Best Practices With Collaborating Information

Timely knowledge regarding their supply chain helps the company in resolving the problem, which ultimately leads in attracting customers and gaining competitive advantage. It is observed that Tesco can easily get the competitive advantage by considering the element of collaboration at the time of formulating their strategies particularly regarding the supply chain activities for the reason that it would assist them to perform their activities in a more effective manner. However, it is a prior duty of the top officials of Tesco to encourage the collaboration technique in order to enhance the productivity and efficiency of their business operations to the utmost level. It is noticed that most of the large-scale organisations are quite keen to consider all possible measures through which they can easily enhance their business operations without any problem just because of the serious competition in the retail market. Furthermore, it is found that the Tesco supplier network and Supplier innovation group help the organisation to approach the right supplier for right place that ultimately improve their logistics operations and differentiate them from their competitors (Jaffeux & Wieser,

1. Amarpreet, S. (2010). Assessing Effectiveness of Supply Chain Collaboration: An Empirical Study. Available at www.supplychain-forum.com

Supply chain management is increasing in importance because “In today’s hypercompetitive environments in which competition is among supply chain networks rather than individual firms, firms are confronted with the need to effectively manage increasingly extending supply chain activities beyond the boundary of the firm,” (Lee, B.C., et al., 2010, p. 657). As stated previously, the broader the supply chain the more risks the company is open to. The second line of protecting the supply chain is creating strong relationships with the suppliers. The longer a company has a supplier, the stronger the relationship (Bayraktar, 2010), but to get to that point there needs to be similar: corporate and national cultures, vision, technology rate change, and quality information to share (Lee, B.C., et al., 2010). When all of these characteristics align, there is trust and open communication. Since supply chain management can be considered information sharing (Lee, B.C., et al., 2010), trust and open communication are necessary for information sharing to take place. Without trust and open communication, there is a very weak supply chain and even more vulnerability to risks. Trust and open communication are extremely important in global supply chains. Extra effort from the operations manager is needed when languages and time zones complicate communication.

Young (2012) writes that supply chain management (SCM) is a function of collaborating firms working to improve operating efficiency and to leverage strategic positioning. In addition, Young references this function as not only the physical attributes of product distribution, but also to include related information, such as production or delivery status, and the capability to access such information. Such capabilities allow SCM to be an important link in fulfilling customer needs and providing value. Young adds that in the current customer-driven market, the perceived value of the entire relationship

As supply chains have moved from a cost focus to a customer focus and now currently to a strategic focus, the need to think strategically about the supply chain has never been more important. The success of a strategy is only as good as the company’s ability to fully and properly execute it. A great supply chain strategy, linked with operational excellence, can provide success for not only the company in question but also its partners and customers.

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal Volume 17 · Number 1 · 2012 · 15 –28

The best organizations worldwide are discovering a strong new supply of competitive advantage. It 's known as supply chain management and it encompasses all of those built-in activities that bring product to market and create satisfied customers. The supply Chain management program integrates issues from manufacturing operations, purchasing, transportation, and physical distribution into a unified program. Positive supply chain management, then, coordinates and integrates all of these hobbies right into a seamless approach. It embraces and hyperlinks all of the companions within the chain. In addition to the departments within the group, these partners comprise vendors, carriers, third party companies, and information programs vendors.

Supply Chain is a system of organizations, people, activities, information and resources related to the transfer of products or services from suppliers (supply chains) to customers. Supply chain operations involve converting natural resources, raw materials and components into a finished product to be delivered to the end customer. In complex supply chain systems, the products used can re-enter the supply chain at any point where the residual value can be recycled. Supply chain links the value chain. Supply chain management includes all planning and management related to supply, procurement, conversion, and logistics management activities. Equally important is that it also involves coordination with partner channels such as vendors, intermediaries, third-party service providers, and customers. Essentially, supply chain management integrates supply and demand management within and outside the company. Supply chain management is an integrated function with the primary responsibility for connecting the core business functions and business processes within companies into a high-performance and engagement business model. It covers all of the logistics management activities outlined above, as well as manufacturing activities, and it promotes collaborative processes and activities with marketing, sales,

            The term supply chain management (SCM) was initially used in wholesaling and retailing to denote the integration of logistics and physical distribution functions with the goal of reducing delivery lead times. Manufacturers and service providers have used the same term to describe integration and partnership efforts with first- and second- tier suppliers to reduce cost and improve quality and delivery timing. Terms such as integrated purchasing strategy, integrated logistics, supplier integration, value chain management, supply base management, strategic supplier alliances, lean production, Just-In-Time (JIT) logistics, and supply chain synchronization have been used in the literature to

Supply Chain Management seeks to guarantee that “merchandise is produced and distributed at the right quantities, to the right locations, and at the right time. . .” (Stock, Boyer, & Harmon, 2010). It is the management of a company’s supply chain by coordination and integration of the multitude of supply chain partners that a company interacts with. Initially, the concept focused on how to make a relationship between supplier and purchaser more efficient but has now been broadened to include the management of many activities, functions, and organizations. In some industries it may include a company’s entire supply chain, including all of its customers, suppliers, and strategic partners (du Toit & Vlok, 2014; Walker & Jones, 2012). The concept has expanded so far today that many argue that there is no longer any competition among individual companies but instead competition among separate supply chains (Brun & Moretto, 2012).

Supply Chain coordination has become a critical success factor for Supply Chain management (SCM) and effectively improving the performance of organizations in various industries. Companies are increasingly located at the intersection of one or more corporate networks which are designated by “Supply Chain”. Managing this chain is mainly based on an 'information sharing ' and redeployment activities between the various links that comprise it. Several attempts have been made by industrialists and

Supply chain management is applicable to both manufacturing and service industries. To achieve Customer satisfaction & loyalty ,success for individual firms depends on how well the supply chain functions as a whole. The sharing knowledge of new products and technologies with the suppliers it creates the successful product. One of the key element for achieving supply chain effectiveness is establishing and nurturing trust across the organizational boundaries especially with suppliers(Hanfield & Bechtel, 2001)

All the managers recognised that supply chain performance is important in improving competitive advantage. They evaluated the supply chain based on tangible (e.g. cost) and intangible perspectives (e.g. time). The companies also had high-level communication information with their partners in the supply chain, in which they exchanged information regarding accuracy, value and criticality. The companies acknowledged that e-procurement enhanced partner relationships, information sharing, and supply chain integration.

In conclusion, it can be said that suppliers have medium to high power. Although there are many suppliers, there are only a few well-known trusted suppliers that most sellers would prefer to

Today, most organizations are facing increasing challenges and opportunities to remain competitive, the organizations must adapt and improve their performance like reducing costs, rapid development of products and offering high quality products and services. With the continued evolution of supply chain management, customers are showing increased awareness about working effectively with suppliers and in achieving required performance and business results (Srivoravilai et.al, 2011).