The Bartlett School of Construction & Project Management
MODULE GUIDE
BSc Project Management for Construction
BSc Project Management for Construction (Sandwich) BSc Construction Management
MSc Construction Economics and Management MSc Digital Engineering Management
MSc Digital Innovation in Built Asset Management MSc Infrastructure Investment and Finance MSc Project and Enterprise Management MSc Strategic Management of Projects
Module Title: Supply Chain Management
Module Code: BCPM0081 Module
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1. Module Details
Module Title: Supply Chain Management
Module Level: Level 7 (PG)
Credit Value: 15 credits
Pre-requisite Module (If applicable):** - This will be printed on Module Catalogue Summary of Assessment Method: 100% Individual Essay (3000 words)
Module Leader Information Name: Dr. Jas Kalra
Email Address: [email protected] Tel Ext.: External Module Leader Room: External Module Leader
Module Delivery Team
As above
2. Module Overview
Welcome to the Supply Chain Management module— I am looking forward to working with you during the semester. In today’s specialised world, complex projects and operations are delivered by a host of organisations linked with one another in a chain (or rather, a network!). These organisations are often quite different from each other in terms of specialisations, capabilities, size, geography, and cultures. This means that the achievement of complex tasks relies on effective cooperation between and coordination across these organisations. Supply chain management refers to the management of this coordination process of goods, services, information, and money across these inter-linked chains of organisations to achieve complex outcomes. In this module, we will study how supply chains can be managed strategically to deliver projects on time, under budget, and within scope.
Mode:
The module will be taught from 9am- 5pm on Wednesdays (27th Feb 2023- 20th March 2023)
Structure:
The module is structured as a series of four day-long lectures run on a weekly basis. The materials and tasks for each week will be made available as the course progresses. The lecture slides will be uploaded after the day’s session.
Reveal:
Each week, a new section will open up, and various new readings and activities will be revealed. After their designated end date, activities will also start being locked off, but will remain visible.
Participation Pattern:
Supply chain management is a ‘live’ subject, and this is reflected in my approach to delivery: application-based, deploying a combination of short presentations, video material, case examples,
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simulations and games, application challenges, etc. In other words, I will make every attempt to ensure that the material and teaching methods capture and retain your interest, but education is a co-produced service. As such, you also have a number of critical responsibilities if the module is to generate meaningful learning. Primarily, it is critical that you undertake any required preparation and take participation in group exercises, games, and assignments seriously.
Communication with staff and other students:
Communication will be through the discussion boards and forums on Moodle, as well emails following up on the lecture material.
3. ModuleAim,LearningObjectives&LearningOutcomes Aims
The aim of this module is to provide students with an introduction of the fundamentals of strategic supply chain management. Students will study the key theories and concepts, apply them to real- life problems, and critically reflect on the challenges and strategies for managing supply chains.
Learning Objectives
Students will be provided with:
• A thorough understanding of the theories and concepts in strategic supply chain
management.
• An understanding of contemporary supply chain management issues.
• An understanding of supply chain strategy challenges in an ongoing (live) infrastructure
project.
Learning Outcomes
This module provides students with an understanding of supply chain management and its central role in modern private and public sector organisations. By the end of the module, you should be able to:
• Demonstrate the economic importance of supply chain management and the extensive scope of the subject area;
• Critically reflect on the established bodies of knowledge and best practice;
• Recognise the knowledge and skills required for successful supply chain management in
organisations.
