ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD

(Department of Business Administration)

Course: Purchasing and Procurement Principles (9542) Semester: Spring, 2025

Level: PGD Credit Hours: 03

Total Marks: 100 Pass Marks: 50

ASSIGNMENT No. 1

Note: Attempt all the questions.

Q. 1 Explain how effective procurement practices contribute to operational success and financial performance. (20)

Q. 2 Describe how purchasing focuses on transactions, while procurement encompasses strategic sourcing and supplier management. (20)

Q. 3 Discuss the importance of supplier evaluation criteria, including quality, cost, reliability, and delivery timelines. (20)

Q. 4 Explain processes such as identifying needs, sourcing suppliers, issuing purchase orders, and contract management. (20)

Q. 5 Why is ethical procurement important, and how can businesses ensure transparency in purchasing practices? (20)

Guidelines FOR ASSIGNMENT # 1

The student should look upon the assignments as a test of knowledge, management skills, and communication skills. When you write an assignment answer, you are indicating your knowledge to the teacher:

• Your level of understanding of the subject;
• How you think;
• How well you can reflect on your knowledge & experience;
• How well you can use your knowledge in solving problems, explaining situations, and describing organizations and management;
• How professional you are, and how much care and attention you give to what you do.

To answer a question effectively, address the question directly, bring important related issues into the discussion, refer to sources, and indicate how principles from the course materials apply. The student must also be able to identify important problems and implications arising from the answer.

For citing references, writing bibliographies, and formatting the assignment, APA format should be followed.

ASSIGNMENT No. 2

Total Marks: 100 Pass Marks: 50

This assignment is a research-oriented activity. You are required to obtain information from a business/commercial organization and prepare a report of about 1000 words on the issue allotted to you to be submitted to your teacher for evaluation.

You are required to select one of the following issues according to the last digit of your roll number. For example, if your roll number is P-3427180 then you will select issue # 0 (the last digit): -

Issues:

1. Management Information Systems (MIS)
2. e-procurement
3. Quality Function Deployment (QFD)
4. Material Requirements Planning (MRP)
5. Learning Curve
6. Governing Laws for E-Commerce and Intellectual Property
7. Challenges in Global Supply
8. Risk Management
9. Contemporary Issues in Purchasing and Supply Management
10. Nature and Role of Chief Purchasing Officer (CPO)

The report should follow the following format:

1. Title page
2. Acknowledgements
3. An abstract (one-page summary of the paper)
4. Table of contents
5. Introduction to the issue (brief history & significance of issue assigned)
6. Practical study of the organization (for the issue)
7. Data collection methods
8. SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats) relevant to the issue assigned
9. Conclusion (one-page brief covering important aspects of your report)
10. Recommendations (specific recommendations relevant to the issue assigned)
11. References (as per APA format)
12. Annexes (if any)

GUIDELINES FOR ASSIGNMENT # 2:

• 1.5 line spacing
• Use headers and subheads throughout all sections
• Organization of ideas
• Writing skills (spelling, grammar, punctuation)
• Professionalism (readability and general appearance)
• Do more than repeat the text
• Express a point of view and defend it.

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