Procurement, Risk, and Contract Management

June 16, 2020adminUncategorized

Assessment task details and instructions
The “management of risk” is perhaps easier to understand in theory rather than manage in practice. It is a complex and complicated idea, especially in terms of how we are to manage it. How can we define what we mean by ‘risk’ and how can it be managed successfully in large and small projects?

You are required to critically analyse the concept of risk; discuss how it can be measured and ranked and outline how a project risk management strategy may be constructed for an international telecommunications project involving stakeholders in Europe, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. In completing this assignment, you should discuss both theoretical and practical risk management strategies and how these can assist in minimising risk for your project.

You will need to take the following into account when completing your assignment.

• Establishment of relevant theory (e.g. what do we mean by risk in a project management context and what is the relationship between risk and risk management in theoretical terms; and how do individual attitudes to risk interact with organisational risk appetite?).
• Allocation of credit and sources used; (have I included references and citations to the material I have used?).
• Clarity of argument and relevance to the project management context.
• Overall report presentation including spelling and grammar.
• Adherence to nominated word limit (+/- 10%).

This coursework should follow a structured approach and should be prepared and presented as a professional business report. You should undertake a relevant literature review that helps inform your investigation. Please also ensure that the Harvard Referencing System is adhered to and fully complied with.
Assessment task details and instructions
The “management of risk” is perhaps easier to understand in theory rather than manage in practice. It is a complex and complicated idea, especially in terms of how we are to manage it. How can we define what we mean by ‘risk’ and how can it be managed successfully in large and small projects?

You will need to take the following into account when completing your assignment.

This coursework should follow a structured approach and should be prepared and presented as a professional business report. You should undertake a relevant literature review that helps inform your investigation. Please also ensure that the Harvard Referencing System is adhered to and fully complied with.
NB:
• Please add student identity number to the header of each page of your report but not the name
• Please ensure you put your word count on your title page.
• University lateness and plagiarism rules apply.

Please follow a report format. Therefore, you should have a title page, abstract, contents page, sections and sub sections, page numbers, appendix section etc. Please note if you are uncertain on how to present and structure a report then visit the university library and ask for assistance.

Please do use diagrams, illustrations, tables, graphics etc. wherever these are helpful, and remember that these do not count towards your word limit. If you do use these, please do not put them in the appendices if they are part of your discussion. Appendices are the appropriate place to put supporting material, however, remember if the reader is satisfied with the main points of your discussion, the supporting information within the appendices may not even be reviewed.

Please try to use theory explicitly at all stages, but do not spend too much time describing a theory. While you must be explicit about the theories, models, techniques etc. that you use, you can assume that the reader is familiar with them. What the reader requires is evidence of your ability to understand and apply the theory and learn from it in order to support the development of your findings and/or ideas.
You must cite all sources on which you have relied, for example textbooks, journal articles, web pages etc. using the Harvard Bibliographic referencing system. If you do not cite all sources, then you may be accused of plagiarism, and that may endanger your success in passing the module. If you are in any doubt about how to reference your work, please obtain guidance from the library and/or your academic librarian(s) for this module.

Assessed intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this assessment, you will be able to:
Knowledge and Understanding
On successful completion of the module the student will be able to:
1. Locate, synthesise and critically evaluate recent/current information from a wide range of published literature in the areas of Procurement, Risk, and Contract Management.
2. Apply knowledge of the theory and practice of Procurement, Risk, and Contract Management to develop insights into and solve current problems.
3. Critically evaluate the use of complex models of Procurement, Risk, and Contract Management; systematically and creatively making sound judgements based on the systematic analysis and creative synthesis of ideas.
4. Critically and effectively assess the value of theories, concepts and models to the practice of Procurement, Risk, and Contract Management.
Practical, Professional or Subject Specific Skills
1. Leads by example – as high levels of self-awareness, emotional and social intelligence, empathy and compassion, and able to identify mental well-being in others. Work collaboratively enabling empowerment and delegation – acts with humility and authenticity, is credible, confident and resilient.
2. Judgement and Challenge – Takes personal accountability aligned to clear values. Demonstrates flexibility and willingness to challenge when making decisions and solving problems – instils confidence demonstrating honesty, integrity, openness, and trust.
3. Courage & Curiosity – is confident and brave, willing to innovate, seeks new ideas and looks for contingencies. Manages complexity and ambiguity, comfortable in uncertainty, and is pragmatic.
4. Valuing Difference – engaging with all, is ethical and demonstrates inclusivity, recognising diversity, championing, and enabling cultural inclusion. Empowers and motivates to inspire and support others.
5. Professional Reflects on own performance, demonstrates professional standards in relation behaviour and ongoing development. Advocates the use of good practice within and outside the organisation.
Transferable Skills and other Attributes
1. Develop their critical skills, especially in relation to published literature in the field.
2. Work independently and with others in analysing and presenting solutions to Procurement, Risk, and Contract Management problems.
3. Locate and synthesise information from a range of published literature and electronic sources and present this effectively in both oral and written forms.
4. Take responsibility for personal learning and continuous professional development.
5. Make decisions in complex and unpredictable situations.
Assessed intended learning outcomes

