Appraise how the supply chain structure has been changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

Global Supply Chain Management

Assessment task details and instructions

“Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has brought to light the fact that supply chains function as the veins of our economy and society. Societies and businesses across the world have faced unprecedented challenges due to the disruptions that the coronavirus outbreak, and the consequent great lockdown, have caused. Individuals, for instance, have dealt with a range of changes in their lives, from self-isolation to difficulties stocking up on essentials.,” https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/MSCRA-05-2020-0011/full/html

Based on the above statement, you are asked to choose a sector/industry (e.g., food, steel, healthcare, retail, services, automotive), and critically:

Appraise how the supply chain structure has been changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

Evaluate how the industry/sector has managed (or still manages) to tackle inventory management related issues that arose after the COVID-19 breakout.

Discuss how advanced technologies (e.g., Big Data analytics, Internet of Things, Omnichannel) may help the industry/sector to recover and improve its overall supply chain performance.

For each question above, you should support your arguments by bringing into the discussion 1-2 examples of companies that belong to the selected sector/industry.

Consider the following when completing your assignment:

Quality of executive summary (does it give a brief complete summary of your paper for an executive to read?)

Establishment of relevant theory (e.g. how supply chain environments are differentiated from region to region?)

Allocation of credit and sources used (have I included references and citations to the material I have used?)

Clarity of argument

Overall report presentation including spelling and grammar

Adherence to nominated word limit (+/- 10%)

Word processed (letter size 12, times new roman, 1.5 space)

Fully referenced (Harvard Referencing System). Please refer to the reading list in the Overview section of the syllabus.

On successful completion of this assessment, you will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

Critically analyse the theory, concepts and models of global supply chain management to interpret and understand complex and ambiguous risks in global logistics and supply chain environments.

Synthesise facts and ideas in support of an argument when evolving alternative solutions and concepts such as lean and agile supply

Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of global lead-time management and time-compression.

Critically evaluate the role of national and regional distribution centres (NDC/RDC) and warehouse management systems (WMS)in the strategic development of international supply chains

Demonstrate a sound understanding of the role and importance of an integrated and responsible approach in shaping managerial attitudes and actions, and in the establishment and maintenance of cross-functional teams and longer-term stakeholder relationships

Module Aims

To enable students to develop an in-depth understanding of the critical nature and meaning of global supply chain management and its application across a range of organisations and sectors internationally.

To provide students with an analytical framework for global procurement, logistics and supply chain systems, their design, monitoring and control

To facilitate a critical evaluation of the contribution of global logistics and supply chain to an organisation’s competitive advantage

To enable students to recognise and implement responsible and sustainable approaches to supply chain management.

Word count/ duration (if applicable)

The maximum word count is 3000 words (+/- 10%), excluding references. Words over the word limit may not be considered and not marked.

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