Arab Open University Faculty of Business Studies Business Functions in Context I B203A -- First Semester 2015-2016 Tutor Marked Assessment I. TMA Topic overview: Supply Chain Management A supply chain consists of all parties involved, directly or indi

Arab Open University
Faculty of Business Studies
Business Functions in Context I
B203A -- First Semester 2015-2016
Tutor Marked Assessment
I. TMA Topic overview: Supply Chain Management
A supply chain consists of all parties involved, directly or indirectly, in fulfilling a customer request. The supply chain not only includes the manufacturers and suppliers, but also transporters, warehouses, retailers and customers themselves. Within each organization, such as manufacturing, the supply chain includes all functions involved in receiving and filling a customer request. These functions include, but are not limited to, new product development, marketing, operations, distribution, finance, and customer service.
The objective of every supply chain is to maximize the overall value generated. The value of a supply chain generates is the difference between what the final product is worth to the customer and the effort the supply chain expends in filling the customer’s request.
II. Discussion Question (for essay paper and PowerPoint presentation)
Think about a product of a specific brand that you have recently bought. Write an essay and prepare a PowerPoint presentation to discuss the supply network of this product from raw material until it arrives to the consumers. You are required to cover the following points in your essay/presentation:
1. Industry overview, company overview, product overview, major competitors.
2. Stages of the product supply chain or network design, location of raw material in relation to the manufacturer, distributor, retailer and consumer, etc.
3. The relationship between suppliers and customers (first tier, second tier, etc.., horizontal or vertical integration (if any), levels of inventory and where it’s held.
4. The overall cost structure of the product, average profit margins, etc.
5. Explanation of any problems and suggestions for further improvements of the supply chain.
III. TMA Requirements


This TMA consists of 20% of your total course grade. It is a team project. Each team will consist of 4-5 students. The project is divided into two parts:
1. TMA essay paper (50 marks out of 100)
2. PowerPoint presentation (50 marks out of 100)

• Teams of the same session should select different products to discuss for this project. Students should arrange with their tutors in order to verify that no other team had selected the same product for the project.

1. TMA Essay Paper (50 marks out of 100)

• Each team will work on the TMA paper as they would normally do with other courses, but this time in group. This is a good opportunity for students to learn a set of skills that are very important in the professional business world, such as time management, planning, communicating with others, etc..
• Each team is required to select a team leader. The TMA paper should be uploaded to the LMS by the team leader only. This is a very important requirement in order to avoid Turnitin similarities.
• The names of all the team members should be written on the pt3 form, including the name of the team leader. All team members will receive the same mark on the TMA essay paper. Students are required to use the pt3 form provided on the LMS for this specific TMA.
• Students are expected to make sure the written TMA meets the following criteria:
o Plagiarism: It’s imperative that team members write the TMA using their own words. Plagiarism will be penalized depending on its severity and according to AOU plagiarism policy.
o Format: team members are expected to write their answer in an essay format: introduction, body paragraph(s) and a conclusion. Failing to do so could result in the deduction of up to 2 marks from the total TMA paper mark.
o Word count: TMAs are expected to be within the specified word count. A 10% deviation from word count limit is acceptable. Not adhering to specified word count could result in the deduction of up to 2 marks of the total TMA paper mark.
o Referencing: team members are expected to use the Harvard referencing style for in-text referencing and list of reference at the end. Failing to do so could result in the deduction of up to 2 marks of the total TMA paper mark.
o E-Library: team members are expected to use E-library sources to support their answers. A minimum of 3 sources is required. Failing to do so could result in the deduction of up to 2 marks of the total TMA paper mark.


2. PowerPoint Presentation (50 marks out of 100)

• Each team will prepare a PowerPoint presentation that reflects on the most important points discussed in the paper.
• Each team will be allowed a total of 20 minutes. 12-15 minutes for the presentation plus 5 minutes for Q&A and discussion.
• All team members should contribute equally. Each member should speak for approximately 3 minutes. The last team member to speak should lead a class discussion.
• Team members will be marked based on the “Team presentation evaluation form”. Team members are advised to use this form as a baseline for preparing the presentation.
• Team members will receive the same mark on the PowerPoint presentation, given they have shown up and participated in the presentation. Team members who don’t show up or participate in the presentation will receive a zero on the presentation part.
• Balanced participation in the presentation is one of the requirements mentioned in the presentation marking rubric.









B203A Team Presentation Evaluation Form
(Students who do not show up or do not participate in the presentation will receive a zero on this part)
Project Name:

Team Leader:
Student 2:
Student 3: Student 4:
Student 5:
1. Meet Time Limit (12 < Time < 15) (0 - 3 pts)
Start Time: End Time: Total time:
2. Introduction (0 - 3 pts)
Good overview, outline, created interest with audience, established credibility
3. Use of graphs, charts or tables (0 - 3 pts)
Clear, supportive, used smoothly, interesting, appropriate charts
4. Content (0 - 20 pts)
Good coverage of main points of the topic or assigned part
5. Conclusion (0 - 3 pts)
Repeated key points, summarized presentation, brief, strong
6. Speaking skills & delivery style (0-10)
Well-paced and organized, team members had clear articulation, natural and easy use of notes, projected energy, good posture, professional, brief and understandable slides
7. Participation (0 - 5 pts)
Every team member spoke and participated at a very balanced level
8. Questions & Answers (0 - 3 pts)
Properly handled, able to respond appropriately, concise and direct, complete
Total Points (0-50)
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