SCM4002

Principles of Procurement and Contract Management

Podcast - Part 1

Date for Submission: Please refer to the timetable on ilearn

(The submission portal on ilearn will close at 14:00 UK time on the date of submission)

Assignment Brief

As part of the formal assessment for the programme you are required to submit a Principles of Procurement and Contract Management assignment. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments.

 Learning Outcomes:

After completing the module, you should be able to:

1.  Define the specifics of budgeting, profit and loss reporting and cash flow forecasting in complex supply chains.

2.  Identify how procurement processes impact across the supply-chain to ensure cost efficiencies, security of supply, continuity of service and mitigation of risk.

3.  Develop a critical evaluation of the range of sourcing strategies for managing cost, quality, service and time across supply chain networks.

4.  Assess the principles of inventory, supply and demand planning and associated metrics, such as on-time, in-full, error-free and on-shelf availability.

5.  Critically evaluate methods of forecasting including effects of fluctuations and seasonality and use of scheduling.

All learning outcomes must be met to pass the module.

Guidance

Your assignment should include: a title page containing your student number, the module name, the submission deadline and the exact word count of your submitted document; the appendices if relevant; and a reference list in AU Harvard system(s). You should address all the elements of the assignment task listed below. Please note that tutors will use the assessment criteria set out below in assessing your work.

You must not include your name in your submission because Arden University operates anonymous marking, which means that markers should not be aware of the identity of the student. However, please do not forget to include your STU number.

Maximum word count: 3000 words

Please refer to the full word count policy which can be found in the Student Policies section here: Arden University | Regulatory Framework

Please note the following:

Students are required to indicate the exact word count on the title page of the assessment.

The word count includes everything in the main body of the assessment (including in text citations and references). The word count excludes numerical data in tables, figures, diagrams, footnotes, reference list and appendices. ALL other printed words ARE included in the word count.

Please note that exceeding the word count by over 10% will result in a 10-percentage point deduction.

Assignment Task

Worth 40 % of the overall module grade.

This Assignment is an individual assignment requiring you to submit two separate files. Please carefully read the instructions below.

The assessment is based upon a case study organization of your choice; this choice should be made within the first 2 weeks of the module. You should try (if possible) to select a case study where an appropriate work content exists. It might be the organization that you currently work for, or one that you have worked for in the past. If you do not have access to either of these options, then you should contact your module tutor who will provide you with a case study company. It’s important that you have access to some knowledge or data about your chosen organization and you should undertake your own research. You can reflect upon your knowledge gained and experience from participation during the module and apply this knowledge to your chosen company.

There are two sections to this assignment.

Section 1: You are required to produce a 1000-word equivalent podcast / screencast which critically assesses two drivers of procurement and contract management as selected by you. Your assessment should consider defining the specifics of budgeting, profit and loss reporting and cash flow forecasting in complex supply chains. You should submit your work in MP4 or as a PowerPoint recorded screencast and it should contain the written transcript of your submission. Section 1 is worth 40% of your total module mark.

Guidelines: Your answer should be based on your chosen case study organization and MUST assess two drivers of procurement and contract management. These could include the procurement process or supplier relationship management for example.

(1000 words or equivalent)

(100 marks)

(LOs: 1)

Formative Feedback

You have the opportunity to submit a draft to receive formative feedback.

The feedback is designed to help you develop areas of your work and it helps you develop your skills as an independent learner.

If you are a distance learning student, you should submit your work, by email, to your tutor, no later than 2 weeks before the actual submission deadline. If you are a blended learning student, your tutor will give you a deadline for formative feedback and further details.

Formative feedback will not be given to work submitted after the above date or the date specified by your tutor - if a blended learning student.

Referencing Guidance

You MUST underpin your analysis and evaluation of the key issues with appropriate and wide ranging academic research and ensure this is referenced using the AU Harvard system.

Follow this link to find the referencing guides for your subject: Arden Library

Submission Guidance

Assignments submitted late will not be accepted and will be marked as a 0% fail.

Your assessment can be submitted as a single Word (MS Word) or PDF file, or, as multiple files.

If you chose to submit multiple files, you must name each document as the question/part you are answering along with your student number ie Q1 Section A STUXXXX. If you wish to overwrite your submission or one of your submissions, you must ensure that your new submission is named exactly the same as the previous in order for the system to overwrite it.

You must ensure that the submitted assignment is all your own work and that all sources used are correctly attributed. Penalties apply to assignments which show evidence of academic unfair practice. (See the Student Handbook which is available on the A-Z key information on iLearn.)