This assignment is an opportunity for the students to learn how companies (manufacturers/service providers) manage their supply chain channels that are dependent on the performance of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors. Students will get a chance to understand the supply chain process and strategies by analyzing the operation of an existing company. They can choose local companies based in any city of Bangladesh and in special circumstances; students can work on the supply chain channel of foreign companies too. They will learn how their selected companies maintain relationships with suppliers of raw materials and distributors (wholesalers or retailers) of their products. Depending on the choice of manufacturers or service providers and their products or services, the impact and type of supply chain partners can vary. Therefore, students are suggested to collect authentic and reliable data from primary and secondary sources that shed light on how the manufacturers or service providers balance the supply and demand of their products/ services by managing the supply chain channels and their partners (suppliers and distributors). For primary sources, the business card of the company representative and for secondary sources, references (business press, Internet sites, company documents, etc.) should be provided.

The suggested length of the assignment is approximately 1200-1500 words, not including references, appendices. The assignment should cover the following areas:

1. Briefly describe the company (e.g., company background, age, size, products, services, markets).

2. Describe the supply chain channel maintained by the company for any product or service. Include the supply chain diagram in this section.

3. Briefly describe who are the major supply chain partners (raw material suppliers and distributors of products/services) in the supply chain channel maintained by the company you have selected.

4. Briefly describe the role of the major supply chain players (raw material suppliers and distributors).

5. Briefly describe how the supply chain partners (suppliers and distributors) can affect the performance (ability to produce and sell products or services) of the manufacturer or service providers.

6. What strategy do the manufacturer or service providers apply to manage the relationship with and performance of the key supply chain partners (suppliers and distributors)?

7. List your primary and/or secondary sources of information with complete references or URLs as appropriate.