Assessment Advice Student Guide to Assessment 3 - Assessment advice is provided here based on you questions and discussions. Create a post today if there is anything you want to clarify or discuss on the forums. Assessment Overview The assessment is designed for students to apply key supply chain management concepts, methods and tools used to analyse and reconfigure a supply chain. The assessment involves responding to assessment questions related to specific case material. Assessment details, case material and guidance are provided here. Submit your 2000 word assessment paper with a cover sheet showing the course name and number, assessment number, your name and student number, then attach answers to the questions asked. Ensure you indicate clearly each question number you are answering. The assessment submission must be made online through the course web site. The file submitted must be a Microsoft Word or Rich Text Format (.doc or .docx or .rtf) document. Feel free to discuss your assessment ideas in the course discussion forum, before you complete and submit the assessment. Assessment Context Your expertise in operations and supply chain management landed you a job at LEGO. Your manager is vice president of operations and supply chain management. He/she has recruited you based on your supply chain management knowledge and dedication to learning more about supply chain management. Your manager is the sponsor of a training program for future program managers and he/she guides the development of the training program. Program managers are responsible for leading cross-functional teams managing concurrent product and supply chain development programs. The objective of the training program is to ensure that these future program managers obtain a common knowledge base that enables them to lead LEGO's supply chain operations and design programs towards agile/responsive yet efficient supply chain operations at minimum cost. As a part of the training program, your manager has requested that you help him/her create a full day training session about the (i) fundamental supply chain management issues LEGO faced in 2004 in regards to its European supply chain operation and (ii) the supply chain management learning gained while addressing the challenges. The initial supply chain management issues and actions are described in the following LEGO case materials. Case Material Oliver, K. Samakh, E. Heckmann 2007, Rebuilding LEGO: Brick by Brick, Strategy + Business, No. 48, Boos & Company, viewed on Cooke, J. 2009, LEGO's game-changing move, CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly, Quarter 3 2009, viewed on Foss, N.J. Pedersen, T. Pyndt, J. & Schultz, M. 2012, Chapter 3: LEGO redefining boundaries, p.41-71. Innovating Organization & Management: New sources of competitive advantage, Cambridge University Press, New York. Available on Assessment Task As an initial step, to get you up to speed, your manager has requested that you answer the following questions and discuss the answers with him/her. Your task is to answer the following questions: 1.List and briefly describe the actions LEGO took to transform its European supply chain operations and reduce costs. 2.Explain the rationale for outsourcing of LEGO production to Flextronics in Europe and reconfiguration of its European distribution network and outsourcing to DHL. 3.Explain what a Bullwhip Effect in the supply chain is and what such a phenomenon would mean to LEGO if it was present. 4.Explain why lead-time reductions in the supply chain and development chain are attractive to companies like LEGO. Report Referencing Download the Harvard Guide to Author-Date Referencing in pdf format which provides in-depth information on requirements for correct referencing procedures for all items of assessment. Assessment Criteria Your paper will be assessed according to the following criteria. Content 80% Responses to assessment questions must demonstrate in depth understanding of the key supply chain management issues and appropriate application of supply chain management concepts, methods and tools. The questions have equal weight. Articles10% Minimum of five (5) relevant journal articles used. Direct quotations used sparingly and main arguments stated clearly. Referencing 5% Appropriate in-text referencing and reference list. Written Communication5% Structure, expression, spelling, punctuation and grammar. Concise and within (+/-10%) of the word limit: 2000 words.