Humanitarian Supply Chains 2022-2023

MSc Logistics and Operations Management; MSc Sustainable Supply

Chain Management

BST 833 – Humanitarian Supply Chains

COURSEWORK

You will observe both from the material presented in the lectures and your wider reading that there a
wide range of issues that need to be addressed in operating supply chains for humanitarian aid under
crisis conditions. The aim of this assignment is to provide you with an opportunity to analyse issues
impacting on humanitarian supply chains, and you should reflect on the ideas and concepts covered
during the module.

• The assessment takes the form of an extended essay which accounts for 100% of the module
mark.
• Your essay must be submitted through the electronic submission process by 11.00am on 3rd
May 2023.
• The coursework should be identifiable – Information on the frontispiece should include Course
Title, Module Title, Name, Student number, Title of the coursework.

Assessment Expectations

• In the essay you are expected to discuss the relevant concepts and approaches which underpin
effective management of humanitarian supply chains.

• You must provide a reasoned, critical and analytical answer to the subject under consideration.

• It is a serious academic offence to plagiarise the work of another author including another
student. Students who commit such an offence will be subject to disciplinary proceedings. It is
generally easy to identify material that has been plagiarised. Any instances will be reported to the
Unfair Practice Coordinator. For further information, please see the unfair practice booklet issued
at enrolment.

• Students who fail to submit on the required date and time without extenuating circumstances
which are accepted as valid will receive a mark of zero.

• Students who consider that they require an extension to the submission date for their coursework
must submit a request for an extension to the Postgraduate Hub. The request will then be
considered by the Chair of the Board of Examiners. Only the Chair of the Board of Examiners can
grant an extension and for a maximum of one month. Requests for longer extensions are
considered by the Director of Assessment and Feedback. Extenuating circumstance issues are
considered by the Extenuating Circumstances Committee.

• Students whose extenuating circumstances are accepted as valid will be permitted to submit their
coursework by the date specified by the Chairman of the Board of Examiners and in such
circumstances will not suffer any penalty. Students who fail to submit by the revised date will
receive a mark of zero.
 Humanitarian Supply Chains 2022-2023

• All written work should be thoroughly researched with all sources and references fully
acknowledged. Guides on referencing are available from the library. Information is also provided
on Learning Central.

Assessment Criteria

The criteria used to mark your assignments are as follows:

• Length: The essay should be no more than 3,000 words in length. The essay should be properly
referenced by means of in-text sourcing and the provision of a full bibliography. At the end of the
essay, you must state the amount of words. A substantial shortfall or exceeding of the word limit
may result in a deduction from your mark. Substantial is defined as 10% either side of the 3,000
word limit.

• Structure: The essay must take the form of a structured argument and relates to the organisation
of the work, especially whether it has an introduction, argument and conclusion, and whether or
not it is written in an organised manner and referenced correctly.

• It is suggested that the following sections are included in your essay:

1. Cover Page
2. Contents Page (not included in word count)
3. You should structure each section of the essay into introduction, main body and conclusion.
4. Reference List (not included in word count)
5. Appendices (optional) (not included in word count)

• Style/neatness/legibility: this will reflect the effort put into communicating your points
effectively, of which presentation forms only a small part.

• Referencing/Bibliography: illustrates how well you have used your own words in the discussion
rather than reproducing lecture notes or reading material. Poor referencing or plagiarism will be
strongly penalised.

• Accuracy: Indicates whether your material accurately represents the subject under discussion.

• Evidence of reading/research: Constructive use of reading material and further research beyond
material given in the lectures is required. Essays which simply repeat lecture headings are unlikely
to attain high marks.

• Quality of Arguments / Evaluation: Your work should show understanding of the topic and your
ability to provide a critical discussion of the subject matter. Whether or not your work shows
understanding of the topic will be reflected in the overall grade.
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Coursework

Using a detailed case study of a humanitarian crisis event of your choice, provide a critical review of
the logistics and supply chain approaches used in the response to the circumstances concerned.

You should include in your discussion:

• an explanation of the events that caused each crisis (10% of final mark)
• a detailed assessment of the response and recovery phases (40% of final mark), and
• an overall analysis of the effectiveness of the logistics and supply chain processes (50% of final
mark).

Your essay should be supported by maps, diagrams, and tables where appropriate. These do NOT
contribute to the overall word count.

Prof. AKC Beresford

1st March 2023