PROC3001 Overview of Strategic Procurement

Assignment 2 - Innovative Technology Assignment

Due date: 16^th September 2022 before 11:59 pm

Marks: 30 marks

Assessment 2 -Assessment 2 is an individual assessment. The Unit Learning Outcomes for this assessment are:

1. Explain the strategic nature of procurement in organisations and its contribution as a source of competitive advantage

1. Plan and assess supply strategies with cognisance of the four critical enablers underlying strategic supply management

1. Evaluate and recommend leading-edge supply approaches and strategies that can lead to sustained competitive advantage

Assignment Question

Consider a buyer organisation with a very large supply base where almost 90% of the suppliers are not strategic and are possible to be substituted by other suppliers without impacting operations. The consumer cannot see the supply chain upstream from the buyer organisation. Thus, there is no solid binding for a brand and little chance of losing customers due to changes in the supplier base as long as high quality is maintained.

The buyer organisation is considering increasing their competitive advantage against their direct competition in the same market by implementinginnovative technology as part of their movement to an Industry 4.0. The current plan foresees the selection of innovative technology to strengthen their market position, increase the consumer's positive perception, and implement this across the supply chain. As the supplier base is interchangeable to a large extent, the current approach intends to force suppliers to shift towards technology to maintain a business relationship. The suppliers must cover the cost to adapt to the new requirements.

For this assignment, help the buyer organisation to select an innovative technology used in strategic procurement. A report NEEDED on the assignment question.

Note: The technology you select should be innovative such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain, Augmented reality, Artificial intelligence and more. Not traditionalor old technology such as RFID, database, or data warehouse.

References:All writing and illustrations must be adequately and appropriately referenced. Your report should consist of a minimum of 10 scholarly references. All references must be from credible sources, such as journal articles, research books, industry-related journals, company documents, and other recent articles written by consultants (e.g. KPMG, Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers)