Assessing Sustainability Impacts of Supply Chain Activities of Major Retailers and Logistics Busines

Coursework requirement

This coursework requires that you prepare a report based on an in-depth evaluation of the sustainability impacts of policies, initiatives and solutions of one major retailer or logistics business, focusing on the supply chain activities that support its UK operations. Your report should focus on one single retailer or logistics company from the following list:

1. Apple

2. Amazon

3. Asda

4. B&Q

5. Boots UK (formerly Boots the Chemists)

6. H&M

7. John Lewis Partnership

8. Marks and Spencer

9. Primark

10. Sainsbury’s

11. Tesco

12. Clipper

13. DHL

14. DPD

15. FedEx

16. Stobart

17. UPS

18. XPO logistics

Using an appropriate evaluation framework, your report should do the following:

1. Define the concepts, limits and fields of applications, and identify the key benefits and impacts of sustainability policies, initiatives and/or solutions related to your company’s supply chain activities that support its UK operations.

2. Critically assess your company’s commitment to and progress towards greater sustainability of its supply chain, logistics or freight transport activities.

3. Compare how well your business performs on supply chain sustainability in relation to others in its retailing or logistics market (sub-)sector. This should identify in broad terms how your company is positioned relative to its competitors on the key sustainability issues for that market.

Please note that it is for you to decide on an appropriate focus on different stages and examples in the supply chain, based on the activities of your chosen company. Where your company has different divisions or trading operation, you can consider the entire company or one specific division/trading operation (e.g. for John Lewis Partnership you can write about the entire Partnership’s goods retailing operation, or focus on either John Lewis & Partners or Waitrose & Partners; the Partnership’s financial services operation, for example, should not be included).

The report should be based on primary (statistics, interviews) or secondary data sources (i.e. information already published in print or on the internet). Suggested sources of information include, but are not limited to, the following:

· Academic literature

· Corporate website content (e.g. sustainability reports; annual reports; press releases; case studies)

· Trade/industry journals

· Reliable media websites (e.g. BBC News; Guardian)

· Retailing (or retailing sub-sector) market research studies

· Sustainability indexes (e.g. Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes; greenbiz.com)

· Research, government and consultancy reports, and statistics

· Expert interviews, questions or statements at a webinar or online conference.

On “primary” Sources: It is not expected to report about own interviews or the collection of own statistics. It is a plus, however, to include this type of information to the coursework report, for example if you have been talking to an expert or found company statistics, and to list these under references.

Your report should be as objective as possible, using reliable sources of information, mentioning their degree of independence or your confidence level (low-high).

This coursework should be in the form of a report of around 2,500 words (+/- 10%). This includes the reference list.

Please submit your completed coursework via Blackboard by 13:00 on 16 November 2020.

Your coursework will be assessed according to:

· Identification and definition of the key sustainability impacts and policies, initiatives or solutions that benefit to the supply chain, logistics and UK transport operations of your selected company (20% of marks)

· Your assessment of your company’s commitment to and progress towards greater sustainability of its supply chain operations (25% of marks)

· Your comparison on how well your business performs on supply chain sustainability in relation to others in its retailing or logistics market (sub-)sector (25% of marks)

· The clarity and logic of your definitions, evaluation statements and conclusions (15% of marks)

· The overall structure, language, clarity and Harvard referencing of the report (15% of marks)

Please remember that this coursework accounts for 50% of the total marks for the module.