Assessment 3 (Group Assignment)
Assessment 3 (Group Assignment)
The purpose of this assignment is to develop students’ capability in applying quantitative skills and knowledge
to solve a real world supply chain problem and promote deep learning which occurs through interaction. Process
of completing this assignment is explained as below:
a. Group Formation
• Form your own group with at least 4 but no more than 5 students.
• Once the group has been formed, all group members are required to sign up to the same self-sign up group
in the Canvas.
– All members of a group are required to get to the ‘Group’ tab in the ‘People’ section of the Canvas
course site. You will see a number of pre-populated groups (e.g. Group 1 - Group 20).
– Students of the same group should select a group number which has not been occupied by othe
groups. To put it simply, you need to select an empty group.
– All members of the group should sign up to the same group number.
Notes:
• You must identify/select your group members in your own stream first (after attending the first lecture).
Once you formed a group with 4 to 5 students, then each member should sign up to the same group on the
Canvas. To make it short, form your group first, and then sign up on the Canvas.
• Group assignments which would be completed individually will not be accepted.
• It is student’s responsibility to find group members. If you have difficulty in finding group members, you
need to contact your tutor before week 4.
• If there is a dispute in a group, group members are required to inform the tutor immediately. If the issue
is raised at least four weeks prior to the assignment due date, the tutor will intervene to resolve the issue
in an amicable way and requests all members to complete the meeting minutes after each group meeting,
ecord the contribution of each member, and send a copy of the meeting minute to the relevant tutor. If
this method will not be effective, peer review process will be in place.
. Selecting a Company
Select a local company or an international company which operates locally in the country where you are cu
ently
studying. Contact info of the selected company should be provided in the Introduction section of the report.
c. Identify a Problem or an Opportunity for Improvement
Students are advised to review the processes and functions of the selected company’s supply chain to identify a
problem (or an opportunity for improvement) which can be addressed by at least one of the quantitative methods
covered in this course. Having an initial discussion with the company will help you choose the appropriate
technique(s).
If you are unsure regarding the selected company or topic, it is recommended to have a chat with your tutor.
Your tutor will advise you whether the selected topic and/or company would be suitable for this assessment task.
d. Selecting a Quantitative Method
Students are required to choose any or a combination of the discussed quantitative methods in this course. Here
are some suggested topics:
1
• Linea
Integer Programming and Sensitivity Analysis
• Waiting line models
• Simulation
• Risk Analysis
• Decision Theory and Multi-criteria Decision Making
• Game Theory
e. Data Collection > Problem Formulation > Analysis > Results and Discussion > Recommen-
dation
The ultimate goal of this assignment is to provide the most insightful and informative recommendation fo
solving a supply chain-related problem or offering an opportunity for improvement. Therefore, students are
equired to analyse the identified data, discuss the findings, and provide recommendations accordingly.
Using multiple sources of data is highly recommended, e.g conducting interview with company’s key staff and
also using the company’s historical records.
f. Writing Report
Suggested structure of the report:
1. Executive Summary
2. Table of Content
3. List of Figures/Tables
4. Introduction
5. Identify a Problem or an Opportunity for Improvement
6. Choosing the Quantitative Method
7. Data Collection/Selection
8. Problem Formulation
9. Analysis
10. Results and Discussion
11. Recommendation
12. References
13. Appendix
Notes:
• In the ‘Introduction’ section, students are required to provide background information regarding the
company including size, business type, areas of operations, competitors, supply chain structure, key staff
contact information, etc.
• Students are required to clearly explain why the nominated quantitate method is selected and what are
the advantages and disadvantages of using the selected method compared to other techniques.
• To solve your model, if some required data is missing, you can use the competitors’ information, if available.
If no data is available for a specific part of your model, you can solve your model using assumed data.
However, all assumptions should be clearly explained.
g. Assessment Criteria
You can find below a list of requirements and assessment criteria for the group assignment.
Section Requirements Weight
1 Introduction Detailed background information regarding
the company and its supply chain structure.
