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MIS713 – Supply Chain Management and Logistics

Learning Outcome Details:

Assignment Description / Requirements

Word count calculation

The unit guide states Assessment 2 is the equivalent of 3,500 words as follows:

• Organisation background from Assignment 1 for the marker, comprising three diagrams (equivalent to 900 words) and text of 140 words (i.e. 1,040 words) from Assignment 1.

• Two diagrams (see below for details) equivalent to 600 words.
• A maximum 1,860 text word limit of work (e.g. headings, paragraphs, tables, citations, etc) for Assignment 2. This means the maximum text word limit for Assignment 2 is 2,000 words: the Assignment 1 text (140 words) plus the Assignment 2 text (1,860 words).

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The assessment rubric (see “Text word limit” criterion) states the report word count must be less than or equal to the text word limit (not a single word more) to avoid receiving a fail mark.

The word count is determined by selecting everything (excluding only the cover page and reference list), and using MS Word’s word count feature. The text word limit includes everything (e.g. headings, tables and citations). Nothing can be scanned/images except required diagrams. MIS713 – Supply Chain Management and Logistics

Required diagrams in the reports can be an image (e.g. GIF, JPEG) so they are not included in the text word count. Software used to create diagrams (e.g. Powerpoint) typically have options to save the diagram (e.g. Powerpoint slide) as an image, then it can be copied into the report. All diagrams must have a caption (e.g. “Figure 1: title of the diagram”), which can be within the image.

You can use a numbered approach to citations so they do not contribute to the text word limit (see example), because there are no spaces between citation numbers and punctuation/words. The reference list is still formatted using the Harvard referencing style. The text in the example is not relevant to assignment, but it shows how to use the numbered citation and referencing method.

Assignment 1 required students to:

• analyse a small organisation using supply chain management principles, including potential negative social and environmental (CSR) impact the organisation and its supply chain; and
• identify one CSR and one non‐CSR metric per student which the small organisation is not currently using on which they could potentially collect information and measure.

Completion of Assignment 1 means both students in the group have sufficient information about the small organisation to complete Assignment 2, which will involve:

• Student 1 writing a report (on their own) detailing the changes the small organisation needs to make to its sourcing tasks to collect the information for making the calculations associated with the CSR and non‐CSR metric which Student 1 identified in Assignment 1
• Student 2 writing a report (on their own) detailing the changes the small organisation needs to make to its sourcing tasks to collect the information for making the calculations associated with the CSR and non‐CSR metric which Student 2 identified in Assignment 1

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The aim of the Assignment 2 report is not to make a recommendation for changes in the small organisation. Instead, the aim is to present a balanced and thorough evaluation of the changes the small organisation would need to make. This will include exploring all the positive (beneficial) and negative operational issues, using research evidence, relating to that change. That is, the report will focus on presenting facts relating to positive and negative about the changes needed, but it will not make any recommendations about what the small organisation should do. If the owner/manager is interested in the ideas, they can get independent advice/recommendation (which may contradict or confirm or extend the findings in your report) and make a decision themselves.

The table below summarises the requirements for the Assignment 2 report, including approximate word counts for each major requirement as a guide. But the entire report must not exceed the maximum text word limit, including everything except the cover page and reference list (see Word count calculation section above). The report can include a very short introduction and conclusion, but do not include an executive summary, table of contents, recommendations, appendices, etc.

The main audience for this report will be the academic marker, but remember you will give the owner a copy of the report. This means you should not criticise the owner/manager or the organisation in the report! Owners of small organisations often feel their business is personal, so criticising the business may be viewed by owners as criticising them personally. Instead, write in a positive manner such as “An opportunity to enhance…”, and focus on critiquing the metrics.