Research Proposal: Logistics and Supply Chain Management for UK Gas

This research proposal investigates the logistics and supply chain management within the UK gas sector, with a specific focus on British Gas. The proposal outlines the research aim, which is to highlight the network of logistics and supply chain management in the UK, and the research questions, including describing the logistics and supply chain management of British Gas, identifying issues, and describing the necessity of effective management. Objectives are set to address the research questions. The proposal includes a literature review, exploring key concepts such as logistics and supply chain management and their application to the oil and gas industry. The methodology section details the research approach, including the use of the research onion, and proposes a descriptive research design with a deductive approach, utilizing both primary and secondary research methods. The proposal also provides a timeline and Gantt chart for the research project.

Running head: SUPPLY CHAIN
Logistics and Supply Chain Management for UK Gas
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author Note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................4
Background............................................................................................................................4
Research Aim.........................................................................................................................5
Research Questions................................................................................................................5
Research Objectives...............................................................................................................6
Rational..................................................................................................................................6
Contribution to Literature......................................................................................................6
Literature Review.......................................................................................................................6
Logistics and Supply Chain Management..............................................................................7
Logistics and Supply Chain Management of British Gas......................................................7
Issues in Logistics and Supply Chain Management in UK....................................................8
Necessity of Logistics and Supply Chain Management.........................................................9
Methodology..............................................................................................................................9
Research Onion....................................................................................................................10
Figure 1: Research Onion.....................................................................................................10
Proposed Time Scale................................................................................................................11
Timeline...............................................................................................................................11
Table No 1: Timeline...........................................................................................................11
Gantt chart............................................................................................................................12
Figure No 2: Gantt chart......................................................................................................12

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Conclusion................................................................................................................................12
References and Bibliography...................................................................................................13

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Introduction
The following proposal has been compiled to propose a sound topic based on the
modern day business environment. The proposed study is based on one of the most important
elements of business operations which is namely that of the Logistics and Supply Chain
Management. The study will focus on the logistics and Supply chain management of “British
Gas” which is one of the largest companies of the United Kingdom. Currently headquartered
in Staines the company deals with gas, electricity, boilers, home appliances and many more
as such (britishgas.co.uk 2020). The company is a major supplier of energy for the homes
across the country. The research on their logistics and supply chain management is surely to
provide important details regarding the process through which the company operates their
vast system of networks.
Background
Both Logistics and Supply chain management plays an important role in the daily
business operations of the organization. Logistics is generally associated with the movement
of the goods from one place to another and their proper supplies accordingly. However, over
the time the term logistics has defined itself into something more complex and larger. It can
be defined as the set of tasks that varies from that of the procurement of the raw materials,
storing them, transport of the raw materials, and transport of the finished goods and finally
the delivery of the finished goods to the end customer. On the other hand, supply chain can
be defined as the involvement of the different organizations that are able to build up a strong
process which helps to ensure the final shipment a success. A number of people are thus
involved in the total process which is helpful for the companies to maintain their production
levels stable in line with that of the distribution levels. The major concepts of Logistics and
supply chain management involves the likes of Inventory Planning, Transportation,

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Packaging, warehousing and many more as such. These concepts when implemented in a
proper manner can help to ensure the most profit for the organization.
The logistics and supply chain network in the oil and gas industry is not flexible. The
inflexibility comes from the fact issues of the limitations in the production capabilities of the
crude oil suppliers, limits in the transportation modes and most importantly limitations in the
proper planning and management activities of the business. The research will identify these
issues based in UK oil and gas industry by specifically using the example of British Gas. The
concepts of logistics and supply chain management along with the principles and business
framework of the company will also be provided here.
Research Aim
The aim of the research is to highlight the network of logistics and supply chain
management of the United Kingdom. Apart from the highlight of the networking system, the
discussion of the issues that cripples the logistics and supply chain management network has
also been discussed here.
Research Questions
The research questions for the research based on logistics and supply chain
management of British Gas is as follows;
a. Describe the logistics and supply chain management of British Gas.
b. Identify the issues that cripple the supply chain and logistics management of the
company.
c. Describe the necessity of the logistics and supply chain management in British Gas.

