M453 – Strategic Logistics
Coursework and Group Presentation
Dr Graham Wall
Online submission date on Moodle:
Tuesday 25 April 2023 11am (GMT time) (Problems 1 and 2: Essay and
transportation)
Tuesday 9 May 2023 11am (GMT time) (Problem 3: Group presentation)
This coursework/group presentation is worth 50% of the total unit mark. Copying of
others work or reports is not permitted and will be dealt with under the University rules
on plagiarism.
You need to submit Problem 1 and 2 to the Moodle Dropbox which checks the
document for plagiarism through Turnitin. Problem 1 and Problem 2 (d) must be typed
and should be no longer than the specified word limits where given. The font size used
must be 11 or greater. Provide the list of references you have cited at the end of your
essay and you must show all workings for your calculations. Please ensure that you
upload Problem 1 and Problem 2 as one pdf file by 25 April 2023 11am and name it
with your individual student ID number (e.g., 476123.pdf) as failure to do so will result
in a penalty.
Problem 1: Critical reflective essay on John Lewis & Partners
Write a short individual critical essay on how the operations in John Lewis’s Magna
Park semi-automated warehouse in Milton Keynes could be enhanced. John Lewis
& Partners is owned by John Lewis Partnership plc and operates several high-end
departmental stores around the UK. It should include the following:
• Brief description of John Lewis & Partners and its operations
• Analysis of the warehouse, inventory and distribution practices and how they
compare with others in the commercial sector (using your knowledge of best
practice and illustrating using specific examples such as Amazon and Ocado).
• Evaluation of how they adapted during the COVID pandemic and how it’s
operations could be enhanced
Your essay should include references which have been cited in the text (mainly
academic). The report should be between 1250-1500 words (excluding references).
[30 marks]
Problem 2: Transportation problem

Table 1: Unit costs (£) for transporting from each supply point to each
demand point
where
a = The third digit of your student ID number
b = The fourth digit of your student ID number
c = The fifth digit of your student ID number
d = The sixth digit of your student ID number
(e.g. Student ID number 356713 gives a=6, b=7, c=1, d=3)
a) Formulate this problem algebraically as a balanced transportation problem to
minimize the total cost.
[6 marks]
b) Give the tabular form of the resulting balanced transportation model and
hence find a basic feasible solution via the North-West Corner method. What
are the advantages and disadvantages of using this method?
[6 marks]
c) Use the transportation simplex method starting from the basic feasible
solution found in part b) to find an optimal solution.
[10 marks]
d) From your findings, make recommendations to the company with regards to
what they should do in non-technical language [maximum 200 words].
[8 marks]
[30 marks]
Resources available
There are numerous video clips showing details of how the John Lewis Magna Park
warehouse operates and its layout. One example is:
1. KNAPP – John Lewis, United Kingdom, Milton Keynes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czCIDZ_NcsI
One helpful resource on Warehouse Management (in the library) is
Richards, G. (2017). Warehouse management: a complete guide to improving
efficiency and minimizing costs in the modern warehouse. Kogan Page Publishers.
In addition to the PowerPoint lecture slides (also uploaded onto Moodle e.g.
Warehouse Management), the University of Portsmouth’s library website provides
access to academic books as well as journal papers via a number of databases (e.g.
Science Direct or Web of Knowledge) (see https://library.port.ac.uk/). Other materials
on the internet can be used but with an understanding that the material may be
promotional and/or unsubstantiated.