Supply chain strategy and practice – Essaylink

Element 011 Individual Coursework – 3000 words (60%)

Task: Individual Coursework 3000 words

Weighting: 60%

In the seminars, some case studies will be explored, we will then select one to be the focus of your assignment. (detailed below) You will write a consultancy report based on analysing the chosen case, making recommendations and showing how they could be implemented through a project plan.

 

Assessment information and marking standards:

Assignment word limit: 3000 words

Your individual coursework will be marked as follows:

 

This assignment is to conduct a supply chain analysis for the case study has detailed below.  Using the case study you will develop a written consultancy report that provides an analysis of the issue that organisation faces, to establish a global supply chain strategy for a e-learning company based in Germany.

 

Zeta Spin – Social media explosion 011.docx

 

Your individual coursework will be marked as follows:

 

Scenario Analysis- Describe the current situation with the given case study, what is they current capabilities within supply chain management and details the opportunities with future growth of the company.

30%

 

Supply chain strategies – Define how the case study could establish a global supply chain, making reference to a supply chain theory such as Porters, SCOR and the impact on the company structure. The strategies must include references to the advantages and disadvantages to supply chain outsourcing, risk management, competitors analysis, impact of future technologies in sharing information throughout the supply chain. With the different split of potential markets and manufacturing locations, please find provide different strategies which could affect the supply of parts from manufacturing to the end customer.

30%

 

Conclusion and recommendations – Provide a clear set of recommendations defining your ideas how to establish a supply chain, based off your academic research.

30%

 

Academic Rigour – Your assignment should clearly include the academic insight, i.e. the concepts and the supporting references involved, indicated in the report and listed in the references and bibliography.

10%

 

Submission

This assignment is submitted via TurnitinUK.

 

Other skills and competencies

This assessment will also develop your analytical skills as you will analyse the case.  It will also test your ability to seek out further information, as there is more information available about the organisations.  The assignment is an individual piece of work that is designed to develop your ability to convey your ideas and your report writing skills. 

 

Assessment Criteria 

1. Scenario Evaluation 30%

A++ = 90-100%
Exceptional exploration and evaluation of the scenario. This has been conceptualised in an innovative way. Furthermore, the aligned supply chain evaluation is extraordinarily original and well-considered.
A+ = 80-89%
Outstanding evaluation of one of the scenarios. The supply chain evaluation provided is aligned with the analysis completely and are original.
A = 70-79%
There is an excellent level of analysis of a scenario. The analysis benefitted from the adept application of a range of analytical tools. You make some clear well-articulated evaluation for supply chain situation. .
B = 60-69%
Very good analysis of the scenario using a good range of analytical models. Some clear good evaluation has been made for how the supply chain situation has been operationalised.
C = 50-59%
Some analysis of the scenario has been made; this could have been more detailed. You consider how well they currently operate, but, there could have been more depth and understanding shown. You have made a good attempt at evaluating their supply chain, however, this needed more reflection and consideration.
D = 40-49%
There is a basic grasp of the scenario. But you don’t really demonstrate enough understanding of how the organisation works or apply the model in detail to get a higher mark. Your supply chain evaluation is a bit too basic and needed more consideration.
F = 30-39%
There has been no real analysis of a scenario. In this section, you should have considered one of the scenarios and explored it in more depth by applying a model(s) to the scenario (e.g. quality gap model; time/cost mapping; process mapping; etc.). You don’t discuss how the supply chain situation has been operationalised.
F- = 20-29%
The scenario is considered a little but this section is almost entirely descriptive and not linked to the case context. The evaluation is weak and not aligned to the analysis. In this section, you should considered one of the scenarios in more detail and analysed it using a relevant model e.g. quality gap model; time/cost mapping; process mapping; etc.
F— = 10 -19%
Weak description of the models completely out of context of the scenario. There is no evaluation of the scenario. In this section, you should have considered a scenario in detail by applying model/s to e.g. quality gap model; time/cost mapping; process mapping; etc.
F—- = 0-9%
NO ANSWER PROVIDED
No supply chain scenario presented or Part 1 was not attempted.

 

