IEGR 204 – INTRODUCTION TO IE AND COMPUTERS
Research Assignment #3 (Due on Friday, 4/7/17 by 6:00 pm via Bb only)
Assignment Summary:
Your assignment is to write a research paper in journal format with a minimum of 1650 words and a
maximum of 2000 words (not including the reference section) on a specific topic within your previously
assigned IE topic. (Example 1 – If your topic was Engineering economy, then a specific topic one might
consider is geometric gradients, or cost/benefit ratios; Example 2 – an Operations research sub-topic might be
linear programming or queueing theory). If you do not know what your previously assigned topic was, then
see research assignment #2 tables.
It must be word-processed, single-spaced (with 1-double space between paragraphs) and fully justified (i.e.,
full justification Must be used throughout). Also, you must have a margin size of 1 inch on all sides (i.e., where
the top, bottom, left and right sides are even) of your submitted assignment. Font size for text must be 12 pt
and the font type should be Times New Roman throughout this assignment unless otherwise specified below.
You may use parts of your written research paper #2 along with the references to help introduce and develop
the specific topic of this research paper #3. Your topic must address how your specific sub-topic is relevant to
its broader topic and to the field of Industrial engineering.
Format: This assignment is to be written in journal format with the following specifications. All items are to
begin on the first page of the assignment and continue on that page. (Thus, there is no title page when writing
in journal format). Title: The title should begin exactly 1 inch from the top of the paper on the first page of the
paper in 14 pt bold-type font and centered, and your name should appear 1 double spaced beneath the title
(not in bold, but 12 pt size font). Next, the Abstract section should summarize what your research paper is
about, followed by a line called Keywords where you list in horizontal format (i.e., across the page) 2-4
words/phrases (as they are written in most refereed journal articles) that are significant to your topic.
In addition, each research paper should have a minimum of the following headings: Introduction (which
introduces your general topic) , Background (which goes into more about your defined specific topic),
Explanation of Topic (assume your reader knows nothing about your topic and you must include a properly
formatted equation within your explanation on how the author attempted to solve a problem), Relevance of
topic to IE (how does your topic relate back to industrial engineering), Summary (what facts, importance,
solutions, etc. were solved within the research topic area), Conclusions (generalized summary of your paper
which is equivalent to the size of introduction), and References. These headings should be in bold-type font
with 12 pt size. NOTE: This assignment is worth 15% of your grade. Thus, grammar, spelling, punctuation,
capitalization, and formatting are critical as much as the technical content of your paper.
References: To assist you in completing this assignment, you must use a minimum of 5 references including 3
refereed journal articles. The sources used from research assignment #2 may be included as part of the
required 5 references. Additional sources may be used as well and all must be included in the reference
section.
Next, proper in-text citations MUST appear as (Author’s last name, year) within the research paper. The style
of references and in-text citations that will be used for this assignment is the APA-style. Additional APA
formatting information can be found at the Purdue OWL website at
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/06/ and click the appropriate “Reference List” item on the
left column for the type of source you are using. Be sure that this is done EXACTLY as shown. Safe Assign will
be activated.
FINAL NOTES:
The research paper MUST be submitted via Bb from the assignment link, but NOT as an email. In
other words, DO NOT SEND THE ASSIGNMENT VIA MSU EMAIL nor the Bb email system! NO EXCUSES.
NO LATE ASIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
All articles (including those used/sent from research assignment #2) must be submitted with your
research assignment.
If you have any questions, do one of the following: (1) ask them in class, (2) ask via email (Richard.Pitts@morgan.edu), or
(3) come by during office hours to see me.
Created on 3/24/17 and last updated on 3/24/17 by Dr. Richard Pitts, Jr.
ARTICLE CRITIQUE
1
Carter & Rogers (2008) assert that the concept of sustainability aids an organization to achieve
long-term economic viability. Logistics, as well as supply chain management, need to focus on
the environment, safety as well as human rights. Organizations need to adopt sustainability. It is
notable that supply chain professionals are in an outstanding position to influence sustainability
practices. The management of organizations should engage in activities such as reduction in
packaging materials, the improvement of working conditions in warehouses and the utilization of
fuel-efficient transportation for the purpose of the reduction in costs while at the same time
enhancing corporate reputation.
Furthermore, Carter & Rogers (2008) suggests that the sustainability initiatives of an
organization along with its corporate strategy should be interwoven. There is the need for the
integration of an organization’s triple bottom strategy with the fundamental business strategies.
As part of sustainable supply chain management, the risk management practices, transparency,
culture and the strategy of organizations need to be interrelated. Therefore, it is evident that
sustainability practices in supply chain management aid in the saving of costs, reduction of
safety costs, lowering of labor costs and proactively shaping future regulations with regard to
environmental and social concerns. Reduced costs must go hand in hand with reduced lead times
and products that are of better quality (Carter & Rogers, 2008).
On the other hand, Seuring (2013) discusses the modeling approaches for sustainable supply
chain management. With globalization, there is an increasing demand for supply chain
management to go beyond economic issues. The maintenance of supply chains in a sustainable
way is a concern for many companies. When an organization meets both the environmental and
the social standards for the supply chain stages, it promotes minimum sustainability
performance. Total cooperation in organizations enhances the achievement of sustainability
goals. There is the need to conceptualize sustainability in the economic dimension,
environmental dimension, and the social dimension. In economic dimension, the major focus is
on costs and revenues. Cost and revenue goals are achieved through the proactive application of
sustainable supply chain management. On the other hand, when it comes to the environmental
dimension, supply chain processes need to focus on the reduction of environmental impacts of
different products. Finally, on the social dimension, organizations may find it hard to model the
social impacts of their products.
Furthermore, Seuring (2013) addresses the modeling approaches for sustainable supply chain
management which are the life-cycle assessment based model, equilibrium models, multi-criteria
decision making and analytical hierarchy process whose aim is cost minimization. The modeling
approaches consider the trade-off between economic and sustainable dimensions which are
critical aspects of sustainable supply chain management.
On the above peer-reviewed articles, the researchers have utilized a number of previous
researchers in compiling their work. Even though there is a lot of literature on sustainable
supply chain management, such information is not exhaustive. Besides, I was impressed by both
articles. Researchers tried to use different techniques and models to give explanations on
sustainable supply chain management. There are also clear illustrations on sustainable supply
chain management and its role in the improvement of quality products, the minimization of costs,
the reduction in lead times and the reduction of risks. Overall, the researchers have done a
thorough research on the issues surrounding sustainable supply chain management.
ARTICLE CRITIQUE
Name:
Class:
Date: 2/15/2017
Assignment name: Supply chain management
References
Carter, C. R., & Rogers, D. S. (2008). A framework of sustainable supply chain management:
moving toward new theory. International journal of physical distribution & logistics
management, 38(5), 360-387.
Seuring, S. (2013). A review of modeling approaches for sustainable supply chain
management. Decision support systems, 54(4), 1513-1520.
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