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4. Week-by-Week Teaching, Learning and Assessment Schedule
Teaching Week
Session Number
Topic
Lecturer
Term Two
27 1
28 2
29 3
30 4
Introduction to Supply Chain Management: A Strategic Perspective
Supply Chain Design & Relationship Management
Supply Chain Risk Management
Contemporary Challenges in Supply Chain Management
Dr. Jas Kalra Dr. Jas Kalra Dr. Jas Kalra Dr. Jas Kalra
Reading List. Essential Reading
There is no core text for this module – instead, I will recommend a range of readings from key texts and journals. However, one book that I will use quite extensively in this module are:
• Cousins, P.D., Lamming, R.C., Lawson, B., and Squire, B.C. (2008) Strategic Supply Management: Principles, Theories, Practice 1st Edition. Pearson, ISBN-13: 978-0-273- 65100-0
Recommended Reading
Additional core and supplementary readings for this module will be posted on Moodle. There are also many other articles that can be found in dedicated Supply Chain Management journals. Many are downloadable from online sources via the library web pages. The leading Journal dedicated to the publication of the latest developments in SCM is the “Journal of Supply Chain Management”. Additionally, “Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management”, and “Supply Chain Management: An International Journal” are also highly relevant. You might also find quite a few relevant articles in “Journal of Operations Management” and “International Journal of Operations & Production Management”, which are the other two leading journals in the Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSCM) discipline.
Journals
• Journal of Supply Chain Management
• Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management
• Supply Chain Management: An International Journal
• International Journal of Operations & Production Management
• Journal of Operations Management
5. ModuleAssessmentInformation
5.1 Assignment Brief
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Individual Assignment (Assessed; 100%)
Assignment Deliverables and Specifications (Deadline, 25th April 2023, 3pm BST)
A 3,000 word essay should be typed with a font size 12, 1.5 spacing and should look professional. Your report needs to be well-structured and divided into numbered sections that correspond logically to your chosen structure. You should include an overall introduction and conclusion.
The essay should focus on one of the two essay questions that you have chosen to answer. Please underline your investigation of secondary project data (e.g. company reports, government reports, project case studies etc.) with appropriate academic references to strengthen your argument. An essential feature of the essay is to illustrate how theoretical constructs or models can help to explain the actions of organisations, project managers etc. in practice. You are therefore advised to read widely. In fact, unless you have read and referenced at least 15 discrete references, it is unlikely that you have done sufficient reading.
The word limit includes the main text (including in-text references, tables and figures) and not the list of references at the end of your proposal. The main text starts with the first word in the ‘introduction’/’background’ section and ends at the last word in your ‘conclusion’ section. The word limit does not include the title, abstract, table of contents, reference list and appendices. Sticking to a strict word limit is difficult and an important skill for you to acquire, so make sure that you write in a concise and focused manner.
I would not expect a long list of appendices. You can exceed or lower this word limit by 10% only. If you do not adhere to the word limit, then the script will be returned to you to amend and re-submit within 5 working days. The re-submitted coursework will not gain a mark of more than the pass mark (50). If you do not re-submit the work within 5 working days you will receive a mark of “0” for this piece of work.
Please use the Harvard referencing system. This requires you to state the surname of the author(s) in the text of your report, followed by the year of publication e.g.: “Kraljic (1983) states that....” If you use direct quotes, then the page number should follow e.g.: Kraljic (1983: 112) “The profit impact of a given supply item can be defined in terms of volume purchased, percentage of total purchase cost or impact on product quality or business growth”. Failure to reference properly constitutes a violation of university regulations and is a serious offence. In your reference list, please provide the following full details of each reference: Williamson, O. E. (2003). Examining economic organization through the lens of contract. Industrial and Corporate Change, 12(4), pp. 917-942.
Plagiarism
University College London operates a strict policy with regard to plagiarism and what constitutes plagiarism. It is essential that all students familiarise themselves with this policy. Please note that all reports will be checked for plagiarism. Cases of plagiarism lead to severe penalties by the University College London.
Assessment questions
Please find below the two questions, of which you need to answer one. The assigned weightage of the individual sub-questions has been provided.
