Module title

Procurement Risk and Contract Management

CRN

Level

7

Assessment title

Assessment Portfolio

Weighting within module

This assessment is worth 100 % of the overall module mark.

Module Leader/Assessment set by

Module Leader: Dr Kostas Chaldoupis

Submission deadline date and time

The submission deadline is shown in OnlineCampus.

Students with a Reasonable Adjustment Plan (RAP) or Carer Support Plan should check your plan to see if an extension to this submission date has been agreed.

How to submit

You should submit your assessment via OnlineCampus (ideally in a MS Word compatible format)

As the University will mark assessments anonymously where this is possible, please use your student roll number and not your name on your submission.

Assessment task details and instructions

Global sourcing strategy can pro-actively enhance the competitive position of an organisation by integrating the procurement requirements across worldwide business units. For this purpose, a close coordination among purchasing, R&D, manufacturing, operations, and marketing on a global basis is required to facilitate common materials, technologies, processes, and suppliers. However, there are several risks associated with global sourcing and thus organisations must mitigate these risks through proactive planning and a rigorous global procurement process.

For an organisation of your choice, you are asked:

(a) to critically examine the global sourcing methods and propose a global procurement strategy which can lead to procurement excellence and improve the companys competitive advantage (50%).

b) To evaluate the global procurement and supply-based risks and opportunities faced by the organisation through the production of a risk assessment and suggest ways in which the organisation can improve its global procurement activities to deal with these (50%).

Additional instructions

Please follow a report format. Therefore, you should have a title page, contents page, sections and sub sections, page numbers, appendix section etc. Please note if you are uncertain on how to present and structure a report then visit the university library and ask for assistance.

Please do use diagrams, illustrations, tables, graphics etc. wherever these are helpful, and remember that these do not count towards your word limit. If you do use these, please do not put them in the appendices if they are part of your discussion. Appendices are the appropriate places to put supporting material, however, remember if the reader is satisfied with the main points of your discussion; the supporting information within the appendices may not even be reviewed.

Please try to use theory explicitly at all stages, but do not spend too much time describing a theory. While you must be explicit about the theories, models, techniques etc. that you use, you can assume that the reader is familiar with them. What the reader requires is evidence of your ability to understand and apply the theory and learn from in order to support the development of your findings and/or ideas.

You must cite all sources on which you have relied, for example textbooks, journal articles, web pages etc. using the APA 7th (Harvard) Style referencing system. If you do not cite all sources, then you may be accused of plagiarism, and that may endanger your success in passing the module. If you are in any doubt about how to reference your work, please obtain guidance from the library and/or your academic librarian(s) for this module.

You will also need to take the following into account when completing your assignment:

Quality of executive summary (does it give a brief complete summary of your paper for an executive to read?)

Establishment of relevant theory (e.g. what do we mean by sourcing?)

Allocation of credit and sources used (have I included references and citations to the material I have used?)

Clarity of argument

Overall report presentation including spelling and grammar

Adherence to nominated word limit (+/- 10%)

Word processed (letter size 12, times new roman, 1.5 space), fully referenced (APA 7th (Harvard) Style)

Assessment Criteria

Knowledge and Understanding

Practical, Professional or Subject Specific Skills

Assessed intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this assessment, you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of procurement for global organisations operating in complex market environments.

2. Locate, synthesise and critically evaluate recent/current information from a wide range of published literature in the area of Procurement, Risk and Contract Management.

3. Apply knowledge of the theory and practice of Procurement, Risk and Contract Management to develop insights into and solve current problems.

4. Critically evaluate the use of complex models of Procurement, Risk and Contract Management; systematically and creatively making sound judgements based on the systematic analysis and creative synthesis of ideas.

5. Critically and effectively assess the value of theories, concepts and models to the practice of Procurement, Risk and Contract Management.

6. Demonstrate a sound understanding of the importance of risk management in the development and maintenance of sustainable procurement.