• Allow students to develop an in-depth understanding of Procurement, Risk, and Contract Management.
• Provide students with an overview of project risk in order to maximize the probability and consequences of positive events and to minimize the probability and consequences of adverse events to project objectives.
• Provide students with the skills to effectively manage procurement processes in a multitude of environments.

Word count/ duration (if applicable)

The maximum word count is 3000 words (+/- 10%). Your word count is from the introduction to conclusion sections. Therefore, it does not include title page, contents page, reference section, appendices etc. If the assignment exceeds these limits, the work in excess of 3’300 words is not marked.

Feedback arrangements
You can expect to receive feedback
• Two working weeks (excluding University Seasonal Closing) after the submission date.
• Marks and written feedback will be available on the OnlineCampus
o You will need to log into the full site to access the written feedback.
o An announcement will be made informing you of the release.
Support arrangements
You can obtain support for this assessment by attending your module lectures and through the dedicated forum thread.

askUS
The University offers a range of support services for students through askUS.
Good Academic Conduct and Academic Misconduct
Students are expected to learn and demonstrate skills associated with good academic conduct (academic integrity). Good academic conduct includes the use of clear and correct referencing of source materials. Here is a link to where you can find out more about the skills which students require http://www.salford.ac.uk/skills-for-learning.

Academic Misconduct is an action which may give you an unfair advantage in your academic work. This includes plagiarism, asking someone else to write your assessment for you or taking notes into an exam. The University takes all forms of academic misconduct seriously. You can find out how to avoid academic misconduct here https://www.salford.ac.uk/skills-for-learning.

Personal Mitigating Circumstances
If personal mitigating circumstances may have affected your ability to complete this assessment, you can find more information about personal mitigating circumstances procedure here.

Student Progression Administrator
If you have any concerns about your studies, contact StudentCare.

Assessment Criteria
You should look at the assessment criteria to find out what we are specifically looking at during the assessment.

Marking Scheme
Criteria Marks
Use of theory 30
Examples 30
Quality of argument 10
Reference to course ideas 10
Citation and References 10
Conclusions 10

This is the Level 7 undergraduate Generic Grade Descriptors for ‘Knowledge’

• Outstanding – 100-90
o Outstanding knowledge. Theory is linked to practice to an exceptional level and may be used to formulate new questions, ideas or challenges.
• Excellent – 80-89
o Integrates the complexity of a range of knowledge and excellent understanding of its relevance.
o Excellent depth of knowledge in a variety of contexts. Coherent and systematic application of theory to practice
• Very Good – 70-79
o Comprehensive knowledge demonstrating very good depth and breadth. Clear insight into links between theory and practice. Demonstrates ability to transfer knowledge between different contexts appropriately. Consistently accurate level of knowledge in depth and breath.
• Good – 60-69
o Consistently relevant accurate knowledge with good depth and breadth. Clear and relevant application of theory to practice. Good identification of key themes. Good demonstration of depth and breadth of knowledge.
• Fair – 50-59
o Mostly accurate knowledge with satisfactory depth and breadth of knowledge. Sound integration of theory and practice with satisfactory identification of key themes. Fair demonstration of depth and breadth of knowledge.
• Adequate – 40-49
o Basic knowledge with occasional inaccuracies appropriate yet basic integration of theory and practice. Superficial depth or limited breadth with unsatisfactory identification of key themes. Basic knowledge demonstrated with some inaccuracies.
• Unsatisfactory – 30-39
o Limited evidence of knowledge. Inappropriate links between theory and practice.
o Inadequate identification of key themes.
• Poor – 20-29
o Inconsistent or inaccurate knowledge. Limited and inappropriate or inaccurate links between theory and practice. Poor identification of key themes.
• Very Poor – 10-19
o Virtually no relevant knowledge demonstrated. Fails to adequately demonstrate links between theory and practice. Very poor identification of key themes.
• Extremely Poor – 1-9
o Totally inadequate demonstration of required knowledge. Not able to link theory to practice. No appropriate themes identified.