1. Supply Chain Management draws from a range of theoretical contributions:
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a. Clearly outline the concepts and constituent elements of Transaction Cost Economics. Your answer should include a demonstration of the various contracting mechanisms supported by this theory. The Resource Based View of the firm offers a contrasting perspective to TCE. Clearly explain the main constituent elements of RBV and the key arguments. Your answer should also include an explanation of why RBV is different to TCE. (70%)
b. Define what is meant by outsourcing and clearly explain why it is different from offshoring. What to you consider are the benefits and disadvantages of outsourcing? Your answer should use relevant theory to underpin your arguments. (30%)
OR
2. Supply chain alignment is central to the development of a coherent strategic approach to supply chain management. Taking an organisation with which you are familiar,
a. Discuss the Supply Wheel, clearly defining and applying each element of the framework. Support your answer with models and examples. (70%)
b. Based on your analysis, make recommendations on how the organisation should adjust its supply chain strategy. (30%)
5.2 Assessment Criteria
Non existent
Little grasp, evidence of confusion
No relationship to course material
Poorly developed
Very poor
None
Superficial
Partial grasp
Limited or little use of, or relationship to, course material
Superficial Poor
None
Adequate understanding
Fair overall grasp
Use only of course material, little use of other readings
Limited Good
Limited
Good understanding
Good overall grasp
Good use of course material and reference to other readings
Generally well- developed
Very good
Some
Considerable understanding
Complete
Very good use of course material and other readings/material
Highly developed Excellent
Considerable
Thorough understanding
Thorough and assimilated
Excellent use of a wide variety of readings and material
Outstanding Outstanding
Outstanding
Level
<40
40-49
50-59
60-69
70-79
80+
Familiarity with the relevant theories/ subject matter
Conceptual understanding
Analytical ability (i.e. applying SCM concepts / theories)
Critical ability
Clarity of communication (report)
Originality
6.3 Submission deadlines/dates and method of submission
Uploaded to Moodle by 3pm BST on 25th April 2023. File to be uploaded via Moodle in Word or PDF format. Word limit: 3,000 words (see the brief for exclusion).
5.3 Assessment Support.
Students will be supported through an online discussion forum focused on assessments, where they can post their questions. I will check them twice a week and answer all the questions. I will set up two assessment clinics (using Zoom) for the students to drop in and ask questions.
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6. AssessmentFeedback
A student guide to Assessment and Feedback can be found on your programme page in Moodle.
Turnaround time
The Department aims to return assessed work within 1 calendar month of the submission deadline date. The feedback turnaround times are monitored by the Departmental Teaching Committee, and we expect students to have had the opportunity to reflect, and act, on their learning from the feedback in subsequent assessments.
Providing feedback on your assessed work
Feedback concerning your work is an extremely important part of your academic development at UCL, and the Department is committed to providing appropriate support. We aim to ensure that the assessment mechanisms allow students to demonstrate the skills and knowledge they have gained and that the assessments are carried out fairly and consistently. It is a priority of the Department to provide students with suitably instructive and timely feedback. Late submission penalties are given in the Academic Manual Section 3.12
7. StudentVoice–Haveyoursay!
We always value student feedback!
Students are always able (and encouraged) to voice their positive and constructive feedback. You can feedback whenever you want and share opinions, confidentiality if required.
Here are the different ways, you can do this:
Your student academic representative.
Whoever they are, you can report your thoughts or comments to one of your Student Academic Reps.
Not sure who they are? Look on the moodle page for more information.
Your module leader
If you contact the module leader directly, through email or a forum, they will be able to respond within 3 working days.
Continuous Module Dialogue
You will have the opportunity to engage in Continuous Module Dialogue (CMD) at regular intervals throughout the module. CMD encourages professional dialogue between students and teaching staff while the module is in progress, with the aim to provide brief, structured opportunities for students to feedback to staff and give staff the opportunity to respond if required.
Link for further information: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/teaching-learning/student-partnership/student-voice- and-surveys/continuous-module-dialogue
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8. AttendanceRequirements
Students’ attendance will be monitored throughout the module.
UCL expects students to aim for 100% attendance for scheduled learning, teaching and assessment activities.
If students are unable to attend, you should notify UCL by contacting your Teaching and Learning Administrator.
Students can always apply for authorising their absence, by completing an absence form found on your Moodle Course Page.
For further information visit:
• Attendance Requirements – https://www.ucl.ac.uk/academic-manual/chapters/chapter-3-
registration-framework-taught-programmes/section-3-attendance-and- absence#:~:text=UCL%20has%20agreed%20that%20the,to%20the%20Covid%2D19%20 pandemic.
• Tier 4 Attendance Requirements - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/academic-manual/chapters/chapter-3-registration-framework-taught- programmes/section-3-attendance-and-absence#3.2
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