Your class participation and contribution will be assessed during discussion of class contents, exercises and cases. This will be based on the extent to which you appear prepared, the relevance and depth of your comments, reflections on your work experiences or other industry examples, and how you have contributed to the learning experience of the class. Please notify your instructor in advance if you have to miss a class, or if you will be late or leaving early from class.

Assessment criteria:

• Be prepared with class readings before each session.
• Work effectively in groups to solve cases and industry questions in class.
• Actively participate in class discussions and contribute to them using relevant sources, experience and/or extensive knowledge on the topic.
• Attend the class on-time and be actively present throughout each session to the end.

Syndicate groups will be assigned by the lecturer on the first day of class. Groups might experience minor changes up until the third session after starting on 26th October, 2018. 

Each group should select a group representative who will be responsible for communications with the lecturer. 

Each syndicate group will be required to (1) research and deliver a 20 mins presentation to the class on a specific supply chain management (SCM), (2) submit to the lecturer a soft copy of the slides by email before the presentation, and upload the soft copy of the slides via Turnitin on iLearn. The last slide in the presentation should list the specific research sources (e.g. journals, webpages, textbooks, etc.). APA reference style is required for this assessment. A penalty of late submission is applied. Please refer to the details described in the section of Group Case Report Assessment (extensions and penalties). 

The presentation (and slides) should include the following:

• Brief description of the topic(s) to be presented – the suggested topics for each syndicate group are listed in the table of SCM topics on the page of unit schedule. Please note that not all listed topics must be included in the presentation.
• Brief description of one or more Australian firms which have issues in the application of the selected topic(s). This will also require a very brief description of the organisation and the products/services it provides. Please note that the selected firms are from various industries, including manufacturers, agricultural producers, wholesalers/retailers, hospitals, medical clinics, health care providers, financial institutions, IT design and infrastructure, telecommunications providers, utilities providers, government, hotels, transportation and distribution services, etc. 
• Critically propose realistic and feasible solutions/recommendations from the aspect of SCM to cope with the identified issues. This is the most important part of the presentation and where most of the focus should be placed. This section should also include challenges encountered and tactics used by management in order to overcome these challenges. 

Marking scheme:

• Novelty, originality, and applicability of the report
• Knowledge and understanding core material
• Appropriateness of research
• Quality of argument 
• Professionalism in delivery (e.g., engaging the audience, introduction to the problem, seamless flow of presentation (What? Why? How?), maintaining eye contact, satisfactory response to the questions asked by the audience, effective time management in presenting the slides and in Q&A, and design and animations used in the slides) 

In addition to the marking scheme above, each individual is being marked out of 100 for their individual (50/100) and group (50/100) contributions. The details of how this marking is done will be announced in class and on the class iLearn page. If any individual members of a group do not get a full mark on either of their individual or group contributions, their final group project mark will be deducted proportionally. For instance, if a group receives 15 out of 20 for their group project and a specific member receives 80 out of 100 for his/her collective (individual and group) contributions, this individual’s final mark will be 15*0.8 = 12. Group representatives should e-mail the individual and group contributions of each group member confidentially to the lecturer.

No extensions will be granted. 

Duration: 1 hour plus 5 minutes reading time

Format: In-class Test (closed book)

The mid-term test will include the materials (PowerPoint slides, assigned textbook chapters, handouts in class, etc.) from the first half of the unit. The details of test format will be announced in class. 

There will be no make-up test for anyone who cannot sit the test. Please contact the lecturer in advance if you have a serious problem with the date. The test is designed to assess your understanding not memory as they are based on materials covered during the term. Any required material or specific case study for the test will be placed on iLearn before the date. 

Students will be required to write a group report of 3,500 words maximum (excluding references and appendices). The most important component of this report is the application of insights, concepts, tools and techniques discussed in class to the groups' chosen organisation in line with your group presentation. 

The date of submission is planned after the end of the course to ensure students have the opportunity to review all of the materials covered in the subject. Students are required to select the make use of topics studied in class in order to (1) draw links to a chosen organisation's function, department or operation, (2) conduct a problem analysis in details and (3) provide a detailed solution(s) to improve the organisation's operation over a period of 12-24 months. 

The report should be written in a concise manner and should be structured in the following way:

• Organisation selection - this section briefly describes background research and the organisation identified. 
• Problem(s) identification and analysis - this part mainly identifies the issue(s) (1-2 problems) faced by the organisation. Adoption of appropriate methods/techniques is useful for analysis. 
• Solution/Implementation - this is the most important part of the report. It must include the detailed activities, activity duration, milestones and responsibilities. The solutions show the step by step approach required to solve the problem(s) identified. The selection of the right concepts, tools and techniques is critical to ensure that the implementation plan is feasible, pragmatic and real. 
• Recommendation - this portion primarily describes the future recommendations based on the identified solutions. The challenges to implement the solutions and tactics to overcome these challenges are also discussed. 
• References and Appendices 

Marking scheme

• Organization selection
• Background research
• Problem identified
• Analysis methods
• Effective use of data and resources
• Implementation plan
• Practical implications
• Strength of recommendations/conclusion
• Report readability
• Overall presentation (structure, logic, formatting, referencing and citations)

Report format

Group case reports should be typed 1.5-spaced, with normal margins, and Times New Roman 12pt font. Clarity and structure are critical elements of success. Use the available pages wisely and forego dwelling on defining terms that are obvious and already known. The report should be written as a professional business type of report, reflecting its practicality, applicability and relevance to the business.

Submission details

Each group representative will submit 1 x soft-copy of group report on or before the due date as listed above. The soft-copy submission will be submitted to Turnitin via the MGSM893 iLearn portal, a program used to ensure that originality of the work undertaken by the submitter. 

ONLY ONE single file must be submitted with ALL attachments, displays and charts included within. This can be submitted as a Microsoft Word document (.docx or .doc). 

Please ensure your group members' full name, student number, unit code (MGSM893), unit name (Supply Chain Management), and lecturer (Dr. Peter Shi) is clearly visible on the front page of your report. 

In addition, each group representative will submit the peer evaluation form signed by ALL group members to the lecturer by email.

Extensions and penalties

No extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission – 20% penalty). This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved. No submission will be accepted after solutions have been posted.