2. Scenario Recommendation 30%

A++ = 90-100%
Exceptional recommendation/s for the chosen scenario. The aligned supply chain recommendation/s are extraordinarily original and well-considered with a range of analytical tools.
A+ = 80-89%
Outstanding recommendation/s for the chosen scenario. The supply chain recommendation/s provided are aligned with the analysis completely and are original.
A = 70-79%
Excellent recommendation/s for the chosen scenario. The supply chain recommendation/s provided are well explained using analytical tools. You make some clear well-articulated recommendation/s for supply chain and operations improvement/s.
B = 60-69%
Very good recommendation/s for the chosen scenario using analytical models. Some clear good recommendation/s have been made for how the supply chain could be improved.
C = 50-59%
Some recommendation/s for the chosen scenario have been made; this could have been more detailed. There could have been more depth and understanding of how the company can improve their supply chain, which needed more reflection and consideration.
D = 40-49%
There is a basic recommendation/s for the chosen scenario. But you don’t really demonstrate enough understanding of how the organisation could benefit from your recommendation/s. Your supply chain improvement/s are a bit too basic and needed more consideration.
F = 30-39%
There has been no real recommendation/s for the chosen scenario. You don’t discuss how the organisation could improve their supply chain through their processes and operations.
F- = 20-29%
There is little recommendation/s but this section is almost entirely descriptive and not linked to the scenario context. You don’t discuss how the supply chain situation could be improved.
F— = 10 -19%
Weak description of your recommendation/s; this section is completely out of context of the scenario. There are no ideas to improve the supply chain presented.
F—- = 0-9%
NO ANSWER PROVIDED.
No recommendation/s made or Part 2 was not attempted.

 

3. Plan and Risks 30%

A++ = 90-100%
An exceptional implementation plan. The steps to be taken to implement your supply chain idea are carefully identified in your report and included. You also explain how to handle and manage the risks associated with the supply chain improvement project.
A+ = 80-89%
A professional project plan has been included that identifies the major steps and a clear timescale for these. A great deal of thought has gone into this outstanding plan. Furthermore, the major risks of this supply chain improvement project have been analysed well.
A = 70-79%
A thorough implementation plan has been presented in your report that considers carefully the activities that would need to take place to fully implement your supply chain improvement. You have also developed a risk management plan that identified major risks and how these may be managed.
B = 60-69%
A clear project plan has been provided that is well thought out and contains the main steps to implement your supply chain improvement. There is some discussion of the different risks, however, there needed to be a bit more careful consideration here.
C = 50-59%
Your supply chain improvement plan is clear, although a little too generic. There is some good discussion the different risks that the company may face, however, this could have been more thorough.
D = 40-49%
A plan has been produced in this section and there is a risk assessment table. However, this section was not well developed and needed to be more analytical in the identification of the main activities to improve the supply chain and the risks that may be involved.
F = 30-39%
The plan is not focused on operations, supply chains or the scenarios and seems very abstract. There needed to be more links to supply chains and the risks needed more consideration.
F- = 20-29%
The plan is too basic to show the organisation how to implement a supply chain improvement. It really needed more thought and consideration of the steps involved and of the potential risks.
F— = 10 -19%
This is not really a plan, but some attempt has been made to think about implementation. This should be developed into a focused project plan. There needed to be more effort made to analyse the potential risks also.
F—- = 0-9%
NO PLAN.
You should include a plan that shows how your supply chain improvement could be implemented. You should identify each potential risk, assess its likelihood and impact and suggest ways to mitigate the risk.

 

Academic Rigour 10%

A++ = 90-100%
The report was exceptional in the way it was written and presented. The reflection shows exceptional insight into your management skills.
A+ = 80-89%
An outstandingly well-written and presented report. The presentation; expression; layout and use of diagrams was consistently outstanding. Outstanding understanding of the requirements of a supply chain manager.
A = 70-79%
Extremely professional layout and formatting of your report. It is well-written and makes good use of diagrams and figures. The reflection on supply chain management skills is deep and constructive.
B = 60-69%
Your report is well written and well-presented. In the main it has a clear structure and the layout and presentation is good. There is good evidence of reflecting on supply chain management skills.
C = 50-59%
Your report is clear and there has been some attempts to make it professional. There is some reflection on management skills but it could have been deeper and more critical.
D = 40-49%
The presentation of your report was average and there was not enough effort made to structure your report. There is the beginnings of reflection on your skills, which needed much more thought.
F = 30-39%
Your report needed a lot more work to improve its presentation and structure. You needed to clearly indicate the sections. Reflection on your management skills was limited.
F- = 20-29%
Your report was weak in the way it was written and presented. You needed to put more thought and care into structuring your work and presenting it. There is little evidence of reflection on your management skills.
F— = 10 -19%
The assignment was difficult to follow as there was no structure to it and it was poorly written. There was inadequate reflection on supply chain skill sets.
F—- = 0-9%
NO ATTEMPT
No attempt was made to put the work together into a structure. It was difficult to make sense of the work as it was poorly written. There was no reflection on skill sets in the report.

*Case study*:

Supply Chain in Practice assignment 011 – September 2020

This is a fictional case study and the company does not exist

Zeta Spin – Social media explosion 

Zeta Spin is a family run business operating in the Stuttgart region for over ten years, developing electronic educational learning tools for junior children. The business is small-scale using local manufacturing companies and typically products been assembled in an ad-hoc manner to meet demand. The company has been selling it’s product mainly in Germany, via direct sales and trade shows. Family members have hand delivered the products to customers, as past experience of logistics companies has caused products to be lost, damaged and late.