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Research Objectives
The research objectives of the upcoming research will be based on the discussion of
the research questions. They are as follows;
a. To describe the logistics and supply chain management of British Gas.
b. To identify the issues that cripple the supply chain and logistics management of the
company.
c. To describe the necessity of the logistics and supply chain management in British
Gas.
Rational
The changes in the technologies, the markets and most importantly the changes in the
needs of the customers and the competitiveness of the companies is a major challenge to the
operations of the oil and gas industry. The companies dealing with the oil and gas sector
needs to stay updated and always stay upgraded which can help the organization to develop
professional means of business development. However, the absence of the crucial
technologies, the political concerns, and the changing environmental scenario has been the
major factors that has made negative impacts on the supply chain management of the
companies. The research will try to highlight these particular areas and find out the ways to
tackle them.
Contribution to Literature
Literature Review
The literature review will be playing a major role in the formation of the research. The
collection and assembly of the secondary data in a professional manner will be the main
highlight of these part of the chapter. The Literature review chapter states all the different
theories and frameworks required to ensure the current research topic in a proper and efficient

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way. The implementation of the theories and the models and the completion of the research
using them is the main highlight of this chapter. The literary review chapter of the research
will provide a better understanding of the research and will enhance a better knowledge of the
same. The different information from different secondary sources of the subject will be
reviewed critically to gain a thorough understanding of the total scenario.
Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Both logistics and Supply chain management forms an important part of the business
organization. Logistics and supply chain management generally work in tandem to ensure the
proper success of the business operations. Logistics involves the supply of the exact business
product in the exact quantity and the exact place to the right customer. The logistics
management in the modern days has involved a large number of different elements and is
nowadays termed as the integrated logistics system (Ahmad et al. 2017). This includes the
likes of the customer service, purchasing process, planning the production process,
warehousing and finally the transportation of the business process. Logistics Management is
related to the management of the supply chain and is termed as the effective and efficient
management of the different day to day activities that are related to the production of the
goods and business services. Thus supply chain can be defined as the different types of the
different kinds of the network in the organizations that can help in the production of the
values in the form of the business process and the different activities. Thus logistics and
supply chain management involves the coordination of the different business organizations to
form a network that is involved in the supply of the different finished products in the market.
Logistics and Supply Chain Management of British Gas
Oil and gas in the modern days is one of the most important and crucial raw material.
It has been the leading source of energy for a large time now and has played a major role in
the economic impact of the different countries. The major role of the industry is its capability

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to develop itself and also develop the secondary industries to gain business success. The
critical role that the oil and gas industry plays in the global economy is vital for the success of
the organization in the most efficient manner. The development of the technology and the
improvement of the oil and gas industry has affected the competitiveness of the companies
involved in this trade. British Gas has been managing its supply chain and logistics
management in the most efficient manner that has helped them to stabilize its business
operations in the most efficient manner. The major development of the organization has
because of the smart-meter project.
The decision of the company to reject any forms of customization and increase the
need for standardization has been important in the streamlining of the SAP supply chain
management system in the most effective way (britishgas.co.uk 2020). The UK government
has also recognized the importance of the “Smart-Meter project” and has mentioned its
utilization as the possible means of economic benefits and improvement of the consumer
experience (britishgas.co.uk 2020). The development of the new technology has helped the
company to reach out to 30 million homes across the country and different small businesses
(searchsap.techtarget.com 2020). The company has also been able to install at least 50
Million smart meters within the year that has set out a new record in the development of the
UK gas industry (britishgas.co.uk 2020). The very first thing that was done by the
management of the business was the abandonment of the old business methods and the
development of the different kinds of the modules for billing, warehouse management and
scheduling had helped “British Gas” to effectively develop the supply chain and logistics
management of the business organization (searchsap.techtarget.com 2020).
Issues in Logistics and Supply Chain Management in UK
The supply chain logistics management is quite well developed for British Gas with
the use of the Smart-meter technology. Though there has been development in the business

