:

o Transportation issues in developing economies
o Supply chain challenges during times of war
o Supply chain's response to natural disaster
o Technology advancement in supply chain management
o Ethical issues of outsourcing

• Tell the professor the topic you wish to pursue. Tell two classmates the topic you have chosen. Document the discussions in your learning log.

Level C: Complete Level D and 3 of the following

• Find two blog posts that discuss some aspect of your topic. Note the URLs and summarize the posts in your learning log. Refer to it in your project.

• Find 2 job postings for jobs related to your topic. Note the URL. Take note in your learning log of qualifications that the job postings are asking for. Refer to it in your project.

• Find a newspaper article that addresses your topic specifically. Note the exact source and summarize the article in your learning log. Refer to it in your project.

• Find a magazine article that addresses your topic specifically. Note the exact source and summarize the article in your learning log. Refer to it in your project.

• Find 2 cartoons that depict an aspect of your topic. Document it in your learning log. Refer to it in your project

• Find a video clip of a movie or TV show that depicts some aspect of your topic. Note the URL and summarize the clip in your learning log.

Refer to it in your project.

• Repeat one of these level C options.

Level B - Complete Level C plus 4 of the tasks below

• Find an article about your topic in a trade journal. Note its complete citation. Summarize the main points in your learning log and write 3 questions for the author about the findings related to the topic.

• Find an article in an operations management themed academic journal about your topic (try google scholar). Note its complete citations. Summarize the main points in your learning log and write 3 questions for the author(s) about the findings related to the topic.

• Find a scholarly book about your topic. Note its full citation. Read two chapters in the book and summarize what you learn from them in your learning log. Note 3 new sources in the book that you now want to go and read.

• Find an expert online that you could interview about your topic. Describe in your learning log who this person is and what qualifies her/him as an expert. Write ten interview questions you could ask this person.

• Find a TED or TED-X talk related to your topic. Note the URL. Describe the important things you have learned from it in your learning log.

• Find an expert on campus or in the community whose profession or background relates to your Describe the person's qualifications.

Interview the person. Note when you talked and what you learned in your learning log.

• Repeat one of these level B options.

Level A - Complete Level B and create a project that uses your activities in D - B to address the question - What is Operations Management? Do ONE of the following, but do not repeat the same type of project that you completed in Project 1 or Project 2:

• Make a short (3-5 min) video

• Record a TED-type talk (8-10 min)
• Design and produce a children's book (text and images, min 15 pages)
• Write, perform, and record a poem, skit, or song
• Create an academic poster (conference-worthy)
• Write, design, and produce a brochure
• Develop a board game or card game
• Make a comic strip booklet
• Write a news article or blog post (not an essay)
• Write a script for a radio news segment
• Create a presentation that describes operations management to a lay audience.