5%
2
Section Requirements Weight
2 Identify the Problem
or Opportunity fo
Improvement
Explain the problem or the opportunity fo
improvement that you identified in the
company. Explain the assumptions.
Provide detailed information regarding the
chosen topic. Why is this topic chosen?
Clarify cu
ent status of the topic in the
selected company. Note: Students are
ecommended to avoid selecting a very
simple or very complex problem to solve.
Selecting very simple problem which does
not add significant value to the company
does not attract a high mark. Selecting a
very complex problem may require too
many assumptions which impacts the
validity of the model. If you are unsure,
please contact your tutor.
20%
3 Choosing the
Quantitative Method
Explain advantages and disadvantages of
the selected quantitative method. Justify
why the selected method is the best
technique to addressing the company’s
problem or making an improvement.
5%
4 Data
Collection/Selection
A comprehensive data collection/selection
to provide all required inputs for the
selected quantitative model/method.
Students are required to collect real data
for the chosen topic.
5%
5 Problem Formulation Step by step developing a model o
formulate the quantitative method to fully
address the identified problem or the
process which is expected to be improved.
If any assumption is made to develop the
model, it should be clearly stipulated.
10%
6 Analysis Perform the analysis and provide Excel
outputs with explanations. Clea
explanation about all steps, calculations
should be provided.
10%
7 Results and
Discussion
The outcome of analysis should be well
explained and discussed. The situation of
the company’s selected process/function
should be compared before and afte
esolving the issue. The effectiveness of the
selected quantitative method and findings
needs to be discussed. If the
solution/decision is impacted by the model
assumptions, sensitivity analysis o
e-testing the model by using different
values of the assumed factor is required.
15%
8 Recommendations Providing a realistic recommendation to the
company. If some assumptions could
impact the validity of the recommendation,
they should be clearly stipulated.
10%
9 Overall Presentation Providing high quality report with co
ect
eferencing, well developed executive
summary, table of content, list of figures
tables, page numbering, cover sheet,
appendix (if any). Effective academic and
professional writing requires good grammar,
spelling, and punctuation. All sections
should be clearly presented in the report.
20%
3
h. Submission of written assignment
• One of group members should submit the group assignment report.
• Students are required to submit both Word and Excel files.
• Submission of a zipped file attracts no mark.
• Failing to submit the Word or Excel documents will result in no mark (zero).
• The naming convention for both Word and Excel files is: ‘Group XX’, where XX is your group number.
• Students must avoid using their nickname in the submission process. Student’s name should match with
The University records.
Notes:
• All written assignments must be submitted electronically using the assignment submission tool which is
available under the ‘Assignment’ section of the Canvas.
• Providing assignment reports via email or submitting the hard copy of report is not accepted.
• As assessment 3 is a summative assignment, if you require feedback on this assignment, please contact
your tutor after two weeks from the assignment due date.
• For information about academic integrity at RMIT visit http:
www1.rmit.edu.au/students/academic-
integrity
i. Peer Review Assessment
All group members are required to work equally towards the completion of this assessment task. In case you think
the level of contribution among your group is not equal and fair, you need to contact your tutor immediately
(at least 4 weeks before the assignment due date). From this point forward, a meeting minute, as a supporting
evidence, should be prepared at the end of each group meeting. The minute should be circulated among members
and the tutor should be CC’ed on that communication. The tutor will try to identify the root causes of potential
issue and eliminate them. If the issue still persists, the tutor will request all group members to complete the
Peer Review Assessment form individually. In this case, each group member will receive an individual mark
ased on the average contribution level which is awarded by the student’s peers.
All information and communications will remain confidential. Please note that if you have no complaint you do
not need to complete this form.
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http:
www1.rmit.edu.au/students/academic-integrity
http:
www1.rmit.edu.au/students/academic-integrity
a. Group Formation
b. Selecting a Company
c. Identify a Problem or an Opportunity for Improvement
d. Selecting a Quantitative Method
e. Data Collection > Problem Formulation > Analysis > Results and Discussion > Recommendation
f. Writing Report
g. Assessment Criteria
h. Submission of written assignment
i. Peer Review Assessment