MMM710 Business Process and Operations Management Assignment

Assessment Task 1 Group & Individual Assignment

Learning Outcome Details

Your learning activities under this assessment are underpinned by the unit and graduate learning outcomes set out below.

Description / Requirements

Part A: Business Report (Group of 3)

Part B: Analytical Report (Individual)

Argos: Revolution in Non-Food Retailing

This assignment is a written strategic operations management business report(Part A)that your group/team (of 3 members), acting as consultants, will prepare for readers. In addition, each team member will develop a separate report(Part B)to critically evaluate and assess the implication of their team recommendation in Part A on a range of sustainability outcomes.

Part A:Your teams task in this assignment is to work together in conducting research that will inform your report. A critical factor in your preparation of the report is that all sections must be cohesive and integrated. Your submitted business report(Part A)must specifically address/focus on the following two key aspects:

A1.Provide a descriptive analysis of the firm (e.g., nature of the business, level of competition it faces, target customers, recent financial performance, etc.). In writing your descriptive analysis, it is very important that you clearly articulate your understanding ofat least oneaspect of relevant theory as covered in the weekly classes up to Week 7 of the trimester. (Pleasedo not try to incorporate everythingcovered in the classes up to Week 7 you can pick and choose one or two relevant aspects of the theory that best fits your research context).

A2.To what extent do you think are the firms operations management and supply chain practices sustainable? What evidence can you find through your online research about the firms ongoing relationship with other firms? In your opinion, how resilient are the firm operations and supply chain practices to any future disruptive events? Based on your research findings on the firms business process and operations management supply chain practices, provide recommendations to maintain/improve the sustainability of their operations and resilience to future disruptions going forward.

Part B:Your submitted analytical report (Part B) must specifically address/focus on the following two key aspects.You are expected to use your own individual reflections and analysis without in any waycollaborating with your group/team members. You must avoid falling into a collusion trap because itcan have serious consequences.We want to review individual responses for Part B.

B1.Critically evaluate and assess the implication of your team recommendation on a range of sustainability outcomes.

B2.Your analysis should draw on the topics covered in this unit. The research work will involve gathering secondary data (e.g., government rules, policy, investment climate, cultural attributes, etc.) to help you contextualize your application of relevant topics covered in this unit and applicable to the firms unique situation.

Citations academic and non-academic sources:

You must appropriately citea minimum of six (6) academic/scholarly sources in both Part A andPart B. These can include academic journal articles or chapters from academic books (including your prescribed textbook, which counts as ONE scholarly source). Suitable academic journals can be found by conducting a search of the Deakin Library academic databases. Please note thatWikipedia is notan acceptable scholarly sourcefor the purpose of this assignment.

Much of the information regarding firm required can be obtained from only non-academic (sometimes identified as professional or industry) sources, which includes the organizations own website. This is often the only way to find out up-to-date information about a business or organization. Any non-academic sources, if used, must be included in your reference list, but these will NOT be counted as part of your academic/scholarly sources.

The following list is providing examples to some of the suggested non-academic sources:

Organization websites:

• Annual Reports
• Annual Reviews
• Media Releases
• Stock Market Analysis

Credible media websites (including but not limited to):

• The Age
• The Australian
• The Australian Financial Review (AFR)
• The ABC
• Business Review Weekly (BRW)

Non-academic sources:

Deakin Library Homepage: ?click ona-z databasesand type the database name, choosing from these excellent options:

• IBIS World (industry market reports and company research)
• Factiva (articles in the media)
• Newsbank
• TV news broadcasts
• TV documentaries

Any other non-academic sources e.g., credible personal interviews (please give full details if used).

While this unit prefersthe Harvard referencing style, students are allowed to adopt any acceptableacademic referencing styleas long as they are consistent.

Formatting:

• Font: Size 12 Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial
• Line spacing: 1.5, no indentation, but one extra line spacing between paragraphs - Margins of 2.54 cm
• Headings and sub-headings
• Alphanumeric or decimal outline/numbering system up to three levels for sections - Page numbers: Roman numbering and Arabic numbering are used appropriately - Header and/or footer: student name, ID number, unit code, and assessment task name

Suggested business research report (Part A) and analytical report (Part B) structure:This assessment includes academic research reports and must therefore adopt a critical/analytical perspective. You need to research the firm thoroughly, demonstrate a sound grasp of the relevant literature, and draw from a range of theoretical frameworks from the unit material and additional research to inform and underpin your analysis. This critical analysis then flows on to the specific recommendations you make. A suggested business research report structure is as follows:

Part A:

• Title Page
• Address A1
• Address A2
• References
• Appendices

Part B:

• Title Page
• Address B1 by incorporating B2
• References
• Appendices

Please note that the above structure is a suggestion only and students are allowed to depart somewhat from the suggested structure in accordance with their best judgment of how to present their work.