Guidelines for final project – TRA 2154 Supply Chain Management

Final Project : Students are required to complete a final project for the course.

Guidelines for final project – TRA 2154 Supply Chain Management
You can choose from two possible types for your final project (see sample outlines below):

Case study: Analyze an existing logistics process and suggest any improvements to be made (A case study could also represent opportunities for new business models), or
White paper: Study logistics practices in industry from the point of describing risks, benefits, best practices along with industry examples of each.
Sample Outlines
Case Study: Analyze an existing logistics process and suggest improvement

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Examples include
A study of the distribution system and store deliveries at McDonalds
The design of a logistics system for a manufacturer of refrigeration equipment
Preliminary
A study of inventory practices at a company with suggestions for improvement.
The project report should not be a detailed description of everything you have done but a specific set of observations and recommendations. The general guidelines for the project are as follows:
Include an executive summary no longer than 250 words.
Define the process and the context (business unit) in which it operates.
What is the strategy / market of the business unit?
What does this imply in terms of the supply chain process you are studying? You are expected to identify specific dimensions along which the process is expected to do particularly well.
Describe the current process structure in terms of information, inventory, transportation, facilities, sourcing and pricing.
Discuss the current process capabilities/weaknesses in terms of the specific dimensions identified by you in 4 and 5. What additional capabilities does the process need to develop?
How should the process be restructured to develop these capabilities? Discuss why the changes suggested by you will have the desired effect along the key dimensions identified by you.
Discuss how the suggested changes should be implemented with a time line. Explain any resistance you may face in implementing the changes.
Please note that these are general guidelines. I am not looking for a project report with nine points in the sequence listed above. I have listed the points that I feel are important in most reports. Please feel free to add to or alter the above list as best fits your project.

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White paper: Study logistics practices in industry.

The objective here is to study logistics practices in industry such as:

Impact of sustainability on supply chains
Off-shoring, near-shoring, and on-shoring
Supply chain issues in a specific industry: PC, Retailing, Automotive etc.
Please do not restrict yourself to the above list. It is just meant for illustration.

In each report I expect:
An executive summary no longer than 250 words.
A description of the logistical practice including its key elements and its role in the overall supply chain.
Link the practice to supply chain drivers.

Major risks/cost and benefits of the practice.
Key issues in designing and implementing the practice
Which companies is this practice ideally suited for? Which companies may it not be suitable for?
Examples of companies that are successfully using the practice including best practices.
Examples of companies that have been unsuccessful in their implementation of the practice and possible reasons.
Minimum of 3 scholarly sources in addition to the course textbook cited in APA format with in-text citations.
Preliminary
Once again, please do not feel bound by the above structure. It is simply meant to help you get started. If you are writing on the issues in a specific industry, identify the supply chain issues that offer a key competitive advantage in the industry and discuss examples of where they have been successfully or unsuccessfully implemented. The idea is to write a white paper that an industry participant can read to get ideas for improvement.

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Grading
Your grade will be determined based on the quality of your report or presentation.
Some characteristics that I use to evaluate the quality of a report / presentation are as follows:
Sound structure, based on a relevant conceptual framework.
Comprehensive coverage of the relevant issues.
Consistency and depth of analysis; specific rather than vague.
Good balance and links between description, analysis and recommendations.
When you draw on other sources, it is important that you not merely ‘cut and paste’ them into your text, but carefully integrate the underlying reasoning into your analysis.
Clearly written / well organized.
Overview
Final Project: Guidelines

Deadlines
Reports or presentations due: Sunday, December 6. Late submissions are not acceptable (no credit will be given).
Report: Length and Format

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APA Format 5-8 pages, double-spaced, excluding title page, executive summary, table of contents, and exhibits. Include a table of contents with references to numbered pages.
All details are to be put in an appendix in the form of exhibits, tables etc.
Make explicit reference to your sources, in footnotes or endnotes, and list them in an exhibit.
References: Books, articles, papers, special reports or interviews and company websites. Be sure to include a minimum of 3 scholarly sources to include your course textbook.
You must produce a minimum report of 6-8 pages for an individual project, this does not including a cover page and a list of references page. Use 12 point font, and it must be double spaced with APA guidelines strictly followed.

All written assignments must be the students’ original ideas and own work. Students’ work will be checked by TURNITIN software against plagiarism. Students found plagiarizing are subject to penalties outlined in the Policies and Procedures section of the Eastern Florida State College Catalog, which may include a failing grade for the work in question or for the entire course.

SAMPLE SOLUTION

Executive Summary
The general change from indigenous supply chain to the sustainable supply chain has been employed in various industries for quite some time. The automotive industry is among the largest and most influential industries in the globe, could have a sufficient and significant impact on the movement toward a sustainable environment. Logistics activities (inbound and outbound) in the automotive supply chain are involved and account for more extraordinary expenses and therefore are parts in the value chain where changes can be implemented. Efficient coordination between inbound and outbound logistics leads to…