Procurement: Purchasing Management Association

A supply chain is a net work of firms. Thus, each firm in the chain should build its own supply chains to support the competitive priorities of its services or products. Two distinct designs used to competitive advantage are efficient supply chains and responsive supply chains. Efficient supply chains work best in environments where demand is highly predictable. The focus of the supply chain is on efficient flows of services and materials keeping inventories to a minimum. The firm’s competitive priorities are low-cost operations, consistent quality, and on-time delivery. Responsive supply chains designed to react quickly in order to hedge against uncertainties in demand. Work best when firms offer a great variety of services or products and demand predictability is low. Typical competitive priorities are development speed, fast delivery times, customization, variety, volume flexibility, and top quality. Tables below show the environments and design features that best suit each design.

List and explain all aspects of supply chain management. pg 416; week5 lecture, pg 4;

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

Supply-Chain Management is the activities that procure materials and services, and transform them into intermediate goods and final products and deliver them, through a distribution system (Heizer & Render, 2011, p. 452). DELL is a computer technology corporation that develops sells, repairs and supports, computers and computer related products. DELL has realized that supply chain is becoming more and more important for the success of today’s business world and they work accordingly to keep a competitive advantage in the market. This study will examine to what extent Dell has used supply chain management to gain and retain a competitive advantage in the computer market.

insightful, for the purposes of this text, we will use supply chain management as the

What is developing the ability to produce goods or services previously purchased or actually buying a supplier or a distributor?

There are several options when it comes to a supply chain strategy including the Keiretsu network, virtual company, a vertical integration, and joint venture. After analyzing all of these programs, it is my opinion that the virtual company supply chain strategy be adopted.

Effective supply chain management can provide an important competitive advantage for a business marketer, resulting in improved communication and involvement among members of the chain, increased motivation, and decreased costs. Tracking the movement of and demand for components used to manufacture a product across a variety of potential and actual suppliers, provides insight and the ability to respond instantly to shortages, surpluses, and changes in market conditions. It seeks to optimize production, decrease manufacturing time, minimize inventory, streamline order fulfillment, and reduce cost.

1. What aspects of Boeing's supplier relations program specifically address reduce inventories; maintain quality, regulatory compliance, and competiveness?

What is the right supply chain for your product ? is the question asked by Marshall L. Fisher in his article titled, “What is the Right Supply Chain for Your Product ?” published in March-April 1997 issue of the Harvard Business Review. Author raises the question stating the fact that new ideas and technology implemented haven’t lead to improved performance. Performance has not become better but rather in at least some cases, has worsened due to costs rocketing to unprecedented levels.

efficient supply chain. There are two main factors that go towards deciding the actual point of

“Considering present market conditions and the way in which industry demand fluctuates nowadays, firms willing to remain operationally efficient will become more reliant on supply-chain management, This is one of the main reasons for which Wal-Mart has been capable of growing at an annual rate of 15.4%.”（Aleksandrov）

6. In your opinion, what are the key lessons from this case study for supply chain managers?

Porter describes three choices of strategic position that influence the configuration of a firm's activities:

A) design by imitation B) product analysis C) reverse engineering D) benchmarking E) disassembly 14. Which of the following is an issue that designers must take into account in product and service design? A) legal, environmental, and ethical issues B) reliability C) standardization D) range of operating conditions E) all of the above 15. A formal way to document customer requirements is: __________________. A) consumer surveys B) quality function deployment (QFD) C) focus groups D) Delphi technique E) sales/marketing matrix 16. Which of the following is not a goal of supply chain management? A) fewer suppliers and long-term relationship B) small lot sizes C) on time deliveries D) lowest possible transportation costs E) delivery often to the place of use 17. Vendor analysis has the greatest potential for savings for items which have: ____________________. A) low cost per unit B) low annual cost-volume C) high cost per unit D) high annual usage E) high annual cost-volume