Assignment

C11FT

Freight Transport and Warehouse

Management

Individual Coursework - Assignment I

To be submitted by:

15th October 2021 – 4pm (Canvas)

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1. Assignment Description

This is an individual assignment which requires you to produce a piece of academic writing, based

on peer-reviewed research and/or industry reports, on one of the following topics:

• Barriers & Enablers for Sustainability Initiatives in Freight Transport

o Select an initiative of interest, provide a rationale for your choice, and discuss the

aforementioned issues based on your obtained knowledge/information

• Barriers & Enablers for Automation of Freight Transport modes

o Select a single mode of interest, provide a rationale for your choice, and discuss the

aforementioned issues based on your obtained knowledge/information

• Barriers & Enablers of Last Mile Delivery

o Select an initiative of interest, provide a rationale for your choice, and discuss the

aforementioned issues based on your obtained knowledge/information

This individual assignment is asking you to make reasonable assumptions, use supporting

evidence, and justify your conclusions in the context of a specific country. For your assignment

you are welcome to expand on topics discussed in the lectures, but you should produce an original

piece of writing which is not solely based on lecture content.

Your report should be between 2,500 and 3,000 words and contain at least 20 references of

suitable relevance and quality. The word count excludes figures and tables, reference list, and

appendices. You should include an introduction, conclusion, and reference list using Harvard

formatting. This individual assignment will account for 50% of your final course mark.

Your report will be marked according to the following criteria:

• Relevance of content

• Clarity and critical thinking

• Quality of argument

• Use of supporting evidence

• Academic writing style and presentation

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Assignments should be submitted on Canvas via the appropriate link by 4pm UTC (8pm UTC+4)

on Friday 15th October. Late submissions will incur a 30% penalty. Submissions more than five

working days late (22nd October 2021 – 4pm) will not be marked and won’t receive feedback.

2. Referencing Recommendations

Selected references should be of immediate relevance to the subject area you are discussing, of

a contemporary nature (not outdated), specific enough to support your writing and the

development of your own understanding regarding the subject matter. Last, your references will

be required to be of an appropriate quality for this type of work.

Quality references include peer-reviewed journal articles, books, theses, and videos from top

business schools. Wikipedia and The Daily Mail (amongst other similar outlets) should not be

included in any coursework unless specified otherwise! Please refer to the latest Academic

Journal Guide by the Chartered Association of Business Schools to get a better impression of

journal ranking and the landscape of your field of research.

Use this link to sign-up and access the latest ABS Journal Guide:

https://charteredabs.org/academic-journal-guide-2018/

You must cite in text and list references using the Heriot-Watt/Harvard referencing style which

is detailed further in the following section.

You must write your Project Report in third person. It will be marked down considerably if you

write it in first person.

According to Heriot-Watt University coursework policy, late submissions will receive a 30%

penalty. 30% of the otherwise achieved mark will be deducted i.e. If your mark would have been

70% but you submitted late, 70% * 0.7 = 49% which would mean your mark now is 49%.

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3. Referencing Work

Referencing should allow another person to find ALL the books and articles cited in submissions.

The Harvard Referencing System is one of the most widely used referencing system in academic

work and is also Heriot-Watt University’s approved system. The referencing system covers all

types of written materials, with work taken from the Internet recently covered by an

international agreement.

ALL texts referenced within the body of the diary or written report must be fully cited within a

Reference section at the end (immediately after conclusions but before any Appendices).

In your assessed work you are expected to use Harvard Referencing whenever you cite a course

of information: when you state facts, cite data, or present an argument informed by your

reading:

• state which sources support your work

• if you are presenting a critical analysis also cite the sources that you are refuting

The library has some excellent information on how and where to cite using the Harvard

Referencing system.

For advice on how and what to reference please visit:

https://www-citethemrightonline-com.ezproxy1.hw.ac.uk/

You will need to login with your student account.

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4. Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the intentional presentation of another person’s work as your own. This includes copying a

piece of literature and/or another source, and claiming it as own work. The university has a very strong

policy concerning plagiarism, with the ultimate penalty being expulsion. Any assessments found to

contain plagiarised work will automatically receive a mark of ZERO, and the person/s responsible will be

referred to the programme leader who may take this to the University for more formal discipline.

Plagiarism is a serious academic offence.

See: https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/students/studies/examinations/plagiarism.htm

Self-plagiarism is also considered a disciplinary offence. Self-plagiarism is defined as using the same piece

of work or parts of the same piece of work in submissions for different courses, or in different assessments

within the same course.

Please see https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/about/profile/governance/ordinances-regulations.htm for

full information on academic rules.

Before submitting any assessed or written work, students are advised to read the referencing guidelines.

Specifically, they should ensure that all literature used during the writing of the essay is properly

referenced using the Harvard Referencing System. This is a marked requirement of submissions

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5. Assignment Formatting

Aspect ‘Word’ Command Line

Recommended Setting

Language English (UK)

Word count Between 2500 and 3000 words Excludes abstract, references, tables, and graphs i.e., main text only

Paper Size File, Page setup – Paper.

A4

Line spacing

Format, Paragraph, Indents & spacing

One and a half spacing, not single or double.

Text Format, Styles & Formatting

Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial

Font

Format, Styles & Formatting

12-point font

Alignment Format, Styles & Formatting

Justified (i.e., straight edges)

Introduction Required

Main Body Required

Conclusion Required

Table of Contents Insert, Reference, Index & Tables

Required

List of Figures Insert, Reference, Index & Tables

Required (Note all figures in the main text must be numbered, titled, and attributed)

List of Tables Insert, Reference, Index & Tables

Required (Note all tables in the main text must be numbered, titled, and attributed)

Abbreviations Optional

Glossary of Terms Optional

Main text Chapter & Section Headings

Format, Bullets & Numbering, Outline numbered

Required, Chapter title, bold, outlined numbered e.g., Heading1, Section title, bold, outlined numbered e.g., 1.1, Sub section title, outlined numbered e.g., 1.1.1

References Harvard system

Appendices Optional Appendix title, bold, outlined numbered e.g., Appendix 1, start each Appendix on new page

Format Word or pdf