7032MAA Logistics Economics Cw Assignment Brief 2024-25 | Coventry University

7032MAA Assignment Task

You are required to submit a management report with a minimum of 3,000 words within the body of the report. The word count does not include the title page, contents page, list of figures, reference list or any additional material in the appendices; you may only exceed the words within the body of the report by 10%. Your report must have a professional appearance and be cited and referenced in accordance with the APA 7th edition.

Please select a logistics or transport provider from the Motor Transport Top 100 Operators for 2023 with an annual turnover of less than £2 billion that you can use as a case study. This removes the top three businesses from the Motor Transport Top 100 and global integrators such as UPS and FedEx. Ensure you can access their annual UK published accounts. This could be a company that you have worked for, aspire to work for or one that has any particular attraction for you. You will need to research the company in some depth so it is important to ensure that there is sufficient information in the public domain to enable you to answer the questions shown below as you will need to find out as much as you can about their road transport operation in the UK, the geographical locations they serve and the type of goods they transport for their clients. 

Please prepare a management report that defines and considers the relevant researched referenced theories on investing, costing and evaluating performance of their logistics activities which address the following points:

1. Critically evaluate the performance of your chosen Top 100 UK Operator according to their published financial accounts. Discuss your evaluation of their financial accounts and hypothesise how they might be different from their management accounts. 20 marks    (learning outcome 5)
2. Distinguish between the budget tools available to managers and justify how variance analysis would be used in the management accounts to plan, organise, direct and control your chosen Logistics Operator’s assets and resources.    15 marks    (learning outcome 2)
3. Evaluate four investment appraisal tools that could be used to validate the purchase of additional vehicles. Propose why methods that consider the time value of money might be more appropriate in a time of rising inflation. 20 marks (learning outcome 2)
4. Define and justify the choice of a pricing methodology that could be used to cost and price a one way transport journey from a central distribution hub to one of your chosen Logistics Operator’s customers at least 70 miles distant. 15 marks (learning outcome 3)
5. Critique the pricing methodologies suggested to calculate a transport journey in the previous question. Evaluate and distinguish the key difference between marginal, absorption and activity based costing.    15 marks    (learning outcome 3)
6. identify and evaluate the different short, medium and long term sources of finance available to your chosen Logistics Operator. Summarise how the difference sources of finance might be used to improve the transport operator’s financial performance. 15 marks (learning outcome 5).

7032MAA Report Format

Keep introductions and conclusions to the minimum as they will not earn any grade. Answer each question directly and include cited definitions of key concepts.

The written report should have a clear structure, which is evident through the use of a numbering system and/or styles of headings relating to the questions.

Ensure your comments, opinions and conclusions are fully supported by academic citations and references.

This approach is different to an ‘essay’ style, which relies on the use of paragraphs and link sentences to indicate changes of topic.

It is the students responsibility to keep a record of how they have developed their assessment as they progress through to submission. Appropriate evidence could include version controlled documents, developmental sketchbooks, or journals for example. This evidence can be called upon if academic misconduct is suspected. For further information, check Academic Integrity section below.

Submission Instructions

Check your assignment report for similarity in the Turnitin link in Aula before you submit.
Submit via the Assignment link in Aula using Document Format only. DO NOT use pdf or other formats.
File name format: Familyname-SID-7032maa2425sepjan.docx

Assessed Module Learning Outcomes

The Learning Outcomes for this module align to the marking criteria which can be found at the end of this brief. Ensure you understand the marking criteria to ensure successful achievement of the assessment task.

The following module learning outcomes are assessed in this task:

• Evaluate key cost structures, revenue generation and investment appraisal methods.
• Critically appraise the key approaches to costing and pricing of logistics activities
• Apply appropriate techniques to judge financial performance of a logistics or supply chain business

Marking and Feedback

How will my assignment be marked?

Your assignment will be marked by the module team.

How will I receive my grades and feedback?

Provisional marks will be released via Aula once internally moderated.
Feedback will be provided by the module team within Aula once provisional grades are released.
Access your feedback via Aula and the Student Success App or your uploaded Assessment utilising a computer. You will only be able to view your grade using the Aula phone app.
Your provisional marks and feedback should be available within 3 weeks (15 working days).

What will I be marked against?

Details of the marking criteria for this task can be found at the bottom of this assignment brief.

Assignment Support and Academic Integrity

If you have any questions about this assignment, ask the module leader or team members in the first instance. For more information check the Student Guidance on Coursework.

Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar:

You are expected to use effective, accurate, and appropriate language within this assessment task.

Academic Integrity:

The work you submit must be your own. All sources of information need to be acknowledged and attributed; therefore, you must provide references for all sources of information and acknowledge any tools used in the production of your work, including Artificial Intelligence (AI). We use detection software and make routine checks for evidence of academic misconduct.

It is your responsibility to keep a record of how your thinking has developed as you progress through to submission. Appropriate evidence could include version controlled documents, developmental sketchbooks, or journals. This evidence can be called upon if we suspect academic misconduct.

If using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in the development of your assignment, you must reference which tools you have used and for what purposes you have used them. This information must be acknowledged in your final submission. There is no need to use AI in this assessment as all the sources and information can be found in the course Aula Journey section.

This assessment is rated Amber in its use of AI tools for checking, summarising your notes and inspiration. Student guidance on AI use can be found here

Permitted example uses of AI for this assessment include:

Inspiring to generate search terms.

Planning and management to suggest a title, structure, subheadings, or themes.

Sources to search, generate, and find sources.

Summarising and consolidating your notes and sources.

Checking and proofreading work or check work and suggesting improvements.

Definitions of academic misconduct, including plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and collusion can be found on the Student Portal. All cases of suspected academic misconduct are referred for investigation, the outcomes of which can have profound consequences to your studies. For more information on academic integrity please visit the Academic and Research Integrity section of the Student Portal.

Support for Students with Disabilities or Additional Needs:

If you have a disability, long-term health condition, specific learning difference, mental health diagnosis or symptoms and have discussed your support needs with health and wellbeing you may be able to access support that will help with your studies.

If you feel you may benefit from additional support, but have not disclosed a disability to the University, or have disclosed but are yet to discuss your support needs it is important to let us know so we can provide the right support for your circumstances. Visit the Student Portal to find out more.

Unable to Submit on Time?

The University wants you to do your best. However, we know that sometimes events happen which mean that you cannot submit your assessment by the deadline or sit a scheduled exam. If you think this might be the case, guidance on understanding what counts as an extenuating circumstance, and how to apply is available on the Student Portal

7032MAA Assessment Marking Criteria