Case Study : Supply Chain Management

The supply chain management is considered as a management concept from past two decades as the customers are concerned about timely and safe delivery. The competitiveness has been increasing among the companies to deliver the products as quickly as possible to the customers all around the world. This has made the supply chain management as a vital tool for the management. This is also measured as a competitive parameter for the companies.

Supply chains manage the movement of products from the acquisition of raw materials through production and finally distribution to the end user. A properly designed supply chain can create many opportunities to drive down cost and increase revenue opportunities. In order to create a supply chain that is sustainable and flexible it is necessary to identify and align company goals and initiatives with the manufacturing and distribution of products.

Supply chain management is a practice that involves the planning, supervision, and implementation of strategies and controls to direct the movement of goods and services provided to customers. The intent of this essay is to incorporate a synopsis of existing literature and to provide the reader with a general understanding of how supply chain management correlates with the organizational design and structure of modern firms. The essay comprehensively reviews the components of supply chain management and their integration with functional areas within an organization. The information presented in this essay

A supply chain is very important to an organization. It can and should show the relationship between suppliers, distributors, managers and consumers. This paper would detail how important suppliers and distributions are to an organization’s success. And how important a supply chain is within an organization and how managers can utilize the supply chain. It is important that companies such as Target Corporations utilize the supply chain and gain competitive advantages. Target is one of the world’s largest retail stores; the first Target was opened in 1962 in Roseville, Minnesota (Target.com). By the end of 1962 there were only four Target and they were all operated in Minnesota.

According to Larson and Halldorsson (2004) “unionist” perspective, supply chain management incorporates logistics as a key supply chain focused function. The Council of Supply Chain management professionals (CSCMP) defined logistics management as ‘‘that part of supply chain management that plans, implements, and controls the efficient, effective forward and reverses flow and storage of goods, services and related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet

Supply chain management is an integral component of operation management and has a direct effect on how successfully organizations function. The purpose of supply chain management is to remove communication barriers and eliminate redundancies by coordinating, monitoring, and controlling processes within an organization. Identifying the components of the supply chain, facilitating better decision-making, creating improved communication, and identifying weak links in the chain causing bottlenecks in an organization are crucial to supply chain integration. There are three principle elements of supply chain integration: management of information and financial flows, inventory management, and management of relationships of

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

The importance of the supply chain hasn’t always been so critical. It wasn’t until the railroad industry in the early 20th century that we first started to see real focus given to the supply chain. World War II put an even greater focus on the importance of a good supply chain and that emphasis was felt on a global scale. In the 1970s the oil embargo and shortages of other raw materials brought the attention of purchasing and supply management to a new level, once again. As more companies began competing on a global scale, innovative strategies arose. In the 1980s

Supply chain management (SCM) systems have been a new and steady buzz word from late last century up to today. Large companies depend on SCM systems to reduce cost and increase revenue. This article explores the relevant use of SCM systems in today’s business world through different means of analysis, such as SCM performance, variables associated with cost and revenues, and business, supplier and customer relationships. It advocates for their use and provide quantitative analytics to support their position.

All flows of information, products or funds generate costs within the supply chain. Efficient management of these flows is the key to success in the supply chain. Effective and efficient supply chain management involves the management of supply chain assets and product, information, and fund flows to maximize total supply chain profitability. “Supply chain efficiency is related to whether a company’s processes are harnessing resources in the best way possible, whether those resources are financial, human, technological or physical” (Borgström, 2016, pp. 2). Supply chain management involves strategic decision making processes at many levels, from the strategic level through the tactical to the operational level, relating to design, planning and operation of the supply chain, because these three subjects have a strong impact on the overall profitability, efficiency, competitiveness and success of the supply chain (Simchi-Levi et al, 2010).

Supply chain management is currently an important aspect in Management Information System. So much technology and brainpower have been used to improve the performance. In this decade electronic data interchange has made the process flexible, automatic warehousing and rapid logistics. Every organizations are trying to make their supply chain management more accurate using quick response, efficient customer response, mass customization, lean and agile manufacturing. (Fisher, 1997)

The challenges that organizations face in supply chain integration is the ability to successfully coordinate activities across the supply chain so that they can improve performance in the areas of increase service level, reduce cost, better utilize resources, reduce bullwhip effect, and effectively respond to changes in the marketplace. According to Levi (2008),

Supply chain Consists of all parties involved involved directly or indirectly, in order to satisfy customer needs. Supply chain includes manufacturer, supplier, transporter ,Warehouses, retailers and customer.

Improvements in transportation process and technology enablement make available the most achievable way for most companies today to flush out supply chain costs and advance quality, reliability and customer satisfaction. Companies across nearly every industry sector are motivated to become supply chain management leaders. SCM leaders attain this rank in their markets by extensively dropping cycle times and operating expenses, increasing supply chain

As I have completed a Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical engineering and worked as a supervisor in an Industry which generally deals in manufacturing of rice mills and flour mills, I really had to struggle against managing supply chain as it was very difficult for me without proper knowledge of Supply chain management in dealing with purchasing of raw material from suppliers and giving product to clients. I could not understand what clients were demanding and how to fulfill their demands. First of all a big thanks to CQ University providing its students to get knowledge on all important topics which are helpful in their future career and I am one of them.