F- Supply Chain Management

Managers’ Willingness to Use towards the Internet of Things Technology
I. The Objective of the Study
• To evaluate the differential impact of the Internet of Things (IoT) features on supply chain managers’ willingness to use the technology.
• To investigate the influence of previous knowledge and personal innovativeness on supply chain managers’ willingness to use the technology.

II. Study Background
The advent of Industry 4.0 has made several technologies available in the market. However, the understanding of the utility of these technologies in the supply chain domain is still not clear. Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the Industry 4.0 technology. In this study, we intend to investigate the features of IoT and how they are relevant for supply chain managers. The study collects data from supply chain managers and operations managers across four scenarios offering four different features. The features are a) Smart Objects b) Proactive Data Storage and Analysis c) Interconnectivity d) Real-time Monitoring and Control. Based on the different scenarios, we aim to understand the distinct behaviors of supply chain managers. The data provided to you is sorted in as per the given scenario. Also, you have data against managers’ willingness to use, their previous knowledge, and personal innovativeness. You need to rely on the data and try to make inferences to fulfill the study’s objective.
III. Project groups
• The project should be done individually.
• You are encouraged to discuss with others, help others and take help from others to conduct the study.
• The report should be written and submitted individually. No two reports should have any overlap between them.

IV. Methodology
• You have collected data from a pre-designed survey.
• You are provided with systematically arranged data.
• You can analyze the data on any software that you feel comfortable with.
• The analysis must focus on the overall objectives of this study.

V. Writing the Report
Title: Investigating Supply Chain Managers’ Willingness to Use the Internet of Things Technology
Your report should be organized in terms of the following 4 sections only.
• Section 1. Background of Internet of Things: Origin, Evolution, and Relevance in Supply Chain (Min. 300 words)
• Section 2. Data Analysis: Profiles of the respondents, Software used, Technique used and its steps, results (Min. 500 words)
• Section 3. Interpreting the results: Insights from analysis, Visual Representation of data, and Relevance of the results in real-life examples (Min. 500 words)
• Section 4. Conclusion:
a) Summary of results. (Min. 200 words)
b) How are the above objectives achieved through the analysis and results? (Min. 200 words)
c) What could be the Iot’s implication on your company’s supply chain? Give real life examples. (Min. 300 words)
d) Which features of IoT are most relevant to your organization and why? (Min. 300 words)
e) How does IOT help managers in the decision-making process? (Min. 300 words)
f) According to you, what are the top challenges faced while adopting new technology like IoT? Give reasons. (Min. 350 words)

VI. Submission Guidelines
• The report should be made and submitted on MS Word. PDF will not be accepted.
• Font: Times New Roman.
• Point size: 12 points.
• Paragraph spacing: 0 before, 6 after.
• Line spacing: Multiple 1.2.
• Submission Deadline: 26th February 2022, 11:59 p.m. (No submission will be accepted after this date and time.)

VII. Report evaluation (breakup of the 40 marks)
• 20 marks – How well you describe your data analysis and report the results.
• 20 marks – Clarity of writing, absence of grammatical errors, neat layout.
The bonus mark for meeting the deadline will be in addition to these 40 marks.

VIII. Writing original content and copying from other sources
• You must write the report entirely by yourself, using your own words, without copying and pasting content from anywhere. Copying content from elsewhere is a considered a serious offense and will be penalized.
• All reports will be put through a Plagiarism-check software that examines the content in the report for similarity with content on websites, other reports, documents, etc.
• If a report contains any content that has been copied from other sources such as websites, previous reports, or other students’ reports, the student will be awarded an ‘F’ grade in the course.

All the best
Assignment Instructions PGCBM-40 batch

Dear Students,
In the assignment, we will try to understand various aspects of the concept using empirical data. The data need to be collected from managers through a survey. As part of this course, you need to understand how research data is gathered, analyzed, and used to generate insights. You are being provided a pre-designed survey related to new technology. The objective of this survey to understand the relevance of this technology in the context of supply chain.
We need to gather good amount of data to ensure quality insights. Therefore, you need to collect 6-8 responses each. You will have to send the survey link to at least six of your friends/colleagues/contacts (except your PGCBM-40 batch). You can also be one of the participants of the survey. If you all manage to get the survey filled by at least six respondents each, it will significantly increase the value of data analysis.
Please use the following survey link:
https://xlri.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bJdH1vvRn853H3U

Once the data collection process is done, you all will be provided with well-tabulated data for your own analysis and interpretations. You will also be given specific questions on the supply chain technology that can only be answered using the provided data.