Coursework Brief:
This module has introduced you to the key ideas and concepts of Supply Chain Management.
Your individual assignment takes your learning further than these lectures. It is composed of two parts:
• Part A is a 3,000-word assignment that makes up 80% of the marks for this module;
• Part B is a group presentation that makes up 20% of the marks for the module;
This document refers to Part A: 3,000 words (80%)
The COVID-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to global supply chains. Lockdowns, self-isolation orders and travel uncertainty caused disruption to virtually every part of the economy. Part A provides you an opportunity to research at a greater depth on the influence of COVID-19 on supply chain management. You need to answer the research question of ‘how COVID-19 impacted supply chain management’ and ‘how organizations responded to better manage their supply chains’. The working title for this assignment is “The Impact of the COVID-19 on Supply Chain Management”. You need to select one case company (e.g. Amazon, Walmart, KFC, Toyota, etc.) and conduct relevant analysis and answer the two questions. You need to apply at least two and up to four specific supply chain topics in the essay such as global supply chain management, sustainable supply chain management, supply chain risk management, supply chain resilience, multi-tier supply chain management, etc.
The writing should include:
An Introduction. This section should provide the background of the selected case company, the importance of
supply chain management, the selected supply chain topics and the structure of the essay.
A review of the literature. This section should examine the literature on the selected topic of supply chain
management. This literature review must be based on multiple sources (e.g. journal articles, consulting
reports, reliable websites) and will not rely on a single text.
Analysis and discussion. This section should analyse the impact of COVID on the case company’s supply chain and how the company responded. You need to focus on the selected supply chain topics, apply the concepts from literature review to further discuss its practices (align or different from academic findings).
Conclusion. This section should summarize the whole piece of work and highlight your findings and any
personal thoughts and suggestions. Indication of word count (each session +/-20%, final word account 3,000 +/-10%, excluding references and appendixes):
Introduction 500 words
Literature review 1,000 words
Case analysis and discussion 1,200 words
Conclusion 300 words
The marking criteria for the assignment are in the separate document.
Recommended References:
Belhadi, A., Kamble, S., Jabbour, C.J.C., Gunasekaran, A., Ndubisi, N.O. and Venkatesh, M., 2021. Manufacturing and service supply chain resilience to the COVID-19 outbreak: Lessons learned from the automobile and airline industries. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 163, p.120447.
Butt, A.S., 2021. Strategies to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on supply chain disruptions: a multiple case analysis of buyers and distributors. The International Journal of Logistics Management. Ahead of print.
Chowdhury, P., Paul, S.K., Kaisar, S. and Moktadir, M.A., 2021. COVID-19 pandemic related supply chain studies: A systematic review. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 148, p.102271.
Dohale, V., Verma, P., Gunasekaran, A. and Ambilkar, P., 2021. COVID-19 and supply chain risk mitigation: a case study from India. The International Journal of Logistics Management. Ahead of print.
Paul, S.K., Chowdhury, P., Moktadir, M.A. and Lau, K.H., 2021. Supply chain recovery challenges in the wake of COVID19 pandemic. Journal of Business Research, 136, pp.316-329.
Raj, A., Mukherjee, A.A., de Sousa Jabbour, A.B.L. and Srivastava, S.K., 2022. Supply chain management during and post-COVID-19 pandemic: Mitigation strategies and practical lessons learned. Journal of Business Research, 142, pp.1125-1139.
