RECENT ASSIGNMENT

Assessment 3 – Research and Application Report (50%)
This report must show knowledge of both concepts and their practical application in one area within Manufacturing Planning and Control (MPC). The Research and Application Report requires separate investigation of this area, preferably chosen from one of the students’ own businesses. It requires:
1. A brief literature review of the ‘world-wide’ state of knowledge in this area, showing your understanding. Do not copy sections from work reviewed, put them in your own words.
2. Audit of this area of MPC in a chosen/ approved enterprise and its immediate logistic channel partners so as to identify problems and situations requiring attention. For small companies (less than $10 million turnover) you need to study the whole MPC situation.
3. Description of the Information and Communications Systems (ICS) used in that channel must be strategic but may be restricted to one or two value streams (i.e. product groups).
4. Report should explain the business benefits of recommended improvements (i.e. extra net value added per year less cost of ICS investments).

Pairs of students choose an area from the list of course sub-topics (pages 7 to 11). Areas must be agreed with the lecturer and generally different from other students’ topics. Each student researches his/her part of the topics, through published, networking and Practical information, and writes a joint report conforming to the guidelines in “ The Little Black Book” (Campbell, 2001).
The report should be 3500 - 4000 words but content is far more important than length. Output of the RAR should be a report as if to the senior MPC executive or CEO of your enterprise. It must include an executive summary, not exceeding one page, and references to all sources. Students may work together and share source material, but each report must be the individual work of that pair of students. Reports must be carefully written and edited, brief, as for a business audience, but correctly aligned with research style (See any international journal, such as IJPD&LM). The marking scheme is given below.
Students are advised to start work on their RAR immediately and continue throughout the semester.
A brief project synopsis explaining the work intended should be submitted after two weeks so that the lecturer can check that it meets the requirements. For part-time students, the considerable effort required can often be integrated into your regular work load if approached sufficiently early. Students without suitable business situations should approach other students or use detailed cases. This project is the critical piece of assessment for the subject. Students should expect to spend 30 hours each on it. Projects which do not reach the required standard will need to be resubmitted or may fail. Students who are having difficulties must talk to the lecturer as soon as possible. He is prepared to scan drafts to advise on suitability and completeness. A hard copy of the report is to be submitted. Late reports will not be assessed at Distinction levels unless special business or personal circumstances can be proven.