In this item of assessment you are required to submit an individual report in which you evaluate specific aspects of an industry in depth, reporting on the level of sustainability seen in the present day and making recommendations for future improvements.
For the 2023 instance of the module, the industry under study is the production of biofuels from plant crops. You can select any part of the supply network that produces or processes plant material that is converted into fuel. (For example, to make ethanol, biodiesel or some other plant-derived fuel.) Your work will be a 3,000 word report.
Background:
Energy is essential to our modern society but concerns including those about scarcity and contribution to climate change have led to interest in plant-based alternatives. These aren’t entirely without cost, however: growing crops for fuel may require additional land, water and fertilisers – and can impact food production. Additional concerns might include eutrophication from agricultural runoff, the carbon footprint from logistics activities, the side effects of pesticide use, etc. So should politicians be promoting biofuels, or not?
There is a need for a better understanding of the impacts resulting from the production of biofuels. Only when the industry is evaluated on the basis of evidence and good science can policymakers decide upon what parts of the industry to promote, develop and subsidise – and which to tax and discourage.
Your job, in this assignment, is to choose any one part of the biofuel supply chain and conduct an original quantitative analysis, putting this into a report to share your findings. For your quantitative analysis, select an appropriate methodology such as measuring the water footprint or measuring the carbon footprint, etc. It is a key requirement of this assignment that you present original work in which you offer calculations on the basis of evidence you have cited.
Additional Guidance:
The energy industry as a whole is far too complex for meaningful analysis. Instead, you should focus your attention upon a single part, where you can offer insights. For example, you might choose to report on planting and growing, harvesting, refining, shipping, etc. Please note that you should be reporting on the industry itself and not an associated issue, e.g. energy efficiency at the point of consumption.
The aim is to discuss a worked example, using reasonable assumptions, to assess the environmental harm arising from the production (or harvesting, or processing, etc.) of the fuel you have chosen. This may be a calculation of contribution to climate change, or some other quantifiable mode of harm such as water use, worker safety, toxic emissions, etc.
You should provide an overview of the organisations (or types of organisation) that work in the supply network for your chosen item, define appropriate boundaries for your study and discuss the practices that take place, presenting evidence and reasoning such that you quantify the impacts of supply chain activities.
Conduct original analysis using appropriate tools and methodologies. You might, for example, apply a life cycle assessment methodology such as PAS2050, using published conversion factors as a basis for your calculations and estimating carbon footprint based on the weight or volume of an item, the distance and the modes of transport employed. Use the academic literature to find additional evidence of quantified economic, environmental and/or social harm.
Having reported this information, propose and justify a new strategy for the supply network: ideally a creative solution that changes such factors as the business model, the configuration of the supply network or the specification of key products of services. Cite the sources that gave you information about the sector as a whole, and about your chosen commodity. Use evidence to construct reasoned arguments that lead to workable solutions.
A good piece of work will be well formatted and logically structured, with a good standard of written English. If you are in any doubt about your writing skills, please take advice from the Skills Team.
Do not cut and paste phrases or paragraphs from published sources without citing your sources. You should seek to use your own words to discuss concepts and theories, while acknowledging the work of other scholars.
Suggested Structure:
A recommended structure for your report follows. You can depart from these recommendations if you wish, but be sure to structure your report logically, and to cover all requested elements. Use numbered sections, with decimals for subsections.
Ideally, your report will include the following:
A brief Introduction to the report, stating its purpose. (Do not expend too many words on descriptive writing and context-setting – but be sure to justify the material or component that you have chosen to study.)
Application of a tool or methodology to evaluate the sources of harm arising within the supply network for your selected material or component type.
Interpretation and discussion of the results of your analysis.
Recommendations for how the supply network can be improved, reducing or eliminating the sources of harm that you have identified. Identify any policies that should be enacted to ensure compliance, perhaps by the companies purchasing the item(s) or by government.
Include a brief conclusion to the report.
Add a list of Harvard references. (This does not count towards your word limit.) Ideally, you will have cited 15+ sources within the text.