A new product for helping children learning at home, has caused a considerable amount of interest from schools and parents around the world. Even though the product is in early concept phase, it was demonstrated on a YouTube channel by a German social media star. The company has received a high volume of sales requests from around the world and several multinational companies are willing to invest in the product to sell it globally.

The company board members are overwhelmed with the potential and opportunities for the product and potential growth of the company. History of the company is of micro manufacturing and poor experience of logistics and supply chain management, so they have decided to bring on a supply chain consultant to define a strategy to launch this product globally. To this end, they have provided the following description of the project:

Zeta Spin has the potential to move our family based brand into a new global footprint, the core knowledge and experience of the company is designing and developing electronic learning tools. To move our product forward we need to fully consider and understand all the potential options i.e. manufacture, logistics and distribution of our products globally. As a company we maintain the highest standards of quality and customer satisfaction, and this remains core to our brand.

A supply chain strategy must be defined that clearly states how Zeta Spin as a company must be organized to support the global opportunities for their new products. The board are keen to understand any potential organizational structure and departments, moving from micro manufacturing to being a global supplier.

 

Our products will be based on the use of recycled plastics and components (were possible) and Zeta Spin drive to use a complete net-zero supply chain. The net-zero may not be possible in the short term, but a net-zero supply chain strategy must be provided as a long term goal. 

Zeta Spin’s company policy is all products carry a three year fully warranty, which means the customers can return the product any time for a replacement or refund if faulty. Currently as the company operates manly within Germany, the board would like to understand how they can achieve this on a global scale.

Due to the global surge in demand for our product, we are starting an on-line sales channel via our company web site and are in negotiation with resellers in England, Spain, North America, Canada and Australia. Our sales team predication is high demand in North America and Australia, with potential volumes at or above 100k products per year for each region.

Manufacturing of the product is under investigation and Zeta Spin CTO is currently reviewing the following options:

 • Germany

 • China

 • South Korea

 • India

The CEO would like to understand the supply chain implications of manufacturing in one part of the global and shipping to different countries to support the end customers. Can the company provide one strategy for all potential markets or should they look at multiple manufacturing locations?

The board are keen to understand the advantages and disadvantage of out-sourcing the complete supply chain and how this could benefit the overall strategy for the company. As the company expands its global sales, will out-sourcing help or cause more problems for the manufacturing, resellers and end customers?

With the introduction of on-line sales via the company web site and potential resellers in different countries, the board would like to understand how they can manage and control the overall manufacturing and supply chain logistics. They product is highly complex and involves multiple components from various suppliers, each with different lead time and volumes (see appendix A)

External investors have enquired to establish a finical stake of the company and help to raise capital to support expansion of this new product line. Feedback from external audit review is the Zeta Spin does not use any modem technology to support any linkage from sales to manufacturing. This is seen as a very high risk by any external investor and the board would like to investigate current and future technology products to aid information share across it’s complete supply chain.     

The report will be presented to the board and it must clearly state a framework to establish a suitable supply chain strategy including the above content.  

Assignment structure 

Please see Canvas for details of the assignment structure and marking criteria.

Appendix A – BOM

Part

Quantity

Supplier

Notes

Main PCB

1

High Tech PCB Koln

Display PCB Low

1

High Tech PCB Koln

Used for the low variant

Display PCB High

1

High Tech PCB Koln

Used for the high variant

Motor PCB

4

High Tech PCB Koln

Plastic housing A1

3

Inject PLC (Germany)

Plastic housing A2

9

Inject PLC (Germany)

Plastic housing A3

1

Inject PLC (Germany)

Plastic housing A4

10

Inject PLC (Germany)

Plastic housing A5

2

Inject PLC (Germany)

Plastic housing A6

3

Inject PLC (Germany)

Wiring harness L1

2

EDS tech (Stuttgart)

Minimum order is 500 parts

Wiring harness L2a

12

EDS tech (Stuttgart)

Minimum order is 500 parts

Wiring harness L2b

8

EDS tech (Stuttgart)

Minimum order is 500 parts

Wiring harness L3

1

EDS tech (Stuttgart)

Minimum order is 500 parts

Battery tray

1

eBay

Unknown supplier

Main bracket LHD

1

Metal direct (Madrid)

Lead time 6 weeks

Main bracket RHD

1

Metal direct (Madrid)

Lead time 6 weeks

Low fixing bracket

4

Metal direct (Madrid)

Lead time 6 weeks

Upper fixing bracket

2

Metal direct (Madrid)

Lead time 6 weeks

M3 Screws

12

Ebay

Source from any supplier

M2 Screws

62

Ebay

Source from any supplier

M5 Screws

28

Ebay

Source from any supplier

Package

1

Plastic direct (Koln)

Instruction manual

1

Internal

Only printed in German

USB programming cable

1

eBay

Unknown supplier