MGSYS201-18B

Digital Business and Supply Chain Management

Individual assignment: Future logistics operations

Due date: 4pm, Wednesday 24 October 2018

Percentage of overall grade: 26%
Submission method: Moodle
Document type: Microsoft Word only

Purpose

The purpose of this assignment is to apply the concepts covered in class as well as the information and details from
your own research to a business scenario. This assignment has, therefore, both a theoretical and a practical
component.

Instructions

This assignment is based on the analysis of the diagram entitled ‘Future logistics operations’ (source: DHL, 2018).
This diagram illustrates how digital technologies are changing logistics and supply chain operations and, ultimately,
the management of customer demand and customer deliveries.

Write an essay to answer the following question:

How will digital technologies change logistics and supply chain operations in the future?

You may consider the following questions in your essay:

 Which digital technologies can be used to improve logistics and supply chain operations (please focus on
the technologies represented on the diagram)?
 How do/will these technologies enable more efficient and/or more responsive flows of goods and
information?
 What benefits will these technologies generate for both companies and consumers?

Since the essay is expected to build a coherent and logical argument, listing the above questions and providing
answers is NOT appropriate.

You should integrate as many course concepts as possible into your discussion but ensure that you remain focused
on the main question (How will digital technologies change logistics and supply chain operations in the future?).
The use of diagrams that support your argument is encouraged and will be rewarded (in particular diagrams that
you have developed yourself). Please place your diagrams close to the relevant text and make sure that your essay
text links to them to show their relevance.

You are required to complete this assessment task individually. The maximum word count is 1,500 words from the
first word of the introduction to the last word of the conclusion (i.e. excluding diagrams and the list of references).
Please include your essay’s actual word count on the cover page of your assignment. The WMS Assessment Cover
Sheet is available in the ‘Resources’ folder of Moodle. Please fill in this document and save it as the first page of
your assignment.

Please use a 12-point font and a 1.5 spacing. All sources must be properly acknowledged by using the APA
referencing style (http://www.waikato.ac.nz/library/study/referencing/styles/apa). A minimum of 10 references is
expected. Please consider the variety and quality of your sources.

The full marking criteria are presented in the table below. Please ensure that you submit your essay by the due date
as late submission penalties apply (as per the paper outline).

Marking criteria

Criteria 0 → 40 50 → 70 80 → 100

Rambling, some
Reasonably succinct and Succinct and poignant, clear
Articulation

irrelevancies and
Clarity and quality logical, simple and and grammatically correct,
grammatical errors,
of writing understandable, mostly logical and coherent
incomplete and/or illogical
error-free statements
statements

Limited evidence of Reasonable coverage of Complete comprehension

Mastery of concepts
conceptual understanding, concepts, description not of concepts, description
(WHAT is it?)
description often incorrect completely correct correct and precise

List of points or sweeping Conclusions supported by

To varying depth relevant
statements without high-quality and in-depth
Depth of argument, and reasoned argument,
Understanding

justification, no/little analysis, comprehensive

justification and justified through practice
evidence provided to justification illustrated
illustration and/or examples,
support conclusions, not through appropriate
(WHY is it this?) conclusions generally
linked to practice or evidence and illuminating
supported
illustrated by examples examples
Structure, Logical structure used to
No meaningful integration,
organisation and Generally organised to facilitate understanding,
points and statements are
integration facilitate understanding, points and statements
not brought together to
(HOW does it fit partially integrated effectively linked together,
address question(s)
together?) fully integrated
Some research, inadequate
Inadequate evidence of Appropriate level of
variety/quality of
Referencing

Research and research, insufficient research, various and high-

references, sources in the
conformance to number of references, quality references, all
main acknowledged
referencing sources poorly sources properly
properly, inconsistent
standards acknowledged, incorrect acknowledged, good use of
application of the APA
referencing style APA referencing style
referencing style