7. Leads by example - as high levels of self-awareness, emotional and social intelligence, empathy and compassion, and able to identify mental well-being in others. Work collaboratively enabling empowerment and delegation - acts with humility and authenticity, is credible, confident and resilient.

8. Judgement and Challenge - Takes personal accountability aligned to clear values. Demonstrates flexibility and willingness to challenge when making decisions and solving problems - instils confidence demonstrating honesty, integrity, openness, and trust.

9. Courage & Curiosity - is confident and brave, willing to innovate, seeks new ideas and looks for contingencies. Manages complexity and ambiguity, comfortable in uncertainty, and is pragmatic.

10. Valuing Difference - engaging with all, is ethical and demonstrates inclusivity, recognising diversity, championing, and enabling cultural inclusion. Empowers and motivates to inspire and support others.

11. Professional Reflects on own performance, demonstrates professional standards in relation behaviour and ongoing development. Advocates the use of good practice within and outside the organisation

Employability Skills developed / demonstrated

You will develop a range of employability skills sought by employers through each assessment. Through this assessment will have an opportunity to develop and demonstrate the following employability skills:

I = You will have been introduced to this skill

U = You will have developed an understandingof this skill in the context of your subject

A = You will be able to apply this skill in the context of your subject

D = You will have demonstrated an enhanced understanding and application of this skill in a wider context

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

Word count/ duration (if applicable)

For this assessment the use of tools, software, or features of software which use artificial intelligence to generate content such as text, images or data, is not authorised.

The work you submit must be entirely your own, representing your own abilities and ideas.

Use of AI to generate a response to questions in this assessment, or the assessment brief, is academic misconduct.

The maximum word count is 3000 words (+/- 10%). Your word count is from the introduction to conclusion sections. Therefore, it does not include title page, contents page, reference section, appendices etc. If the assignment exceeds these limits; the work in excess of 3000 is not marked.

Feedback arrangements

You can expect to receive feedback within three weeks from the deadline.

Academic Integrity and Referencing

Students are expected to learn and demonstrate skills associated with good academic conduct (academic integrity). Good academic conduct includes the use of clear and correct referencing of source materials. Here is a link to where you can find out more about the skills which students need:

Academic integrity & referencing

Referencing

Academic Misconduct is an action which may give you an unfair advantage in your academic work. This includes plagiarism, asking someone else to write your assessment for you or taking notes into an exam. The University takes all forms of academic misconduct seriously.

Assessment Information and Support

Support for this Assessment

You can obtain support for this assessment by viewing the recorded module lectures, participating in the live session(s) and contributing to the forum discussions. These provide you with good opportunities to ask questions to seek clarity and direction on the subject and addressing the assessment brief.

You can find more information about understanding your assessment brief and assessment tips for success here.

Assessment Rules and Processes

You can find information about assessment rules and processes in the Academic Regulations of the University.

Developyour Academic and Digital Skills

Find resources to help you develop your skills here.

Concerns about Studies or Progress

If you have any concerns about your studies, contact StudentCare.

askUS Services

The University offers a range of support services for students through askUS including Disability and Inclusion Service, Wellbeing and Counselling Services.

Personal Mitigating Circumstances (PMCs)

If personal mitigating circumstances (e.g. illness or other personal circumstances) may have affected your ability to complete this assessment, you can find more information about the Personal Mitigating Circumstances Procedure here. Independent advice is available from the Students Union Advice Centre about this process: https://www.salfordstudents.com/advice/centre

In Year Retrieval Scheme

Your assessment is not eligible for in year retrieval. If you are eligible for this scheme, you will be contacted shortly after the feedback deadline.

Reassessment

If you fail your assessment, and are eligible for reassessment, you will need to resubmit on a date that will be notified to you following the outcome of the board of examiners.

For students with accepted Personal Mitigating Circumstances (PMC) for absence/non submission, this will be your replacement assessment attempt.

We know that having to undergo a reassessment can be challenging however support is available. Have a look at all the sources of support outlined earlier in this brief.