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process, some issues are present in the networking system which has crippled the logistics
and supply chain network in a proper manner. The major issues currently faced by the
company in their logistics planning are the environmental issues, health and safety issues,
complex operational issues and some external issues like the Brexit which can hamper the
business of the company. The insufficiency in supply chain and logistics arrangement can be
problematic in nature and can lead to the wastage of the resources that leads to unavoidable
overheads. The elimination and reduction of waste production is the only way for survival of
“British Gas” in the market.
Necessity of Logistics and Supply Chain Management
According to, (Ahmad et al. 2016) the globalization and the development of the
business economy is nothing but a systematic process that helps to create a single market.
The market with the well-organized logistics system has the chance and scope for the
development of the enterprises. On the other hand, the study of (Alhosani et al. 2019) states
that the administration of a developed transport system and the unification of the supply
chains in a networking system can be an important consideration for the prospect of a grand
performance by the business organization. The importance of oil and gas in the modern
economy and its unlimited supply to the users is highly important for maintenance of a stable
and developed global economy. Therefore it can be assessed that logistics and supply chain
management developed in the most efficient way can make a change for the business.
Methodology
The methodology chapter consists of a number of different methodological tools that
are generally used by the researchers while the conduction of the research. The methodology
chapter provides a proper and systematic approach in the description of the exploration of the
topic (Kumar 2019). The use of the research tools like the philosophical approach, design of
the research, structure of the research will be defined here. The research will be using the

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descriptive design and deductive approach for achieving the objectives of the research. Apart
from this the use of both the primary and secondary research will be undertaken in the
research to maintain a balance in between the findings from the research.
Research Onion
Research Onion can be said to be a major tool that helps a research to proceed in a
particular research direction (Sahay 2016). The journey through a proper direction helps the
research to gain the proposed outcome of the research. There are a total of six layers in the
research onion which includes, philosophies, research approaches, and research designs,
along with strategies used in the particular research, techniques of sampling, collection of
data, and analysis techniques.
Figure 1: Research Onion
Source: (Sahay 2016)

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Proposed Time Scale
Timeline
Task Name Duration Start Finish
Research Proposal
Timeline Oil and Gas
Supply Chain
146 days Mon 17-02-20 Mon 07-09-
20
Selection of the
Research Topic
1 day Mon 17-02-20 Mon 17-02-
20
Approval of the
Research Topic
3 days Tue 18-02-20 Thu 20-02-
20
Researching and the
Development of the
Aims and Objectives
12 days Fri 21-02-20 Mon 09-03-
20
Selection of the Title 15 days Tue 10-03-20 Mon 30-03-
20
Selection of the
Objectives
2 days Tue 31-03-20 Wed 01-04-
20
Initial Research 12 days Thu 02-04-20 Fri 17-04-
20
Assembling all the
Preliminary Data
8 days Mon 20-04-20 Wed 29-04-
20
Researching the Data 12 days Thu 30-04-20 Fri 15-05-
20
Compiling the Data 20 days Mon 18-05-20 Fri 12-06-
20
Submission of the
Draft
4 days Mon 15-06-20 Thu 18-06-
20
Continuation of the
Research
24 days Fri 19-06-20 Wed 22-07-
20
Assembling New
Information
10 days Fri 19-06-20 Thu 02-07-
20
Identification of the
Sample
1 day Fri 03-07-20 Fri 03-07-
20
Selecting The
Number of Sample Size
3 days Mon 06-07-20 Wed 08-07-
20
Interviewing The
Sample Population
10 days Thu 09-07-20 Wed 22-07-
20
Researching on the
Available Data
33 days Thu 23-07-20 Mon 07-09-
20
Compiling the Total
Data
12 days Thu 23-07-20 Fri 07-08-
20
Assembling and
Preparing the final
Report
20 days Mon 10-08-20 Fri 04-09-
20
Final Submission 1 day Mon 07-09-20 Mon 07-09-
20
Table No 1: Timeline
Source: (As created by Author)

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Gantt chart
Figure No 2: Gantt chart
Source: (As created by Author)
Conclusion
The importance of the oil industry is a crucial element of the modern day business
environment. The globalization of the oil industry and the importance of supply chain and
logistics management of the oil and gas industry has thus turned out to be one of the most
important in the history of the industry. The research will thus focus on the process of the
logistics and supply chain management for British Gas and try to introspect on the different
aspects and perspectives involved in this total process.