Marketing Analysis : International Supply Chain Operations

It is becoming apparent that the ever changing environment in the global marketplace requires a swifter response time from businesses and their supply chains. The era when production was moved overseas, so businesses can take advantage of low-cost labor is coming to an end, because businesses are not only competing on price but also on time. The owner of Zara, a Spanish clothing store knows this first hand, and has turned supply chain management on its ear, making his company the “envy of the industry” (Ferdows, Lewis, & Machuca, 2004).

​Competition within the internet sales industry is fierce and innovation is the way internet retailers are looking to grab the top spot. Internet retailers such as Walmart are following in the path of competitors and building fulfillment centers left and right to allow for faster delivery to customers. Many internet retailers have explored the possibilities of drone delivery, using customers to deliver products to other customers on their way home, and allowing customers to pick up products out of lockers in stores so they don’t have to wait in line; these competitive strategies internet retailers are seeking to implement illustrate how far firms are willing to go to gain the upper-hand on one another (Forbes, 2012).

Supply chains must be managed to coordinate the inputs with the outputs in a firm to achieve the appropriate competitive priorities of the firm’s enterprise processes. The Internet offers firms an alternative to traditional methods for managing supply chains. A supply chain strategy is essential

The authors also write about the inability to no longer be able to customize products and services to customer needs due to shipping container space limitations and month long order times limiting flexibility and responsiveness of supply chains (p. 1). They went on to say that due to these inflexible supply chains customers would no longer be able to receive goods, services, and products tailored to their needs although I did not find conclusive enough evidence in the writing to agree with its inclusion. I believe this portion of the article was an attempt to persuade the reader by using examples of possible frustrations customers would experience. Although these issues may be true, I did not see the research necessary to support the claims.

A firm 's international marketing program must generally be modified and adapted to foreign markets. This international marketing program uses strategies to accomplish its marketing goals. Within each foreign nation, the firm is likely to find a combination of marketing environment and target markets that are different from those of its own home country and other foreign countries. It is important that in international marketing, product, pricing, distribution and promotional strategies be adapted accordingly. In order for an international firm to function properly, cultural, social, economic, and legal forces within the country must be clearly understood.

The group of firms that makes and delivers a given set of goods and services is known as a supply chain.

After reading the "Direct Mail" article posted in our course, discuss three things you learned related to online giving trends of donors from different generations.

In order for a supply chain to run as efficiently as possible, considerations must be in place to ensure the logistics function is operating in an appropriate manner. Part of this is ensuring that the distribution centre is located in an area that allows the greatest efficiency, all the while still meeting operational and strategic needs (Van Thai & Grewal, 2005, p. 4)

The whole process comes down to the last mile and because it is also where the majority of shipment’s cost and complexity is, the last mile in the shipping process is where the growing burden on the retailers exist. Retailers and logistics firms are forced to have fast delivery, with low prices and great quality to compete with other retailers in the same industry. With more growth in the industry, there are problems of managing stock. In 2013, products ordered online generated just over one billion deliveries. By 2018, this number is expected to grow by 28.8% to 1.35 billion. Because of that, retailers and logistics firms similarly need to

Compare the other retailers, logistics is an essential problem in e-commerce and e-business. Over country shipping and one-day shipping are more and more popular in the past years, like Amazon one day shipping, Amazon fresh keeps food in a good condition and deliver in a specific time. Retail leaders Amazon started same-day deliveries and drone shipping careers in 2015, but it hasn't expanded to all industry. The customer's satisfaction degree is closely connected with delivery ability, which makes the logistic problem more important.

While researching on line I came across an article that described the affect that the Internet is having on supply chains today. “E-enabled supply chain management is fast emerging as a core strategy that organizations worldwide are adopting for sustainable business advantage”. (4)

Modern global integrated supply chains couldn’t be global or integrated without a modern technological infrastructure to act as both supply chains connective tissue and nervous system. While modern supply chain executives are expected to have a grasp of modern business technology, the thought of actually making technology related decisions can be scary for even the most senior executives. So, what should supply chain managers expect their system software and hardware to do for their supply chain? In this paper, I will talk about how online purchasing at McDonalds affect the technology and supply chain management (Carr, 2016).

The original formula for Red Bull was developed in 1964; however, the Red Bull company was not founded until 1984 after a merger between Dietrich Mateschitz, marketing guru, and Chaleo Yoovidhya, the owner of the Red Bull formula. Categorized as an energy drink, Red Bull was initially designed to “treat jet lag and boost energy for truck drivers” (Hollensen, 2012). In today's era, Red Bull is commonly used as an energy drink; like coffee, and as a mixer in alcoholic drinks, like Red Bull Wings and the Jägerbomb. This aligns with the company's focus on the younger generations of partygoers and post-secondary students.

Many complex and more diverse decisions confront supply chain managers on a regular basis: what would be more efficient to manufacture in-house or to outsource; what new channels to implement that it would benefit their customers and suppliers, or how all new technologies, platforms, and practices have to be aligned to enable real-time supply chains. Current information technology reduced outsourcing transaction costs drastically, enabled companies to an increased supervision and control over offsite work, and outsourcing services can deliver faster and more convenient, but technology alone is not the solution. If a company decides to embrace changes in business processes and business culture, those changes can support a long way toward delivering a better product for less money. Complex sphere of activities in many countries is not relevant anymore because a massive number of activities outsourced became commonplace, a new normal.

This is a research project aimed at four different topics within e-commerce and the dynamic landscape of logistics within this emerging field. I will first be focusing on current landscape of e-commerce. Secondly the focus will be shifted to a global perspective and the difference of markets based on region. Thirdly I will cover the future trends of e-commerce, and the differences that we may see. Finally, I will present data on select countries and how they are affected by e-commerce currently and the changes that we can expect to see in the future. While researching this broad and developing topic, I have found that there are a handful of takeaways that can be seen in the entirety of this paper: