Management report 2,500 words +/- 10 %
Evaluate self-driving vehicles technology and address the questions that follow:
1. What is the current state–of-the-art of this technology?
– Briefly introduce the technology i.e. what is the technology all about, how does it work (what extra parts are used to build those vehicles e.g. sensors, cameras etc.) , what are the current areas of applications, who are the key players in the development and/or application of the technologies?
– Extra info: The technology is self-drive vehicles and the key players is referring to the companies that are developing and producing self-drive vehicles (please refer to Mercedes Benz, Volvo, Tesla etc). When we talk about application there are the companies which implement the technology in their company, or they are looking to do so.
2. With the aid of a typical supply chain diagram, explain the logistics issues and challenges the technology could help to address in the various parts (or stages, tiers etc.) of the supply chain?
– Review supply chain and logistics literature and with the aid of a typical supply chain diagram, briefly describe the various parts (tiers, stages etc.) of a supply chain.
– Identify at least FOUR parts of the supply chain you believe the technology could be applied to. The technology is self-drive vehicles. For each part identified, explain the logistics issues and challenges the technology could address.
3. Identify the most applicable part of a supply chain for this technology with justification
– Following on from question 2, if you were to select ONE part of the supply chain to apply the technology – which one will it be and why?
Choose one part of the supply chain that you think is most suitable for the technology to be applied and compare the chosen part as explained below.
– To do this, you’ll need to compare the FOUR parts of supply chain identified in question 2 against each other and select the most applicable part.
– Back up your arguments and analysis with literature.
– Use a mix of sources as books, internet and e-journals.
4. For the selected part of the supply chain (from question 3), discuss how the technology could be used
– Following on from question 3, apply your innovation skills to envision how the technology could be used in your chosen area of application (i.e. the part of the supply chain you selected in question 3).
– What other logistics technologies could be used to make the technology work better in the selected part of the supply chain?
– Please watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx9_6OyjJrQ
– Underpin your discussions with literature.
– Use diagrams as necessary for illustrations.
Point A is the warehouse and the point B is the shop. Explain step by step the full process from point A. The journey explanation and after the full process in point B.
5. What are the barriers to adoption and widespread use of this technology in the chosen area, and what innovations or changes are needed to remove the barriers?
– For the part of the supply chain you selected in question 3, apply your analytical skill to identify the barriers that could affect the adoption and/or widespread use of this technology including technological barriers, performance, legislative, costs etc.
– Apply your problem solving and innovation skills to identify innovations or changes that are required to remove/reduce the barriers.
– Underpin your discussion with literature.
– Use diagrams as necessary for illustrations.
References: Please use at least 20 different sources. A mix of books, journals and websites.
Mandatory: Waters, D. (2009) Supply Chain Management: An introduction to Logistics. 2nd Edition. Palgrave Macmillan
Slack, N, Chambers, S. and Johnston, R. (2010) Operations Management, 6th Ed, Harlow, Financial Times, Pitman Publishing.
Jonsson, P. (2008) Logistics and Supply Chain Management. McGraw Hill.
Please follow the below structure of the report
Structure of the report
1. Executive summary (Briefly describe what the report will cover)
2. The current state of the self-driving vehicles
2.1 What is self-driving vehicles?
2.2 History of the autonomous vehicles
2.3 How the technology works?
2.4 Areas of application (Please see the pictures attached; Where the technology is used now or will be used in the future?)
• Hospitals (self-driving wheelchairs)
• Military operations
• Transportation
• Public transport
2.5 Key developers of the technology (Who are the top companies working on the self-driving cars?)
1. Panasonic in self-driving wheelchairs
2. The government in the military industry
3. Volvo, Mercedes – Benz
4. Scania and Hamm
5. Uber, Google, Tesla, Audi
2.6 Future expectations of the technology in the next 5 years
3. How can we apply the technology in the supply chain?
3.1 Supply chain of the coffee from farmers to the end consumers (Please use the below diagram)
3.2 Application of the self-driving technology in the supply chain
(This is the explication of the above supply chain)
• The self-driving technology is applicable in various parts of the supply chain which include:
• The self –driving vehicles can be used to deliver coffee berries from the farmers (3rd tier) to the processers (2nd tier).
• Also, the self-driving technology is applicable in the transport of the final processed product from the processers (2nd tier) to the suppliers (1st tier) and to the Starbucks coffee shops (focal firm).
• Finally, the technology can be applied in the final stage when the final product to be delivered to the end consumer by self-driving robots
3.3 Logistics challenges solved by the technology in all the stages of the supply chain
• Reduce cost of the operation
• Technology will help to reduce the damage of the good
• Technology would reduce delay in the delivery of items as there is no need for brakes compared to when controlled by humans
• Reduce the numbers of accidents
4. Which is the most applicable part of the supply chain for the technology? Please use the below table to compare the stages of the supply chain. Back up the analyse with literature (one for each).
Criteria
Farmers
Processers
Suppliers
End consumer
Cost of labour
Distance
Cost of fuel
Safety
Time consumed to complete the task
Stock damage
You can add extra criteria’s if you think this will help to highlight which stage of the supply is most applicable for the technology.
5. How the technology can be used in the …… (selected part of the supply chosen above on point 4)? (Once you have decided the part of the supply where the technology is most applicable you will have to discuss how the technology could be used)
Please use a picture or a diagram necessary for illustration. Explain step by step the process from a point to another.
5.1 What other technology could be used to make the technology work better in the …… (selected part of the supply chosen above on point 4)?
6. What are the barriers to adoption and widespread use of the technology …. (in the selected part of the supply chosen above on point 4)?
6.1 What innovations or changes are required to remove/reduce the barriers?
7. Conclusion