TMA3 B200

What is TMA3 asked for?! It asked for the PROCESSES MANAGEMENT and how to achieve COMPETATIVE ADVANTAGE in this challenging environment What is processes management What is Comparative Advantage

WHAT IS THE AIM OF BIG 3? To have the position of enduring superiority over competitors in terms of customer preference...”

How they Can Achieve this Aim? Create firstly the ability of the organisation to differentiate itself, in the eyes of the customer, from its competition and secondly by operating at a lower cost and hence at a greater profit.

How they differentiate themselves? By adding value By competing on capabilities By using the value chain and competitive advantage By adding the marketing in the world By using logistics and competitive strategy

What questions you need to support your arguments? How are they adding value? How are they linking the ‘support activities’ to the ‘primary activities’ in their value chains (Porter)? How are they approaching their marketing (Kotler et al)? Are there any aspects of logistics involved with Toyota gaining competitive advantage (Christopher)?

How your evidence will support your arguments? By Compare and contrast what Toyota has been doing and what the 3 big in America has been focusing on using the course models and concepts

The attached case First, read the whole case study carefully. Second, find out what is the main idea and problems that introduced in each single paragraph. List down the main ideas that you came up with and then related them with the academic concepts and models covered in your book. Do not forget to add the graphs and diagrams that could be relevant to the case.

Structure your essay The essay is composed of some paragraphs. Start each paragraph with a key sentence that indicates the main idea of this paragraph. The order of these paragraphs should go smoothly, logical and systematic to carry the reader the end to your conclusion part. The essay should consists of three main parts whish they are introduction, body and conclusion.

Structure and format 1.The introduction represent 10% of your mark. Start your introduction by giving an idea about the processes and competitive advantage in your book and find out what could be relevant to the case. 1.In the main body use the third party style of writing (e.g. It is kwon that or this issue is defined as don’t use I know that or my definition of the issue is). Around 75% of your essay

Structure and format 3.In The discussion use the compare and contrast method. 4.The conclusion draws together the issues raised in the essay and makes clear summarising response to the question asked.

Structure and format 5.In the conclusion you usually state your own opinion or your final results and recommendations, so you are expected to write this part using first party style. (e.g. I think that, my recommendations in this regard are…etc.) Around 15% of your essay

Structure and format Important advices So you are advised to write in your own style. Don’t just cut and paste from different resources. I can catch this attempt easily and you will have a systematic order. Zero is the fair result fo polgrism

Structure and format Important advices Try to put yourself in the position of someone else reading your essay, and ask yourself if you have made yourself really clear. Check for errors of spelling, punctuation, grammar or referencing. At the end of this process you may need to revise your essay if the number of words is significantly higher or lower than 1,500.

Academic Referencing You have to follow Harvard style 1.Indicate the name of the Author and the date of publication in the body of your essay. Even online articles. 2.If the book is edited you have to add first the author of the shaper. (Porter, in Barnes, 2001). 3.At the end list fully all your references as follows: The name of the author, date of publication, name of the book, the name of the publisher, the place of publishing. Example: Barnes et al (ed), 2001, Understanding Business: Processes, Routledge, London.

Academic Referencing Note that Copied material without referencing would be given 0 marks. If you didn’t use Harvard style in academic referencing you will lose 35 grades.

General recommendations Focus on the TMA question all the time and throughout the assignment Use relevant examples To support your evidence To show how concepts/models apply to the ‘real world’ Use models and diagrams Don’t forget to refer to Key authors in your text book.

Wish success to all of you