You should consult Level 7 Generic Grade Descriptors for detailed grade/mark descriptors.

Assessment Criteria
You should look at the assessment criteria to find out what we are specifically looking at during the assessment.

Marking Scheme
Criteria Marks
Use of theory 30
Examples 30
Quality of argument 10
Reference to course ideas 10
Citation and References 10
Conclusions 10

This is the Level 7 undergraduate Generic Grade Descriptors for ‘Knowledge’

You should consult Level 7 Generic Grade Descriptors for detailed grade/mark descriptors.

Criterion / Mark range 90-100 80-89 70-79 60-69 50-59 40-49 0-39
Overall level
(indicative – not for grading) Standard comparable to journal publication Standard comparable to conference paper publication Distinctive work for Masters level Merit work for Masters level Acceptable for Masters Below Masters pass standard Significantly below Masters pass standard
Scope Outstanding clarity of focus, includes what is important, and excludes irrelevant issues. Excellent clarity of focus, boundaries set with no significant omissions or unnecessary issues. Clear focus. Very good setting of boundaries includes most of what is relevant. Clear scope and focus, with some omissions or unnecessary issues. Scope evident and satisfactory but with some omissions and unnecessary issues. Poorly scoped, with significant omissions and unnecessary issues. Little or no scope or focus evident.
Understanding of subject matter
Outstanding with critical awareness of relevance of issues. Outstanding expression of ideas. Excellent with critical awareness of relevance of issues. Excellent expression of ideas. Very good with critical awareness of relevance of issues. Outstanding expression of ideas. Good with some awareness of relevance of issues. Ideas are expressed, with some limitation. Basic with limited awareness of relevance of issues. Limited expression of ideas. Poor with little awareness of relevance of issues Little or no understanding of subject matter is demonstrated.
Literature
Comprehensive literature review. Evaluation and synthesis of source material to produce an outstanding contribution. Excellent independent secondary research. Sources are evaluated and synthesized to produce an excellent contribution. Very good independent secondary research. Sources are evaluated and synthesized to produce a very good contribution. Good secondary research to extend taught materials. Evidence of evaluation of sources, with some deficiencies in choice and synthesis. Limited secondary research to extend taught materials. Limited evaluation of sources, deficiencies in choice and synthesis. Little or no extension of taught materials. Poor choice and synthesis of materials. Poor use of taught materials. No synthesis.
Critical analysis based on evidence Standard of critical analysis – showing questioning of sources, understanding of bias, independence of thought Excellent standard of critical analysis – excellence in questioning of sources, understanding of bias, independence of thought A very good standard of critical analysis. Sources are questioned appropriately, and a very good understanding of bias, showing independence of thought Critical analysis with some questioning of sources, understanding of bias, independence of thought. Analysis evident but uncritical. Sources are not always questioned, with limited independence of thought. Little or no analysis. No valid analysis.
Structure of argument, leading to conclusion Well structured, compelling and persuasive argument that leads to a valuable contribution to the field of study, paving the way for future work Argument has excellent structure and persuasiveness, leading to very significant insights and relevant future work. Well-structured and persuasive argument Insightful conclusion draws together key issues and possible future work. Structured and fairly convincing argument leads to conclusion that summarises key issues. Argument has some structure and development towards conclusion with limitations in summary of issues. Argument is unstructured, no recognizable conclusion. No evidence of argument or conclusion.

In Year Retrieval Scheme
Your assessment is not eligible for in year retrieval.

Reassessment
If you fail your assessment, and are eligible for reassessment, you will need to resubmit in a date that will be notified to you. For students with accepted personal mitigating circumstances, this will be your replacement assessment attempt. Students should be aware that there is no late submission period at reassessment (this includes those students who have an accepted PMC request from a previous attempt). If a student needs to be reassessed, s/he will be given a new assignment brief with a deadline, which will be provided by the School.